Building a good Resume

Recently I’ve been working on perfecting my resume, since soon I will be a college graduate looking to enter the real world and get a job. Some of you may not quite be in my shoes yet, and that’s why I want to give you a few pointers that I wish I would have known a few years back.

The first suggestion I have is fairly common: List everything you’ve done. Employers are looking for people with a variety of skills, and who have done a variety of things. Even if you think your work or extracurricular activities are in no way related to your future job, they still want to know about it. So go ahead and list your work experience from that time you started a business walking old ladies across the street, it shows you are motivated, and also friendly.

My second suggestion is to be well rounded. Based on my previous point, you can see that employers want to hire people with tons of different experiences and skills. Maybe you think playing sports and getting good grades is enough. I would encourage you to branch out! Try being in drama or singing or something. It’s good for your character anyway, and plus you can really impress that member of the opposite sex who just doesn’t pay attention to you!

My final tip for today is to start working on your resume now. You can always update and edit as you add experience, so why not get it started? Most people your age won’t have one yet, so it gets you ahead of the competition, and allows you to see what you have done so far, so you can see what areas you can improve on in the future. Just don’t use a template when you make your resume, they are overused, and they are often very difficult to work with. Trust me, if you try using one, you’ll see.