How to improve your resume while in College
A resume is a very important item to have in the working industry and College is a very important time to build your resume. College is that awkward time where you aren’t sure what to put on your resume, is high school activities and awards still a smart thing to put on your resume? Well for your first year or two out of high school, yes that is a good idea. But if you are applying for a career in say the publishing industry or working for a business firm, they may not be too impressed that you won MVP of your Varsity Volleyball team.
Here are some tips and things to take advantage of while you are in college so you can build your resume, and give you a leg up on your competition.
1) Join a club or an organization. College clubs and organizations can be very prestigious and impressive on a resume. Your University has plenty of organizations that you can join, from a Greek org to Associated Students. Make sure to take advantage of all the opportunities these clubs have to offer.
2) Hold a chair or board position in your organization. If you are a person in power or one that has responsibilities, it will jump off the page. Being president of your club or even a small position like public relations, can only help you and make you stand out. Employers are looking for people who are accomplished and have shown that they do well with responsibilities.
3) Hold a job or be in a club for over a year. Employers do not want to know if you worked at a movie theatre for five months. Only put information on your resume that helps you and makes you stand out, and staying at a job or belonging to an organization for over a year will make you stand out.
4) Get close with a Professor or Administrator. Getting close with a professor or administrator can be useful in a number of ways. Your professor has been through exactly what you are going through, use their advice and knowledge. They can possibly even help you with your career or give you advice, especially if they are in the field that you are in. If your professor is willing you can also ask them to write a letter of recommendation that will help you immensely when you are applying for jobs and using your new and improved resume.
If you use these tips you can build your resume while you are in college and it will help you when you graduate and go into the career you have always wanted.
