right hand resume:
-can write
-can cook
-can fly a kite
-can masturbate
-can paint
-can slay a dragon

left hand resume:
-assistant typer

• as with literally everything i write, this got really fucking long! like, wordcounter.net estimates this will take 7 minutes to read. so i’ve placed the bulk of this post under a read more
• this is not a quick tips kind of post; this is a detailed breakdown of how to write a resume from scratch, with examples that are largely taken from my own resume. this is primarily a resource for people who don’t know where to start with writing a resume, not for people who just want resume hacks
• i’m saying all this so i don’t get people in my inbox complaining about how long this is. writing a resume takes a lot of time and effort, and this post does not shy away from that
• creating a resume will take you a while, especially if this is your first attempt. don’t be discouraged! take breaks, and don’t try to make the perfect resume on the first try. this tutorial is designed to be completed in rounds
  
• it usually takes me a week to get a new master resume into working order
• don’t worry about page length right now. you should make a multipage master resume that contains every relevant experience before making a 1-page resume. after you’ve made the master, you can build custom resumes from it for job applications
• this post is best viewed on desktop, because i use nested bullets, and tumblr mobile hates those
• let’s get into it!

step 1:

• list out everything you’ve ever done that could feasibly count as a resume entry: extracurriculars, jobs, volunteer positions, research, organizations you were a part of (professional or casual), freelance work, long-term hobbies. i will refer to each different experience as an “entry”
• for each entry, write where (city + state) and when (timespan) you did that thing 
• ex.tritones a cappella group, los angeles, ca, august 20xx - present
• going forward, update this list as you join or complete new jobs/hobbies/whatever so that you don’t have to wrack your brain a year down the road wondering how long you held down that job or leadership role

step 2:

• describe each entry
• use bullet points to list out all the things you did within that role. start with the big picture, then move on to the small stuff
• big picture: the goal of the role/organization/research, overarching and long-term projects, what results you were trying to achieve + why
• ex. “studied the neuroanatomy and synaptopathy of the inner ear to determine the role of glutamate receptors in hearing loss”
• small stuff: literal day-to-day tasks, every software and hardware you worked with, any particularly successful moments
• basically, walk through a typical day or week in this role and list out every single thing you have to do, even the grunt work.
• ex. “used redcap to administer neuropsychological batteries and collect biological data”
• ex. “designed and implemented a novel article format that yielded a 10% increase in audience retention”
  
• if you still have access to the original job posting or a corporate description of responsibilities for your role, pull that up and see how much you can paraphrase from it
• no duty is too stupid rn. did you google weather forecasts for your boss every week? write it down. you can make it fancy or choose to delete it later

step 3:

• fancify this shit
  
• rewrite your bullet points from step 2 with better jargon. tell your employers what you did in a concise yet assertive manner
  
• it helps to break down each point into its most basic components, which you can then generalize or rephrase 
  
• ex. “googled weather forecasts” might become “compiled weekly reports on changing data points to assess weather trends over time”
• use action words. you can find resources all over the internet for this, but if you’re still struggling, shoot me an ask and i’ll link some of the resources i’ve used myself
• caution: you don’t want to sound like you used a thesaurus on every word. make sure you aren’t obscuring the meaning of your bullet points. “googled weather forecasts” should not become “utilized online databases to assemble weekly communications on meteorological variations”
• start thinking about how your responsibilities for each entry relate to a) what skills you want to showcase and b) what the employer wants from you. does the employer want you to demonstrate familiarity with online databases, or does the employer want you to demonstrate familiarity with weather forecasts? your bullet point for “googled the weather” will change depending on the answer to these questions

step 4: 

• look at the big picture
  
• you probably have a metric buttload of bullet points for each entry. now you need to cut that down to what’s relevant. think about which bullets are most impressive, noteworthy, and descriptive of each entry
  
