Tools of the trade: Expert tips on nuts and bolts for nailing your dream job
Job hunting season is in full swing. Increase your chances of landing the position you’ve had your heart set on by standing out from the pack. Pulp presents the basic guidelines to impressing employers and securing that job.
Resume Writing 101
The key to a good resume is always keeping your prospective employer in mind. The structure and look of your resume depends on the field you’re entering and where you’re planning to apply, said Dan Klamm, marketing and outreach coordinator at Syracuse UniversityCareer Services.
‘Think of your resume as a marketing document for you,’ he said. ‘However you want to portray yourself, you have to make strategic decisions.’
Remember, your resume should be personalized and customized for every different opportunity. But let’s cover the basics first. Klamm lays out the essentials in crafting a resume.
Establish hierarchy —’You want your most relevant and most impressive experience to be at the top. So if you think your education is the most relevant and most impressive thing, then you might definitely list it at the top. If you have an internship that might be at a big-name or easily recognizable company, maybe you’ll list that at the top and move your education down the page.’
Omit ‘Objective’ —’What’s covered in an objective is very generic, or it has already been covered in a cover letter itself, so there’s not really a need to do this. But it’s not a hard and fast rule —some people are successful with it.’
Show action —’For each bullet point that you have in a resume, there should be an action verb.’
Length —’You want your entire resume to be no more than one page.’
Font —’Make sure it’s something that’s legible, something the reader can easily understand.’
Organizing past experiences —’Group them by industry or by the area that you worked in.’
Stay consistent —’I’ve seen so many different formats, but the ones that look the most professional to me are those ones that are the most consistent.
Establish years and dates —’This helps to give the employer your sense of commitment. So if there is something you’ve been a part of for four years, they know you’re invested in it.’
Activities —’Include campus involvements, fraternities and sororities, any student organizations on campus or off campus, or if you’re involved in your residence hall in some leadership capacity.’
Skills —’What I would avoid: very generic skills, like ‘I work very well with people.’ I wouldn’t say that in your skills section. Your goal should be to illustrate that through the rest of your resume. So instead of saying under skills ‘good team player,’ show that at one of your internships you worked with a team of five people and you accomplished great results.’
Send it in —’Look at the job description and see if it says, ‘Apply on our website.’ You would upload it to the career portal. Some employers still say they want a physical hard copy. In that case, you would mail that in.’
Dress to Impress
When it comes to dressing for a recruiter, not only should students dress professionally, they should also keep their look simple, said Dara Silverglate, manager of college relations for Macy’s Inc. and lead recruiter for Syracuse University.
‘It’s definitely important to make a good first impression,’ she said. ‘And it’s best to —it might sound cheesy —but dress for success. We call it attire for successful hire.’
Silverglate gives some tips on how to dress to impress.
Be smart —’It’s important not to dress as a fashionista because it’s a business at the end of the day.’
Guys —’When it comes to guys, it’s important to have clean shoes, socks that are matching your suit and a nice fitted suit that fits you well.’
Girls —’When it comes to girls, it’s better to dress more professional in a suit jacket over a dress, a suit jacket over a skirt or a three piece suit.’
Show personality —’Don’t be afraid to add a pop of color. You don’t have to be all black and white.’
Less is more —’When it comes to accessories, less is more. You can be very distracting when you have your jewelry banging around. You don’t want your perfume to be overpowering, and guys, same with cologne.’