What Students Should Add To Their Resume | Resume For Your First Job

“Every year, 60 students from your own college graduate with a BMM degree. There are around 35 BMM colleges in Mumbai. This means, every year around 2000 students in Mumbai alone aim for the best jobs in the Media sector. What then, sets you apart? And why should you get that job?”

I don’t know who told me this, but it struck with me throughout my student life and even now, during my sixth year of professional life. 

The fact that our education system is a great leveller means we need to develop an edge. A skill that I need to possess which will make an employer pick me instead of the other candidate with the same BMM graduation degree as me.

To make myself “employable” I concentrated on blogging, to practice and improve my writing skills. I learnt a bit of video editing, learnt social media and got comfortable with various platforms, and took up internships whenever possible. And this has really helped me in my professional life.

Recently, during the hiring process for my team, several students and freshers sent me their resumes. And honestly, it seems like they lacked something which prompted me to write this blogpost.

So, if you are a student or a fresher making your first resume, here are a few things you should keep in mind:

1. We all know that most people copy a generic ‘objective’ from Google. Instead, try to personalise it or get real with it. If you are going to mention that you would work for the betterment of the company, also mention that you wish to grow as well.
2. The resume should be able to highlight all your achievements and details at a glance, thus write in pointer and bold the important parts.
3. Even though you are a student, intern somewhere to gain experience. This does not just enhance your resume, but also helps you gain clarity on what you would like to pursue as a career. For example, while working in a TV Channel, you may realise that the timings and the fast nature of it is not your cup of tea, and thus you have the clarity to look for a job in the print industry.
4. When not interning, take up extracurricular activities in the college. Host or manage events, take part in sports, or make your college projects so well that they can be a part of your portfolio.
5. We are in a world of Social Media, most of the jobs have a social media angle to it now. Thus, ensure your Social Media accounts are active. Ensure you have an active Twitter account. Mention your social media accounts in the resume at the very end.
6. Take up an online course on the side, even a simple course that gives you extra knowledge about something related to your career is a good start.

If you want an editable Resume Template that you can just download and fill in your details with, click on the link below. Just open the Google Doc and 'Make A Copy'. Fill in your details and you are done!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pz7fIabHRNFVnkYnWegRDH9z0D85285GZ-CFIk79qyM/edit?usp=sharing

I made the blog graphic using Canva. You can too, for free! Click on this link: https://www.canva.com/join/lfh-yxm-ywd