Anonymous asked: Quick question. How does one actually make a resume? I need to get another job and no one in my family is being helpful about it even though it will be our main source of income and I havent technically had to build a resume since 2015 and I am freaking out a little bit.
Okay…not gonna lie my dude, my resume is pretty thin on the ground (I’m in college), but LET’S SEE WHAT WE’VE GOT. (Also I am procrastinating my thesis which is VERY MUCH DUE IN TWO MONTHS, so take my life advice with, like, a fistful of salt.)
First, take a couple deep breaths. Everyone has to learn how to do the resume thing. You’re not alone in feeling out of your depth, I’m on a campus of 400 right now and every single person agrees with you.
So, okay, the main point of a resume is to sell yourself. The most important thing here is that you probably have to balance truth with…generous exaggeration. Obviously don’t claim you can do something you don’t know how to do, because that’ll bite you in the ass. But hey, do you make photosets or gifsets for Tumblr? You are a Photo Editor, slap that shit on your Skills section. This post talks some more about how millennials and people who’ve grown up in the Internet Age have the edge on that. Make sure to lean on your ability to learn new skills–I am an Excel expert not so much because I took a class on Excel, but because over the summer I attended a research fellowship where everyone sucked at Excel. So I Googled a motherfucker and now I’m real good at Excel and teaching my biochem teacher how to do a double-reciprocal plot. If you don’t know how to do something now, you can definitely learn–pitch that. This post has some more stuff about learning to sell yourself. Master the elevator pitch for why you yourself are great for the job. If you’re like me, you’ll probably have to tell your anxiety and self-esteem issues to suck a dick every five minutes, BUT DO IT ANYWAY. You are great. Your resume is intended to inform the rest of the world of this incontrovertible truth.
NOW. The resume itself. Some basics of the resume structure include:
Cover letter (this is your opening pitch–make it good, especially since an employer might have hundreds of resumes on their desk) (this is the WikiHow page, which has some good examples for format)
Resume body (this can be chronological, meaning listed by date, which is more traditional and will appeal more to older readers, functional, meaning listed by task, which is more practical for someone who’s either been out of work or who’s changing careers, or combination, which is pretty much what it says on the tin)
Experience/Skills (THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE, USE THOSE TWO POSTS UP THERE AND ALSO THIS ONE, INCLUDE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ALSO INTERPERSONAL SKILLS) (YOU’RE GREAT–REMIND THEM)
Activities (YES THIS INCLUDES EXTRACURRICULARS) (THIS CAN EVEN INCLUDE D&D)
Education (include the where and when, also your GPA might help if you did really well)
Awards, if applicable (I myself do not have anything whatsoever to put here, but if you do, props, do it)
Personal Interests (look dude, if they’ve gotten this far, they want to know if they could tolerate working with you–this is your opportunity to convince them)
This is a good walkthrough on formats for all those various sections.
Iiiii think that’s what I’ve got, pretty much. IDK man resume-writing is the literal worst and I feel for you, BUT I HOPE THIS HELPED.
Some other things is your resume doesn’t have to reflect how lame the position was. For example: at my first job i was the most recent hire and therefore the last one to learn how to lead close. But i slap down “Closing Supervisor” and no one needs to know that we were all closers.
Do you play rpgs and hold an official position in your guild? “Event Supervisor” “Recruiter” “Supervisor” totally count for your resume.
Volunteer at a church or community service? Start a club in high school? Help cater, serve, or host an event? Get selected to play music at an event? Your artwork or science project make it to a higher competition? Put it down if it’s relevant.
Your resume needs to be concise. So only put down relevant things. Applying for a base retail position but looking to move up? Add in all your labor achievements and leadership actions.
Use impressive words. Make an email just for your resume that has your first and last name. Make it the most official sounding thing to come out of your printer.
Most important though is your resume grows with you. So keep a folder or record of everything. Start/end dates for jobs or events. When did you found your guild or get promoted to officer? What was expected of you (less for resume, more for interview)? Employers want people who have experience or have achieved something. There are a lot more things you can pad your resume with than you think. And in our culture, you cam have leadership experience before you leave college or even high school. And that’s a big deal.
