Written by: Priya Patel, student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-
Flagler Business School, College Contact Mentor
It’s about that time! Whether you are a student in high school searching for a summer job or a college student searching for an internship, your resume stands as a pivotal role in presenting your personal brand. This step-by-step guide aims to help you craft that “perfect resume.” There are five key parts of a superb essay, but don’t fret, this guide will steer you toward that dream job effortlessly!
Formatting and Structure:
Initiate with a clean and structured format. Opt for a single, legible font like Times New Roman 12 pt, organize your sections logically, and uphold a consistent, concise layout. The standard resume layout typically goes with contact information, educational background, work experience, leadership and community involvement, and additional information. Align your dates uniformly along one side of the paper, maintaining this format throughout. This method ensures a professional, polished appearance, making your resume easily navigable and appealing to recruiters.
Tailoring for Each Job:
Customize your resume for each job application by reviewing the job description, required
qualifications, and desired skills. This personalized approach not only enhances the relevance of your resume to recruiters but also underscores your genuine interest in the specific role. A useful tactic is to maintain a generic resume template that can be effortlessly adjusted for different positions, allowing you to spotlight the most relevant experiences and skills for each opportunity.
Showcasing Achievements:
Shift the focus from listing job descriptions to spotlighting quantifiable achievements. Highlight significant contributions and accomplishments made within previous roles. Incorporate numbers and metrics such as success rates, revenue growth percentages, or other measurable achievements. These concrete figures provide tangible evidence of your impact, rendering your resume more compelling and enticing to recruiters.
Bullet Structure:
Utilize action verbs consistently throughout your resume. Begin each experience description with a dynamic action verb—words like "organized," "generated," and "facilitated" are highly effective. Action verbs are more likely to capture the attention of recruiters, emphasizing accomplishments over mere job duties. A well-crafted resume employs bulleted, accomplishment-driven statements to describe experiences, following the APR format—Action + Problem/Project + Result.
Additional Information Section:
Incorporate relevant information that may not neatly fit into other sections but remains valuable for recruiters. This could encompass language proficiency levels, certifications, additional organizational involvement, relevant skills, and interests/hobbies (which can serve as excellent conversation starters during interviews).
Perhaps you're seeking feedback on your existing resume, or maybe you're ready to start crafting one from scratch. Take the next step and submit your resume through College Contact today!
Learn more about how to write your essay via our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sophie.e.smithh