Boosting your Resume to Land your First Job

Many college students believe that just getting their college degree will be enough for getting a job, but just going to your college classes will not cut it. Colleges give many opportunities to do more than just go to class, but making sure you take advantage of these opportunities is up to you.

Here’s some tips I have learned from professors, professionals, and other students that you should do in college to amp up your resume and help you land your first job.

Join a Club

There a hundred’s of clubs and organizations you can join in school, or if you don’t like any of the ones offered, you can create your own. Just being a member of a club is great, but if there are opportunities for leadership take advantage of them.

Volunteer

Any volunteer work is great to put on a resume. You can volunteer everyday or once a year, and volunteer work can be found at your college or in your community.

Research

Any major has research; there are sometimes classes that are offered and other times you have to apply. Do it! It shows your interest in the topic and also how you were involved on cutting edge research.

Network

Get to know as many people as you can. One way I do this is by going to business events with my parents in order to meet their colleagues. Get to know your professors, your parents’ friends, or any adult. Every professional you meet will know another professional, making your network expand every time you put in effort to meet someone. Don’t be afraid to ask for a business card.

Part Time Job

By having a part time job, it shows that you can manage your school and work. It also helps show that you are paying for some part of what you do at school, making you look responsible.

Internship

In some majors, these are a necessity; especially business and communications. Many internships are unpaid, but do them anyways. By having your first internship, it can lead to many others. Internship's in your career path will give you experience that other candidates may not have.

Get Published

Getting published is awesome for your portfolio. It shows that you have put effort into your work, and it was good enough to be published. An easy way to do this is by summiting your work to your college paper; most papers will submit whatever is the best work.

A Web Portfolio

A portfolio is a chance to show the work you can do, this can be any writing samples, art, or designs you have done. Since technology is so important these days, having a personal website that contains your portfolio and resume can put you above your competition. Making websites is easy and free by using Weebly or Word Press.