Inexperienced Graduate

Graduating with no experience can be a very daunting time. Almost all the jobs you apply for will ask for your resume, and knowing what to put on it and what to not put on it may make the difference between getting to an interview or being dumped on the heap with other applications. Most companies that are hiring graduates will understand that you will not of had much 'real-world' experience, but it's what you did whilst studying that is important. They are looking for your qualities and skills that you have developed whilst studying. Four things that will help you to stand out from the crowd include internships and work experience, volunteer work, extracurricular activities and your interests. It is not only important to identify these in your resume but also in writing a good cover letter.

Internships and work experience

By completing work experience and other internships you are demonstrating a real drive and desire to enter the industry. However, it is not only the fact that you did them it is also the skills that you developed from that. No matter what you have done if you cannot walk away saying I have learnt or developed this skill from this activity then may as well not bother mentioning it.

Some key things to include here are:

1. Where you interned and for which company?
2. How long you were there.
3. The skills you developed.
4. Who you reported to.
5. Any changes you needed to overcome.

Volunteer work

This type of work can be good in developing skills in communication but also demonstrate to an employer that you are a committed, caring and responsible member of the community. As with internships always identify the relevant skills that you developed from the work and how you can use these to help the company. List the volunteer work that you did, how long you were doing (be it a one-day event or a series of activities) and highlight those key skills that you developed. It not only shows you are committed by that you are hard working and willing to give back to the community.

Extracurricular activities

These type of activities show that you are willing to commit to something and follow it through for the long haul. This can identify also to the company how well of an organisational fit you will be in terms of the organisation culture. You do develop skills from these that may also help you in the workforce, such as commitment, responsibility, leadership, creativity and motivation. When you list these skills put a little example of where you had to use these skills and the outcome of the situation.

Interests

Similar to extracurricular activities you can show you motivation and creativity through these, as well as express your personal brand. Before listing your interests always think about your audience, will you need to know how to water ski for the job you are applying for or will you need a vast knowledge of Facebook for this job? Whatever your interests cater to what the employer wants to know, and back it up with relevant examples and, you guessed, the skills you got whilst executing these activities.