resume after first job out of college

Career Advice for Job Seekers

8 resume writing tips for that second job search out of college

Whenever possible, include numbers and statistics, says McGuiness. These jump out to a recruiter and are a quick way to indicate your impact and value in previous positions. “Increased donations by 30% after implementing an annual silent auction” or “Managed a call center that received over 1,000 calls daily.”

4. Highlight certifications, training programs, stretch assignments and ongoing career or professional development

“It’s important for employers to know that you are invested in your career and are hungry to keep learning and developing,” says Eison.

If you attended a key industry conference, completed a certification or training class (whether online or in-person), reference this. For example, if you work in digital marketing and became Google AdWords Certified, or if you were trained on Adobe Experience Manager, list that. Better yet, list that with a success story/project example using those skills/programs.

In addition, recruiters are looking for candidates with great leadership skills. If you have taken on any additional responsibilities, projects or stretch assignments at your first job, you should include this on your resume.

“Companies are looking for ambitious leaders who are eager to learn and grow with their organizations,” says Eison

5. Highlight soft skills

Listing soft skills is important when writing a resume, because if a company is going to hire you, they will often train you using their own, unique processes.

“Those soft skills – like leadership, communication and team work – are harder to train, so companies want people that have those skills coming into the role,” says McGuiness.

But don’t just say you’re a “strong communicator” on your resume. Instead, show how you’re a strong communicator: “Presented quarterly earnings to senior directors and relayed their recommendations back to the team.”

Related: Communication skills factor into who gets promoted

6. Write the resume to fit the job description

“When applying for any position, at any level in your career, scan the job description and mimic frequently used keywords,” says McGuiness. “Most large employer utilize applicant tracking systems to help them sort hundreds, sometimes thousands of resumes to find the strongest candidates.”

The resumes that are a match to that job description, get noticed.

Related: Avoid common resume mistakes and stand out

7. Open with a strong summary statement

Take the guess work out of the recruiters hands and let them know what position you are interested in based on your skill sets, goals and passion, by creating a strong opening summary statement, says Eison. This isn’t a long-winded paragraph. This is short and to the point, like this:

Seeking financial analyst role where 2+ years of experience at a Fortune 100 organization will add value.

Bold the key terms, results, and language in that summary, and throughout the resume.

“Your resume will be skimmed at first, so make sure to bold your titles and other areas where you want to capture the hiring manager’s attention,” says McGuiness. “If they are intrigued, they’ll read more.”

Said Eison: “If you don’t have a clear summary, recruiters may wrongly assume the role you are applying to or they may not be able to decide where your skills would be an asset for the organization and your resume may be placed in the no pile.”

8. Proofread proofread proofread

“My biggest pet peeve is misspelled words and grammatical errors on resumes,” says Eison.

But it’s difficult to catch your own resume writing mistakes, so have a career coach, trusted colleague, roommate, significant other, or family member proofread your resume. Let’s be clear though: Asking someone (other than a career coach or recruiter whom you may know) to review your resume in terms of resume format or resume layout, is asking for trouble. Your roommate may be a great salesperson, but that doesn’t mean they are skilled at critiquing resumes. Your mom or dad be able to catch grammatical errors, but unless they work in HR, hire, recruit, or manage employees, their specialty is not “critiquing resumes” so save that for the professionals. But proofreading, that’s important. And anyone who can assist reading/reviewing the resume can catch mistakes.

Go to the last page of your resume and read it from the bottom to the top. Looking at it this way can give you another view and help provide clarity to each sentence and give one final proof for spelling, grammar, and/or formatting issues.

“The attention to detail in formatting, spelling, and grammar may seem trivial, but it can certainly make a huge difference and this may help you land an interview and ultimately getting your next job,” says Eison.

Use these resume writing tips to stand out, get noticed, and get an interview. Then in time, you’ll land that second job out of college, and continue to advance in your career.

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How to write a resume when you're just out of college.

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The University of South Florida junior felt like she had nothing to put on her résumé. She had only held down one job, for three years, working part-time at a K-Mart while she was in school. What employer would hire her based on that bottom-rung work experience? But Bobbie Muir, a career counselor in the placement office at USF in Tampa, saw it differently. The student had worked on the store's returns desk, which Muir thought gave her a long list of marketable skills. “She had to listen to unhappy customers for many hours, she dealt with high volume, she was a problem solver within limits, she mastered company policy, and she had to know when to turn over her work to a supervisor,” says Muir. All of those skills went into a strong entry on the student’s résumé.

Like that USF junior, many new graduates find themselves staring at a blank screen when they sit down to write a résumé. But career coaches, professional résumé writers and college placement officers say that with some effort, students will discover that they have accumulated plenty of experience and know-how to put together a convincing document that will land them a job, even if they haven’t interned in the White House or worked at a top law firm. One encouraging statistic for grads to keep in mind: For those with a bachelor’s degree, the unemployment rate is 4%, less than half the national average of 8.1%.