• aim for 3-5 bullet points. any less than that and you have to ask why you’re including that entry. any more than that and the employer’s eyes will glaze over
• try to combine bullet points
• ex. “identify content and write articles when necessary,” “maintain a pool of freelancers,” and “identify key graphics and maintain tagging structure when uploading articles” all involve the process of creating an article, so they can be combined into: “identify content, assign stories to freelancers, write articles when necessary, and upload with appropriate graphics and tags”
• start thinking about tailoring your word choices and bullet points to what the employer is looking for
• if you can, pull up the job posting or a sample resume for the job you’re applying to and compare your resume to it. are you using similar language? are you demonstrating similar skills?
• jobhero.com is a lifesaver
• finally, eliminate redundancy in your resume, both in every individual entry and in the resume as a whole. if a skill can be demonstrated by multiple entries, you only need to list it once
• kill your darlings! it may sound harsh, but the things that seem super impressive to you probably won’t even be a blip on the employer’s radar. “but saying i made coffee runs shows i’m dependable and a team player!” the employer isn’t looking that deep, my dude. you can showcase your dependability in your cover letter or your interview
• you should redo steps 3 and 4 several times, soliciting feedback from your parents, peers, career center, etc each time
  

step 5:

• add the Other Stuff
• education
• typically, you should only include institutions for the highest level of education you’ve attended. (undergrad and grad school both count as college for this purpose)
• there are exceptions to this, depending on how long you’ve spent at a higher level of education, whether your alma mater will earn you brownie points, whether you had genuinely impressive accomplishments earlier in your life, etc.
• once you hit, like, 2 years in college, you should try to get rid of high school achievements and showcase college achievements instead
• list the school name, city + state, degree type (BA/MA/etc) and expected graduation date (even if it’s in the future), your major(s) + minor(s), and any related coursework (ie preprofessional tracks, specific courses related to the job). you can list your gpa if you feel it’s relevant, but i caution against doing this once you’ve graduated
• ex. (where // indicates a new line) harvard university, boston, ma, may 2020 // bachelor of arts in cognitive neuroscience // minor: english: focus in creative writing // related coursework: pre-medicine, computer science 101 and 102 // gpa: 3.9/4.0 (dean’s list, all semesters)
• skills
• a list of items without descriptions. you can do a bulleted list or you can list the entries in paragraph form, separated by commas or bold bullets
• hard skills: hardware, software, languages (spoken and programming), digital and communication platforms, social media proficiencies, other technologies and devices
• ex. microsoft office suite, java, wordpress, slack, familiarity with ap and chicago style
• soft skills: general qualities, buzzwords, personality traits
• ex. leadership, conflict resolution, time management
• certifications and awards
• can be one section or two depending on how many of each you have
• list each one on a separate bullet point
• for each, write the certification or award, the institution that granted it, and the month and/or year you received it if relevant
• publications
• tbh i just cite my publications in the following format instead of following a style guide
• lastname, firstname. “article or chapter title.” book title, publisher (aka company or website). publication date.
  
• if you’re the sole author, you don’t need to list the author’s name

interlude: stretch the truth a bit. don’t lie about having experience or skills you don’t, but if you can reasonably google how to do something, boom! you’re proficient in it. if you worked with two team members who never pulled their weight? you just became the sole project lead. were you a beta reader for anime fanfiction back in the day? you’re a freelance editor, baby!

step 6:

• now you have to organize all the entries from step 4
  
• separate your entries into relevant sections. what’s relevant might change based on what you’re applying for
• i’ve had, at various points in my life, some subset of the following sections: work experience, volunteer experience, leadership experience, research experience, writing experience, other relevant experience
• list sections in order of descending importance
• write all entries in reverse chronological order: start with the most recent and work your way backwards
• write all bullet points in order of descending importance. unfortunately, i don’t have any quick tips on determining what’s important, but it helps to look at the job posting and see what matters to the employer
• i tend to list big picture goals, then personal accomplishments (leadership skills, projects), then daily tasks

step 7:

• format this shit
• you can find resume templates online or in your word processor. templates serve as a good starting point, but i recommend creating your own format so you can edit and customize it with ease. this will probably involve a lot of fiddling with indentations, paragraph spacing, and moving things around
• don’t go smaller than 10pt font
• mess around with line and paragraph spacing to get the right balance of white space. if you’re curious about what i use, shoot me an ask and i’ll share my weirdly specific settings
• keep an eye out for bullet points with orphan words (ie lines containing only 1-3 words) and get rid of them to streamline your resume
  
