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Resumes are a key part of marketing oneself to a potential employer or sponsor. Every professional worth their salt has a resume, yet the process of creating one isn’t always fun. As a student just getting into
Even without work experience or a glittery academic background, you can still make
1. Focus
Unless you are highly talented or skilled, you need a resume that shows eagle vision. Granted, the scope of academic knowledge may mean you cover a variety of subjects. And at the
Focus means that you have identified something that you are interested in and have started going after it. If your aim is Med school, it will help if your application showed a certain affinity for science subjects. Also, several advanced AP courses in chemistry and biology would help your case. Same with
2. Motivation
Focus is not the same thing as motivation; just like a car would be nothing in an empty tank. Motivation is what drives you, and it’s the same trait always looked for in personal statements. Often, a career will be a difficult road to take. The reason why to go a certain route, for example, becoming a med student and eventually a doctor, and commit to it is that thing all employers want to know.
Another way to think about motivation is what gets you up in the morning. If you can sufficiently prove this on
3. Passion
Often in the course of school and discovering new fields and interests, you are bound by certain inclinations. You may end up following these particular inclinations as a career or a hobby and something you give extra time to.
Now you must be thinking, “How do I demonstrate passion on my resume?” Easy. It comes from your entire skillset and any hobbies you might list on a resume. For highly specialist roles, this might not apply since an employer, in that case, is looking for a specific skill set. If you’re just starting, though, there is no harm in listing those ‘extras’.
4. Drive
The drive is the ability to keep up with the pace of work. What does that mean? It means that you demonstrate a continuous commitment to a certain course. For example, STEM courses, in general, are quite intensive. Therefore, maintaining continuous achievement or commitment to a certain field will tip off employers to a good hire.
With this in mind, always remember to have an explanation for gap years as you prepare for the interview process. You don’t want to show potential employers that you lose drive easily.
5. Performance
Any solid hiring manager will tell you that they always pick the candidate that can demonstrate performance. Performance may imply a continuous streak of good academic results. On a professional resume, this would mean results from past work experiences and vocations.
“I was a front officer in the local bank.”
“As a cashier, I delivered over 300 transactions a day with a departmental average record number of cleared checks per day.”
The second statement moves a hiring manager to want to know more about this candidate than the first. Greatness is self-evident.
6. Progress
Progress is the journey that your resume reflects. Even with summer internships and vocational work, you can showcase a career trajectory that attracts hiring managers. It also implies a commitment to a particular field.
As a student just starting out writing resumes, you may not know how to showcase that progress on
“What Else Can I Do to Improve My Resume?”
Keep it simple and let your record speak for itself. Don’t use any long and glittery descriptions as that would be tantamount to blowing your own horn. Use a standard font type size 11 and limit any decorative page aspects. You can also research keywords in the particular field you are interested in and tailor
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