Poorly drafted résumés didn’t lead us to our current rate of 9% unemployment, but they certainly won’t help anyone to overcome the trend; for anyone, student or otherwise, to be successful in this highly competitive labor market they must have a robust and current résumé.
For a high school or college student, writing a résumé isn’t as simple as listing a few extracurricular activities, peppering in some work experience, and ending the document with “references available upon request” (putting that phrase on any résumé, by the way, is a colossal misstep – your prospective employer is well aware). You have to individually cater you résumé to match the job or internship that you are trying to land. This task is as simple as reading the job listing and aligning your previous work experience to match the work experience that is demanded.
To understand this point, let’s say for example that you are applying for a marketing internship that asks for “experience handling large sums of money.” If in a previous job you have gained this familiarity then it is to your benefit to state directly that you have “experience handling large sums of money.” Employers are looking for key words and phrases every time they turn their eyes to a new résumé, and using their words makes it easier for them to recognize that you’re a fit. Furthermore, for jobs and internships with large applicant pools, employers may use preliminary software to identify people with the requisite skills for the job. This software can run through thousands of résumés in seconds and is specifically looking for exact matches on the key words and phrases that were printed in the job description; if your resume doesn’t make any matches then you will have likely struck out before even swinging.
The job and internship market is more competitive than ever and using this tip will undoubtedly help you to be successful in landing your next big break.
T.D. Bjornestad
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