What Will Make You Stand Out?

When thinking about life after college, I'm sure most of us think, "Okay, we're college students, employers can't be expecting too much from us... can they?" Turns out, they can and they do. We all know the dilemma: if you want to get a job, you need experience, but to get experience you need a job! It's a vicious cycle in this dog-eat-dog world.

You want to know one of the best ways to get the job you want? Give the job the attention and effort it deserves. Did you know that interviewers make up their mind about you- the potential employee, within the first 30 to 60 seconds that they meet you! That means you have less that one measly minute to convenience them- you're it. Before you even get that 60 seconds to impress them, you first have to impress them enough with your resume to get them to call.

Like Erin's sister said- in college they expect you to write a 10 page research paper comparing Dante's Allegory to that of Aristotle's poetics, but when it comes to building your resume... good luck, your on your own

Building your resume is the #1 most important thing to start you in the right direction to landing that dream job:

• Start early: Don't wait until your senior year to start! It will far to late to rescue a dwindling GPA or join every organization that comes your way. Give yourself enough time to build a good resume that you can be proud of.

• Get involved: Although clubs and volunteering may seem so high school, this will give you experience for your future career or improve your grad school application. What employer wouldn't be impressed by the President of the Red Cross, or someone who was proactive enough to start their own club? It's also a great way to meet new friends and help out your community.
  

• Grades do matter: GO TO CLASS!! I can't stress that enough. What are you going to tell your future employer when he/she asks why your GPA was so low, "oh... well... I just didn't fell like waking up and going to class mos of the semester..." Yeah I'm sure you'll be the first one hired after hearing that. Most of the time participation makes up 30-40% of our grade. So that means even if you bombed the assignment, at least you were in class and gave it a shot.

• Get experience: The best way to show that you actively care about your future is to get experience. Whether it's through a school internship or an internship you found on your own. Take every opportunity that comes your way! I am willing to bet that 95% of the time employers will give that entry-level position to the recent grad that has had real world experience. Imagine how good it looks to employers when a fresh college grad has already had two, maybe three internships. Internships usually offer to give college credit, and if you're lucky... they are paid, but hey, beggars can't be choosers!

When you sit down to write your resume, just ask yourself, "Is my future worth it?" I mean heck, we pay close to $20,000 a year for an education, your future better be worth it.

What are some other good resume tips and/or pointers?