Capitalize On Your College Experience: 5 Areas of Employer Interest

So you’re almost finished with your degree and it’s time to start getting serious – time to find that paid internship or full-time job. Problem is, there is more to acquiring a job than making the choice to pursue it.

The majority of employers are looking for and attracted to candidates with relevant experience. So with no previous office experience, how do you increase your appeal? It’s simple – read the job description and apply your experience in the following areas.

‘Relevant Coursework’

Consider your college experience your job. Those class projects you labored over for the past couple years are relevant experience. Previous research papers, on-line simulations, business plans, market analysis, creative writing assignments – the list goes on and on – are all fair game to be included on your resume and discussed in an interview.

The most effective way to communicate this experience is to include a ‘Relevant Coursework’ section on your resume. You can include this either in the body of your resume, or in the ‘Education’ portion of your resume. Just remember – everything included on your resume should be there for a reason, and should have talking points in an interview – everything on that piece of paper is fair game.

Part-time job

Juggling a job and school is impressive to any employer – especially if you maintained your grades. Whether it was filing papers, hosting at a restaurant or working in a retail store, with those jobs came a set of responsibilities, skills and experiences employers can tap into.

Be sure to include these positions on your resume under ‘Work Experience’. Tailor each item on your list of previous job duties to the job description you are pursuing. Look for keywords in the job description you can include in your resume, such as ‘organized’, ‘communicated’ or ‘led’.

These bullet points should almost always begin with an action word (verb). For example, if you were a bank teller you would list:

• Refer customer to bankers based on account indicators to enhance their banking experience
• Conduct routine customer inquiries to answer and solve account problems or discrepancies
• Maintain and balance a large volume cash drawer daily with an impeccably small margin of error

Leadership Roles on Campus

Great! You were a Residence Assistant – now capitalize on that and show the true value and impact you had through your leadership role.

• How often did you participate?
• What rules or regulations did you enforce or enact?
• Did you reduce the number of vandalism from the previous year?
• Did you create any lasting bonds, provide advice, or help a younger student through a tough time?

Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities

You haven’t had a job because you have been dedicated to playing sports, managing sports, participating in a fraternity, sorority or other organization – are you screwed? Of course not! Your time and involvement has proved not only dedication, but has likely taught you a great deal about leadership, teamwork, relationship building, decision-making, problem solving, time management, communication, or budgeting. All valuable skills to employers.

Volunteering

Many employers value the extracurricular and volunteer activities a student is involved in more-so than the job duties they performed. These activities give employers some insight into your interests, values and passions. Whether it is tutoring a neighbor, friend or relative, playing board games at the local senior center, or serving food to the less fortunate in a soup kitchen, they are ALL important in the mind of potential employers.