Ideally, a new grad’s résumé is a focused one-page marketing document, with a succinct job goal that molds the résumé writer’s descriptions of each previous job and related experience. But many students and new grads haven’t figured out what they want to do, or even the broad area in which they want to work. If you can’t come up with a specific goal, you can still benefit from assessing your life up to this point, and pulling out details, like the K-Mart job, that will make you look like a strong candidate.

As for format, there are two approaches for new grads. One is the conventional, with an objective at the top, then education and relevant coursework, and after that, experience and skills. Another format, advocated by Laura DeCarlo, executive director of Career Directors International , a trade association for résumé writers and career coaches, and the former director of career planning at a for-profit school called Herzing University, lists skills and training at the top, then education, and after that, experience and employment.

I lean toward the conventional, because I find it simpler and easier to take in. But both formats have their merits, and putting them together involves a similar exercise. I’ll lay that out here:

1. List a career objective if you’re clear on what you want to do or you’re applying to a specific job.

Katharine Brooks, director of liberal arts career services at the University of Texas at Austin and author of You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career , says you should only list a career objective if you’re crystal clear on what it is, like “entry level management position in the banking industry.” If you are vague about your goals, you will do more harm than good if you list something like, “promising position in a forward-looking company.” Of course if you are applying for a specific job, it’s easy enough to amend a résumé to include an objective that matches the job description.

2. List your school, degree year, and any honors, including your grade point average if it’s high.

Unlike experienced workers, who put their education at the end of their résumé, soon-to-be and recent graduates list it at the top. Include your school, your major, the degree you expect to earn and the year you will graduate. If you’ve achieved academic honors like the dean’s list or phi beta kappa , include that as well. Some coaches think you should list your GPA if it’s higher than 3.0. Others think you should only include it if it’s quite high, like 3.8 or above. San Francisco résumé writer Beth Brown, co-author of The Damn Good Résumé Guide: A Crash Course In Résumé Writing, also recommends including a list of course work that’s relevant to your major and career objective. For instance, if you majored in accounting and you want to work at an accounting firm, you could include a table of accounting courses you took, like tax accounting, GAAP, and public accounting.

3. Consider listing additional coursework outside your major.

If your career objective differs from your major, but you took courses directly related to the career you want, it makes sense to list those courses in your education section, suggests Brooks. For instance, if you majored in history but you want to work in a counseling center for troubled youth, you could add, “Coursework included child psychology, developmental psychology and child development theory.”

4. Take a fresh look at what you may think are menial jobs.

Like the USF student’s K-Mart experience, many jobs you may think of as low-level can be cast in a light that is appealing to employers. Brooks, Muir, DeCarlo and Brown all work with their counselees to draw out exactly what they did while waitressing or babysitting. For instance, did you babysit for five different families in your neighborhood? That can be framed as managing a child care business, working with children aged 2-10, providing recreational activities and nutritional snacks. If you mowed lawns over the summer for ten different clients, you ran a garden care business.

Brooks encourages students to loosen up a little and take an expansive view of what they’ve done. She counseled one student who had worked at Hershey Park in Hershey, Pa. Her résumé’s first draft listed the job as “customer relations representative.” When Brooks queried her, she learned that the young woman had dressed up as a Krackel Bar and walked around the grounds. The student wound up doing everything from giving directions to helping an elderly gentleman who had collapsed from exhaustion. Brooks advised her to list her job as “Krackel Bar,” and then include bullet points that described how she provided tourist information including accommodations and restaurants, and interacted with at least 100,000 visitors.

5. Scrutinize your extra-curricular activities and think about how they might relate to a real-world job.

Students often dismiss their experiences if they didn’t come in the form of an internship or a formal job. But involvement in extra-curricular activities, like clubs, social groups and sports, can demonstrate that you have valuable expertise. For instance, if you were the event coordinator at your sorority fundraiser, that can impress hiring managers, especially if you want to work in non-profit fundraising or event management. Beth Brown recommends listing your job as “Student, full time, Florida State University ,” and in your bullet points, saying something like, “coordinated logistics for annual fundraising resulting in raising $35,000 for the local Red Cross chapter.” You could also say you managed 57 volunteers, secured donations for a silent auction, and designed and orchestrated a theme. All of those details could impress a potential employer.

6. Think about whether your coursework could be considered work experience.

Many students handle work in courses that equates to a demanding job. For instance, you may have taken an urban planning course where you collaborated with seven team members to come up with a design for a new development in a blighted part of New Orleans. Résumé writer Brown suggests students list such experience as though they comprised a job. The title would be, “full-time student, University of South Florida,” and the job description would describe what you did in the course. Brooks had a student who had taken an American studies class that required her to interview five elderly people about their experiences during the Depression, compile the information, and write and publish a 20-page report. She recommended the student include the online link to the final report.

