If you are a college senior, before long you’ll be interviewing with companies in preparation to leave academia for the business world. Lots of your fellow students will be moving on with you while a small number will continue their studies on the master’s level.

One of the most important documents that you will need when interviewing is your resume. These days, a lot of people have decided to forego their hard copies and have, instead, posted all of their details online. Though this is a great thing to do, as a new job seeker you should be prepared to submit a paper copy upon request.

I’m not going to share the point by point details of resume writing, as I outlined that information previously in an article titled: Career Prep: Building Your Resume.  In addition, you can find articles about cover letters and references which will help you with your job quest.

What I want to help you with are the finer points of your resume, those details which can really set you apart from other candidates. In this competitive world and tight economy you need every edge that you can get. The following are those finer points to remember when you build your resume:

Your contact information — How will prospective employees contact you? If you’re still in college and interviewing for work, make certain that you supply a cell phone number and an email address for prospective employers to keep in touch with you. BTW, don’t use a sexually suggestive or silly email address — hotgirl @ aol.com just doesn’t cut it!

No work experience — You may have tons of academic experience, but little work experience to show for it. That’s okay, if you are a gifted student finding time to hold down any job can be next to impossible to do. Instead, emphasize your extracurricular activities including your role as treasurer for your club, organizing skills for your sorority, special assistance given to your professor, etc.

Academic achievements — If you were a dean’s list recipient, president’s scholar, or won any type of award or was recognized for an achievement, you’ll want to include that information on your resume as well. List your GPA, especially if it was a high one, mention scholarships received, particularly if they were given for academic excellence, and more.

Nail down your references – Though you will want to list your references separately, start putting together a list of three or four people who will be willing to vouch for you academically, via a job, or through your church or club. These people must know you well enough to provide a compelling reason to anyone who calls why you would be an asset to the firm. Separately, get your letters of recommendation as soon as possible and copies of them to employers.

The internet offers terrific examples on how to build a resume as does your college career center. Get started now and you’ll remove a huge amount of stress from your life. Keep paper and electronic copies of your resume handy and go ahead and build that website featuring your biography, resume, and other pertinent information.

Tags: career, cover letter, curriculum vitae, job interview, jobs, references, resume

This is one in an ongoing series of articles to help college seniors prepare themselves for their careers.

Previously, we took a look at the components of building a viable resume and the effectiveness of creating a sound cover letter. Working together, a cover letter and resume can open the door to your first interview with a prospective employer. If your interview goes well and the company asks for references, what will you supply to them? Providing solid references can help you land the job that you want, but not every reference is equal nor should you slap just any name down on a piece of paper.

Business v. Personal References

You need references, but you aren’t sure who to list. There are business references and there are personal references, sometimes people are both.

Because you’ve been in school for many years, you may be short on business references. In that case, consider the following people who can personally vouch for your character and have a good idea how well you work:

A college professor — If you excelled in the classroom and worked very well with a particular professor, why not ask her for a reference? A letter of recommendation is always helpful as well as a contact phone number or email address for follow up.

A high school guidance counselor or teacher — It has been several years since you graduated from high school, but there could be a teacher or guidance counselor who knows you better than most people. Get in touch with him and recap your high school highlights to refresh his mind.

Youth group, scouts, volunteer organization — If you have been involved with church youth group, scouting, or have volunteered with any civic organization at some point in your life, the people who know you can vouch for your character and how well you follow instructions, take on projects, etc.

What about business references? Who might they be?

Anyone you worked for any sort of capacity can be considered a business reference, including?

• The parents of a child you sat.
• The owner of the property you maintained through cutting grass and raking leaves.
• The part time position at the campus book store.
• Your summer jobs.
• Your internships.
• Part time work at a retail establishment, food emporium, etc.

Out of all of your references, both personal and business, consider three people who know you very well and would recommend you for work.

List these people on a separate sheet of paper, the same quality paper used for the cover letter and resume. NEVER list references on the bottom of your resume and don’t give out your references unless asked.

Include the following information with each reference:

• Their name and title.
• Complete mailing address.
• Contact phone number.
• Email address.

When you expect your references to be called, contact them ahead of time to let them know who might be calling and about what job. This means that you already discussed with your reference that you want to use them and it’ll prepare them to expect to be contacted.

Together, your great looking resume, well written cover letter, and solid references can give you an edge in the job market. Spend some time

Tags: career, cover letters, job interview, letter of recommendation, references, resume