A reader recently e-mailed me asking how to spruce up her resume and cover letter, so I figure I would share what I’ve learned… four internships later.
1. Keep it to one page. If you’ve recently graduated, you probably have just enough work experience to comfortably fill one page. If you have less, expand a bit on your school clubs, volunteer projects, additional skills, etc. On the flip side, even if you’ve had nine internships, nobody cares about all nine. Don’t try to squeeze them all in — focus on the most recent positions that are relevant to the internship or job you’re applying for. Unless you’re a college freshman, your high school stuff has got to go too.
2. Here’s what you need to include. Name, address, phone, email, blog/website. Work experience, affiliations, education, skills. That’s how I do it — in that order. Your email should be something professional with your first and last name. One of my classmates recently gave me his email address: h3ybab3@[emailprovider].com. SERIOUSLY? I wouldn’t even be able to give that to my peers with a straight face, much less to an employer. I’d suggest getting your email at Gmail or Yahoo!. Honestly, AOL or Hotmail screams 1990s. If your blog or website is professional enough to show off and reflects your career interests, include it — it adds another dimension and is a great demonstration of your expertise/abilities.
3. Clean it up and use bullet points. This isn’t difficult, but I’ve seen my fair share of disasters. LINE STUFF UP. Microsoft Word is practically begging you to do it. Don’t use flashy fonts or colors; keep it simple. Uncommon fonts also tend not to show the same on everybody’s computers, which could mess up your formatting too. Write concise, easy-to-digest single lines that convey your accomplishments. Stay consistent with the number of points under each job to keep your resume looking as balanced and organized as possible.
4. Use powerful language and don’t be vague. How many times have you heard “use action verbs?” Well, it’s true. Use them. Start your bullet points with strong verbs (some from my resume: developed, implemented, coordinated, managed, directed). Don’t list responsibilities; describe your accomplishments and the solid results that you produced (e.g. trained 30 employees, boosted revenue by 25%, etc.) Instead of simply stating that you have strong leadership skills, demonstrate through the details about your work experience. (Don’t, however, use inflated jargon to describe your accomplishments.) And that’s great that you were a part of PPCA or CFS, but it’s meaningless if nobody knows what it is — make sure it’s clear.
5. Tailor your resume to the company you’re applying for. Focus on what the employer wants. Your resume is like marketing copy: Every word should sell you. Figure out exactly which of your qualifications make you a prime candidate for that position, and emphasize, emphasize, emphasize. Eliminate everything that isn’t relevant or impressive. So you cleaned tables at Red Lobster? Put papers in alphabetical order? Unless this somehow shows skills that your next employer is looking for, it’s not important.
6. Don’t give everything away. Make the person reading your resume curious about your work experience. If you tell everything there is to tell in your resume, you’ll come off as unimpressive in the interview. Give yourself space to expand on your achievements.
7. Ask for feedback, and then edit. Go to parents, friends, counselors, mentors, your professional network. What impression does your resume make? What suggestions do they have for you to improve it? Not everyone will agree, but you can get a general idea of how your resume comes across and edit according to your best judgment. The more eyes read over your resume, the less needless errors you’ll have.
8. Always take copies with you when you’re meeting with any sort of professional. You never know if the person you’re doing an informational interview with just might ask for one. (I’ve made this mistake with a top editor at a magazine and slapped myself the whole elevator ride down.)
9. In the same vein, keep your resume updated at all times. You might just meet someone who has the perfect internship for you. Don’t have a panic session trying to fix up your resume last minute — add your new work experience as you go. This’ll also keep you brushed up on exactly what you have written, meaning you won’t have to refresh yourself nearly as much come time to interview.
10. Maintain multiple versions of your resume. This may seem silly and excessive, but I save a new copy of my resume every time I apply for new positions. Though I generally apply to the same types of internships, it’s still useful to have ones with specific goals. For example, I have an editorial resume that includes all of the mags, blogs, and e-zines I’ve contributed to. I also have a social media resume that emphasizes my web 2.0 knowledge but doesn’t include every single bit of writing experience, because some of that frankly doesn’t pertain to social media/online marketing. With multiple versions ready to go, you’ll already have a batch to pick and choose from, making it easier to tweak that resume for a specific internship.