7. Use active verbs.

A widespread affliction among résumé writers of all ages is the tendency to use dull verbs like “assisted” or “helped.” Instead, translate your experience into active language. At the University of Texas, Brooks created a list of résumé action verbs here . They include “collaborate,” “consolidate,” “convince,” “promote,” “publicize” and “persuade.” As for tense, use the past unless your experience is ongoing, in which case you should use the simple present tense, instead of passive verbs ending in “ing.”

8. Be specific in your descriptions and quantify with numbers wherever possible.

This is another way to transform what may seem like a menial job into an impressive résumé entry. For instance, you may have run the cash register at your local Dairy Queen for the summer. But if it was a busy place that  served 5,000 customers a day at a restaurant that racked up $10,000 in daily sales, then it sounds more impressive. Ask yourself how your approach to the job may have been different from others who worked at the chain. Did the boss have you tally up the day’s receipts and deposit them in the bank? Then say so. Or perhaps you organized a local talent show for fun. If you can say that the event attracted 600 people and you maintained a budget of $3,000, then it sounds more impressive.

9. Try a “brain dump” of your work, schooling and other experiences.

When DeCarlo used to work with students, she had them talk to her for up to four hours about everything they had done that could remotely relate to work experience, including volunteer work, courses, extra-curricular activities and sports. She asked them what they found memorable about each experience, whether they enjoyed it, and to relate as many details as possible about what they did. Brooks, Muir and Brown all use variations on this approach. The goal is to get the student to review their experiences and by identifying what they enjoyed about each, to arrive at a career objective that will help focus the résumé. You can do this exercise yourself, or with the help of a friend.

For more focused students, the brain dump can also reveal experiences that may not seem like obvious résumé additions, but can be framed in a positive light when described concretely. For instance, DeCarlo counseled a student who wanted to work in pharmaceutical sales. As they talked, DeCarlo learned that the young man had won a boat in a local fishing competition. His father, who was a doctor, said he could only keep the boat if he found a way to pay for the berth. The student set up an informal chartering business, tapping his father’s physician friends to rent out the boat on weekends. It turned out the student had developed a strong network of local doctors, a great qualification for pharmaceutical sales. He could use all that as an entry that emphasized how he had set up his own charter business catering to doctors.

10. Consider an alternative format.

Instead of the standard objective, education, experience and skills layout, you might want to compose a résumé that lists skills and training at the top, with bullet points, and then lists education, and after that experience, with one line for each job. Underneath that, you would include two-line descriptions of the work you performed in each job. DeCarlo likes this format, and she offers an example of it here . For this student, an aspiring engineer, she had gleaned that he had accumulated skills in 27 different areas, from fluid mechanics to electromagnetic waves. DeCarlo says it would have been tough to lay out all those skills through job descriptions, and the list at the top has the advantage of including many so-called key words, or descriptive terms that an employer may put in a job listing. Nowadays, big companies screen résumés by computer, and the skills list has the advantage of including many of those key phrases. Though DeCarlo swears by this approach, and insists her counselees have landed many jobs with these types of résumés, I remain ambivalent. The listing of 27 skills seems cluttered and like data overload to me, and I find it confusing to list job descriptions separate from specific jobs.

The University of Texas gives examples of résumé templates here . One of the words that makes my skin crawl, but seems common in résumé -writing: “relevant,” as in “relevant experience.” Why would you include experience if it weren’t relevant? But Brown says this is part of the rhetoric of résumé writing.

The best résumés are carefully thought-through marketing documents, with a clear career objective and detailed, vivid descriptions of coursework, work experience and other activities that are relevant to your dream job. But focus is the toughest part of résumé-writing. Résumé writer Brown notes that you can start with an archival document that lists what you’ve done, in vivid, concrete language. Then as you focus on what you want to do, you can edit it to reflect that. “Let your résumé be a living document that changes as your needs and opportunities change,” she says.

You might also like,   When An Employer Requires Experience And You Have None

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How To Land Your First Job After College

Check with your career center, start networking, create a linkedin profile, develop a professional website, join a professional group, arrange a job shadow, have an elevator pitch ready.

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Organize your job search, line up an internship, keep balance in your life.

The Balance / Kelly Miller

Securing that first job after college can be a daunting prospect for many seniors and recent graduates. However, you can take charge of the process by following a few simple tips and strategies to land a job that will help get your career off to a positive start. 

Key Takeaways

• Getting your first job out of college can be daunting for seniors or recent graduates, especially when they have little to no experience.
• Leaning on resources like your college career center, your network or even the internet can help you start your job search.
• Making connections through professional or alumni organizations can give you insight into the types of roles you're interested in.
• Job shadowing and internships could give you a leg up in the hunt for your first job.

