Writing your resume can be a frustrating and tedious task, especially if you are trying to get your first job, changing your career, or re-entering the work force after a break. Since each of these scenarios requires a different approach, in addition to different types of resumes for different positions, you want to make sure you create the right resume for the job so use our free resume writing help to get started.
Internship: Many students and recent graduates do not realize the importance of having an up to date resume throughout their college career. If you are attempting to gain an internship at any point during or directly after college, resumes are gateways to your goal. Since many students do not work during college, their resumes tend to be a little high school heavy. It is not a bad idea to do this, but you want to make sure you include things from your college years, just to show that you did more than party seven days a week.
If you are applying for an internship related to your studies, it is good to focus on your ambitions, potential, and ultimate goals. Employers like the feel that they are helping to mold young people into the excellent workers they will one day become; they truly want to see their interns flourish into successful executives. Showing how this internship will be your stepping stone to a wonderful career in a field of work that you are really passionate about will create an excitement that employers want to live through vicariously.
Entry Level: Because of your lack of experience, these resumes might seem difficult to tackle, or intimidating at first. In fact, entry-level resumes are quite simple. In these you merely want to show your willingness to do mundane tasks for the greater good. You can showcase your talents and list your goals, but ultimately, you want to exhibit your potential.
We all know that those entry-level positions are not that hard to come by, but are essential to getting your foot in the door. Do not make yourself seem over-qualified for your position. If you were an all star in all of your college classes, receiving honors and scholarship after scholarship, this information may make you seem too qualified for the position. If an employer thinks that you might be bored after a couple of months, they might pass over you for a less qualified candidate. Conversely, if you are overqualified for a position in a company that needs a little help, and you have some experience that would shape their company in a better way, you should include that. If you have connections or an unparalleled understanding of a difficult software program, you should include this. Not only will they potentially have free software training, but also the option of piggybacking on your network connections.
Career Change: The biggest thing to highlight in a career-change resume is your versatility. If you stayed in the same position or company for a long time, include details about how quickly you picked up skills, or how you took on a lot of unrelated tasks. Rather than focusing on qualifications and things that you have done in the past, try to emphasize the things that you can do in the future.
You should try and incorporate similar skill sets as well. If, for instance, you are trying to move from a elementary teaching position to an intermediate marketing representative, draw parallels. Describe the importance of creating excitement about the learning material, and the importance of reading each student’s personality in order to have them fulfill their tasks. No matter what the job differences may be, you can always throw in relevant buzzwords that are quite general such as “customer service.”
Most importantly, for each resume, be sure to tweak it a little depending on the position for which you are applying. Even if you just alter the structure of your job objective, or change around the task descriptions, a targeted resume is twice as strong as a general one.