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I graduate in May so I am busting my butt networking in preparation for spring hires and applying for jobs now. A recent meeting with my college career counselor left me a bit puzzled. She encouraged me that I was doing well in my job search but really had no information about how to better break into my field of interest (corporate social responsibility, sustainability, etc) from a social science background and also said some strange things about my resume. I'd just like some more opinions!
My resume is rather crowded. Next semester I will add another internship and another job and I simply do not have room for it on my resume. My career counselor encouraged me to go to a 2nd page. Should I? I feel like it's pretentious to do so as a recent grad- however I have worked 2 on campus jobs (neither directly related to my career goals but both office jobs), had 2 internships, studied abroad in 3 countries, and have held significant leadership roles in my college and community. That's not counting the internship and career-related on campus job for next semester.
Should I go to 2 pages (I could easily fill half of the 2nd page if I included soft skills that I have cut)? Should I cut the 2 non-career related on campus jobs, even though I might not end up in that field? Should I cut appointed leadership roles? I'm not really sure how I would combine my experiences because they're all pretty disparate.
As a recent grad you should have a hard time filling one page. It doesn't matter how many related jobs you have had. I average a new job every 2 years and have no trouble keeping it to 1 page.
The last thing an employer wants to see is a resume that is heavy and difficult to read.
There are different opinions here on leaving off unrelated jobs. Would you have an employment gap? I would probably put them in. If you try, you can probably find skills you learned that you can somehow relate to your desired career. Doesn't matter how small. Your office jobs suggest you can work in a professional environment.
If you have had lots of jobs you need to keep the descriptions simple and to the point (should do this anyways). You shouldn't need to sell it by listing how valuable you were by working late, going out of your way to get things done, etc. (unless you are in a sales/marketing type environment but I won't get into that). Say what you did, not how you did it.
I don't really know your field, but studying abroad, and leadership roles would be something to consider cutting. You need to decide if you can somehow relate them to a skillset a potential employer needs, or is looking for with a new grad. I have had executive leadership training, but would not list it on my resume. I woud let my personality speak for itself during the interview. I didn't learn all these skills, or do all this studying to put it on my resume to impress someone, I did it to improve myself and my work. Let that speak for you. You will have the degree, the hard part is getting the experience you need to fill a role.
Hope this helps, or at the very least doesn't sound confusing. I better stop before I ramble on some more.
Thanks Sike. I have already cut out all of the "soft skill" type things, including talking about "how" I did things and focus on the quantitative aspects with hard numbers and facts. I assume that an employer would infer that I copy, answer phones, have a professional demeanor, etc- however they might like to know that I managed and publicized an event with 200 attendants.
As far as eliminating study abroad and leadership roles- my study abroad shows my flexibility and language skills. In addition, two of the programs were experiential learning (meaning learn by doing rather than in a classroom) directly related to my field. I could leave out my study abroad in London, but I was there studying European environmental policy. Since my ideal career would send me back overseas, it does not seem wise to eliminate these experiences from clear prominence on my resume. Trying to get into the international sustainable development field really needs to show that I have international experience. :P As far as leadership roles, two of my positions are committee seats where I was the only student appointed by the mayor of my town- both in fields directly related to my career interests (solid waste advisory committee and energy efficiency committee). I could probably eliminate the fact that I worked on a ton of campaigns, but then that shows a job gap (since I worked campaigns rather than a job for 3 semesters) and how I started a marching band on campus (though every interview I have ever had brings this up in a positive way).
I obviously didn't do all of these activities just for a resume, but in order to set myself apart in a very tight economy for grads- especially grads with majors in the social sciences- I want to best highlight what I have done while taking on a full course load.
No, don't go to a second page. You should have at least ten years of experience before you need two pages. You need to eliminate some things. As much as you'd like to think not everything is relevant. And some things that are relevant aren't the best qualifications for the job.
The two campus jobs that are unrelated to the field you want to work in shouldn't take up any more than 2-4 lines:
University Bookstore. Cashier. August 2004-May 2005.
Jason's Art Supplies. Sales associate. August 2005-May 2006.
That's it. There's no need for bullet points breaking down every keystroke you made. Employers know what part time college jobs are and they are irrelevant to the job you are applying for. The mere fact that you have worked is really all they need to know.
And since you will have internships by the time you graduate, I would actually consider leaving off those irrelevant jobs entirely. Remember your resume isn't the same as a job application. You don't need to list every job you've ever had. A resume is a presentation of your best qualifications for the job to which you are applying.
And make sure the detail is related to the job. Mentioning that you were the only student appointed by the mayor makes it sound like you got the job because of patronage (who you--or your parents--know, not because of what you had accomplished that made you eligible). I wouldn't suggest mentioning political campaigns at all on a resume, even if you aren't mentioning which political ideology you were supporting. Just leave it off.