Begin by tapping the resources that are available to you as a student or recent graduate from your college. Visit the career office and meet with a career advisor to discuss your options.

You can also pursue career counseling if you're unsure of your goals. Advisors can help you develop resumes and cover letters, prepare for interviews, and formulate a job search plan suited to your interests.  

Colleges also host visits from individual recruiters, hold career fairs on campus, offer recruitment events in key cities, and sponsor alumni networking programs. 

Networking can be one of the most effective ways to land a job. In fact, a joint survey conducted by LinkedIn and The Adler Group revealed that 85% of all jobs are obtained through networking.

The best approach is often an indirect one when it comes to networking. Rather than directly asking people to hire you, reach out to contacts for information and advice.

Contact as many professionals as you can for informational consultations. Get lists of alumni volunteers from your career office or alumni association, attend networking events and ask alumni with whom you develop a rapport if you can follow up with them to gain further insight into their work environment.

Touch base with past employers, coaches, faculty, clergy, and others who have observed you in any productive capacity. Ask if they have any contacts in your fields of interest who you could contact for information and advice.  

You can also do some networking virtually through digital platforms such as LinkedIn.

Not only is LinkedIn a great place to build a network, but it also serves as another way to showcase what you have to offer, build your personal brand, apply for jobs, and connect with recruiters and potential employers. You can also join any LinkedIn groups for your college and reach out to alumni in fields of interest. 

You can create a LinkedIn profile while you're still in school and build it from there. Even without any work experience , you can still highlight your skills, education, extracurricular activities, internships, and volunteer opportunities, and even ask people for recommendations.

Creating your own website can serve many purposes. It's a platform that you own where you can express your personality with your own branding, showcase your skills with a portfolio of work samples, and demonstrate your knowledge through a blog or other content you create.

You can buy a domain name from one of many hosting sites and use a tool such as Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress to develop your site or hire someone to create one for you.

Join an official organization related to your field or industry as a student member if you're still in college or as a professional member after you graduate. Many colleges have chapters of national associations, and if there's not one for the one you want to join, you may be able to start one.

Many professional associations put on conferences where you can rub shoulders with seasoned pros who are often eager to help newcomers to their field. Volunteer to help run the registration table, and you will meet lots of potentially helpful people. You may even find a mentor.

Fortune 500 companies acknowledge the value of having mentors: 71% of them have a mentoring program of some sort, according to Terri A. Scandura, a management professor and dean of the graduate school at the University of Miami.

After you have a positive networking meeting with someone, try to arrange a job shadow day as a follow-up. It will help you get an insider's view of what it would be like to work in that industry while also giving you an idea of whether you'd like to work at that specific company. You're also likely to meet lots of people and have the chance to make some positive connections.

Take stock of your strongest interests and skills and be prepared to tell people who you meet some interesting things about yourself to grab their attention. Think of it as a 30-second commercial for yourself. 

For example, you might say "I am an English major who loves to write. I've organized and promoted a lot of concerts and fundraising events for my campus singing group. I also love to follow fashion trends and helped to coordinate the annual campus fashion show sponsored by my sorority." 

Find Companies You Would Like to Work For

Identify employers of interest and visit the employment section of their website, Some have college student or graduate opportunities.

Check to see if your college has any alumni working at your target organizations and ask for their advice about accessing jobs there. Your career and alumni offices can help you to identify alumni by organization, and you can also use the alumni function on LinkedIn to identify some contacts.

Use job sites like Indeed.com to generate more job leads. Identify specialized or niche job boards for your field to find more listings. 

As your career goals begin to crystallize, develop versions of your resume that are targeted to specific jobs. Showcase the skills, experiences, coursework , and projects mostly related to your emerging job objectives. 

Avoid generic cover letters. Instead, take the time to write a targeted cover letter to make a special case for how each job matches your interests and skills. Get feedback and advice from advisors and mentors, and always carefully proofread your documents.

Treat your job search like an actual job, and get organized. Keep a database of all your applications and contacts.

Schedule 10 hours per week for job searching while you are in school. Increase the time you spend 20 hours a week during breaks and after graduation.

Internship sponsors often hire from their past roster of interns. Considering this, it's wise to try and get at least one internship right out of college. If you find that you're underqualified for your target job at graduation, then explore the possibility of doing an internship for the summer or fall after graduation. 

Internships were the top differentiator for companies looking to hire new graduates, according to research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Even if your internship doesn't lead to a job offer, it will give you the opportunity to gain valuable skills and contacts. If cash flow is an issue, be sure to apply to paid internships, or pair a part-time internship with a basic paying job. 

Finally, endeavor to retain some balance in your life while you are in job search mode. Exercise, follow a healthy diet, get enough sleep and continue to pursue your outside interests in order to keep your energy level up and maintain a positive state of mind.

