7 Ways to Enhance your Entry Level Resume
Just graduated and unsure how to strengthen your resume? You’re not alone! Many recent grads find themselves in the same position, especially when internships are competitive and part-time jobs sometimes take priority. Here is a list of ideas to add to your resume to highlight some of the great experiences you have gained through college.
Some of these might already be on your resume- but I encourage you to think about how you can elaborate on them to highlight key skills you have gained.
1- Clubs and Extracurriculars
This one may be a given, but I have helped a handful of clients elaborate on their extracurriculars. Did you hold a leadership position as Treasurer? What was the club budget you had to maintain? Or maybe you were Secretary and had to take meeting notes or track attendance for a specific headcount. What about a large event you helped to facilitate? Add in the number of people who attended and preparation work required. Did you coordinate donations from local businesses (client service experience!). Details like this can highlight key project management skills needed in the post grad world.
If an extracurricular has some great details, I like to add it as a position in work or academic history, not just a simple list (which often leaves out these important details).
2- Capstone Projects
Many majors or departments have required capstone projects for juniors or seniors. My capstone included a major fundraising event, other classmates committed to weekly volunteer or tutoring sessions. These capstone projects typically have a specific end goal in mind, highlight what the goal was, and how you decided to go about accomplishing it.
A recent client and criminal justice major took a capstone course focused on a serial killer case study. Objects we highlighted were her team size for the research study, research focus (fictional and real-life serial killers) and action items (mock profiling write ups, victimology, moniker analysis, motivators, and assumptions). Case studies like these I have found are also common in the finance and accounting space – great area to add in some key words relevant to your industry.
3- Leadership Roles
Leadership roles (president of a sorority or captain of the soccer team for example) – are often notes on a resume, but sometimes individuals miss out on enhancing these titles with key details. As president, did you have monthly meeting responsibilities like agenda creation, brainstorming events, or coordinating the annual major fundraiser? As captain, were you tasked with motivating younger teammates, creating new drills, or researching competition for game day strategy? Better yet, did you help lead the team to an undefeated regular season or the school’s first tournament appearance?
Some (positive) assumptions are made when a leadership position is attained and noted on a resume, but emphasizing the key additional accomplishments while in the leadership position can elevate your resume.
4- Work Study
College campuses are basically mini businesses, that rely on students to help keep their operations in motion. Academic focused work study positions such as Tutor or Resident Assistant are great. Add in details around the specific area you were an expert within, specific class names or department that you supported. More ideas to consider- the number of students in the class, group, team or dorm that you helped oversee and support. More operationally focused work study roles, such as mailroom support, can be enhanced by noting the volume of packages you processed, average number of students you assisted daily, number of hours you committed weekly, or highlight an organization project you completed that streamlined a process.
5- Special Projects & Coursework Of Note
This is a tag on for the capstone project suggestion- but don’t forget to add those informative classes that include case studies, mock financial oversight or heavy M&A research. I love adding a “coursework of note” type section to a recent graduate resume. Research is a key skill for some entry level roles - so applicable courses are great to highlight.
6- Scholarships and Educational Accolades
Of course a high GPA and Magna Cum Laude is a given to add to a resume. What about the specific honors society you were accepted into, that required a competitive application process? Or the Scholarship you earned in high school that thankfully helped lessen the tuition load all four years? Full ride athletic scholarship is so impressive, don’t forget to brag here!
On my resume I still include that I was the Graduate Commencement speaker (humble brag) on my resume. If you are selected as the recipient of an honors society that is one of the most competitive groups on campus, make that known! Show that statistic – “Accepted into the Communications Honors Society, offered to the top 5 GPA communication graduates … “
7- Side Hustles
The rise of the freelance economy didn’t bypass college students. Do you have a thriving Poshmark business or Etsy store? Or maybe you have developed a growing landscaping business with repeat summer business every year. Don’t forget key sales or client details to showcase growth, or the marketing initiatives that were required to get your business off the ground.
Babysitting is a great add on as well, not to mention a great money maker. If a parent is reviewing your resume, believe me, they’ll be impressed that you can wrangle three kids under the age of 5. But they won’t know that detail unless you add it on your resume! Side hustles are impressive and highlight key entrepreneurial characteristics like hustle & creativity that future employers love to see.
Sometimes we forget the “entry” part of entry-level. Companies are typically focused on the potential of entry level hires, so try not to be too hard on yourself if experience is what you lack right now. Hope these ideas help you enhance your resume to get the opportunity to show off your potential. And if you need more support - let’s chat.
