With and applications starting to open up, it is important that you have a resume that represents you and what you can offer. Although work experience and education are important, there are many other assets that you can add to your resume to make you stand out and ultimately lead you to landing your dream job or internship.
Leadership Opportunities
Leadership skills are one of the most desirable traits that companies look for in a potential employee. Leadership skills can stem anywhere from sport teams, student government organizations and even working on a group project for class.
Self-Started Learning
Self-started learning shows a company your passion and drive for bettering yourself and . This can make you stand out from other candidates and show the hiring team your motivation and work ethic that many other people may not have. Whether you took an online class or started your own blog or company, these skills can earn you your dream job.
Another great resource is . As Syracuse University students, we have free access to LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning provides an array of online classes and certificates such as graphic design, social media strategy and money management.
Volunteer Work
Whether you volunteered at a food drive, in a hospital or at your student organization’s fundraiser, volunteer work says a lot about your character and is a great asset to add to your resume! Volunteering shows the hiring team that you have leadership, project management skills and are willing to contribute to a good cause.
Relevant Hobbies
A lot of students don’t realize that your hobbies say a lot about your work ethic and passions. Whether you’re interested in photography, writing or computer programming, your unique hobbies will make you stand out from other candidates. Photography is an excellent talent to have if you’re searching for a job in graphic design. Managing your own stock portfolio is also a useful thing to put under “Skills” if you’re searching for a career in finance.
Non-Professional Experiences
Whether you went abroad or started your own blog, having non-professional experiences on your resume shows your drive and work ethic. Especially as college students we may not have as much experience as someone who has been out of college for a few years. Not to mention, these are great talking points to have during an interview!
There are many resources at that can help you perfect your resume! Career Services offers resume and cover letter review, internship and job search strategy, and virtual mock interviews.
Written by Haley Mykytka ’22, College of Visual and Performing Arts