to a potential employer – TP Javeton WebNet

The resume: important, complex

Resumes are thought of – by some people – as a collection of their education, skills and professional experience typed on a sheet of 11 x 8 paper; and many employers accept resumes in the place of job applications for certain available positions that need filling within their organizations.

But because of the importance placed on these documents by employers and others, it is important that you have a well-written resume when searching for a job, because contrary to what some people think, your resume is much more than information typed on a sheet of 11 x 8 paper.

As you probably already know, creating a resume is not an easy task, even if you are a professional with years of experience and multiple skills – specialized and otherwise. However, structuring a resume when you are looking to completely change careers, or when you are fresh out of school, is much more difficult because you do not have any experience – or very little – to highlight and therefore cannot present an adequate employment chronology to a potential employer. However, if you are pursuing a career change, and nothing from your past professional experience qualifies you for the new job you are seeking, you can highlight those qualifications that can be transitioned across multiple industries.

For example, if you managed people, no matter the type of business, you should highlight this skill under your experience. Rather than omitting, or not highlighting, your professional experience – even if it is not directly related to the job you are seeking – you should consider writing a professional profile, or summary at the start of your resume.

Skills and education emphasized

The summary will allow you to address your career change by highlighting your skills, as well as to convey how they relate to your career objective. This is also a situation where it is okay to reference any volunteer or community service work in which you have participated if such reference can be helpful in promoting your qualifications for the job. Keep in mind that many employers place emphasis more on accomplishments and quality of work than on the number of years an applicant may have been in a given position.

So if you are fresh out of school, and lack the necessary experience of full time job or professional, don’t let that be the cause of you being discouraged when creating your resume.

Instead you must focus on highlighting any skills you have acquired, as well as inherent and your education; but you should avoid using a professional profile or summary; but rather, list your career objective, and start the resume by listing your education. Make sure also to mention any awards or honors you received while in school.

Following your education, list all the skills that will qualify you for the job you are seeking; and make sure to mention any courses you’ve taken, such as project management or business communication which you can apply at work; and while you should avoid listing any experience, you can certainly title the section “Pre-professional Experience” and divide it into categories applicable to your career objective. In other words, don’t say “I spent a summer working at The Gap.” Use a sub-heading of “Customer Relations” and list any responsibilities where you have provided customer service.

Your winning resume

Tap into any community service, volunteer, or school club positions you have held in order to highlight your abilities and showcase that you are the best candidate for that job; and don’t be afraid of not having the right experience, or not having any professional experience to include in a resume.

Focus on what you can do and what you do have, rather than what you don’t have the experience in doing, and you will have a winning, adequately structured and well-written resume.

As a token of our appreciation the free ebook titled, Storytelling Marketing can be yours if you have any interest in the art of storytelling. All you have to do is download it here, enjoy the reading and learn how storytelling can be a powerful ally in any business or marketing pursuit!

Aligning education with experience

There is a special style of resume known as the Internship Resume; and as implied by its name, this style of resume is composed with the goal of obtaining an internship in a desired field. While Internship resumes are known to be chronological in format, they have a different set of goals than a resume created for purposes of acquiring a full-time professional position.

First and foremost, the objective is not to further an individual’s career, but rather, to gain experience and skills in a given field in order to expand on his/her education, an asset which will later be instrumental in obtaining a position in that particular industry.

Second, internships do not require professional experience; they are simply a way for college graduates and other youngsters who lack experience to gain such experience which can later be utilized to obtain a full-time job using what was learned during the internship.

Third, these types of resumes are more focused on academic achievements than on work background, because applicants must demonstrate that the desired internships are logical extensions of their studies. With this in mind, college students – new or returning – typically utilize this resume style to get their foot in the door with companies they might ultimately desire to work for after graduation.

Resume conveyances of priorities

Much like any other professional resume, the internship resume should contain an objective with which the applicant conveys to a potential employer how such an internship aligns with his/her studies; what s/he can bring to the table; what s/he hopes to gain out of the experience and how s/he will apply the newfound skills once s/he is out in the professional world. Essentially the applicant is convincing a potential employer that s/he is the best candidate for the internship, and that s/he will learn the most, as well as the fact that the experience is integral to professional growth.

If you are, or will soon be the subject of an internship resume, keep in mind that when composing your resume for an internship, you will need to highlight your education first. However, you should do more than just list your previous degrees, or degrees in progress. Point out the classes you have taken that qualify you for the internship, and indicate how your major is in line with the internship and how this experience will help you in your future studies.

After you indicate your objective and your education, list your qualifications, and make a list ahead of time of all the skills that qualify you for the internship. Review your list and prioritize it because most frequently made mistake in resume writing is in not prioritizing the supporting information and allowing most of your strongest skills to fall at the bottom of the list. Consider what qualifies you for the internship and list those qualifications first so that your employer recognizes that you are a great fit for the position.

Resume should include all your skills

Your work experience can help, but is typically not a make or break point in getting an internship, but if you have any work experience, go ahead and include it in your resume. You should also make sure to prioritize your responsibilities as they relate to the given internship and be mindful to indicate any experience you have in sharpening your inherently employable skills: skills which extend beyond your education and technical abilities, such as communication, customer relations, team work, taking charge, etc.

As indicated earlier, applying for an internship is somewhat different than applying for a full time job; but along with your internship resume, you will want to submit references. For any employment experience you’ve had to date, include your supervisor’s name, title and contact information so that your potential employer can obtain any information that might prove helpful to you, like recommendations.

In addition, it will be greatly benefit you to have recommendation letters from your professors, because they can identify your skills in terms of your dedication, work ethic, enthusiasm, interpersonal communication and interaction with others in your classroom. Employers look for these skills because they want to assure that you will be a good fit for their team, even if your role is short term.

Ask for and include recommendations

You might also want to ask two or three of your professors for their recommendation. Simply provide them with the contact information of your potential employer, including an email and a physical mailing address, so the letters can be mailed to that employer directly. Or, ask your professors to place their recommendation letters into sealed envelopes before giving them to you in order to assure that the information is confidential.

If possible, include your transcripts with the resume as this will be a great indication of your commitment to your education, providing of course that your grades are good. Your transcripts can only help in getting you the internship. As a final step, proof your application materials; and feel free to seek assistance from your school’s career center. You have only one chance to make a great first impression so do it well, and you should be in good enough position to get the internship of your choice.