Finding that perfect first job may take some time, but making a good match will be worth your preparation and patience.

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University of Washington. " What Can Students Do To Improve Their Chances of Finding Employment After College ?"

LinkedIn. " Survey Reveals 85% of All Jobs are Filled Via Networking ."

Harvard Business Review. " How to Find a Strong First Job After College ."

Knowledge at Wharton. " Workplace Loyalties Change, but the Value of Mentoring Doesn’t ."

National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). " Internship Experience the Top Differentiator When Choosing Between Otherwise Equal Candidates ."

The Details You Should Keep on Your Resume After College Graduation—and the Ones You Should Ditch

When you're crafting your new grad resume , some things are pretty obvious. Yes, include your internships. Yes, include your degree and graduation year. But once you get past the basics, things get a bit murkier.

What should you do if your GPA is, you know, not the best? What about those three semesters you worked at the campus bookstore? Does it matter that you were the MVP of your dorm’s ultimate Frisbee team?

Annoyingly, the answer to all these questions is “It depends.” Here's a guide that should help you out.

...If it’s above a 3.0. Leaving your GPA off your resume can sometimes give the impression that it’s lower than what it really is, especially if you’re applying within an industry like finance or consulting that typically expects to see this number on an applicant’s resume. However, this is definitely not a hard rule and a great question to bring up in an informational interview .

...If it’s really just not doing you any favors to leave it on. But again, broach the topic the next time you’re on a coffee meeting and ask what hiring managers think about this number. You can also consider swinging by your college career center to get their take on your specific questions.

Your Part-time Jobs

Keep them on.

...If they’re relevant to the position you’re applying to or you have some leftover room you want to fill. A part-time job, even if it’s not the most applicable in terms of industry, can show employers positive and desirable traits, the most obvious being your ability to juggle multiple responsibilities. Let’s say you stayed at your campus bookstore job for several semesters and were promoted to store manager; this could show off your commitment and even your ability to manage others.

Remove Them

...If they’re taking up room that could be used more effectively. While every job has some transferable skills to highlight , if you’re using up a lot of your precious space on making your work in the campus dining hall relevant instead of adding a couple more bullets under your internships, then you should reconsider.

Your Extracurricular Activities

...If they’re relevant or were a significant part of your college experience. Internships are great, but because you’re pretty much at the bottom of the ladder, you won’t always be able to lean on these experiences when answering questions. If you’re asked about a time you demonstrated leadership, for example, you might have to refer to your extracurriculars—and that’s perfectly okay. Include them so that it makes sense when you ultimately talk about them in the interview. Plus, they’re a great way to make a connection with your interviewer. Who knows? Maybe he or she is also pretty great at ultimate Frisbee.

...If you don’t really have much to say about them. Everything on your resume is fair game during an interview. Don’t include extracurriculars if all you can say about them is that you attended an event once or that you were a member. You may also want to remove any activities that may be considered controversial. If, for example, Greek life at your school’s recevied some bad press recently, it may be best to leave it off.

Ultimately, your resume is going to be particular to you. You’re probably going to have to make some tough decisions about what to keep and what to cut. With that said, as long as you’re submitting a tailored (proofread!) version to each position with quantified bullet points, you’re on the right track.

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7 Rules for Creating a Resume for Your First Job out of College

Finding your first real job out of college can be stressful. It takes time and perseverance to scour the search engines and research companies you may want to work for. But before you do any of that, you have to create a resume.

Most hiring managers only spend a few minutes (and sometimes just a few seconds) skimming candidates’ resumes before making a decision. With so little time to get their attention, you need to make sure your resume is eye-catching and concise.

Don’t let your resume go into the “no” pile upon first glance. Follow these seven rules to write a great resume  for your first job:

1. Don’t Forget the Basics

Some applicants pay so much attention to the details that they forget the most important information: Make sure your resume includes your full name, full address, and contact information, including your email address.

Does your email address include goofy words, nicknames, or other inappropriate elements? If so, create a new email address to use strictly for job hunting. A professional email address is key if you want to look like a strong candidate.

2. Select the Right Format

The traditional resume format lists your prior jobs in reverse chronological order, but if your most recent jobs don’t relate to the job for which you’re applying, you may want to consider a combination resume  instead.

With a combination resume, you put more focus on the skills you’ve acquired than on the jobs you’ve had. This makes a combination resume a great option for recent grads looking for their first full-time jobs.

For example, let’s say you worked as a barista, retail clerk, and campus tour guide in college. Those jobs might not be at all relevant to the job you want, but with a combination resume, you can shift attention onto your valuable experience by highlighting your customer service skills rather than the titles you held.

You’ll also need to decide if you want to include an objective statement or a summary of qualifications. Objective statements are often viewed as outdated, so you may want to opt for a summary of qualifications.

