Creating the perfect Graduate resume
Think of your resume as a one or two page ad. The purpose is to sell you, the product, to potential employers. Continuing the analogy, if the flyer is attractive and interesting enough, it will pull in leads; for you, that means interview calls.
Like any academic paper you’ve ever submitted, you need to follow some layout, structure and content rules to ace the resume writing assignment.
Some common resume mistakes you should avoid:
- Don’t start your resume by writing “RESUME” at the top of the page.
- Don’t use “˜I’ or “˜me’ in your resume.
- Don’t exceed two pages.
- Don’t use full sentences; use bullets instead.
- Don’t use more than one font.
- Don’t use any fancy fonts.
- Don’t use more than one bullet style.
Your resume should contain certain basic sections.
Contact Details
Centre your full name on top of the page. It’s okay to fully capitalise your name. You should provide a phone number and email address. Keep the email address professional. A variation of [email protected] is a good idea. Providing your physical address is optional, but makes a good impression.
A Targeted Position Section
It’s a good idea to let the person scanning your resume know right away what kind of job you’re looking for. If you’re seeking an entry-level position in the Accounts department of a mid-sized organisation, say so.
A Key Strengths Section
A list of 3-5 bulleted points outlining your skills and achievements would help in making your resume stand out. As a recent graduate, employers won’t expect a lot of practical experience from you, but you can let them know that you are skilled and professional. Some transferable skills that most employers look for include teamwork, leadership, communication, and computer. Spin your experience to demonstrate these skills.
An Education Section
Start with your highest qualifications first. Include the dates, name of university/s, degree title e.g. BA (Hons) English, and the grade you are expecting or have achieved, if it’s high.
You can include any subjects you studied that are relevant to the job application in addition to your thesis/dissertation research or project work. Mention time spent abroad or work placements attended as part of your course.
For school education, include dates, name of school and/or college.
An Experience Section
Here you can include your relevant experience from areas including:
- Internships
- Research papers/projects
- Volunteer positions
- Summer jobs
- Self-employment
- Leadership positions in sports or extracurricular activities
- Campus activity positions
- Fraternity/sorority/social club positions
Focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities. Use action verbs that portray energy and forward movement. Back up your claims. If you’re an “excellent team player” demonstrate how you assisted your team in accomplishing a tough job. An employer wants to know what you’ve achieved over and above what’s expected of you.
References
It’s common to close your resume with a variation of “References available on request.” Don’t write the names and contact details of your referees on your resume. You’ll be sending your resume out into the world. It might be counterproductive to expose your referees to contact from just anybody, especially if they are busy or highly-placed people. Keep this information for the later stages of your job search.
Proofread
Once you’re through with your resume, proofread. Using the spellchecking function in your word processor is a good first step. Then read it through yourself, and get a couple of friends to go over it. Zero errors help in making a good first impression, and your resume is the first impression your employer is going to get.
