Earn that Interview with the Perfect Resume!

Every college student struggles to prepare the perfect resume before they graduate, and we all hope to land the perfect job right after graduation. In order for this to happen, here are some helpful tips to think about when preparing your resume. The textbook includes helpful information on how to format your resume, what to include, what not to include; however, college students like the information to be quick, to the point, and easy to read. I took this into consideration while I searched for more sources online and I narrowed it down to three websites that I found were very helpful and easy to follow. Here is what I found:

Write a Resume is a bit more wordy than the others; however, I found it to be beneficial because of how you can follow it according to each topic. For example, it talks about why you need a resume, what employers look for, questions an employer asks, etc. Some of this information is stuff we wouldn’t think we need to know, but it turns out to be helpful. Also, I like how they include what not to put in your resume. This section is easy to read and a good guide to look over when revising your resume.

The first website is very helpful, but I wanted to look for something more straightforward. Which is why I liked Jobstar Central; it provides strict "5 Key Concepts for Powerful, Effective Resumes" that weren’t really mentioned in the textbook. They are more personal but also very helpful to remember:

1. Your resume is YOUR marketing tool, not a personnel document.
2. It is about YOU the job hunter, not just about the jobs you've held.
3. It focuses on your future, not your past.
4. It emphasizes your accomplishments, not your past job duties or job descriptions.
5. It documents skills you enjoy using, not skills you used just because you had to.

This website also includes "10 Steps in Creating a Damn Good Resume," which are different from the textbook and I strongly encourage everyone to check it out!

I then found this website, careerbuilder, that has a ton of information and links to different topics about resumes; such as, “13 Most Overused Resume Phrases,” “8 Resume Editing Tips,” Resume samples, etc. The link I focused on here was “5 Ways to Improve your Resume,” which are:

1. Spell check…the old-fashioned way.
2. Put it in reverse chronological order.
3. Simplify your language.
4. Eliminate clutter.
5. Read it aloud.

*Each of these tips include more in depth information and examples that I find to be of
great help as well as the sources I mentioned above.

Preparing a resume is something all of us will need to do before we graduate. And in order to make this process a bit easier for us all, I suggest checking out these websites for the helpful tips and following the format suggestions in the textbook!

--Rachael