Putting together a list of your accomplishments and experiences (aka a resume) can be quite challenging even for people with loads of experience, but it can be even more tasking when you’re in high school or a college student with little to no experience. When you’ve never had a job before or only had one during the summers, sometimes it’s not all about your work experience that can make your resume stand out. Sometimes an employer wants to see commitment, strive for greatness, and that you can handle responsibility in a work environment.
The whole point of a resume is to show the employer the skills you have that are valuable to the job that you’re applying for. In this post, I want to show you some things that you can add to your resume to showcase the skills you have that you may not have thought were important.
#1: Volunteer
Volunteering is one of the easiest ways to make great connections – which may be the perfect person to use as a reference later on– and learn valuable life skills that can later be used for your first job. In high school, I mainly used to volunteer at my local thrift store and with a club that volunteered all the time. When you go to volunteer, make sure you document your hours, people that you interacted with, and what you did while volunteering. That way if you do need to fluff up your resume, you’ll have a working list to pull that information from later and can talk about your experience in your interview.
#2: Babysit, or start a side business
Starting a side business, such as babysitting or dog walking, is an easy way to make money when you aren’t old enough for a real job or you just need some extra money on the side. Plus it’s a great addition to your resume that shows you can handle responsibility and that you take initiative to start your own little business! Or you could always start a blog, but I might be a little bias on that suggestion. But truly, a business is a great way to learn first hand customer service, business relationships, and how to deal with issues that may rise.
#3: Be Active in an Organization
Not only does being active in a club allow you to meet new friends, it also allows you to get involved in your community or school and show your employer what you truly care about. When choosing what organization to be a part of, choose quality over quantity. You can’t put your best effort into every project or an event that a club has to offer if you sign up to every club that your school offers! And your future employer knows that. So it’s best to pick a few that you truly enjoy and gain a leadership position in your favorite one. I used to be on the soccer team, the Yearbook campaign, the historian for my local Keystone Club, and I used to volunteer all over the community on the weekends.
Being active in a club for a few years shows that you have loyalty and that you aren’t going to quit after a week of working. Employers want someone that is committed to the company. By being committed to an organization, you get the chance to show employer that mindset that you have and prove that you aren’t going to ditch on them.
#4: Attend conferences & summer camps
Being the introvert that I am, conferences and summer camps were scary at first and fun at the end. What I mean by this is that I was always scared of meeting new people and putting myself out there until I get to really know a person. But at camps and conferences, you usually don’t have time to know someone’s whole life story in a matter of few days. So for me, those extracurricular events made me grow as a person because I was thrust into events that made me get out of my comfort zone.
Getting out of your comfort zone is exactly what you want to do to expand your knowledge and experience that could one day land you your dream job! I usually went to language camps, volunteer camps, and leadership conferences that I am able to talk about in my interviews to show that I take initiative and that I’m always willing to tackle new challenges.
I would recommend having an extracurricular section to showcase all of the activities that you are involved, how long you’ve been involved with the activity, and any leadership positions that you’ve held. You can also list camps and conferences here!
#5: Highlight your skills & talents
A good way to improve your resume is by adding a skills section to showcase your talents that you already have. And trust me, you’ll have plenty before you even start college so this should be the easiest section to write! An example of what I mean is that I used to be in Spanish 3 in high school so I can understand and speak Spanish. So in my skill section, I wrote that I was an intermediate Spanish speaker, because it’s true and it looks great on my resume! Whether it be that you were a captain on your high school soccer team or that you were the photographer for the yearbook, you’ll have skills that employers want so you just have to write them down.
Here are some examples to give you a better idea of what I mean by skills and talents:
- head publisher for the yearbook -> Proficient in Microsoft Word, Adobe, Photoshop
- language class -> Proficient in what language you’re good at
- typing speed if you had to take a typing class (like I did!)
- member of a club or athletic team -> team player & communication
#6: Have Great References
Having great references and connections can make or break an interview, truly and honestly. For one, the world can be such a small social circle that you never know who knows who. Saying that, you could easily get the job because your interviewer knows one of your references or your reference has nothing, but outstanding words to say about you. Before choosing someone to be a reference for your resume, you’ll want to make sure you pick a person that knows your work ethic really well and that is willing to vouch for you for the job.
At the bottom of your resume, I would recommend having a small list of 2 to 3 people that you list as a reference. You’ll want to include the name, a way to reach them, and how you know the person (i.e. such as the manage of the thrift store that you volunteered at)
#7: Grades
By keeping your grades up, you can show your future employer that you’re A) smart and B) that you can handle responsibility on top of your normal day life activities. Now I’m not saying that you have to have a 4.0 GPA, the highest SAT score in your school, and be the star athlete to keep your interviewer interested in hiring you. But you want to give them a good first impression of who you are and keeping your grades up will definitely help you in the long run! Plus let’s be honest, grades are important anyways and sometimes it might be the only factor that could tilt the decision in another person’s way – and I’m not just talking about a job, but for scholarships for college too!
I know getting your first job or applying for a new job can be a scary experience, but guess what? You totally got it! I totally believe in your abilities so just knock it out of the park on your resume. You never know you might get your first job and it’s the best thing you’ve never done!
Adding these simple tips to a basic resume will give your resume a boost that will sure to impress any employer looking to hire. If you use any of the tips that I mentioned in this post or have any cool experiences after using them, please let me know in the comments so I can hear them as well! I truly love writing blog posts that help people. If you haven’t any topics that you want me to cover, you can email me or leave a comment so I know what you guys want to read!
