Build Your Resume from Day 1
Even though college has only just begun for many Chatham students, it’s never too early to start building out your resume. And thanks to Chatham’s Office of Career Development and their robust offerings, you never have to stress about creating your resume alone. We caught up with two resume experts—Director of Career Development, Kate Sheridan and Career Development student employee, Julia Rayburg—who break down their recommendations and advice for building out your resume from day one of college. Check their tips out below:
“I’m a first-year, first-semester student. What’s my first step towards building out my resume?”
Kate Sheridan: Reflect on your experiences to date–you can use this brainstorming worksheet or start your own. Find resume examples you like that you want to model and start putting existing experiences into a draft. You can use resources like O*Net Online or Career One Stop to develop an understanding of the skills and experiences that are important to the field you are interested in and “build backwards.” Make a list of things you want to do at Chatham that will allow you to build some of these skills and demonstrate your strengths.
Julia Rayburg: Write down all of the experiences that you’ve had—jobs, volunteer work, or clubs. Consider the most recent experiences and brainstorm the integral skills you took away from them. I put bullet points below each experience detailing everything I learned. Later, I condense the most important points to add to my resume. Once you’ve compiled all of your important experiences, add a short description of how you applied those skills in conjunction with the job, internship, volunteer position, etc. I recommend scheduling an appointment with a member of the team at Career Development to help you create your resume. They will help you choose a format and advise on what to add or remove.
“How should I go about getting my first internship?”
KS: It’s never too early to start seeing what’s out there. Set aside 30 minutes/week to look through Handshake, the My.Chatham internship board, and industry-specific job boards to see what kinds of internships they offer.
Start building your network. Talk to faculty and staff on campus. Set up a LinkedIn account. Sign up for Chatham Connect. Attend employer engagement events on campus. Networks are how 85% of people find jobs; this is a crucial resource as you look for opportunities.
JR: When I was looking for my internship, I spoke to almost all of the professors in my majors because they all had different ideas about where to look and what I might like. My professors had great input because a lot of them have worked in the field I am interested in. Their advice shaped my internship search. I also met with Career Development to see if different people would have different ideas. You should start to think about what you want to do in the future so that you can try to base an internship experience off of that. Contact different places you’re interested in to ask questions. It is better to know everything upfront than to go into an interview and find out information that you may not like.
“What type of resume-building opportunities would you recommend at Chatham?”
KS: The list below highlights incredible opportunities at Chatham to get involved, build important skills, gain experience, and shape your professional identity and path. But remember: it’s far more important to choose a few of these experiences and get deeply involved rather than to do everything with less of your energy to invest. Go for depth of experience not breadth. This gives you more material for your resume and your personal and professional growth!
Internships (you must complete 3 credits but can do up to 17. You can also opt to complete additional internships for the experience and forego using them for credit.)
Student employment
Research with faculty
Student organizations or co-curricular involvement
Student government
Athletics
Volunteering
Centers and institutes
Study abroad
JR: Take a look around and see what catches your interest. A lot of academic programs have student organizations affiliated. Get involved and form connections that may help you when it comes time to find an internship or a job. Outside of academics, there are also student organizations that may be closely related to your personal interests. We have many organizations that focus on activism; joining one would allow you to be proactive in our community. In the student organizations I am involved with, we often have different speakers talk about ways to get involved or help us take the first steps to do so. Check Handshake and the Happenings page on MyChatham for different events. There are so many different people that come to campus to help empower students and build connections.
“What’s important to include on my resume outside of job and internship experiences?”
KS: In your first year or two of college, highlighting extracurricular involvement, volunteer roles, honors and awards, and any trainings or certifications are great places to start. As you build experience, co-curricular involvement, employment during college, research, trainings and certifications by field or skill set, technical skills and technological literacy are important to include.
JR: I went through training to conduct research, and the certificates I received were beneficial because employers will now see that I have a research background. Include any leadership positions. This is a great way to show that you have skills in different areas, maybe even outside of your major. Include anything that you are proud of—if there is an accomplishment that you want to share, go for it.
“When should I remove my high school work and extracurricular experience from my resume?”
KS: Your first year is a great time to map out goals for campus and community involvement, and to identify the types of skills, experiences, and competencies you need to develop for the career or field you plan to pursue. You will want to begin removing high school affiliations by the end of your first year, or as soon as you feel you have enough experience at Chatham to replace those previous experiences.
JR: College provided me with so many experiences that I was able to take up the space that high school work once filled. In the meantime, look at what you did in high school and place priority on certain parts of your resume. What did you do that you will talk about in a job interview? What is the most relevant to potential job opportunities? The different experiences on your resume that fit with upcoming opportunities are the most suitable to keep. That’s not to say that you should remove everything from high school, but remember that you can always mention high school experience in an interview. Career Development can talk you through making decisions on what to keep or remove.
“What recommendations do you have for juniors and seniors who feel like they are behind in terms of resume-building?”
KS: Most student organizations are open to students from any year and could be good opportunities to develop skills and gain experience. Talk to faculty about projects they may be working on that you could assist with a few hours per week. Consider completing a micro-internship to gain experience in a condensed timeframe. Job shadowing can also be a great opportunity to gain insight and even hands-on experience. Talk to Career Development, faculty, mentors, and friends to compare notes–you may be selling yourself short or not thinking deeply enough about how to define and articulate the experiences you have.
JR: It’s never too late to try something new! Go to an event on campus that interests you and talk to someone there. You never know what opportunities could arise and become resume-worthy. Talk to your peers and see what they are doing. I have heard my classmates share interesting experiences or opportunities that inspired me to look for similar opportunities.
“What resources do you recommend to students who need help writing and designing their resume?”
KS: Make an appointment with Career Development. If you’re looking to get started before setting up a meeting, check out the resources on Handshake that provide tips and formatting suggestions. Unless you are in a technical field where there are specific expectations for resume formatting, stylistically resumes are becoming more and more varied. While we still recommend leaning towards a more traditional layout with minimal color (black, white, and gray are always safe bets) and few if any graphic elements, there are a lot of great examples to be found by doing an internet search for resume formats. If you’re in a creative field, you may opt for something more design heavy to reflect your work.
Eventually you should plan to tailor every resume to the specific job you’re applying to. In the meantime, you can look at O*net or use job descriptions that interest you to align your skills and experiences, and to ensure that your resume content is relevant.
JR: Any time I need help with my resume, I go to Handshake to schedule an appointment. I have probably met with everyone in the office, and each person has had such helpful input. I like these appointments because it’s not just someone critiquing your resume and your experiences, it’s more about learning how to organize everything and showcasing those skills. Do not hesitate to get some extra help with your resume. You want it to be as concise and understandable as possible since this will be an employer’s first impression of you.
“Any other advice?”
JR: As hard as it can be to put yourself out there, try your best to do new things, even if it’s just on campus! By talking to as many people as you can and asking for help when you need it, you are opening yourself up to so many opportunities you may have never even thought of!
Ready to start your resume? Make an appointment with the Office of Career Development today!