5 Ways to Enhance an Entry Level Resume

Transitioning from school to the workforce can be a bit overwhelming. With most jobs getting hundreds of applicants, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd – especially when you’ve spent the majority of your life in school.

Luckily, there are many ways to distinguish yourself from the hundreds of other entry-level professionals.

RESUME TIP #1 – Select a Target Position

If you’ve recently graduated college, you’ve probably held a number of internships or extracurriculars applicable to different fields. It might seem best to write a broad resume targeting different kinds of positions. However, if you use that approach, you may struggle to get past applicant tracking systems, which tend to filter out less relevant candidates.

Rather than sending your resume off to anything tangentially related to your experience, pick a specific job title. Search the web for positions with that exact job title, then write down common qualifications. You can use this research to identify common keywords and build your resume.

RESUME TIP #2 – Identify Crossover Experience.

Once you’ve finished researching, search your past experience, coursework, and extracurriculars for crossover experience. For example, if you are an aspiring social media coordinator, it may be worth mentioning that you helped create Facebook and Instagram content for your family business – even if your official title was cashier. However, do not feel as though you must include every single summer job since high school.

RESUME TIP #3 – Convert Academic Skills into Work Experience

If you are like most recent graduates, you have limited work experience, but plenty of education. Academic skills conversion is the process of translating that classroom experience into work experience. Although it can be used for a variety of courses, it works best for labs, capstone courses, or any class that involves completing a long-term project.

Below I have included two examples of academic skills conversion – one of from a student looking to land an entry-level job in project management, the other interested in architecture. In the former case, the student had spent a year leading a project for a local animal shelter as part of a year-long course. In the latter case, most the student’s experience was through architecture projects.

Example #1

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, Raleigh, NC, August 2019 – May 2020

Applied Management Student

Directed fundraiser for local animal shelter with team of accounting and marketing students. Defined project scope based on client deliverables and estimated necessary resource allocation. Tracked progress of deliverables, allocating resources as needed to ensure adherence to deadlines.

Key Accomplishments:

• Reached more than 250 donated items for animal shelter.

• Raised $4,121 via media advertisements and online donation platform.

Example #2

SELECTED PROJECTS

As Above / So Below: Designed expansion for Atlanta Contemporary Museum using existing building structure.

Pocket District: Outlined concept for apartment complex based on site research and ADA compliance.

Urban Union: Created new NYU student union, incorporating two theatres, meeting space, and common areas.

Forum Moderno: Developed landscape design for five-building lot based on “modern forum” concept. One of two projects selected for student showcase.

Transitions: Designed new visitor center for Farnsworth House to solve flooding issues and optimize building traffic.

High Rise Auburn: Sketched and developed urban building with connected grocery store, hotel, and restaurant. Constructed model out of basswood.

RESUME TIP #4 – List Your Achievements

More than ever, hiring manager want to know that you can make an impact on their company. When a resume only lists job responsibilities, it can be difficult to gauge how you will perform in future roles. Including achievements signals that you are a high performer. To brainstorm accomplishments ask yourself the following questions.

How was performance measured in my past roles? In what ways did I exceed expectations?

What actions did you take to resolve a challenge? What was the result of your actions?

What type of on-campus events did you help initiate?

When writing your achievements, be sure to include numbers when possible. Notice how adding numbers enhances this statement.

Increased leads for small auto shop.

versus

Drove 10-15 new business leads per week for small auto shop – a YoY increase of 200%.

RESUME TIP #5 – Remove Fluff Words

Recruiters spend an average of six seconds reviewing a resume. Hence, it is important that it is easy to skim. To keep the writing lean and concise, delete phrases like “responsible for” or “duties include” from your resume. Other words you can usually eliminate include adverbs, adjectives, and articles.

For more tips on how to enhance your entry-level resume, check out the following articles.

How To Find a Job Without Relevant Experience

Does Your Resume Contain Too Much Information?