Job
Search 101: Related Experience
By
Steve Burt
If
you're a college student, presumably you (or your parents) are
entertaining the thought that one day in the not-too-distant
future, you will be gainfully employed. But you're probably
saying to yourself, "How the heck am I going to land that
great job when the only job I've ever had is waiting
tables?" Well, cheer up, there's lots you can do to get
something worthwhile on your resume to use in your job search.
If
you still have some time to go before you graduate, you have a
perfect opportunity to make things easy on yourself when it
comes time to look for your first "real" job. Just get
some experience related to what you want to do when you
graduate. This is a "no-brainer". Just do it. Nothing
(not even a 4.0 GPA) will be more valuable to you as you start
looking for that first professional position than some
real-for-sure, hands-on, related experience. Even if you have to
work for free, do it if you can . . . it'll pay off in the end.
Here's how to do it.
Where
Can I Get Related Experience?
-
Internships
and Co-op Experience - If you can get into an
internship or co-op position related to what you want to do
after you graduate, do it. Don't even think about it . . .
just do it! If your school has a career center, they often
can help you find these positions. If not, start looking on
your own. Target companies in your field and apply to them
for summer work. Don't expect to run the place and don't
expect to make a pile of money. Do expect to gain some
valuable experience worth its weight in gold on your resume
when you graduate.
-
Part-time
Jobs - If you work part-time to support yourself in
school, try to find jobs that are related to your field. For
example, if your major is finance, try to find a part-time
job as a bank teller. No, you might not make as much money
as you would make in tips waiting tables at a classy
restaurant, but if you can get by financially, do it. And
even if you have to wait tables, maybe you can try to get
involved in areas related to your career goal. For example,
if your major is advertising or public relations, maybe you
can offer to help with the restaurant's advertising and
promotional efforts. If your major is computer science,
maybe you can write a custom program that helps your boss
run his business.
-
Professors
- Is your major chemistry? Volunteer to be a lab assistant
to your chemistry professor. Yes, you're going to spend a
lot of time washing laboratory glassware but you may get to
watch or participate in some experiments or research along
the way, too. And putting this experience on your resume
shows that you like working in a lab, otherwise why would
you have volunteered to work there when you didn't have to?
-
Clubs
and Organizations - Do you belong to a fraternity or
sorority? If your major is finance, you could run for office
as Treasurer. If your major is public relations, you can
head your philanthropic committee and organize fund-raising
projects.
Shamelessly
Exploiting Your Related Experience
-
Resume
- Your related experience is the most important single piece
of information on your resume so make sure prospective
employers see it. Create a section on your resume called
RELATED EXPERIENCE or INTERNSHIP (if that's what it was). If
you have other experience waiting tables or flipping
burgers, put that in a separate section, following the
RELATED EXPERIENCE section and call it OTHER WORK
EXPERIENCE.
If you're one of those rare students lucky enough to have
lots of related experience, you may be able to ditch the
OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE section altogether. Once you've
created a section on your resume for your related
experience, describe your experience. Use paragraph style,
bulleted style, or a combination of both . . . it doesn't
matter. What matters is that you demonstrate that you
actually learned something. No one expects you to have
directed a multi-million dollar project, but anything you
can show that lets the reader know you gained some knowledge
about your chosen field is good. Did you work as a team
member? Then say so. Employers like to hire people who can
work well with others on projects. Did you pick up any new
skills that you haven't learned in college (new software,
operation of specialized instruments/equipment)? Write it
down. Did you contribute anything through your own
initiative that resulted in saving money for your employer,
making money for your employer, and/or improving operational
procedures? This is REALLY good! Don't forget to include
these accomplishments.
-
Interview
- Don't forget to discuss your related experience in your
interview. Presumably, the person(s) interviewing you will
bring up this subject since this will be something of
particular interest. If, for some reason, the interviewer
doesn't bring up the subject, try to bring it up yourself.
Keep in mind what work will be involved in the position for
which you are interviewing and describe your experience in a
way that shows how you might fit into that position.
One
Last Thought
On
more than one occasion, students have been offered full time
positions upon graduation with the very companies with whom they
did their internship and co-op work. So, think about these jobs
as terrific opportunities to get your foot in the door for
something more permanent.
Good
luck with your job search!
Steve Burt. Steve
Burt is a resume reviewer based in Florida and is founder of 1stresumes.
Contact
Steve for a resume critique
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