Completing graduation is another milestone students achieve in their lives after passing 12th. They not only just complete their graduation but, along with that, they enter the group of adulting, where they are mentally prepared to start building their career and take necessary steps. Among those steps, the very first step is crafting a resume that can describe everything about you. Whatever you have achieved in your past years and how you’ve built yourself to get into your dream job.
In this blog, you will learn how to craft a compelling resume if you are a fresh graduate and looking for job opportunities and your next step toward your successful career.
How to Write a Resume as a New Graduate
Fresh graduates should follow the below steps to create a captivating resume that can help you get your dream job:
Select the Suitable Format
There are three types of resume formats; select the most suitable one to design your resume:
- Reverse Chronological Format: This is the most common format and is ideal for recent graduates. Start with your most recent experience and work backward.
- Functional Format: Graduates who have limited work experience can select this format, focusing on skills rather than experience.
- Combination Format: A mix of both chronological and functional formats, highlighting relevant skills while providing a chronological work history.
Craft a Strong Header
The first thing that every interviewer notices is how well and concisely you have written your header. Since you have very limited space on your resume, make sure that you don’t write too much. Write a strong summary about yourself that encapsulates who you are and what you bring to the table. The summary should not exceed more than 2-3 lines and must include skills, experiences, and career aspirations.
For example, if you are applying for a digital marketing role, you can write:
“Detail-oriented marketing graduate with a passion for digital marketing and social media strategy. Proven track record of increasing engagement by 30% through innovative content creation during internships. Eager to apply my knowledge and skills to present the best results to the table.”
Highlight Your Education
Since you are a recent graduate, you may not have any professional experience, so your academic background can be your strongest asset. Include your high school percentage, degree, major, university name, and graduation date. If you have lower grades in any of these, avoid adding them to your resume unless you have a genuine explanation, such as having a high GPA (generally above 3.5). You can also mention relevant coursework, achievements, honors, and extracurricular activities that demonstrate your skills and commitment.
Showcase Relevant Experience
During graduation, many students start doing internships and part-time jobs to support themselves financially and gain some experience in their interested field. You can mention all those things in your resume to prove your practical knowledge along with theoretical knowledge. Focus on quantifiable achievements and responsibilities rather than just listing roles and duties in the job.
Emphasize Skills
In graduation, many colleges assign various activities and tasks to students for their overall development, preparing them for the real corporate world. These tasks focus on improving both hard and soft skills. You need to mention those skills in your resume to attract the interviewers, as along with qualifications and academic background, interviewers also look for certain skills in candidates.
Make a section that includes technical skills such as proficiency in Excel, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Analytics, Keyword Planner, search console, etc., and soft skills such as leadership skills, communication skills, teamwork, problem-solving, etc.
Include Certification and Additional Training
Other than studies and extracurricular activities, you must have done some certification courses to gain extra knowledge about the field you want to build your career in. Or you may have taken some kind of training that has helped you improve certain skills. If yes, then you can mention that in your resume. Certifications and additional training show that you don’t settle for less but continuously strive to improve yourself. This will help set you apart from other candidates as you have more knowledge and experience than others.
Final Thoughts
Crafting a perfect resume as a fresh graduate may be challenging as there may not be so many things you can include in your resume, especially when you are preparing to get a job. While crafting your resume, you need to ensure that you present your qualifications precisely by choosing the right words to align with the employer’s needs. By following the steps given above, you can easily craft an effective resume that not only highlights your skills and experience but also sets you on the path to landing your dream job.
