What if I have no work experience to put on my Resume?

Being a college student, it is very normal for you to have little or no work experience. While writing your Resume, it is important for you to not focus on your lack of work experience and rather talk about your strengths. See the Resume as an advertisement for yourself, and find the best way to sell yourself.

If you’re good a student, then it can be helpful to highlight your academic achievements and marks. You can also mention any courses that were a part of your academic program which were directly applicable to the job you’re applying for. For example, while applying for a Sales Management job, you must mention courses like ‘Advertising & Promotion’, ‘Sales Strategies’ etc.

You must mention any particular awards or recognition you received in your academics, such as receiving scholarships, scoring high marks etc.

In case you’ve undergone any internships or if you’ve been a part of a project, you must mention it on your Resume. These projects can include something as routine as creating a PowerPoint presentation on a particular topic as a part of your academic program.

Focusing on your extra – curricular activities can also be very helpful. You should try and use your extra – curricular activities to show that you have the right skills for the job, even if you don’t have much of practical experience. Communication skills, Organizational ability, Initiative, Leadership and Discipline are skills that are desired by every employer.

It is a good idea to mention 1 – 2 references who can talk about your personal qualities and professional knowledge. This will establish credibility and make the employer focus on your skills, qualities and academics rather than your work experience.

What if I have no extra – curricular activities to put on my Resume?

Before you come to the conclusion that you have no extra – curricular activities to put on your Resume, think again. Any activity which involves taking a productive action on the basis of your own initiative can be termed as an extra –curricular activity. For example, teaching your house maid’s two children is an extra – curricular activity, starting a society initiative to clean the community park is an extra – curricular activity and so on.

Think about your lifestyle and see if you’re a part of any productive activities based on your own initiative. The only purpose of mentioning extra – curricular activities is to shed light on the positive aspects of your personality, such as initiative, leadership, communication skills etc.

Contrary to popular perception, it is not necessary to mention activities for which you have received certificates.  An activity as trivial as assisting in building a badminton court next to your house for the society can be mentioned as an extra – curricular activity on your Resume.

However, if you cannot find any significant extra – curricular activities to put on your Resume, do not worry. You can compensate for your lack of extra – curricular activities by focusing on the other strengths of your Resume.

You must mention if you’ve received any academic awards or if you’ve been a good student scoring high grades.

In case you have any related or unrelated work experience, make sure you mention it. Try and bring out those aspects of your work experiences that can be applicable to the job. Employers seek personal qualities such as initiative, communications skills through your extra – curricular activities. Your employers will not mind if you can bring out such skills through your work experiences.

Additionally, you must have a strong objective and an effective cover letter to deviate the employer’s attention from your lack of extra – curricular activities. The qualities that you could not showcase through your extra – curricular activities should be talked about in your cover letter and objective. Show enthusiasm, passion and intent to work hard in a particular role.

Whom should I include as references on my Resume?

Mentioning references on your Resume is a way to establish credibility and provide evidence to the employer of your personal qualities and skills. The person you mention as your reference should be able to talk about you personally as well as professionally.  Even though it is not necessary to mention references until asked for, it is beneficial to include them in your Resume either way.

Many students overlook crucial individuals while choosing their references. Rather than choosing somebody at a higher post to make an impression, choose somebody who knows about the skills you possess and genuinely cares for your career. You can include your college faculty as your references or your previous employers in case you have any work experience (related or unrelated to the job).

Whoever you mention as your reference on your Resume, make sure you speak to them and take their permission beforehand. It is a good idea to remind them of your qualities or skills that they can talk about if needed.

Needless to mention, do not include names of people who you have not been able to impress. It is better to not mention any references than mentioning people who would give lukewarm or negative responses to your employers.

What if I haven’t performed well academically?

In case you haven’t performed well academically, make sure you do not mention your academic scores on your Resume. Low GPAs or Percentages can have a negative impact on your application as compared to not mentioning your GPA or Percentage at all. This will help the employer only focus on the strong aspects of your personality mentioned on your Resume rather than on your negative points.

If you still feel the need to mention your marks, you can do so by only mentioning your scores in the subjects relevant to the job (in case this improves your aggregate score).

Any internships or projects you’ve been involved in as a part of your course must be mentioned.

Ideally, you should simply state your educational qualifications and focus in greater detail on other aspects of your Resume such as your work experience, extra – curricular activities etc.

Try and bring out the practical skills that you have acquired through the years and how they will help you perform better on the job. Personal qualities can be shown through your extra – curricular activities and interests and hobbies whereas professional qualities can be highlighted through work experience (related and unrelated).

It is generally a good idea to not mention your teachers as references on your Resume in case you haven’t been a good student. Instead, mention people who know about the strong aspects of your personality such as inter – personal skills, talents, leadership qualities etc.

What if I want to apply for a job that is not related to my education?

Many students end up working in areas that are not necessarily related to their undergraduate education. For example, a student who has finished his/her engineering might be applying for a job as an entry – level manager.

In such scenarios, your Resume should focus on your skills rather than education. You should only mention your education to show that you are a dedicated student and that you will learn on the job quickly.

You must mention any courses that were a part of your academic program in case they were relevant to the job you’re applying for.

You should bring out how you will contribute towards the company through your skills and qualities. Keep in mind that you will be competing with candidates who have pursued their education in the same field. Thus you need to persuade the employers about why you are better than others even without relevant education.

A good way to do this is to make sure that the Resume focuses on your strengths and does not highlight points that go against you.

You should state a clear objective and make sure that the rest of your Resume is aligned around it. Write a strong cover letter that talks about how your lack of education in the relevant field is not a problem due to the transferable skills you have acquired through your work experiences, extra – curricular activities etc. Show initiative and a desire to learn as well as other personal qualities that might be applicable to the job.

In your Resume, you must mention any extra – curricular activities and work experiences that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. As compared to other Resumes, you should focus more on such activities and experiences and talk about them in greater detail.

You must mention your hobbies and interests in case they are aligned with the job you’re applying for.

How to boost an ordinary Resume?

• Focus on what you have and not on what you don’t have.
• Mention any awards, accomplishments you have received.
• Mention any projects that you’ve been a part of. Talk about how you solved a problem or reached a final result.
• Include any internships that you have been a part of. Irrespective of whether they are a part of your academic curriculum or not.
• In case you’ve undergone any form of training that includes skills that relevant to the job you’re applying for, mention it.
• Focus on your cover letter. Use it to show how you will contribute towards the company and to persuade the employer to overlook your faults.
• Bring out the most job – relevant skill out of any activity or experience that you have been a part of.
• Mention any additional skills that you have acquired over the years. These can include basic things like knowledge of software like MS Word, Microsoft Excel etc.
• Depending upon your course, you can make additions to your Resume so as to highlight your strengths. For example, computer engineering students can mention a ‘Technical Summary’ that lists the computer languages they are proficient in. An architecture or fine arts student can provide links or hard copies of their portfolio to the employer.