Even seasoned professionals frequently struggle with the formatting and content of a professional resume. You probably don’t have much work experience if you’re in college or a recent grad, which makes preparing a resume even harder. But don’t be disappointed; there are several things you can take to make your college student or graduate resume stand out from the competition.
Essential Tips for Creating a Graduate Resume
Create a Resume that Reflects the Job Description
It’s crucial to adjust your resume to fit the employment. To begin, thoroughly read the job description and mark any keywords and phrases you find. Put these terms wherever they make sense in your resume. Even if a candidate tracking system processes the resume, most hiring managers look for keywords associated with crucial competencies.
If you’re having problems discovering keywords, a word cloud generator can assist in highlighting the essential parts of the job description. Once done, put your resume through the same keyword generator to check if it matches the job description’s keywords.
Putting Education First
Your academic background should be listed first in the body of your resume if you are a college student or recent graduate because it will be one of the most significant considerations for employers.
Include your major, degree, the name of the school you attended, the date you will (hopefully) graduate and any minors in each column under education. The names of your thesis or dissertation, favourite study areas, honours and prizes, or academic successes (such as being on the dean’s list) can also be added.
Include work history
Even if your work history isn’t a perfect fit for the positions you’re going for, you should still demonstrate to recruiters that you have transferable abilities, can get things done, and are a valuable addition to the team.
You should discuss internships and employment where you may emphasise your transferrable talents and experiences. Write down your job title, the name and location of the company you worked for, the dates you worked there, and 2-4 bullet points summarising your duties and accomplishments in that position for each work entry.
Instead of using “I” in the first person to begin each bullet point, use a powerful action verb. If you lack work experience, you must add more sections highlighting your accomplishments and abilities in non-work-related contexts.
Present Your Skills
List the qualifications that are most important to you and will help you succeed in the position for which you are seeking. Don’t be afraid to bring up soft skills, character attributes and practical life abilities that many employers value when recruiting. Examples of these include public speaking and time management.
Think about including additional sections
After the abilities part on your college resume, you could want to include some non-work-related areas to make yourself stand out from other candidates with comparable educational histories and skill sets. You could add the following parts to the bottom of your resume:
- Extracurricular Activities
- Awards and Honors
- Training and Certifications
- Digital Proficiency
- Interests and Hobbies
Sections to Put on a Graduate or Student Resume
The components listed below should be present in every resume you create, regardless of how you modify it for each job posting or hypothetical cover letter.
Summary for professional resumes: Your professional accomplishments and talents pertinent to the job ad should be briefly mentioned in the resume summary.
A Professional Title That Is Relevant: A resume’s professional title must be the same as the position or title listed in the job posting, such as “media graduate,” “junior developer,” or “paralegal.”
Certificates and education: If applicable, include your thesis, and list essential courses connected to the position. Include any scholarships, university awards, or grade point average you may have.
Resume Writing Advice for Recent Graduates
Describe any relevant experience
Include any work experience you may have. You may, however, additionally provide any further relevant experience. It could include volunteer work, unpaid internships, or leadership roles in school organisations. Even if these jobs are unpaid, they allow you to demonstrate the skills that will set you apart from other applicants.
Use examples of resumes
Knowing where to begin when creating your first CV after college might be challenging. Examples might help you develop ideas for your resume’s format and wording. Check out the sample below, as well as these student resume examples. Never forget to edit an example to reflect your specific background and experience, though.
Proofread and edit
Additionally, make sure your formatting is consistent. For instance, your resume should contain bullet points of the same size throughout. Request the help of a friend, relative, or career counsellor at your college in reviewing your resume.
In Conclusion
It’s intimidating to write your first CV just after graduating from college. Thankfully, it’s not necessary. Employers know the wide range of skills and knowledge acquired through higher education. You have the chance to showcase these abilities on your CV and convince potential companies to hire you.