Some of us have been blessed with experience after experience to fill out pages of our resume. Others have been so focused on school they haven't had time for a job or internship or simply haven't had luck finding one yet. So what do you do when your resume is looking pretty sad? Make the experience you do have and your skills shine and you'll have many experiences to add to that resume in no time.
1. Put your name and contact information front and center at the top of your resume. Make sure your email address is professional!
2. Next add a summary of your objective. A tip is to spruce this part up for each individual job you're applying for. If you're applying for a journalism internship, explain your passions in writing and reporting and relate it to what the company does specifically.
3. List your education experience and academic skills and awards first. Even if you don't have much job experience, showcasing your academic achievements can be just as impressive.
4. Next list your job experience. It is okay to spruce this up a bit. If your only job has been babysitting, don't put "Babysitter" put "Childcare Coordinator" or something similar that sounds more impressive. List bullet points of your job duties (remember if the job was in the past, use all past verbs and if you're currently working there use present verbs).
5. List your references and be sure to have some recommendation letters on request, even if they're just from professors.
6. List all of your skills and achievements! Received a math award? Write it on there. Amazing at Photoshop? Better add that too. The more skills you have to share, the more impressive your resume looks. Even if you don't have the job experience, this will help. Just be sure not to lie. It won't do anyone any good if you say you're a wiz at Excel and when you start the job they realize you've never used it in your life.
7. Add volunteering you've done. This will help if you've had big gaps in your work experience or not much at all. Saying you were volunteering at the time will show character and give you points, especially if it is in the same field as the job you're applying for. Just be honest about it!
8. Fill your resume with PAR: problem, action, and results. Showcasing the times you've noticed a problem at work, an internship, or while volunteering and how you took action and got results is a great way to share your amazing skills with a potential employer.
9. Don't list hobbies and interests unless they are relevant to the job you're applying for or you received some kind of award from it.
10. Lastly, when in doubt: keep it simple. Employers do not want to read through pages and pages of your so-called skills. Try to keep your resume to one or two pages with all relevant information.
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