• margins can be anywhere between 0.5″ and 1″
• consistency is key! make sure each entry has the same kind of spacing. don’t use hyphens in one entry and en dashes in another
  
• in the header, write your name, email, phone number, and address

interlude: save this version of your resume as your master resume. this gives you an unedited list of everything you ever did that you can now pick and choose from when you apply to jobs. update this list every 3-6 months.

step 8:

• customize your resume for the job application
  
• unless you’ve been in the industry for several years, your job-specific resume should be no more than 1 page
• if you have more than 1 page: compare the job listing and your resume side by side and ask which entries demonstrate your capabilities most effectively, which bullet points are the punchiest, and if there’s any extraneous info
• match each job requirement to one bullet point on your resume. then match each bullet point on your resume to a requirement in the listing. get rid of any bullet points that don’t meet either of those criteria. if multiple bullet points match the same job requirement, get rid of the extra bullet points
• if you have significantly less than 1 page: see if you can add more bullet points or reformat your resume to introduce some more white space. a 2-column set-up is great for this, with section headers on the left and bullets on the right. do you have any hobbies you’re forgetting about? any soft skills you could add?
• emulate the language of the job posting; use the same action words, the same soft skills

coda

• your resume should work in tandem with your cover letter, but that’s a topic for another post. maybe in another 6 months i’ll write a post on that, too
• always save your resume as a pdf! you don’t want your employer to have access to your metadata
• if you made it through this whole post… i’m so sorry lmao but also thanks for sticking with me
• let me know if you found this helpful or if this method scored you a job!
  

Recently this funny video of a Millennial being interviewed for a job has been trending around, so I picked it up from my LinkedIn feed and watched it with two expectations:  it’s going to be very amusing, it’s going to have some truth. I wasn’t disappointed and that’s what happened, because if you have worked in different environments you will immediately catch the drift.

The interview is a stereotypical gag of a busy young Millennial girl who is being interviewed by a Baby Boomer while using her smartphone. Standard questions on competences comes in on what tech skills the candidate has, but they are not your typical Microsoft Office package as the girl lists all social platforms she knows how to use.

One thing that struck me there is the gap between the two roles which represents the two sided of software each comes with: old VS new, spreadsheets VS tweets. It’s obvious the difference of tech understanding instantly pops out to highlight a current phenomena in the workplace.

The video continues with the stereotype of the easily-distracted Millennials that cannot put a way for a second the phone: it’s their totem that convey their social and communicative power and without it they are like Superman with Kryptonite. However, there’s a subtle message in this video which is not what appears to be the constant use of technology, but rather the inability for those two generations to connect and come to terms with their differences.

Please, don’t see this as a pernicious way to defame Millennials, but rather to point the fingers over those who despite their age haven’t caught up with how society interacts with the presents whether old or young. Side effects on the personal behavior can impact those who drown in technology or starve from it.

My personal experience with some Millennials struck me at different levels where young adults working in retail are lacking the social skills to communicate their knowledge. I’m writing about retail because that’s where you would see Millennials working while interacting with the public, places like the hardware store, the local restaurant, the supermarket; that’s where their early work experience starts.

Millennials might be introverted and awkward, it also comes with the age they are in; however, there is a large portion of them which has been living in a sheltered environment from their birth, overly protected by their parents and their early educational system, unable to experience the sour side of life. The result is the entitlements and high demands many wait to receive on the workplace.

This is not a trial on who is bad and who is not, but rather an instance to understand how to resolve this issue. Parents cannot expect to raise their kids without disappointing them or even without them to fail at some point in their life. It’s part of being human to let your guard down or to miss the target. What’s important is to get back on track and learn from what went wrong.

On a darker tone the last portion of the video highlights the worst part some Millennial might exhibit: pandering to imaginative external elements to justify their shortcomings. Blaming others without justification is the line of defense to use to make up for the lack of principles or knowledge and eventually personal responsibilities. 