A summary of qualifications is a list of four or five bullet points that focus on your skills, accolades, and experiences. The summary sits at the beginning of your resume, making it an easy way for a hiring manager to get a sense of who you are and what you can do.

3. Include All Relevant Experience and Skills

If you’re a new college grad, don’t discount the importance of academic achievements and volunteer experience. Extracurricular programs may even have a place on your resume, especially if you had a leadership role.

Without a lot of solid job experience under your belt, you’ll want to call attention to any transferable skills you may have. For example, experience as a waiter or waitress can be quite useful if you’re applying for a job in sales or marketing.

It is crucial that you include any relevant information that might help you get the job, but you don’t have to include everything. Remove what isn’t relevant so you can focus on what is.

Most importantly, don’t ever lie or make up experience. If your resume includes experience you don’t have, your secrets are sure to come to light during the interview.

4. Utilize Strong Action Verbs

Your resume should command attention. After all, you want to sound strong, competent, and ready for the task at hand. Using action verbs  will help your resume sound convincing and make it stand out.

It’s also important to sprinkle in keywords taken directly from the job description. Having an understanding of industry jargon can help you stand out, and using the right terminology shows your attention to detail.

There is one word you should avoid at all costs: “I.” Instead of writing, “I oversaw a team of six employees,” you can simply write, “Oversaw a team of six employees.”

5. Stick to One Page

Unless you have years of high-level experience, keep your resume to one page. Recruiters and hiring managers review dozens, sometimes hundreds of resumes at a time. You have to get straight to the point.

It’s also crucial that your resume be easy to scan. Critical information, such as your contact information, should be easy to find. Important details should be clearly visible, not buried in lengthy paragraphs.

6. Update Your Social Media Accounts

Make a LinkedIn account and include the URL in your resume. Make sure that your LinkedIn account and resume are consistent in terms of dates, places, and details.

As for your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media accounts, review each one with care. Make your accounts private or remove any inappropriate content that you wouldn’t want a future employer to see.

7. Edit, Edit, Edit

Triple check your resume for unnecessary words, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes. If you send out a resume riddled with typos, you’ll never get called in for an interview. When you think the document is perfect, ask some trusted relatives, coworkers, or friends to read it and provide their feedback.

If you’re not sure you can craft a perfect resume on your own, you can always hire a professional resume writer. However, no one knows your experience as well as you do, so at least give it a shot.

When you’re ready to apply for that first job, keep these seven resume tips in mind. With a strong, concise resume on hand, you’re sure to land the right job in no time!

Cat Thomas is director of marketing for Broadstone Brickell .

What should a resume look like after college?

Joining the job market after college is tough. Most grads can’t find a job after college because they lack the experience that employers expect these days. There are more bachelor degree holders on the job market than ever before, and even entry-level roles require an unprecedented level of technical skills.

Your resume is your single best tool to help you overcome that challenge, which is why it’s so important to know what a resume should look like after college.

Your first resume after college

The truth is that most people’s first resumes after college aren’t very good. I’ve hired my fair share of people out of college and also struggled to find a job as a recent graduate, so I would know!

Most resumes after graduation are pretty rough around the edges for a few reasons:

• Students often lack relevant job experience for white-collar jobs.
• Young people tend to stuff resumes with keywords to appease application tracking systems.
• New grads don’t always have a career direction, and their resumes reflect that.
• Most resumes from young people tend to lack visual flair.
• Most of the work experience they list is just fluff to inflate the resume page count.

Even just one of those mistakes can get your resume tossed into the recycling bin. Here’s why:

• The average corporate job posting receives 250 applications , but only 4-6 resumes are selected for interviews.
• Employers only take about 6 seconds to scan a resume , so it needs to be good .
• Only ⅓ of employers think applicants are honest about their resumes, so your resume can’t give off one whiff of exaggeration.

That means you have about a 2.5% chance to be selected for an interview in any given job application, and that decision happens in about 6 seconds—with a low tolerance for stretching the truth.

Many people in your life will tell you to customize each and every resume you send for every job posting. Many websites do this, too—and they mean well, but they’re missing the mark.

What they fail to realize is that customized resumes don’t mean anything when those resumes lack legitimate and relevant experience for a given job. Building experience and networking in one area first is how you find a job after college .

What should be on your first resume after college?

I know that’s a lot of doom and gloom, but you can definitely overcome those odds and get a job with a powerful resume . Let’s start at the top!

Here’s the experience that should be on it for recent graduates:

• Retail work experience
• Internship experience ( getting an internship after college works, too)
• Extracurricular experience
• Volunteer experience
• Contributions to student journals, if applicable

Your resume should also have these sections:

• Easily identifiable personal information
• Clearly defined skills
• Software familiarity
• Certifications in progress

How to write a resume after college

An eye-tracking study from The Ladders showed that resumes identified for “keyword stuffing” were among the worst-performing resumes in the eyes of the hiring managers. Think about that the next time someone tells you to “mirror the job posting’s language” closely as possible.

