By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter
A flurry of recent resume inquiries by new grads or their parents inspired my latest blog post. After investing 4+ years and 10s of thousands of dollars in advanced education and training it is natural to want to hit the ground running to conduct an effective, interview-netting job search.
Unfortunately, the misperceptions about the most critical job-search marketing tool, the new-grad’s resume, abound! For example, many graduates (and their parents/collegiate advisors) are under the impression ‘only a 1-page resume’ will do, and that they really don’t need ‘much,’ just something ‘simple’ as they are ‘just a recent grad.’
Au contraire! Most graduating students have absorbed years of targeted courses, case studies, team projects and internships, as well as part-time jobs and volunteer, on-campus roles. Properly ferreted out, the vital messaging points will create a well-woven story that compels the reader (hiring decision maker) that you are the best-fit candidate for the job.
Moreover, the idea that building a proper resume story is an ‘investment’ that is necessary to leverage the already deep investment in your degree seems to be overlooked by many. Think about it: you will be competing with thousands of other newly minted graduate job candidates. Do you want to have a lackluster, run-of-the-mill marketing document, or, do you desire to set yourself apart from the pack with a distinctive value message that sells you? It will save you time in your search and open up doors for that great new opportunity that otherwise may stay sealed because your message fell short.
For my complete thoughts, including 5 suggestions to consider when writing YOUR career resume story, please click on this link over at Glassdoor.com: New Grad: Don’t Sell Yourself Short on Your Resume.
Oh, Jacqui – I so love the way you write, the way you paint your canvas with words…
You are quite accurate in that colleges and universities – be it at the undergraduate or graduate level – all stress the necessity for resumes to be no longer than one page.
This, in of itself, already limits how much information that one can convey… I will be following the continuation of your article at Glassdoor to see what are your five recommendations!
Hi Dorlee,
Thank you for affirming what you have seen at the graduate level regarding the ‘resume rules’ espoused by universities. I agree that this, in and of itself, limits how ‘much’ one can convey. And, unnecessarily so.
Certainly, a rambling, unfocused 2-3 page career story will be ineffective. Equally so, a terse, 1-page document will squeeze out vital details that add nuance and shades of gray that may compel a reader to action.
I hope you enjoyed the rest of the article at Glassdoor.
I always appreciate your insights and comments! Thank you!
Jacqui
I agree with you. Although a freshly graduate student cannot brag about some vast working experience, they can focus on actually “selling” and marketing the good qualities that they have. If not, their resume will simply state “Hi, I’ve finished college.”
I am a recent grad and I’ve had a really hard time getting people to look at me seriously I’ve gotten some really small time jobs but they aren’t enough to pay my housing and food Thanks for the tip this should help quite a bit.