The Millennial girl asks to speak to a HR director for assistance after facing the fact she is not qualified for the position the job interview required. Millennials don’t take well rejection because difficult situations have been fixed by their parents during their years at school -if there’s a problem call the manager or mod and dad-.

fuckmeyer:

how the story of resususus would go, according to the holy alignment

inspired by @leechonspeeddial​‘spost

The nightmares triggered by chaotic evil are inescapable

30.09.2019 | Hello, everybody! All right? I had a super intense week because I had the proof of the bimester. Today I received the constitutional law test and I took a maximum note, I was very happy! Then I studied Civil law when I got home. Besides, I’ve decided I m gonna make my notes more on tablet than on paper. It’s more sustainable and more practical, too!

Resume/Applying for Jobs Advice‍

Hey Heauxs, so I know this post isn’t sugar related, but as we all know, having multiple streams of income is only helpful in being a healthy and happy SW.

So after going through about 43 resumes with my supervisor today, I thought I’d drop some knowledge.

Note: Most of this is common sense, also, there are plenty of other helpful tips out there, this is just a list of what I encountered first hand today. These tips may not apply to all jobs, but still, pretty helpful information.

1. DON’T ask for a salary that is too huge for the position, ESPECIALLY if they mention the salary in the job description! (Ex: Our job posting says $55,000/year, there were people asking for $90-120k..those resumes were deleted off the bat)

2. If the job application REQUIRES a resume and a cover letter, do both! Better safe then sorry.

3. If you don’t not have some form of experience in the field you are applying to (preferably over a years worth) you probably won’t get the job

4. Make sure you submit you resume in a way that can be easily read! (One persons resume was getting cut off and another person had color designs, and the words couldn’t be read over the dark patterns)

5. To bounce off of that, limit the amount of patterns and designs you have UNLESS you are applying to a more creative field. If you are not, it is unprofessional.

6. They will google you, and look through your social media… pretty self explanatory what you need to do. Keep it PG13, PG if you can.

I will add more info as I get it. We started with 43, we are now at about 20 resumes (we have yet to review social media). My boss is going over the rest in detail and will likely chop another half, in which I will ask why, and make another post. Then it’s reviewing social media, and finally, interviews.

Hello Everyone! 

I have revived my Tumblr to find many messages asking “what do I do next” when it comes to Archaeology/Anthropology. So I thought I’d create a post explaining what I went through to get to where I am now, and hopefully give some information to those who are pondering on the next steps to take in this truly wonderful field of study. 

Quick academic about me: 

• Undergrad: Ivy League, Major: Anthropology-Geography, Minor: Religion
• After Undergrad: 1 year of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) & Substitute teaching
• Graduate School: England MSc in Archaeological Information Systems
• After Graduate: 10-month long research grant in Cambodia
• Now: (USA)  Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, Archaeology Track

I come from a low-middle class family, all of my academics have been funded through financial aid or through grants that I’ve applied for. A lot of the time school and research can get expensive, but that doesn’t mean you have to be wealthy to pursue it!

Per usual, please feel free to DM me at any point with questions (here or IG @ aal.archaeology), I’m always happy to help to the best of my ability. Success in this field is really dependent on networking!

I’ll set this up based on the various landmarks of my academic career: 

1. Undergrad

Themes: Ask for help, build your resume, write down everything

No matter where you are going to school, it is so so so important to use the resources around you. Becoming a professor is HARD work, and each one of your professors went through a lot to be able to stand in front of you and teach you. They’ve likely had years and years of research experience, which is probably still happening behind the scenes of teaching and grading papers. More often than not, professors want to help you, they want students to be excited about the research they’ve worked so hard on, and they want to do what they can to help you achieve your career goals. 

Therefore, if there’s a class you’ve taken or a professor whose research you’re interested in, tell them. This is how I got my first experience with archaeology (before I even knew that I wanted to do archaeology). I randomly took an Anthropology class that sounded cool, and after the first class, I was like WOW I love this topic so much and I really want to know more about it. I went up to the professor that was teaching it, told her I was really interested and asked if she knew of any research opportunities available. She then hired me as a student researcher in her lab to do data entry for one of her archaeological projects in Mesoamerica, and after working for her for a few months, she asked me if I wanted to go with her and her team to Mexico for fieldwork. 

         (my timeline at this point: 19 years old, end of Sophomore year)

From this experience, I learned how to apply to grants within the University and funding outside of the University, and was able to FULLY fund my research experience in Mexico. During this fieldwork, I got to work with 3000-year-old artifacts, do archaeoillustration, and eventually got my own chapter published in the book that my professor wrote about the research that was done.

