Employer Perspective: 4 Resume Must-Haves

This week’s blog is written by Tyler Gould, Campus Manager for University Relations at Eaton.

You may be wondering…how do I stand out with an awesome resume as a sophomore or junior in school? Perhaps you don’t have much recent work experience or haven’t decided which student organizations to join. No worries! While it is very important to get involved on campus and find work, there are some things you can do to stand out—with or without much experience.

Put an objective statement at the top of the page.

This may be somewhat controversial, but I do recommend including an objective statement especially if you want employers to know what type of opportunity you are looking for. You may be studying biomedical engineering but if you are open to all types of engineering internships just to gain experience, state that in the objective statement at the top of your resume. It will help avoid confusion and leaving the recruiter guessing why you applied to a particular role.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers.

With what experience you do have (even high school jobs or school projects), try your best to quantify what you did. What was the outcome? What were the metrics or measurables you were assessed by? By quantifying your accomplishments, you show your results-oriented mindset to prospective employers. And trust me, you will be asked about your results in an interview (use the STAR interviewing method!).

Include any work experience, even if you do not think it’s relevant.

You would be surprised how easy it can be to tie in how your responsibilities as a store associate at Kohl’s during high school are transferable to the internship or full-time opportunity you are applying to. Employers are looking to see how you think, how you problem solve, how you build relationships, etc. These are all skills you can gain from almost any job and even the school project you led in your first-year intro engineering class. Any experience is good experience at this point in your career.

List out your technical skills.

Some positions require knowing C++ or Java. Others may be looking for an individual with AutoCAD experience or familiarity with a particular inventory management system. Any exposure you’ve had in prior positions or even if you got to learn how a particular system or software works during a project, don’t forget to call that out on your resume, and preferably in its own section. Look at the job description before you apply to a particular role and see if you have the experience (or even exposure) to the tools you’d be using or the skills they are wanting the individual to have. Including that you are a team player or a hard worker is not saying much and likely won’t do anything for your application. Your soft skills will shine in an interview. It’s the hard skills that you’ll want to emphasize on the resume which will help you land the interview.

Best of luck with your job search! Don’t forget to compare resumes with a peer and seek out feedback. Your ECS Team is a great resource as well!

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out!” – Dr. Seuss