How do you write a resume without a lot of experience?
Don’t let the lack of experience stop you from applying to positions! Experience is a great asset to gain, however it is not needed to write a resume. Here are some pointers on how to set up a Functional Resume that doesn’t include specific employment history. This resume format is great for those who do not have a lot of experience or who have older experiences. Rather than listing positions with different tasks underneath, a functional resume conveys skills and gives examples of those skills in bullet points.
First, start with your name and personal contact information at the very top, bold and center. Next, create a section for a qualifications summary. This bullet list will state the specific skills of qualities you can bring to the company. If you are having trouble thinking up some skills, look at the job description for the qualities the employer is seeking and include them into your resume. After that section, state your highest level of education. You may also want to include any educational related achievements in this section, or specific courses of interest. Now, instead of listing off our employment history, we will group skills and experiences into sections. For example, you could have research skills, time management skills, administrative and planning skills, communication and interpersonal skills, of leadership skills. Once you have thought of some of your own skills it is time to write how you applied that skill. I strongly recommend using accomplishment statements to clearly state how you demonstrate each skills. Finally, If you do have any work or volunteer experience you can list them off below in chronological order, and viola! Your functional resume is complete!
The key takeaway here is match what you have to what your potential employer is looking for. Think of transferable skills and qualities that would make you a good fit for that company and your resume will be perfectly tailored to what they are looking for! Every experience teaches you some skill that you either newly learned or further developed! Don’t be shy to put it down!
Functional Resume Example: http://brescia.uwo.ca/life/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/delightful-downloads/2014/07/ResumeExample3Functional.pdf
Accomplishment Statements: http://brescia.uwo.ca/life/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/delightful-downloads/2014/07/AccomplishmentStatements.pdf
How do I find a summer job if I’m going away for the summer?
When you have the intention of going away on vacation during the summer but need a job, it can be difficult to find options. If this is a vacation that you can plan around a job, then that is where you want to start. For example, if this is a vacation that you can take either at the start or end of summer, then consider it. This way you can let an employer know that you will either have a late start or finish early, but still work for a consistent and consecutive amount of time. If this is not a possibility, I know it may be difficult, but be honest and up front with your employer. When you interview for the position, make sure you let them know that you will absent for a vacation that is already planned for the length of time that you will be gone. You need to give your employer a heads up that you can’t commit to all of the hours that they potentially need you for. Many times if employers know immediately that you will be away, they won’t just dismiss you from the position, and can even work around your availability. You can also think of some alternatives in terms of where you apply. If you have already been at a job for a few summers, it may be easier to return to this job and get the time off that you need, because your employer knows the time that you have already invested into their business. You could also consider positions that you could continue working into the fall. If you go to school away from home, you can even tell the employer that you are interested in transferring to a different city, but keep the job for longer than the summer. This shows your commitment to the position, and lets your employer know that you are interested in more than just making some money over the summer. All of these are some options to get you started so you don’t need to sacrifice either your job or vacation over the summer!