How to write a “Career Launching Résumé”
Let's face it: Traditional résumés don't work for people who've just graduated from university with a degree in history and work experience at a local bar or coffee shop because they encourage you to order your experience chronologically.
This format is fantastic if you're a sales manager looking to show that you're ready to become a sales executive; it neatly outlines your qualifications and can show growth and improvement over time.
However, if you haven't even started your career yet, how do you show a recruiter you possess the qualities they're looking for? How do you get past the "no work/no experience" dilemma, especially when résumés remain such a popular screening tool for HR departments?
You focus on your greatest asset as a recent grad: your potential. I like to call this a "Career Launching Résumé" - a 1-2 page document that clearly and succinctly shows how you are going to positively influence the organization you want to work for.
Key elements of a Career Launching Resumé
1. It highlights your life experience, not your work experience
Why stuff your volunteer experience all the way at the bottom of your résumé? As a recent graduate, your volunteer and extra-curricular experiences are indicators of your potential in the workplace. Plus, the experience you gained through those activities is often more relevant than the experience or training gained in paid (but unrelated) work.
2. It focuses on your greatest assets (achievements, not experience)
It's not the fact you were a barista that's impressive, but you may have exceeded sales goals, over-achieved in customer service, or taken advantage of the company's volunteer policy to spend a week volunteering outside of the workplace. Don't just list your duties, list your achievements!
3. It demonstrates your interest in the role you're applying for
If you really want the job and you're qualified for the job, then your résumé should show that. If you really want the job, but you're not qualified for the job, your résumé should show how your life experiences and achievements indicate you have the potential to be really awesome, really quickly. Nothing says "I don't care" like submitting a generic résumé that has no relation to the job you're applying for.
Draw parallels between what you've accomplished and what the company is looking for - even if you haven't previously used that program or completed that task, you've probably done something similar that can illustrate your potential to be successful.
Also, be sure to highlight and include specific keywords that align with the job description. This makes it easier for the recruiter or manager to see exactly how your background correlates with what they're looking for.
4. It stands out among the hundreds or thousands of other résumés sent in
Always imagine your résumé is one of hundreds, or even thousands. What is it about yours that will stand out? I'm not suggesting scented paper here, but rather that you consider both aesthetics and content when submitting what amounts to your paper-based first impression.
When applying to a more traditional job, make sure to use easy-to-read fonts that highlight the content and break up the sections with white space, bold headers or thin horizontal lines. A résumé can be visually appealing without photos, graphics or colour - it's all in the use of fonts and white space.
If you're looking for other ways to stand out, consider replacing "References available upon request" with actual written references.
If you're applying to a creative job, you can probably throw all rules out the window and get creative. Check out these creative résumés for some inspiration.
5. It's written like a sales proposal and the product is you
When you apply for a job, you're selling something: You. As such, your résumé should act as a brief snapshot of who you are - and more importantly - what you can do for the company. What are you going to bring to the table? What are the benefits associated with hiring you? What is your unique selling point - what do you bring that no one else can?
There isn't just one way to do this - your selling points should be peppered throughout your résumé and cover letter in your specific accomplishments. Use numbers. Don't be modest.
And, most importantly, show - don't tell. Don't say you're goal oriented - describe a goal you set for yourself and then smashed. Don't say you're a team player - mention one example of some great group work you did.
Your résumé is your best chance to make a good first impression
As a recent graduate entering the work force, you're in a very unique career transition point - and your unique position requires a unique approach to résumé writing. Take advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate on 1-2 pages not only how your life experiences qualify you, but how they demonstrate your potential to excel in the company's specific environment.
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Comments
Good points in your article. But as someone who has spent the past 30 years reviewing resumes and really getting tired of applicants with no experience or 2 years, tell them to keep it short. I once had a 12 page resume from a person with 3 years experience.
You really cannot understate the importance of a good cover letter. Spend the time to describe why you're interested and how your experience fits with what they need.
A resume without a cover letter will likely go to the bottom of the pile.
Great tips!
After graduation two years ago, I had a similar problem - I had great cover letters, I had strong references, I had experience as an asssistant manager for the 6 years during high school and university where I worked part-time, but the thing that got me hired at my "dream job" was the fact that I took a college course in my field. I had an Arts degree, but that is essentially useless, so while I suffered to survive working minimum wage jobs for a year, I spent all my money (after rent, car, and food of course) and spare time on a distance ed. course. My employers told me that the (not even completed!) one year program I was enrolled in was what got me the interview. If any new ARTS grads want any advice, it's to look up D.E. college courses and get cracking on the books again - even if you have to work at Starbucks for a year while doing it. It gives your resume that "experience" you need. Or at least the suggestion that you are trying to get experience.
Trade your time for money working 9 to 5 for someone.
It's not hard to find a job. Once you find your first job, the honeymoon period will soon end and you'll be thinking of ways to get out of rat race.
Been there done that.
Good luck!
Good advice. Your last point was the approach I took out of university and it worked really well for me. That I waited tables wasn't impressive but when you spin it as "valuable people skills", which is important in almost any position, then suddenly its not so lame.
This so familiar to me. What got me into trouble after university was false assumption that with a BA degree people will be lining up to hire me because of university degree. And why should it be so hard to get a job without experience? I worked hard in university, paid my tuition, so why should there be additional obstacles to overcome and do this song and dance to get myself noticed? This system totally negates the purpose of going to unviersity and wasting all this time and money, should I have went to BCIT instead perhaps?
Hmm - this advice might be good for some fields, but not for all. I'm currently hiring technical, software developers, and frankly, don't care a lot about extra curricular activities. I need to know if their skills fit the job, and I mostly learn that through what they've done and how long they've done it. I'm always amused (cynically) by people with a year or two on the job talking about their "vast experience" or their "senior developer" job title. Be real.
I do not agree that a BA is a waste of time however it is true that too many people think all they need to do is wave their diploma around and someone will want to hire them. The work seeker needs to tell a prospective employer how their skills and related experience will fit THAT organization. Sell the transferrable skills it took to earn the degree if you don't have specific experience and target your resume to that job; in other words there is no such thing as a one size fits all resume and don't forget the cover letter.
V Driver Career Practitioner
I'm still in university (UW) and I have to apply for a new job every 4 months due to coop. I've never gotten an interview for a job that I've actually wrote a cover letter for. If employers are sorting their pile by looking at cover letters then they surely are not hiring the best people, all the smartest kids I know at my school (ie. the ones that work for Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft etc... which btw gets paid (~30-35 US an hour)) dont write cover letters. That is simply the truth. A hint is for fresh grads/students to create profiles on a company's hiring page, sometimes an employer may go through the resumes / profiles of potential candidates on their website before posting the job. From experince, I've received interviews for jobs that were never posted just because they saw my profile on their website.
ig... I have to disagree with you. As someone who HIRES out of the UW co-op program, I can tell you that a cover let shows the person is willing to go that extra mile.
We typically ONLY interview people who've understood the job ad, and written a cover letter to show that how they fit the ad.
And we pay well. Very well.
This article is right on point that fresh grads like us have to struggle with gaining work experience. When I got my first two interviews, they employers did not care about my BBA degree at all! I was shocked, really! It also disappointed me that my volunteer experience did not impress them either. Actually a lot of my effort was spent on earning good grades and volunteering!
@ professional: could you please say your company's name?
Thank you for this post. I knew my cover letters needed work, but have had a hard time finding examples that sounded like something I'd write. This gives me a great starting point for improvement.
http://www.resumecoverlettersamples.net/
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