Creating your first resume
Looking for your first job but have little or no experience? Here are some tips and suggestions that will make creating your first resume less daunting.
Before you begin, sit down and take a few moments to consider what you should include on your resume. Here are some suggestions:
- Previous informal work experience, such as tutoring, dog walking, baby sitting, lawn mowing etc
- Any volunteer experience
- Extracurricular activities like high school clubs or athletics – be sure to note any leadership positions held such as team captain.
- Achievements or recognition. If you were awarded any type of certificate, write it down!
- Are you bilingual? Know sign language? Speak fluently in Spanish? These are very desirable skills for any employer.
Even though you may not have previous work experience to back you up, there are many ways you can convey your strengths and skill sets to a potential employer. For example:
- Had perfect attendance Jr. and Sr. year in high school = Dependable
- Class projects = Works well with others, can be part of a team
Now that you have a rough idea of what to include on your resume, it’s time to get started!
You want your resume to appear as professional as possible.
- Use the right email address. Ditch your quirky “dancingtomatos1234@yahoo.com” and replace it with a more professional sounding email address like “johndoe@gmail.com”.
Beef up your Education Section. Include:
- GPA (if above 3.0)
- Clubs you participated in
- Athletics
- Academic Awards/Honors
- Relevant coursework
- Publications
Expanding on your education section allows a potential employer to see your strengths and work ethics
Create a Skills Section to highlight your computer skills.
On References:
Practice professional etiquette!
- ALWAYS ask them if they are willing to be a reference for you BEFORE you list them.
- Thank them if they agree to be listed as a reference for you
- Let me them EACH AND EVERY time you give out their name and contact information
- After receiving a good job reference write a personal thank you letter
- If you get the new job, call and let them know and thank them again.
- If you aren’t 100% positive the person will say positive comments about you, do not list them as a reference.
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