It's time to land your very first job. It's normal to feel jittery and nervous, but you know you have the skills required to be a fantastic employee. You just have to prove it.
Applying for a job means demonstrating that you have both the skills and the background employers expect from seasoned staffers. If this is your first job, you most likely don't have decades of experience to lean on. You may not even have one job to mention.
You know a lot more than you think. Showcase that knowledge in the right way, and you'll have the job of your dreams in no time at all.
The Role of Internships
About 62% of students graduating in 2017 participated in an internship, researchers say. If you're included in this statistic, you traded pay for experience. That's something you should list on your resume.
Employers love internships, experts say, because they demonstrate:
Passion. If you committed to working for low or no pay, you're serious about your field and your future.
Competence. You were chosen for the internship, which means another company thought you had worthwhile skills or aptitude.
Performance. If your supervisor has wonderful things to say about your time together, you prove that you're not a risky hire.
If you need more proof that internships can get you hired, consider this. Researchers say that students who completed an internship and had a high GPA were more likely to get hired six months after graduation. Students without an internship or who had a low GPA were often on the job hunt for a longer period of time.
Treat your internship like a job, and list it under related job experience. Be sure to explain the following:
How long you worked there
What you did every day
What you accomplished as an intern
Why you left the position
Double down, if you can, by asking your supervisor to work as a reference for those employers who ask for it.
Consider Your Volunteer Work
About 30% of American adults work as volunteers, researchers say. They agree to do something meaningful for no financial compensation at all. Depending on the work you do as a volunteer, it could help you to get the job you want.
Consider your volunteer job's:
Relevancy. Are you volunteering in a hospital and you hope to be a doctor? Are you helping to raise funds for children's literacy and you plan to work in marketing? Only choose volunteer gigs that have a direct tie to your industry.
Prestige. Did you volunteer with a major organization within your community? Will people be impressed by it? Or did you work for a family friend? Some volunteer gigs should definitely be listed, and others don't need to be mentioned.
Length of service. Did you volunteer consistently for weeks or months? Will people at the organization remember you? Or was it a one-time weekend gig that you performed as a favor?
Researchers say most volunteer work is done in religious formats. About 33% of all volunteers work for churches and similar organizations. It's fine to list this work on your resume, but ensure that you keep religious language out of your work description. Some organizations work hard to remain secular, and you'll want to fit in to get the job.
If you worked for a large organization regularly in a job related to your field, list it as work experience. Explain what you did, for how long, and why you continue to volunteer, if applicable.
Outline Your Senior Project
A majority of your resume concerns work experience, but you may pick up skills outside of work that could help you be a good employee. You might get some of those softer skills while working on a senior project.
A senior project could help you develop:
Software familiarity. If you used Microsoft Word or Excel to track results, some employers may look for that experience.
Business skills. You may also know about project management, interviewing, laboratory research, and more.
Critical thinking. If you designed the project, met deadlines, and wrote up results, you could use those skills in the workplace too.
Significant senior project assignments aren't uncommon, experts say. Almost every independent school requires students to do something like this to graduate. Your interviewer may be familiar with the concept, and it's something you can discuss during your interview.
Think about what you learned while hard at work on your project. List those skills on your resume, and be prepared to expand on them during your interview.
Examine Your Extracurricular Activities
About half of all students ages 6 to 17 participate in at least one extracurricular activity, researchers say. Often, they're playing on sports teams, while some types of clubs have direct ties to future careers.
For example, you could participate in:
A thespian or drama club. If you're hoping to make a career in theater or the arts, showcasing an early commitment could be beneficial.
The debate team. Many careers involve persuasion. If you're hoping to qualify for a job in marketing, sales, or the law, this could be a good activity to highlight on a resume.
Future Farmers of America. Jobs in farming, agriculture, and veterinary medicine require experience in animal handling.
A math group. Engineers, mathematicians, and others need deep skills with numbers. Your early work on the math team could demonstrate your commitment.
You'll have space to list these activities on your resume, but your mentions will be brief. Stick to:
Club name
Dates involved
Awards won, either individually or as a group
Include These Resume Sections
You've done a lot of thinking about what you know, what you can demonstrate, and why you'll be an exceptional hire. It's time to compile all of that data into one document.
An entry-level resume should include these sections:
Name and contact data: Provide your first and last names, your phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile.
Professional summary: Talk about who you are, what you're hoping to do as a working professional, and why you're looking for a job.
Key skills: Experience with computer programs, softer skills obtained during projects, and professional certifications should all go here.
Work experience: List your internships and volunteer jobs here.
Extracurricular activities: Describe how you gave back to your community in this section.
Academic achievements: List the degree you earned, the school you attended, and your GPA, if it's somewhere between 3.3 and 4.0.
You'll want your resume to look polished and professional. Starting with a template can help. Consider using templated versions from:
Once you've perfected the document, save it! Experts say most people hold five jobs between the ages of 18 and 22. You'll bounce a bit from gig to gig until you find the perfect fit. Each job you leave should go on your resume as another example of work experience.
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