The best way to get your foot in the door for a job or internship is with a winning resume. This five-step resume-writing guide will break down the process.
Intro:
A resume doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a job or an internship. But it should carry you half the way, getting your foot past the door. That means it’s essential to make sure your resume fully represents you and your abilities.
Why is it important, though?
Well, because a good 80% of resumes end up in the trash pile, without so much as a few-second glance.
You don’t want yours to land in the garbage if you can help it.
As a college student, you probably don’t have much in the way of work history. But getting an interview requires standing out. Otherwise, there’s not much you can do to prove your capabilities.
Here’s a five-step guide to help you write a winning resume in college:
Contents
One of the discouraging parts of writing a resume is the formatting. It can be terrifying when you don’t know how to format a resume.
But you need one ASAP.
On the other hand, there are several ways to format a resume, and you may be stuck wondering which one’s suitable for you.
There are three popular formats for resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. The format you choose will highlight a specific aspect of your resume.
The chronological format emphasizes work history and career development. It’s supposed to prop you up as a veteran in your field of expertise and make that apparent to a hiring manager at a glance.
In contrast, the functional format focuses more on your acquired skills, knowledge, and credentials.
The third resume format, also known as a combination, is just as it sounds: a combination of functional and chronological resumes.
As a college student, opt for the functional format unless you have relevant work experience that fits the chronological version.
But do you have to use the functional format?
No.
You can use whatever resume format you prefer if it puts you in the best light.
Here are three things that make the functional format perfect for resume writing in college:
Once you have the format down, your next focal point is the contact details.
Usually, this seems like the easy part.
But it’s also the most important piece. That’s because regardless of your chances, incorrect contact information will make you a hassle to chase down with a job offer.
For instance, your area code and social media profiles don’t matter if you forget your email or phone number!
Here are three places on your resume you can place the contacts section:
Make sure your details are visible.
No matter which arrangement strikes your fancy, your contact details should be the first thing an employer sees!
If you’re wondering what to include in your contact information section, here you go. Start with your names and mailing address. Nowadays, a mailing address isn’t necessary, but it doesn’t hurt to throw it in there.
Next is your professional email address and phone number. This section should also feature a link to your portfolio or website, if applicable.
Otherwise, tie up the section with your LinkedIn profile URL.
There are different ways to write your introductory paragraph. As a college student, you want to go with one that highlights your skills and what you’ll contribute to the company.
In this case, focus on resume objectives.
Remember that your vision may not be attractive to the company or program you’re applying for. So, try not to make it personal. Start talking about your goals and where you’d love to be in the next five years.
Considering you have a two or three-sentence limit for the resume objective, keep it short and about your abilities. You can also include a few bullet points summarizing your outstanding qualifications.
Usually, this section would detail your employment history, starting with the most recent. That’s the ever-popular chronological style.
Now, you’ll be handling it a bit differently, detailing your hard skills instead in much the same way you would if it were work history.
Keep in mind: your skillset is your strong suit. You want to position yourself in a way that gives you an edge.
Remember highlighting your abilities back in the intro?
Say you’ve grabbed a recruiter’s attention, and they’re glossing over your resume. They’ll most likely expect you to elaborate on the skills you teased on your resume. Feel free to write your primary abilities in subheaders and elaborate in two or three bullet points.
Your credentials are in the education and certification section of your resume.
Coming shortly after your skills section, it puts solid proof of your abilities on paper.
Generally, things like your institution’s name, qualification, and years of study do just fine for the section.
Discuss your qualifications in detail, throwing in anything else that strengthens your position. It’s common to include awards and accolades earned in college.
Alternatively, you can create a separate section for awards and other non-academic qualifications.
Keep the section short.
Writing a killer resume in college is quite easy. But there are a few points to keep in mind. Ask yourself whether it’s a multipurpose resume or you’re targeting a specific recruitment call, an internship, among other programs.
The above points will help you come up with a great resume for general purposes. Of course, you can spruce it up and tailor it to fit different occasions.
As a side note, remember to proofread and edit your resume. It could be incredible, but a couple of grammar and spelling issues could ruin everything.
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