Skye Gould/Business Insider

What makes this an excellent resume for someone with no experience? Augustine outlines the following reasons:

1. The layout is clean and easy to read.

The same font type is used throughout the document. Dates and locations are consistently represented, so it’s easy to scan and pick out the important information. “In addition, the headers and main sections of information are centered on the page, which TheLadders’ eye-tracking study revealed is how recruiters tend to scan resumes,” she says.

2. It includes a link to the job seeker’s professional profile.

While it may seem a little premature, it’s important for students to develop good social media habits from the get-go. “Create one professional profile dedicated to your future career,” she suggests. “If you’re studying to work in a more creative field, consider developing an online portfolio to display as part of your contact information. In addition, increase the security settings on your personal accounts so they’re hidden away.”

3. The job seeker’s goals are clear.

Maria’s professional title and summary at the top of the resume clearly indicate her interest in securing an internship in advertising or public relations. “If her resume was passed along to someone by a friend, the reader wouldn’t have to guess,” Augustine says. “While Maria’s personal brand is still under development, her summary references the value she already brings to the table: the relevant degree she’s pursuing, her experience using social media, and her writing skills.”

4. It plays up the job seeker’s selling points.

Maria is pursuing her first internship and doesn’t have any relevant work experience to speak of. “As a result, we’ve shifted around the components within her resume to showcase her strengths: her relevant coursework, leadership activities, achievements, and skills,” Augustine explains. “Her work experience is moved to the bottom of the resume because it’s not directly tied to her internship goals.” However, it’s important to include this information because it demonstrates Maria’s work ethic and skills.

5. It includes some references to high school.

If you’re pursuing your first internship, it’s all right to incorporate some information about your high school career. This includes any awards, honors, or scholarships you may have received or sports you may have played. If you were valedictorian or salutatorian of your class, or you held an office in an honor society or relevant club, include it in your first resume, Augustine says. “This information paints a picture for the reader of a well-rounded student who was active in and out of school.”

6. It lists her social media skills. 

“If you grew up with Facebook and other social media channels, it may seem silly to add these to your resume — doesn’t everyone know their way around Instagram today?” she says. “But the reality is that this knowledge is an asset to many employers, and not everyone in the job market possesses it.” If you’re targeting internship opportunities in marketing, public relations, advertising, journalism, or even customer service, include these skills in your resume. Many employers are looking for interns to help manage their online brands; adding these skills to your resume will help them find you.

7. It doesn’t include a list of references.

You do not need a line at the bottom that reads: “References available upon request.” 

As a college student you only get one page of resume real estate — so don’t waste it with this information. “Employers don’t ask for that information until you make it to a face-to-face interview, and they know you’ll provide it if they request it,” she says.

It’s important to remember that experience isn’t everything — and, luckily, employers filling internships don’t expect you to have much of it just yet, Augustine says. “However, they do want to see an active student who has demonstrated a genuine interest in their position.”

So, when you sit down to write your first resume, try to think about your previous jobs in a new light. “If your experience seems unrelated to the internship you want, think about what skills you’ve practiced or learned that could be applicable,” she says. “For instance, as a waitress you’re sure to develop skills in customer service, sales, and multitasking, all of which could be very valuable to a potential employer.”

CREDIT:  BUSINESS INSIDER

JARUSHUB COMMENT

We align with the observations above. In fact, in many of our articles on CV, such as this, we tell how things as trivial as leadership activities can make a difference and turn out to be tie-breaker. For example, one of our mentors on JarusHub and CEO of a multinational consultancy, often says one of the things he looks out for CVs in leadership activities. Leadership roles simply tell one thing about you: You have been able to influence your peers in the past!

In the article we linked in the first line of this localized comment, we also made mention of achievements, awards. Awards or achievements, no matter how insignificant they appear, can also make a difference. It is something an entry level applicant, if he has any, should include in his CV.

However, we do not think Nigerian system is ripe enough for an entry level candidate to include twitter, facebook, and instagram in skills, as #6 up there recommends. Truth is, in Nigeria, the first thing most employers think when they see “Facebook, Twitter, Instagram” on your CV, especially as skills, is, “this guy will spend all his time in my company to browse Facebook.”. So we advise a Nigerian entry level applicant to ignore that. The best he can put is LinkedIn profile as part of address, not as skills. Twitter handle, if you trust your twitter activities, may also be included. Facebook and Instagram are still no-no on CVs of an entry level applicant in Nigeria, except the job has something to do with Social Media, for example, you are applying for Media Officer role, or PR Officer or Social Media Officer or any other role that has something to do with communication. It is a no-no for an entry level applicant applying for an accounting role, for instance, to include Facebook and Instagram on his CV.

However, we fully agree that “Online Research” is a good skill to include on CV of an entry level.

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JARUSHUB CV & COVER LETTER WRITING