Recent Grad Résumés: What’s Hot and What’s Not
There is so much advice online, on campus, and even on television. How do you discern what is the most effective résumé strategy in today’s job search market? Below we have listed a few areas of focus for a recent graduate’s résumé. We will show you what is hot and what is not.
Objective: Hot or Not?
NOT! Including an objective statement is the best way to announce to the reader, “It’s all about me!” Objectives are written from the perspective of the candidate. Often they are vague and pointless. If you really want to get an interview, write a compelling headline that show the skills you offer to fill the needs of the prospective employer.
Five Adjectives to Describe Me: Hot or Not?
NOT! The boring list of characteristics, such as “outstanding oral and written skills,” “highly-motivated”
and “self-starter,” will not get you far. Instead, craft a profile summary that shows your knowledge, skills, and experience that relates directly to your career goal. The characteristics often shown on a recent graduate’s resume are over-used and baseline characteristics expected by any employer. You want to show how you are exceptional.
Listing Degree, Field of Study, and Academic Honors: Hot or Not?
HOT! Immediately following your profile statement, create an education category. Include your college name, location, degree, field of study, and significant honors. If you are lacking professional experience, it is a great idea to also include relevant coursework and highlights of your top two to three academic projects.
Research Papers, Presentations, and Posters: Hot or Not?
HOT! This is vital information to share. Be sure to use proper formatting and punctuation. If you are unclear, ask your academic advisor or a professional résumé writer. If you have multiple pages of these credits, you can limit it to the credits that are relevant to your career. In that case, you would title each category differently. You may say, “Highlights of Presentations” rather than “Presentations,” for example.
Fraternity & Sorority Activities: Hot or Not?
HOT! It is important to share this information, but be selective about what you share. For example, if you held an office, that shows leadership skills. If you led a major philanthropic or academic event, that shows your organizational skills. Listing that you were “keg master” or that you won the mud run race for three consecutive years are things you should omit.
Community & Professional Experience: Hot or Not?
HOT! Your community and professional experience may be unrelated to your career goal. However, it shows that you were dedicated, you interacted well with others, and handled responsibility. As you move along in your career, these experiences will drop off. For a recent graduate, this is still important to include.
Here are a few additional resources that you may find helpful.