School’s out! You want to get some work experience but have very little or no actual work history. Here are some tips for what to put on your resume to help you catch your future employer’s eye.
Feature Your Education and Achievements
One of the advantages of LinkedIn, when compared to your resume, is that your profile is not restricted to 1 or 2 pages. This leaves more space to feature your education and extracurricular achievements. This is especially true if you are a recent graduate. Take the time to list your courses, your interests, your volunteer projects, and societies you are a member of. This will likely take up most of the space on your resume given that you have yet to build out your work history fully.
Tailor Your Summary Section
The summary section of your resume LinkedIn profile is a great opportunity to highlight your 5 or 6 biggest achievements. Think of it as mini cover letter, explaining your career goals, your most important accomplishments, and your biggest successes. Keep things concise and to the point, in bullet points if possible, and feel free to include links to online portfolios, videos, or other content as appropriate.
Include Any Work Experience You Have
Just because a summer job wasn’t in the industry you are looking to move into, that doesn’t mean that it’s not relevant on your resume. In addition to skills and experience, employers want to learn whether you are reliable. They want someone easy to work with. Candidates who are a proven team player and understand how to succeed within a more professional environment are what they need. Include those experiences in your resume, even if they are unpaid. They will help provide perspective on the work you’ve been doing up until now, even if it’s not directly relevant to your future career.
List Recommendations or Referrals
Personal and academic references are another great thing to include in your resume if you’re just starting out. Employers are eager to find people who others would say they would work with again. Referrals can come from teachers, part-time jobs, volunteer work, or your community. Just remember that this section should be focused on names and contact information, with a little context about why the recommendation would be meaningful to a future employer.
Invest in Your Professional Network
Your networking strategy as a new grad should be a balance of digital networking and personal connections. Link to your LinkedIn profile in your resume and make sure that it is as much a representation of your professionalism as your resume and cover letter. Many recruiters and employers rely on LinkedIn to find top-quality candidates for upcoming opportunities with their firms. Furthermore, if you reach out and connect with former colleagues and other professional connections online, you will build a digital network that can notify you of jobs before they are even posted.
For help finding jobs hiring in Lebanon TN, connect with the recruiting team at All-Star Personnel today.
