How can I make my resume stand out when I don't have much experience?

Question

I am a full time college student. My parents didn't want me working cause they wanted me to focus on school. Now I'm a junior... and I want to work. I want to work in a office setting. I have taken computer science classes, I have worked retail for over 6 months now... I am a key holder. I have a lot of good qualities... but how do I represent myself better to get a better office/law job. I'm majoring in english with a double minor in political science and business... I want to be a corporate lawyer. Please feel free to email me if you have any suggestions

Answer 1

Put together a "skill" resume. Instead of chronologically listing your employers, list your skills. Give as many concrete examples as you can. For instance, under the skill "Public presentation" you might mention an oral presentation from one of your college courses. Or for "Organization", you might talk about how you convened meetings for a student organization. Look for relevant key words, too. For instance, if you did computer programming in your comp sci classes, mention what languages you're proficient in. C++? Html? Let them know.

I've hired people before, and I promise that a lack of work experience doesn't reflect badly on someone right out of college.

Good luck!

Answer 2

This is an excellent question and any university student has this problem. You are trying to transition from student part time work to full time professional work. So how do you make up for the experience?

What you do is you talk about a project, club, activity, ... that gives you valuable skills for the field of work you're trying to get into. For instance, you're a budding business student specializing in marketing. You put a section in your resume in which you discuss what your learned in a marketing club at school or a 4th year market project you did. I am an engineer and in my graduating year, I had a section on my 4th year project. I also wrote a lot about a summer job I had at the transportaiton Safety Board working on flight data recorders and included an article written about in the newspaper.

If I were you, I'd talk about your interest in coporate law. Then mention any clubs, projects, activites that relate to it. So long as it's relevent, it counts!!

Best,
-- Liam

Answer 3

No one expects a college student to have an enormous resume. Focus on the skills you DO have - computer skills, responsible positions handling $$ (retail), the classes you're taking and the great GPA you're pulling down. :)

A cover letter, explaining your desire to get into a particular field or company, is a must for you. Address it TO the hiring manager (call to find out his/her name if you need to.) Research the company so you can mention pertinent facts ("I know that your company recently expanded into Asia; my education in international business would be an asset".) Follow up with a phone call, and a thank you note after the interview. Attention to detail makes candidates stand out to busy hiring managers.

Answer 4

Your resume may not particularly stand out at this stage in your life. However, your cover letter can present you as a reliable, ambitious, talented job candidate. One thing I noticed on resumes that is an immediate turn-off...spelling and grammar errors. Go over your resume and cover letter a couple times. Ask someone else to check them for errors. Be sure the resume and letter are easy to read and are printed on clean, white paper. Please don't put them on cutsie blue rainbow paper as one applicant did when I was working for a nursing agency!
Be truthful on your resume. Experienced HR personnel can tell when someone is embellishing their resume just to make it sound better.
Good luck!!

Answer 5

I'll say this.. because I often look at the first round of resumes, I TOSS OUT anything that is not direct and right to the point. I don't want to work with someone who rambles.
And any intro letter that ends with "God Bless" also gets the circular file.

Answer 6

I am wore out after finish read your question. Since English is your major, it is unbelievable that you couldn't find a thing to write about yourself. Good luck on your resume.