Earning a degree is an exciting time if you embrace your field and set your sights on starting a successful career. But the thought of finding the perfect job after graduation can be a bit overwhelming and intimidating. Especially when it comes to building a strong resume and beginning the job search.
Here at Swedish Institute, we have a career services department that is dedicated to ensuring that every graduate is prepared with the right tools and experience needed to be at the top of their game.
Here we provide top tips on building a strong resume and successfully starting your job search.
A Strong Resume is the Best First Impression
Think of your resume as a virtual form of yourself. It’s your first introduction to potential employers before they meet you, so you want to make the best first impression possible.
Skip the Objective: Stating an objective can limit job opportunities as it narrows the scope of potential jobs in your field. Instead, write a summary of your skills and experience. The summary is the first section employers will read, so this is where you want to sell yourself by highlighting your skills and experience that relate to the job you’re seeking.
Include Education: Whether you’re looking for your first job or looking for a new position, higher education is always relevant. Employers are interested in knowing where you went to school and what you studied. At minimum, you should list the institution, city, state, date(s), major and degree.
List Awards and Certifications: This section should follow your education and is the perfect place to show off your credentials. Employers pay close attention to this section when looking for any outstanding achievements that may shed some light on your character or job performance. An award for perfect attendance, for example, shows reliability to a potential employer.
Highlight your work history: Employers like to see a stable work background and that you’ve held a job for at least one year or longer. If you have gaps in employment, be sure to include any activities or volunteer work to fill in that time frame.
Include industry “buzz words”: Or specific phrasing that relates to your field is a great way to position your resume to the top of the list.
Your Resume’s Done – Now What?
Now that you have built a strong resume, it’s time to start effectively sending them out and preparing yourself for the interview process.
Don’t limit your window of opportunity: Look at all types of positions and places to work. Having tunnel vision can limit your job opportunities. For example: nurses can expand their job search not just to hospitals, but at places such as surgical centers, nursing homes and foster care facilities.
Be open to traveling: Widening your job search to surrounding towns can open up more job opportunities.
Visit Career Services
Career services is the gateway for students to put their best foot forward on a path to success. Just ask Richard Gardner, Director of Career Services at Swedish Institute: “We are the bridge between your training and finding the job opportunity of your dreams.” He and his team make personal time to help every student achieve their goals, starting with a writing a strong resume to begin the job searching process.
Stay tuned for tips on nailing the interview.