After I got back from Mexico, I started exploring archaeology further. A new professor entered the department who specialized in “digital archaeology,” and his research involved tracking looting patters in Syria using satellite imagery. I thought this was crazy so I then went up to him and asked if I could help him with his research. (the common theme throughout this entire process is just asking for help). From this experience, I learned that I loved the possibilities that technology brought to the study of archaeology, everything from 3D modeling to identification of sites in satellite imagery to spatial mapping in GIS. With this professor, I was able to form an “internship” with him, and continued doing that and other minor projects within the department. I ended up modifying my major to incorporate coursework from the Geography department and created my own “Digital Archaeology” major.

        (my timeline at this point: 22 years old, Senior year)

As graduation began to creep closer, I had been able to get a good amount of lines on my resume. I had:

• research assistant/ data entry
• fieldwork in mesoamerica
• x2 internships with digital archaeology prof
• multiple “small” projects around the department i.e. making posters, painting 3D prints of bones,
• all of the coursework I had done on GIS/ relevant digital experience
• started a drone club at my school (it flopped, but it still counts as a line on the resume!)

All of these lines became useful when starting to think of jobs and the “next step”

UNDERGRAD HIGHLIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:

1. Ask for help, your professors are there for a reason, it will almost always lead you to new opportunities. These relationships last well beyond your graduation and definitely come in handy later, make it count!
2. Write down EVERYTHING that you do. Did you help out with a conference? Write it down. Did you do a couple hours of data entry? Write it down.
3. Follow your leads! I started my anth journey in Mesoamerica and ended my undergrad in Near Easter digital archaeology (and I entered college wanting to do astronomy?). Change is natural, let it happen.  

2. Gap Year Between Undergrad and Grad School

Highlights: Job applications, field school, CRM, uncertainty

Something that I was always told during my undergrad was that you really need to do a field school and some CRM to be taken seriously post-grad. This shows that you actually want to be an archaeologist outside of the classroom environment. Field Schools and CRM give you valuable experience such as: excavation methodology, report writing, grant applications, teamwork, leadership, etc. 

I started applying for jobs probably about 5 months before I graduated and ended up securing a job at a CRM company in LA. They liked how much I had done during my undergrad, but they really wanted me to have a field school under my belt before I started working for them. Because I had already graduated and didn’t need course credit, I was able to do my field school at a discounted price (these things really do get expensive, and this was a difference of about $2k). I think this worked out in my favor waiting until the summer after I graduated because it saved me a lot of money in the end. 

After my field school was done, I started work that September inCRM. This job ended up being nothing like what I thought it would be, to be honest. I was an Archaeological Field Technician that was part-time/on-call, meaning I only got work when they needed someone to go monitor a construction site. I only got work once every month, sometimes every couple of months, so I was making hardly any money. I realized this quickly and decided to become a substitute teacher to supplement the CRM job. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you end up in the same situation. Not only does subbing fill up all of your non-working days, but it also gives you the flexibility to choose when you can work and gives you teaching experience that you can put on your resume. That CRM experience can be really important, so it’s good to stick it out long enough to quit.

      Why didn’t I like CRM? For me, my job was very sparse, included driving long hours to a construction site, sitting there all day in case archaeological material popped up, and then driving home. Sometimes it was just walking back and forth across a massive field full of cow poop looking for arrowheads, and often it felt like I was just clearing land so that a big building could be erected. I was really missing the research component to all of it. The pay was also not great. 

GAP YEAR HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS:

What I got from this year was very valuable, even though it wasn’t necessarily that fun, however. 

• I got the experience I needed in CRM
• I got some teaching experience (also volunteered to mentor clubs and research at local high schools during this time)
• I started doing some networking (I found some alumni that were doing work that I wanted to be doing and reached out to them)
• and most importantly, I realized that I really do love school and wanted to go back for my Masters

So I started looking into Masters’s programs. This is kind of a scary thing especially in the US because school is expensive. I still really wanted to do Digital Archaeology, and I couldn’t find a single program in the US had a focus in this topic, and especially couldn’t find one that I was willing to pay for. 

