You should prepare your college job résumé as soon as possible. Since it may be the first time that you are applying for a job with the use of resume, it pays to take note of the following tips to hit the nail right on the head, so to speak. These tips on the preparation of your college job application résumé can make your own résumé stand out from the rest submitted by your fellow students.
Furthermore, it should be emphasized that these tips also apply to the graduate application résumé that you will pass upon your college graduation. After all, many college students will also choose to become full-time students instead of finding part-time jobs.
Technical Tips
First, let's discuss the technical requirements of the college career résumé. Unless otherwise specified by the prospective employer, the following dimensions of the bond paper and font are applicable for all job applications:
* It should be limited to just one page. Most employers will not expect lengthy work experience from most college students anyway, thus, you can keep it short but sweet. If you have significant previous experience, then you can extend the résumé to two pages only. Keep in mind that even a graduate career résumé must be limited to 2 pages and that does not mean printing the front and back pages either.
* The font used must be a Serif font like Times Roman with a font size of 10-point to 12-point. Most employers prefer the 12-point size font. Plus, you should only use two font fonts or two sizes for the entire résumé.
* Use quality bond paper measuring 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Margins should be not less than 1 inch but not more than 1.5 inches.
Keep in mind that the quality and quantity of pages in your college job résumé can make or break your application because it is the first thing that the hiring manager will see.
Content Tips
Now, let's move on into the contents of the college job application résumé. Your contents must be short and sweet but detailed in the areas where it matters the most. We are talking about detailing your relevant skills, transferable abilities and desirable personal qualities while being brief on personal matters that should be kept private for the meantime. Tips related to the contents even for the graduate application résumé include:
* Start with a personal profile and objective statement, which can 3-5 sentences short. Basically, it contains an overview of your skills, abilities and career plans in a manner that will keep the hiring manager more interested in reading the rest of the contents of your college career résumé.
* List down a summary of your top three accomplishments, preferably in bullet points, which attest to your skills and abilities.
* Place your basic personal information particularly name, college address, contact number and e-mail address for the reference of the prospective employer. Remember not to place any potentially discriminatory information like religion, civil status and age.
* List down the extracurricular activities related to the job you are applying for. The purpose of the graduate career résumé is to impress the prospective employer with your well-rounded personality, which can be an asset in the organization.
* Write down your degree first and then the college/university second. You may also place the graduation date even when you are yet to graduate as well as your GPA.
* To make your college job résumé more impressive, you can list down all the work experiences, be it paid or on volunteer basis, which you have acquired in for profit and non-profit organizations. Be sure to descriptive job titles, when and where possible.
* The college job application résumé must also contain the relevant industry keywords and buzzwords to make its stand out. Do your research on this subject matter.
But of course, you should have at least two character references in your graduate application résumé - one from work and one from your college/university. And don't forget to check the spelling and grammar at least 3 times until you are satisfied that your college career résumé is error-free in every way. So, now that you know about these tips on preparing a graduate career résumé, submit them to EntryLevelCrossing.com now!
