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Just out of College? Here's What Your Resume Should Look Like

Resume Writing for a Fresher

 

Now that you’ve finally graduated from college, it is time for you to meet the real world. It can be a daunting and challenging task especially if you are a fresher. Moreover, it can be difficult to compete with people when you compare your resume to other applicants who have much more experience. On your part, you believe you have nothing to show and it can be a bit intimidating.

 

However, experts agree that many companies these days would love to hire fresh graduates for several reasons like the innovativeness they bring to the job and the out-of-the-box uninhibited thinking. Also, there are plenty of fresh graduates who actually underestimate their experience and training, however tiny, while these can be valuable when showcasing their full potential.

 

 

Gone are the days where you included pretty much everything even faintly relevant when making an impressive resume. In fact, today, your resume should fit in a one-page piece of paper only. Essentially, you need to include your job goal enabling the recruitment staff to study your full potential. It is important that you also enlist your education qualifications, your co-curricular achievements, and any other skill-set which though not directly relevant can have a bearing on the job.

Include Relevant Course and Training

A resume must necessarily include your university details, the course you undertook, and the degree you accomplished. Make sure to include honours and recognition. Don’t forget to also feature relevant training that you’ve taken to further your career. It does not necessarily mean that it should fit your major course. Leadership training, personality development, and short-term courses will get you your potential employer’s attention. Even foreign languages proficiency can do wonders for your resume. Including these means that you are the type of person who is always seeking an opportunity to grow.

 

Include Work Experience (Even if it's Voluntary Work)

Perhaps you’ve completed your on-job training or internship which is somehow relevant, or you volunteered with an animal shelter; whatever be the case include these tiny bits of work experience. They mean you know how to work in an organization and as a part of a team Consider that things you accomplished during this internship/project from a broader perspective. First, you completed the job and were able to perform. That means that you are the type of person who can be trusted with the task given to you. If you interacted with plenty of people around you, then you know the value of team work and intra-team communication. All these are valuable skills.

 

If explained with a simple example: You are applying for a job in marketing and sales while you have completed a training in graphic designing; in such a scenario, you can showcase how your designing skills of creating brochures, presentations, etc can benefit in the marketing process.

Understand Resume Formats

There is no such thing as a standard resume format. Frequently, creating a resume outside the box can make an impact. Of course, it does not necessarily mean that your resume should look like your Twitter account. When making a creative resume, you need to always include, your objectives, experience, education, and skills.

Example of a Resume for a Fresher

 

Instead of a resume full of words and phrases, you can use icons, bars, and vector images. For example, instead of using the word “address” as the location of where you live, you can use the location icon as an alternative. The same thing is applicable when it comes to your skills; use an icon that is representative of your skill set.

Resume for a Fresher - Example

 

 

Your resume should showcases your full potential and therefore, it must be so impressive that no one would ever want to put your CV in the trash bin. Use the following tips to create a resume which is interesting to read, aesthetically pleasing, and wholesome.

Using Bullets

Using bullets emphasizes the most important information in precise points which draws the reader’s attention. You may do so by listing your recent accomplishments and major contributions to your previous employer, during your internship. In here, use keywords that will interest the reader via action verbs such as created, managed, developed, built etc.

Experimenting with Typography

Most people overlook how important typography is. But, typography is one of the most important elements when it comes to reading a certain phrase or article. Using bold texts or perhaps italic can tell the reader that the certain word or phrase is important and that he or she should not miss the same.

Minimizing Fonts

Even though you want to impress the reader, it does not mean that you overdo it. Never use fonts that can irritate the reader’s eyes. Cursive fonts or Comic Sans are a complete no-no when submitting your resume to a company. Font readability is key when you want to impress a prospective employer. Hence, clean fonts such as Arial, Calibri, or Verdana would be some of the most suitable fonts for a resume. For subtitles, using thick fonts such as Montserrat is highly recommended.

Playing withe Size

The test contains 180 questions spread over 6 sections. In the paper based test, each section is timed separately, whereas there’s no such requirement for the online test. Total duration of the test is 3 hours. A negative score of 0.25 point would be given for every incorrect answer. Correct answers would be awarded one point each.

Being Consistent with Font Styles

You don’t have to be fancy when it comes to using font styles. Using two to three font styles is the rule of the thumb. Be consistent with the font style you are going to use. For example, if you used Arial Black Font Style with the size 11 for the subtitle, then stick to it for all subtitles. Using more than three font styles can be overwhelming and sometimes irritating to the reader. Your aim here is to ensure that a prospective employer can read your resume clearly and easily.

 

It’s time to create one! Now that you know these essential things that you should do when making a resume, it is time for you to create one. You can also use this free online resume maker tool to make your resume impressive and improve your hiring chances.

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