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Rounding out your first resume

By Heather Mayfield

(ARA) - When you're ready to enter the workforce after high school or college, compiling your first resume can feel daunting—you know you have the skills and a good head on your shoulders, but how do you convince someone else that you have what it takes to do the job well? However vicious the cycle seems, quell your worries and the anxieties of future employers by really focusing on your resume.

When you're first entering the workforce, resist the urge to compile a traditional resume. If you don't have previous experience working at the job title you are applying for, then you shouldn't have a conventional resume that will only highlight your lack of experience as opposed to showcasing your relevant skills. In addition, tailor your resume to the specific job for which you are applying. Examine the specific qualifications the employer is looking for and evaluate how you could meet those standards. This is just the beginning; below are some helpful tips for ways to elevate your first resume.

• Don't write a chronological resume. If a specific degree or level of education is required, list your education at the top of your resume, followed by a section entitled, "Relevant Experience" that details the skills you'll bring to the table. If a degree is not required, put this at the bottom of your resume.
• Find a job description for your ideal position by using job postings on popular Internet job boards and identify key terms used within. Under the "Relevant Experience" section, use your experiences from life, high school or college to mirror the job description, and try to use the same terminology used within the job description. For example, if you're looking for a job in sales, and the job description requests experience with "cold calling," you might list any fundraising calls you've made as, "Performed cold calls for fundraising efforts." Using the same terminology will tie your experience to the specific skills the employer is looking for in a candidate.
• List internships and job experience in chronological order at the bottom of your resume, and specify if a position was summer employment. If you held a position for a few months this could raise flags for a potential employer. But, you can avoid being crossed off the list by offering clarification. Next to these entries on your resume, you should provide a brief explanation in parentheses such as, "Summer/Part-time employment to finance education."
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• Highlight extracurricular activities and your role within the organizations to which you belonged. Showing employers that you are able to balance extracurricular activities with other activities demonstrates time management skills. Likewise, if you held leadership positions in any organizations, you should list those to exhibit your leadership abilities.

Before you mail off your resume, remember that it will be your first impression—spell check your cover letter and resume thoroughly. If you're in college or even high school, ask a career counselor to go through your resume to check for grammar and spelling errors. Once you have your base-model resume completed, it will be easier to adapt the document for other positions that interest you.

Courtesy of ARA Content