Whether you're getting ready to graduate and go into the workforce or just hunting for that perfect college job ( London Jobs ), having a polished resume is an essential part of getting your foot in the door. Read on to learn how to build an eye-catching and effective resume ( London Jobs ).
Resume ( London Jobs ) Content
Many students fear that a lack of work experience will make their resumes ( London Jobs ) look insufficient or unimpressive and resort to 'padding' their resumes ( London Jobs ) to fill blank space. Don't fall prey to this temptation! You will almost certainly get caught in any lies or half-truths, and that is a guaranteed way to lose your chance at any job ( London Jobs ).
Instead, remember this tip: A resume ( London Jobs ) is not a work history, it's a chance to demonstrate that you have the skills necessary to be good at the job ( London Jobs ). In order to achieve this goal, here's what to include:
Heading.
There should always be a heading at the top of your resume ( London Jobs ) that includes your name, mailing address, phone number and email address. If you have a professional website you can include your web address too, but make sure that the content is 100% safe for work first.
Education.
List any college degrees that you've earned here, as well as special learning experiences such as professional certificates. If you completed a thesis, you may also include a brief mention of this project. Students who have yet to earn a degree can list their anticipated date of graduation like this: Bachelor of Business Administration, Expected May 2012. ( London Jobs )
Objective.
It's generally best to write a cover letter and exclude the career objective. But if a prospective employer has asked applicants not to submit a cover letter, then it's a good idea to include one or two sentences that concisely describe your goals for the position. ( London Jobs )
Selected Experience.
Using the word 'selected' serves two functions: First, it indicates that you're only describing previous jobs ( London Jobs ) that have a direct effect on your qualification for the current position. Second, for those students who are worried about a lack of work history, it implies more experience without making any false statements.
Use this space to list any jobs ( London Jobs ), internships, volunteer positions or any other professional experiences that are germane to the position. Keep job descriptions as short as possible, highlighting only the relevant duties.
Skills.
This is your opportunity to draw attention to any important professional skills that you may have that aren't explicit in your education or experience information. Consider things like computer skills (be specific, especially if the position relies on a particular piece of software), foreign language skills or creative skills. If you're looking for inspiration, read over the job ( London Jobs ) description again and try to distill why you'd be a good fit into a list of skills - just be careful not to copy their list of desired skills verbatim onto your resume ( London Jobs ).
Honors & Awards.
This section isn't required, but it can be useful to fill up space if necessary or highlight special achievements. It's ok to include academic awards here because they demonstrate diligence and hard work. ( London Jobs )
Activities & Special Interests.
This is another 'filler' section that isn't required, but can be useful to show evidence of intangible skills like leadership or communication. Don't list every club or student group you ever joined, but consider adding organizations that are relevant to the position as well as more generally impressive roles such as student government.
Resume ( London Jobs ) Style
Having engaging and impressive content is at the heart of any resume, but style is more important than you may think. When an employer is paging through a stack of over a hundred resumes ( London Jobs ), he or she is going to pick up the one that looks best before reading a single word.
There's no one right way to style a resume ( London Jobs ), so it's important to take the time to look at many different examples to get inspiration. Your school's career services office may have some samples for you to look at and an Internet search for 'sample resumes ( London Jobs )' will turn up lots of results.
Here are a few basics to get you started:
Final Tips
Proofread, proofread, proofread.
Spelling or grammar errors will almost always get your resume ( London Jobs ) thrown into the trash instantly - the same goes for cover letters and other documents. We all make mistakes, but letting them slip into a job ( London Jobs ) application is a sign of sloppiness and inattention.
Customize each time.
As noted above, your resume ( London Jobs ) isn't an encyclopedic work history, it's a list of relevant experiences and skills. You should therefore rework it every time you send it out, even if it's for the same type of job ( London Jobs ). It's ok to keep the same style and even a lot of the same content, but make sure that you've read it over with the specific position in mind. ( London Jobs )
Before you send your resume ( London Jobs ) off, make any necessary changes to your selected experience, job ( London Jobs ) duties or skills to highlight the most relevant details. It can be helpful to keep a 'master resume (London Jobs )' with all of your information on it to refer back to when creating a job-specific document.
Students are overwhelmed with studying, homework and living off a part time wage. Hear are some tips to reduce on-the-job ( London Jobs ) stress.
