Work History for New Graduates
As new graduates struggling with your resume this probably sounds familiar? ” I hate that my resume is just a page long with a few cleaning and retail store experiences”. “Are these experiences even relevant to the positions I am applying for”? Do I have all of the skills required”? The work history section of the resume is known to have bugged most recent graduates with one or two jobs or none under their belt. How do you prove that you are ready for the corporate world with your non-corporate experiences?
Tips that work
- Highlight your achievements: my recommendation is have a “Summary of Skills “or “Achievement” right before the “Work History” section of your resume where you can highlight your GPA (if high), your awards and any coursework relevant to the position.
- Focus on the skill sets and not the role played: For example, highlight how you promoted customer eccentricity at your McDonald’s job and the result of your efforts instead of how you took orders. This helps employers to see how you can fit into the role.
- Align your acquired/demonstrated skill sets to the job requirements: Read in between the job description and align the skill sets you have successfully demonstrated to the requirements. If one of the requirements is taking initiative for instance, highlight the steps you took to promote customer eccentricity in #2 as an example of taking initiative. Skill sets acquired from or demonstrated on other activities such as volunteered work and group assignments can also be listed if they align with the job requirements.
- Remember skill set is transferable: Skill sets don’t get stripped like titles. Once acquired it is there for life as long as you keep developing it. The same skill sets demonstrated on a cleaning job (say taking initiative) can be demonstrated on a corporate job on a larger scale.
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