Study abroad should also take up little if any room on your resume. If you received credit at your home institution for your study abroad, then the fact that you were sitting in a classroom overseas is really irrelevant to an employer most of the time. It is your degree that counts. Again, remember this is not a job application. You aren't supposed to account for every detail of your life, just the best and most relevant. If you really want to include your study abroad participation, at least use a smaller font and indent underneath your home institution's name. And don't include bullet-pointed details about the school either:
University of Nebraska. Bachelor of Science, Sociology. 2010.
--Minor in English Studies. 3.4 GPA
--Czech Technical University. Architectural and design studies. Spring 2006, Or
--Foreign Studies. Czech Technical University, Spring 2006. Fachhoschule Trier, Fall 2007
You don't really need bullet-pointed detail at all in your education section of your resume. Study abroad doesn't show as much as you think it does. Plenty of students go abroad and aren't flexible, and plenty don't pick up any language skills. A London internship doesn't demonstrate language skills, and whereever else you studied, you probably didn't become fluent in a language. If you aren't fluent, it really doesn't matter. I can order a beer in five languages but who cares? And even if you did pick up those things, are they required for the job you are applying? Most people look at a study abroad and simply think it demonstrates the person was lucky to have had the chance and the luxury to take it. Study abroad is much different than working. Because I have a relative who works in International Aid and Development, and have met a lot of her coworkers, I'm pretty confident in saying that you are overestimating the value of your studies abroad.
The leadership roles in your school and community are another that I would devote very little space to:
--Student Council, 2006-2008
--Non-profit volunteer coordinator, 2008-2009
Be careful of showing too much involvement and activity. I have seen a few resumes get trashed because the applicant had so many things going on it was obvious that they were exaggerating their participation in each. One guy claimed he was simultaneously running his own company in Chicago, while also being an instructor at two different schools on the east coast and one on the west, and holding leadership roles at three different non-profit groups--and he was only one year out of school! It was so obvious that he was exaggerating his qualifications and involvement. I was actually able to verify this months later, as I knew people at the organizations and schools he'd affiliated himself with, but I didn't verify it at the time I reviewed his resume. I just looked at it and drew my own conclusions. And that is what most employers do. You don't want your resume to end up in the trash because you've go so much activity going on that an employer thinks you are exaggerating. So only keep the most relevant information and don't exaggerate your role. Did you really personally oversee 200 people? Were there no other more senior people involved? I doubt you did it by yourself. And even if you did, are you including that on your resume because you think it qualifies you to manage people? Because it doesn't.
Keep in mind a few things:
1. At this point, the #1 thing on your resume at this point in your career is your degree. That needs to pop out on your resume. Because resumes get considered for interviews usually based on a 2- or 3-second glance. If an employer can't see your degree under all of your other busy work, it's going to end up in the trash.
2. Cull, cull, cull. Only the most relevant experiences should be on your resume. You need to get some practice in culling and editing, because as I said, you shouldn't have a two page resume until you've had about a decade of experience. The problem of fitting it onto one page is only going to get worse so you need to figure out how to deal with it now.
3. Not everything that is relevant needs to be on the resume. Some things can be brought up in an interview. Other things can be written in your cover letter. And you can have more than one resume. Your studies abroad may be more relevant than internships for some jobs, and vice versa. Tailor your resume for the job you are applying for. Don't just have one resume targeting an 'ideal job'.
You can do a 2 page resume to post onto sites like Careerbuilder, Hotjobs, and Monster so that you can cover every relevant keyword under the sun when employers search.. but stick with your 1 page resume whenever YOU take the initiative to apply for a job.
Study abroad doesn't show as much as you think it does. Plenty of students go abroad and aren't flexible, and plenty don't pick up any language skills. A London internship doesn't demonstrate language skills, and whereever else you studied, you probably didn't become fluent in a language. If you aren't fluent, it really doesn't matter. I can order a beer in five languages but who cares?
As someone who is occasionally in a position to hire freshly minted college graduates, I couldn't agree more with this. If you are fluent in a language - and I mean fluent to the extent that you would be comfortable conversing with our foreign clients in their language about subjects pertaining to our business - I'm very interested. But I care about your study abroad experience about as much as I care about your trip to Disney World.
Make a one page resume that has the most relevant details on it. For instance your internships should have priority for space available on the page. If the jobs you are working are retail and such that do not relate to your field of interest leave them out. I would include a summary section at the bottom of your resume that includes the leadership and studying abroad you have done.
Now what you can do is make a two page resume with everything you have and bring that one to interviews and give that one to the interviewer.
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