New Graduate Resume - 5 Tips For Your First Resume

Posted: Feb 21, 2010 |Comments: 0 | Views: 195 |

New graduate resume. Do you need one? If so, you likely went into your college program on the wings of an expanding economy. Now, when you're finally facing the job market, the economy is in a ditch and job opportunities far and few between - especially for those with little to no practical experience in their chosen fields.
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Still, there are jobs out there. And somebody will be tapped to fill them. Make sure you're one of those somebodies. Start by making your first resume the best it can be.

New Graduate Resume - 5 Tips

1 - Think Targeted Resumes - The general resume is so... yesterday. Used to be, a college grad could write a ‘one-size-fits-all' resume with a generalized objective, overused resume cliches and a shopping list of nickle and dime jobs - and actually get called in for interviews. Today's job search demands a targeted approach. Each resume you submit to a job opening needs to be targeted to that position; your objective (if you have one) should mention that position by name, and everything about your profile section should drive home the point that you are the right person for that position. Indeed, even the details under your education and experience sections should be customized to reflect maximum compatibility with the targeted job.

And once finished with that resume and that submission, it's on to the next available position and a new customized resume targeted to that position. Yes, it's work. Thank the new reality of the world we live in.

2 - Write An Objective Statement and a Profile Section - An objective gives a resume an immediate focus, and – if phrased correctly – the opportunity to directly address the specific qualifications of the job in question (i.e. "An entry-level position in Accounting requiring a valued team player with strong public relations skills and an academic focus in enterprise resource planning.")

Lead off with your objective statement, then follow with a summary or profile section - two or three lines, maybe three bulleted achievements beneath those lines - where you highlight those skills and that training that best qualify you for the position at hand. This section might change slightly with each new targeted resume, as you subtly adjust your skill set to match each job's qualifications.

If you elect not to include an objective statement on your resume, then a summary or profile is a must, and should incorporate elements of an objective.

3 - Keep The Focus On Your Education - Position your education section directly beneath the profile – unless you've held at least one full-time job for a year or more, and that job is relevant to your objective. If the latter, place the experience section above education in the lineup, as you will want to emphasize and elaborate on that job.

4 - Grade Point Average - If your overall grade point average is 3.5 or higher, put it on the resume. If your overall GPA is not so good, leave it off. If the latter, hopefully your major GPA can come to the rescue; include your major GPA it if it is substantially higher then the overall.

5 - Courses and Campus Activities - Mention specific courses and campus activities, and go into some level of detail, in indirect proportion to the strength of your experience section. In other words, if you're lacking real-world experience in your chosen occupation, include and elaborate on relevant courses, college activities, club memberships, offices held, etc. If you've got room, try to show how the knowledge acquired from these courses and activities transition to the needs of the employer.

Conversely, if you've held one or more jobs that add real-world heft to your stated objective, then you're going to want to downplay most or all courses and college activities.

First Resume, First Job Search - Don't Let The Bums Get You Down

Despite the economic sky falling, as a new graduate you have a number of things going for you. You've received a solid academic foundation in your chosen profession. You've demonstrated that you're trainable. And odds are, you're more technologically savvy than members of the previous generation. And let's not forget that youthful energy thing you've got going for you.

Make sure your resume reflects the authentic you, and sells your qualifications. And get yourself out there.

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