The UK, however, had plenty of Digital Archaeology programs, and the programs were only a year long and a fraction of the price in the US. I decided to take a chance and apply, got in, and then suddenly I was moving to England. (in hindsight I really didn’t spend much time at all making this decision, but it worked out in the end). 

3. Masters Program

         (my timeline at this point: 23-24 years old)

I chose the program I applied to based on its focus on the techniques that I wanted to use, namely, remote sensing, GIS, and 3D modeling. I really wanted a degree qualification that spoke for itself, and therefore applied for an MSc in “Archaeological Information Systems.” 

I had done some networking during my gap year and connected with an alumnus who was doing research in Cambodia using digital methods, and she offered me the opportunity to join her fieldwork. I agreed to join her in Cambodia during my degree, and also applied for a research grant for the year following my master’s degree to continue fieldwork in Cambodia. 

I used this opportunity to fuel my dissertation topic and focused all of my writing and coursework throughout my grad school experience around Cambodia. While I was surrounded by people studying Roman architecture and Medieval Studies, I spent my time doing independent work and building a network in Cambodia. 

This program was a great experience for the most part, I was surrounded by beautiful medieval architecture and had a great community throughout. I personally didn’t really like the UK school system compared to what I had received in the US, however. This was largely because of the way coursework was set up. (If you want to know more just DM me).

MASTERS HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS:

• Follow networking opportunities, and find someone doing what you want to do (or close to it) and let them help you take the steps to get there
• If you’re going to do grad school, do it in something you know you love. Don’t waste money on a program that isn’t right for you.
• Make sure that the program you apply to allows for flexibility so that you can do research on what YOU want, not what THEY want.

Halfway through my Master’s degree, I received word that I had been accepted for the research grant (Fulbright) and would spend the next year living in Cambodia doing independent research.

4. Gap Year Between Masters Program and PhD

If you’re planning on a Ph.D., I think its a really good idea to do something before applying that relates to what you want to be studying. This shows that you’re dedicated to your research and to a life in academia, and have the ability to produce something from your work. 

My master’s degree was nice because 1) it was short, only a year-long, and 2) allowed me to focus research on what I was interested in. This gave me the experience I needed to lead into a year of independent research.

This year of independent research was definitely contingent on receiving the grant in the first place, and I think that I would have started job searching again had I not received it. However, the small things I did leading up to applying for it really helped in qualifying me to receive it. 

     I had:

• All of the undergraduate research experience
• CRM experience
• teaching experience
• fieldwork experience
• a master’s degree that focused on the region 
• established a network of people in the country beforehand
• a couple “publications” from fieldwork 

This grant fully funds me living in Cambodia, and has allowed me to participate in cultural exchange with some amazing people here in addition to allowing me to partake in archaeological fieldwork across the country. 

Again, I cannot stress enough how important it is to network. If you like something, find someone else who likes the same thing, send them an email.

Networking got me my experience in Mesoamerica, Digital Archaeology, my CRM job, my research experience in Cambodia, and so so much more. All because I sent that first email.

5. PhD Applications

I applied to 1 school. I got in. Its a really good school. I’m still in shock. 

However, I think I really did set myself up for success in this one. 

The biggest advice I can give in the world of Academia is:

1. NETWORK
1. Talking to people who have gone through what you’re going through are the BEST help. They can mentor you through these experiences, offer you new opportunities, or lead you in the direction of someone else who can help.

1. PLAN AHEAD (but be open to change)
1. Okay, so you’re applying to grad school. What do you want to focus on while you’re there? What do you want to do with the degree when you’re done? Do you want to start working? Do you want to do more research? What opportunities are out there for research funding? What is the job market looking for? Is there anyone in my network that can help me get there?
2. None of these have to be concrete plans, they just have to exist in some shape or form so that you have the ability to latch on to one when the opportunity arises.

If you’re doing something that you love doing, you’ll find a way to make it happen. All opportunity comes from the amount of effort you put into getting it!

Thanks for reading and best of luck on your studies!

Also Happy Anthropology Day! :) 

-Lyss 

How to write a great resume that makes you stand out

The ultimate guide on finding an internship, part 1

This is a 6 part series that shares what I’ve learned in the way of finding my own internship placement. Today, we’ll be looking exactly what you have to write to make yourself stand out from other applicants.