Sometimes work is just one of those things you don't want to deal with. Many students are employed at hotels, restaurants or other service industry firms. Work can be extremely stressful and effect other areas of your life. The numbers from the National Institute ( London Jobs ) for Occupational Safety and Health (cdc.gov) can be staggering: ( London Jobs )
So how can you limit problems at work ( London Jobs ) from affecting the rest of your life? Follow these tips.
Exercise ( London Jobs )
One of the best ways to ease your burden of stress is to move around during the work day.
Set up a regular exercise program you can do away from the office. When you get off work go straight to the gym and get out all your aggression! This will help you relax at home during the night.
Organization
Your workplace stress can be eased by getting some control over your tasks. Are you getting swapped down with files? Is your productivity slipping? The more organized you can get the better you will be at accomplishing your goals ( London Jobs ). If you get stuff done you will feel better about yourself and better about work. (Plus, your boss might notice and give you a wage adjustment.) ( London Jobs )
Make Some Friends
Friendship is one of the best things for people. Laughter, talk and companionship will help you enjoy your time spent at work. So find somebody to swap email jokes or take out to lunch.
The transition from college life to professional life can be a big jump. Here's how to deal. ( London Jobs )
'Culture shock' is probably the best phrase to describe the transition from college to the business world ( London Jobs ). For most people professional life is full of sharp outfits, deadlines and midday meetings. So how do you prepare for a life in the corporate world? Learn the rules of the office. ( London Jobs )
Organization ( London Jobs )
Different values are cherished within every company. A good way to bond with coworkers is to master your office courtesy. According to national workplace consulting firm MJN Consulting, the number one office un-courtesy is not returning phone calls and email. Following closely in second is using the last piece of paper in the copy machine and not refilling the tray. Simple things can leave a lasting impression. ( London Jobs )
Power
Who wears the pants in your firm? ( London Jobs ) Always get to know who is running each department. Remember: job title doesn't necessarily mean influence. Often a lower level employee will have special training or some other quality that makes him or her the go-to person.
Learn About Yourself
Getting thrown into a foreign environment is a great way to learn what you can and can't do. According to job ( London Jobs ) search firm Monster.com, you must take it upon yourself to learn where you excel and where you need to learn new training. Gone is the time when a worker is a lifelong employee the firm takes under its wings. Today's workers change careers as many times as they change apartments. Build skills to take on the road.
Confidence, high self-esteem, and ambition are qualities that will help you in your career ( London Jobs ) path.
Some qualities of a person cannot be learned, but rather are nurtured and grown. Ambition and confidence are two of these qualities. One of the main pillars of ambition is high self esteem ( London Jobs ). According to career publisher CareerJournal.com ( London Jobs ), self-acceptance and faith-in-oneself allows confidence and ambition to grow. Lacking this personal characteristic can put a serious damper on your career ( London Jobs ) goals. Here is how to let your personality shine and make way for your professional life.
High self-esteem ( London Jobs )
Low self-esteem is one of the major stumbling blocks to achieving your goals. CareerJournal.com ( London Jobs ) says no personal characteristic is more important to workplace success than self-esteem. Self-esteem is the foundation for all the other characteristics you want to build. Ways to increase your self-esteem include:
Be realistic about yourself. Don't set outlandish goals ( London Jobs ) that are impossible. Shoot for the moon, but set a realistic path to get there so you will limit disappointment. ( London Jobs )
Hiring managers test candidates with tough questions during the interview process. Get prepared and get the job ( London Jobs ).
The resume ( London Jobs ) got you in the door, now it's time to prove you can back up the goods. The job ( London Jobs ) interview is arguably the most important part of the hiring process. Human resource professionals use this time to decide if candidates are going to be an asset to the organization for the long term. The more prepared you are for the face-to-face the better chance you have of making the big bucks. ( London Jobs )
According to MSN Columnist and author of '60 Seconds and You're Hired' Robin Ryan, There are four elements to a successful interview: preparation, specific answers, ability to perform, personality.
Preparation
Recruiters are going to want to know what you have done in the past and what you are capable of doing for the firm. Bullet point your past work experience, significant contributions, skills, desires and learning goals. Ryan says when you get hit with a question you should be able to give an example of what you have done in the past or can do for the company. ( London Jobs )
Specific Answers
When the hiring manager ask you question such as 'why did you leave your last job ( London Jobs )', you will want to reply with a short, specific answer. Ryan recommends keeping answers to 60 seconds or less.
