If you are a college student who has completed or is about to complete an internship or summer job, start planning now about how that position will appear on your resume. Simply stating that you worked at such-and-such a place in such-and-such a capacity is not enough. You should write down for future use:
- Everyone you interacted with by job position—your immediate supervisor, vendors, customers or clients, staff in other departments, and so on. You want to document your ability to communicate at all levels of an organization, internally and externally.
- Any praise or advancement you received, whether formal (for example, as part of a review) or informal. Were you asked to return next summer? Did customers or clients praise you for your help? Were you chosen to participate in a special project? Were you employee of the month? You want to document your value as an employee.
- Results from your participation. For example, the tweet you wrote for the company resulted in hundreds of likes, the grant you proofread brought in thousands of dollars, or the event or project you helped with was successfully completed on time and on budget. Although you should never take credit for more than you contributed, your participation on a team is as important as leading it. You want to document your teamwork and your results orientation.
- What you learned. Your internship or job may have taught you more than you originally knew about finance, planning, graphic design, construction, computer repair, or restaurant service. You want to document that you are capable of learning. Even if your ultimate career goal is directed elsewhere, customer service (for example) is appreciated everywhere.
Internships and summer jobs have great value that goes beyond the money they bring in. They bolster your resume by showing that you have already succeeded in the working world. When it is time to fashion your resume for the next great opportunity, contact Robin’s Resumes®. We’re here to help.