Application tracking systems are a reality of job searching these days, but you can usually accomplish that by tweaking the titles of your past jobs (which are also among the first things that employers scan on your resume).

Remember to keep everything honest and above-board. If you tweak a past job title to reflect experience you never gained in that role, then you’ve gone too far.

Quantify your work experience

Aside from tweaking your job titles (within reason), the next thing you should do is quantify your experience with results.

This is the single best way to land the best jobs after college , because quality matters .

Start with your tasks and responsibilities. Instead of simply listing “stuff you did,” focus on the result that you created.

Here’s how I revamped my experience as a teaching assistant:

• “Led seminars every week”
• “Marked student essays”
• “Mentored students with assignments”
• “Highly positive teaching reviews”

It’s all true and gave me experience, but none of those bullet points convey the scope of the work or the results that I achieved. I changed it because employers look for quantifiable results.

Look at this study from CareerBuilder : out of 1,100 hiring managers and HR professionals surveyed (all employed full-time), a lack of quantifiable results was the third-highest reason why they rejected resumes.

Clearly, this is an important part of what your resume should look like after college. Here’s what that same job looks like with quantified work and results in mind:

• “Mentored 40 students per semester, leading two seminars per week”
• “Raised a class average from C+ to B+ in one semester”
• “Marked, edited, and proofread 400+ pages of student work under tight deadlines”
• “Received highly positive teaching reviews for all 3 semesters of teaching”

It’s much more compelling, isn’t it? Hiring managers will notice, too.

The trick is to attach a number to the task or responsibility, which accomplishes one of several things:

• Establish the scope of the work.
• Create a metric-based result (e.g. gaining website traffic).
• Create a financial or business result.

Underrated tips for writing a resume after college

We tend to think about writing our resumes in a backward sense. Recent graduates in particular tend to fret over the design first, and then cram the work experience section with as many bullet points as possible to inflate their resume’s page count.

They think it makes them seem more experienced than they really are, but it actually hurts their chances. If you’re still deciding what to do after college , then reserve some time to revamp your resume to improve your career prospects in the short and mid-term.

Here’s the process you need to follow:

• Focus on job titles first
• Quantify your work experience second
• Frame your skills with care
• Include volunteer and extracurricular experience
• Worry about designing your resume last

Bells and whistles add a nice touch to resumes, but they are just small visual flairs. Design is the “sizzle,” but what your resume actually says is the “steak.”

Once you’ve finished including what you actually want to say, you can get designs for your resume from these sources:

• Google Docs

Evaluating your resume after college

“The first draft of anything is shit.” – Ernest Hemingway

Don’t worry about making your resume perfect. You just need to focus on making it the best possible representation of your experience today . You’ll update this document dozens of times in your life.

Remember: “done” is better than “perfect.”

Stay in that mentality as you evaluate your own resume. Use this checklist to revise, massage, or fix anything that needs work, but never forget that this serves a job search that needs to begin sooner than later.

Without further ado, here’s how to evaluate your resume after college:

Introduction

• Full name is present and spelled correctly
• Email address is present without typos
• LinkedIn profile is present (and ideally hyperlinked)
• Phone number is present and formatted cleanly
• Address, city, and postal code are present and without errors
• Profile photo is clean and professional (photos are optional)
• Core skills are listed
• Recent job titles are listed
• Professional certificates are listed
• Technology proficiency is listed
• Education is listed (briefly)
• Work experience is no more than 2 pages
• 3-4 most recent positions are listed
• All bullets are quantified or explain business value

Pro tip: If you’re living at home after college , then ask your parents to review your resume.

Don’t stress over fitting everything onto your resume–you don’t need to do that! The vast majority of recruiters and hiring managers will view your LinkedIn profile to make sure your information is accurate and to get a sense of your online activity (which is why it’s included in the checklist). They can find all of your professional details there if desired.

Follow those tips and you’ll be on the right path in no time. Happy hunting!

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Update your resume now that you've had your first job

How does it feel that you're now a fully integrated part of the "adult" world? Still retaining that spark of excitement that propelled you forward during your job hunting days? Or now markedly less excited and a great deal more cynical, just waiting for that bonus before submitting your resignation letter? Or are you just looking for a different job in the same industry?

Regardless of your reason for looking for another job, you should know by now that this means radically revising your resume to suit your current job description. That old out-of-college resume format simply won't do. Less certain now? No worries, we're here to help you out.

Below are four things that you need to keep in mind when updating your resume after your first "real" job.

