Resume Tips for 20-somethings
I'm going to digress from my usual banter on philosophy, politics, and religion for a moment because I helped edit a friend's resume today and was therefore consumed with thoughts about what makes people desirable on paper (this isn't an attack on his resume, it simply got me thinking about it).
The most important thing to do when you're writing a resume is this: lead with your strengths. All too often, people lead with their education. Now, if you went to Harvard Business School, I'd definitely put that at the top of the resume. But if you're like me and graduated from a pretty good school, it's not really a strength. It's simply something that a potential employer needs to check off to make sure you meet the requirements (college degree, check). Instead, consider what it is that makes you the most qualified candidate for whatever position you're going for. What have you accomplished. What are you most proud of. What are the top 10 things about you that would make someone want to hire you. That's what should be at the top, or at least near the top of your resume.
Another common mistake job seekers make is focusing on job descriptions rather than accomplishment. Potential employers only want to know exactly what you current and past roles are about if they are an exact match for what you're going to be doing in the position that they're hiring for. Instead, focus on what you personally accomplished in the role. Did you bring in a big deal? Did you restructure things to make them more efficient? Did you save money? Did you develop others? Companies want to see results. They want hire someone who will make them better- so show them how you've made your current and past workplaces better, too. You'll be seen as someone who can make things happen and that's a desirable trait.
Also, please remove the years you went to school from your resume. This is a dead giveaway for how old you are or the quality of your work prior to college education. If you list when you graduated, any jobs you did before graduating will be labeled "no-degree-required" work even though that experience may be very valuable and relevant. Take the year you graduated off your resume and a potential employer will be able to see the accomplishments for what they are- not based on whether they were pre or post college work. Your resume should be judged on the basis of how accomplished you are, not when you made those accomplishments.
A similar note on work experience. Employers want to see dependable workers as well as experienced workers. If you've had a number of jobs in the past 10 years, it may reflect poorly on your ability to keep a job, so instead of listing all those jobs separately, clump them together by type of work and give your total years of experience like this:
GRAPHIC DESIGNER, 2001-2007
company one, company two, company three, company four, ect
(Then a short paragraph describing total work experience and accomplishments without making it seem that you were a job hopper or were terminated a lot, ect, ect, ect.)
Doing it this way makes it look more like a portfolio of clients and helps a potential employer to see the amount of time you've spent honing particular skills instead of focusing on the fact that you had 4 jobs in three years. In fact, it's not a bad idea to lump in community service, volunteer work, religious work, and anything else that's been relevant in making use of your skills. Just because it was for a local chapter of a book club or for a church doesn't mean that it wasn't something that made you better and prepared you for this next job. Everything is fair game, not just things you were paid for.
There's a ton of other things you can do in regard to your resume, but often, another person's perspective really helps make it better. So, give it to a trusted friend, someone who knows you and someone who will tell you where you really need to improve or define yourself. With their eyes on it, you'll be in better shape to put yourself out there into the emerging job markets.
The most important thing to do when you're writing a resume is this: lead with your strengths. All too often, people lead with their education. Now, if you went to Harvard Business School, I'd definitely put that at the top of the resume. But if you're like me and graduated from a pretty good school, it's not really a strength. It's simply something that a potential employer needs to check off to make sure you meet the requirements (college degree, check). Instead, consider what it is that makes you the most qualified candidate for whatever position you're going for. What have you accomplished. What are you most proud of. What are the top 10 things about you that would make someone want to hire you. That's what should be at the top, or at least near the top of your resume.
Another common mistake job seekers make is focusing on job descriptions rather than accomplishment. Potential employers only want to know exactly what you current and past roles are about if they are an exact match for what you're going to be doing in the position that they're hiring for. Instead, focus on what you personally accomplished in the role. Did you bring in a big deal? Did you restructure things to make them more efficient? Did you save money? Did you develop others? Companies want to see results. They want hire someone who will make them better- so show them how you've made your current and past workplaces better, too. You'll be seen as someone who can make things happen and that's a desirable trait.
Also, please remove the years you went to school from your resume. This is a dead giveaway for how old you are or the quality of your work prior to college education. If you list when you graduated, any jobs you did before graduating will be labeled "no-degree-required" work even though that experience may be very valuable and relevant. Take the year you graduated off your resume and a potential employer will be able to see the accomplishments for what they are- not based on whether they were pre or post college work. Your resume should be judged on the basis of how accomplished you are, not when you made those accomplishments.
A similar note on work experience. Employers want to see dependable workers as well as experienced workers. If you've had a number of jobs in the past 10 years, it may reflect poorly on your ability to keep a job, so instead of listing all those jobs separately, clump them together by type of work and give your total years of experience like this:
GRAPHIC DESIGNER, 2001-2007
company one, company two, company three, company four, ect
(Then a short paragraph describing total work experience and accomplishments without making it seem that you were a job hopper or were terminated a lot, ect, ect, ect.)
Doing it this way makes it look more like a portfolio of clients and helps a potential employer to see the amount of time you've spent honing particular skills instead of focusing on the fact that you had 4 jobs in three years. In fact, it's not a bad idea to lump in community service, volunteer work, religious work, and anything else that's been relevant in making use of your skills. Just because it was for a local chapter of a book club or for a church doesn't mean that it wasn't something that made you better and prepared you for this next job. Everything is fair game, not just things you were paid for.
There's a ton of other things you can do in regard to your resume, but often, another person's perspective really helps make it better. So, give it to a trusted friend, someone who knows you and someone who will tell you where you really need to improve or define yourself. With their eyes on it, you'll be in better shape to put yourself out there into the emerging job markets.