Performance
Recruiters want to hire people who are going to make them look good by making the company succeed. Businesses are made out of people, and good people are always being sought. This is why you have to sell yourself to the company. Career ( London Jobs ) portal Monster.com says you must get across three things:
Personality
Experience, education and motivation are all great qualities, but a person with the wrong personality traits for the position can turn out to be a horrible hire. An excellent, award-winning newspaper reporter can fail miserably in broadcast if he or she lacks the necessary personality. Prove to your boss you have the right attitude for the job. ( London Jobs )
Career ( London Jobs ) searches often begin in college. This article offers tips and advice for job hunting success!
It's easy to forget about the real world while in college. You get swept in a world of homework, midterms, and parties. Although it's easy to fall into this lifestyle, you'll need to remember that there will come a time when you must find a career ( London Jobs ). Just as you planned for college, you will want to plan for this part of your life as well.
Build Your Resume ( London Jobs )
It is important to prepare a resume ( London Jobs ) before you begin looking for a job ( London Jobs ). Since job recruiters usually just skim resumes ( London Jobs ), you want to make sure that yours will stand out. For tips on format or suggestions on content, you may want to try speaking to your career ( London Jobs ) counselor or someone who deals with resumes ( London Jobs ) at your university's career ( London Jobs ) center. You may also want to try career ( London Jobs ) websites like www.careerbuilder.com ( London Jobs ) or www.monsterjobs.comfor ( London Jobs )some resume tips.
Build Your Cover Letter ( London Jobs )
You may be wondering how the recruiter will get a sense of who you really are if he or she just skims your resume ( London Jobs ). Answer: Your cover letter. Since your cover letter will represent you, you need to proofread it and then have someone else proofread it. Even minor mistakes may cause the recruiter to question your credibility. When writing your cover letter, try your best to tailor it to the specific position. You may also want to try to address your letter to a specific person, which would be better than addressing it to the director of human resources ( London Jobs ).
Build Your Portfolio ( London Jobs )
If you're creating a portfolio as well, you may want to review your work several times for any major flaws. Like the cover letter, obvious flaws will probably immediately stand out to the interviewer. ( London Jobs )
Internship and Co-Ops
You may want to consider looking for internships or co-ops. According to the Education Planner website, an internship is an experienced-based opportunity whereby students receive credit for supervised work experiences related to their majors. Internships usually last about 10-12 weeks depending on employers.
On the other hand, National Commission for Cooperative Education defines co-ops as structured educational strategies integrating classroom studies with productive work experience in fields related to students' academic or career goals. Since co-ops are considered part of the education process, these opportunities usually last for an entire quarter--sometimes multiple quarters--or a semester and are scheduled during the academic year.
Whether you prefer an internship or a co-op, both of these opportunities provide possible ways to get experience in your field while you're in college. This type of job ( London Jobs ) experience will help your chances of landing a job ( London Jobs ) after you graduate. Depending upon your major and your experience, you may or may not be paid during an internship or co-op.
How to Get an Internship or a Co-Op
You can begin by going to your college's career center website. Many companies will post internship or co-op positions there. For internships, you may want to check periodically throughout the year, but check regularly (about once a week) around December-April because this is when corporate recruiters increase their search for interns.
You could also go to a college career fair involving recruiters from different companies. Many recruiters hold interviews during such fairs. By introducing yourself and getting to know recruiters, you may be able to better your chances of getting an interview. One final way to find an internship is by applying online through the company's website. ( London Jobs )
Start Networking ( London Jobs )
Have you ever heard the phrase, 'It's not what you know. It's who you know?' It's cliche' but there's some truth in it. Networking, which according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary means 'the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups or institutions,' may help you get the type of job that you want. Networking involves building connections with other people who are doing or who know people who are doing the type of work you're interested in. By establishing these connections, you hope that they will help you get into a company. You may want to consider building your connections early.
Talk to friends, other students, and teachers about the field you prefer to work in. As you begin networking, you may want to avoid looking like you want something from that person. Those who will really want to help you will probably be those who respect and care about you. By giving them respect, they will probably begin respecting you. Get to know them as people before turn to them for favors.
Additional Resources
These are just a few tips to get you thinking about your future and help you get a little closer to your future job. ( London Jobs )