1. Make your resume relevant to your employer. If you want to stand out, this is the secret. You want to show your future employer that you are the candidate it needs to fulfil its needs and wishes. Every company has a different goal and mission so they will ask different things from you. However,This is the number 1 mistake I’ve seen my classmates make. They only write 1 general resume and send it to a bunch of companies. BITCH STOP RIGHT THERE No two companies are the same, they each deal with different problems and have a different approach and business model. So it is damn right stupid to send the same thing to all of them. If you do that, you’re just digging your own grave. Save yourself. Love yourself. Don’t go through all those rejection letters when you could have pretty damn well avoided them. I’m sorry if I come as blunt but PLEASE listen!!! Take your time and research profoundly the companies you would like to work for. Read their website, stalk them on all social media and specifically LinkedIn. Try to get a hold of their culture and values. This is so important, I will devote the second part solely to this. So follow me if you don’t want to miss it.

2. Learn about the market. Doing research first can give you a headstart, even if you don’t have relevant experience. When I say learn about the market, I mean studying the area of expertise you want to focus and learn as much as you can. In my case, I study entrepreneurship and retail management, a very broad subject. However, I knew I wanted to focus on digital marketing so what I did was research what exactly falls under it, what employers are looking for, what software they use, what branch of it interested me the most, if there’s demand for it (very important!) and expected salary.

Tip: the more demand, better the pay. So try going into a niche.

3. Try getting some experience beforehand. If you can find a part-time job that is related to what you wanna do, then take it! As a student, you can’t really expect to be paid a lot, but what counts is the experience you are getting because this show you really are interested in learning about the trade. Personally, I started this blog almost a year ago. I also took some courses on Google Academy and surprisingly it gave me some opportunities and I got a gig as a social media assistant for some restaurants. When I went to the interview, the manager was really surprised by the fact I willingly took some courses to learn to work with Google Analytics and absolutely loved the fact I blog. So it doesn’t have to be something grand, as long as it shows you are motivated and willing to learn.

4. Write only the relevant information and a catch. Every resume follows basically kind of the same structure. You have your contact info, work experience, educational background and skills. You’ve done your research on what the company wants and needs so please don’t write everything you’ve ever done and experience on the resume. Even if you feel tempted to, do not do it. Write only what is truly relevant that you think can also benefit the company. As students, chances are that we don’t have relevant work experience. If this is the case, highlight your skills and coursework that you have done at your university. If you have worked on projects that are linked to other organizations besides your university and it is relevant for where you’re applying, write it down. And you should consider writing a summary statement. A summary statement is a sort of pitch and is a perfect method of summarizing why you are a good candidate for the position and what you have to offer for the company. You can find more information about writing one here.

To wrap it up, if you really want to stand out, you have to make it personalize your resume for each organization you are sending it to. Which is why you have to do your research on the job market beforehand so you know exactly what companies are looking for and if it is a right fit for you. Don’t be afraid and start getting some experience too. Whether it is by applying for a part-time job, following some courses or your own projects that are also related to what you want to do. And lastly, write the relevant information. Don’t write everything you’ve ever done as it can make your resume rather long and incoherent. Try making it short and to the point instead so they can quickly asses if you are a good fit. Don’t forget to write a statement summary to pitch yourself up.

In the second part, I’ll be talking about what I looked for in companies, how I determined if I could be a good fit for it, build criteria and help you see what companies are looking for candidates.

paintbucketresources:

freelanship:

 I need to tidy up the structure of my own. :P

Does it look bad not to put an education section on a resume? The resume itself is a stupid formality that wouldn’t have been necessary 10 years ago because the kinds of jobs I apply for are the ones that you normally would just walk in and fill out a paper application for, but now everyone demands a damn resume even for minimum wage jobs. I have no college education, and including my high school information would reveal my age. Job history doesn’t, because I’m only going back to 2006.

I’d like to downplay the fact that I have no education (beyond a diploma which is obvious from my job history anyway) and leave my age vague until I actually get an interview. So is it OK to stick with skills and job history or do I have to actually put down that I graduated high school in 1997 and that’s all I’ve got?