1. Rearrange the order

For a fresh graduate looking for a first job or an internship, the education part of your resume might seem to be the most important section since it holds the most information. Fast forward, hopefully a year or more , and you already have what recruiters want from professionals such as yourself: experience. Naturally, this should be the first section of your resume if you want hirers to take your applications more seriously now that you have work experience.

Future recruiters wouldn't put too much stock on your education history, they are most likely to be interested in the technical skills you learned in your first job.

2. Put an executive summary

The executive summary or the summary statement is what recruiters call your "elevator speech." Basically, it's a short summary of what you have to offer"¦ or your sales pitch to the company you're targeting or any potential employer. This should be personally customized, containing information about yourself that makes you stand out from other applicants at the same level. The executive summary should focus on the things that the new employer wants to know about you.

Think of it as a short, formal, and written answer to the question "Tell me about yourself" that can be found at the very top of your resume, just below your name.

3. Buff up your work experience section

Now that you're part of the professional world and have at least a year of experience under your belt, your resume should include as much information as necessary about your first job. This part of your resume should contain what you're actually doing at your current job, the people you're working with, and the reason why that work is important for your current company.

Simply put, you need to paint a picture of what you do in your first job for recruiters so that there would be no confusion on their part as to what you actually do and what they are expecting from applicants.

4. Minimize your college references

Shuffling the education part of your resume down, just above your references, shouldn't be the only action that you'll take against all college-related on your resume. Purge it of some of the unnecessary educational references in your resume such as your organizational or club commitments, what your GPA is (unless it is very exceptional), or any stuff about high school that you included when padding your mostly empty resume.

You don't need those references anymore now that you have work experience, of which you can further maximize on with a Technical Skills section.

Below is a resume sample for professionals who already had a first job.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton, Yorkshire, England | +1666-6666 | [email protected]  Passionate and talented sales apprentice working at a magical antique shop for almost two years now handling priceless and often cursed family heirlooms and artifacts. Aiming to use my excellent repertoire of warding and cursebreaking skills, offensive and defensive magic, charms and hexes, and ancient soul magic and rituals to match the qualifications you're looking for in a Professor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.  WORK EXPERIENCE Sales Apprentice (1945 "“ Present) Borgin and Burkes, Knockturn Alley Responsibility:As a Sales Apprentice, I help Mr. Caractacus Burke handle clients wanting to part with their treasures or looking for neat additions to their family collection of magical antiques. I have reached and exceeded the annual quota marked by Mr. Burke and am instrumental in gaining priceless artifacts such as Hufflepuff's Cup, Slytherin's Locket, and Ravenclaw's Diadem. Achievements:Revenue increased by 15% every year, broken the curse of 77 cursed objects, updated the failing wards of the antique shop to keep the thieves and competition out, experimented on various applications of soul magic.  TECHNICAL SKILLS Soul Magic 5/5 Cursebreaking 5/5 Warding 5/5 Offensive Magic 5/5 Defensive Magic 4/5 Charms 4/5 Hexes 5/5 Dueling 5/5  EDUCATION Wizarding Britain Core Subjects (1938 "“ 1945) Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry GPA: 10 NEWTs (8 - Outstanding, 2 - Exceeds Expectations) Relevant Coursework: Defense Against the Dark Arts | Charms | Care of Magical Creatures | Transfiguration | Potions | Arithmancy | Ancient Runes | History of Magic | Muggle Studies | Divination Achievements: Slytherin Prefect (1944 "“ 1945), Head Boy (1944 "“ 1945), Dueling Champion (1939 "“ 1945), and recipient of Special Award for Services to the School (1943) ADDITIONAL SKILLS Excellent Magical Language Skills (Parseltonque, Goobledygook, Mermish) In-depth knowledge of offensive hexes and defensive charms Familiarity with ancient and recent wizarding lore Efficient in magical warding and cursebreaking Adept with curses and counter-curses

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After a few years of professional experience, should I leave college jobs on my resume?

I've been out of college and employed as a software engineer for about three years now, and in addition I've been doing a decent amount of freelance work at the same time. Now that I've started looking around at other positions, I'm wondering if I should reduce or entirely remove some of the internships and part-time jobs that I had in college in order to not distract from my more recent and relevant professional experience.

In my specific case, I have a few assistantships and internships that while I think they provide more depth and show the breadth of my experience, are just going to be far less important to potential employers.

So, what's the general rule on listing college work experience on a resume after 3-5 years of professional experience?

• work-experience

• In my experience you should only go into detail about positions you held in the last 5-10 years depending how long you had each position. Your college works, college jobs unless they were the company your applying to, offer very little insight to you as an employee. The space on the resume is better left to your contract work. –  Donald Commented Jul 31, 2012 at 13:05

5 Answers 5

Obviously internships and part time jobs wont count as much as full time positions and your CV should reflect that. If you have space by all means include them, a few will be good. However make sure the space that you devote is proportional to how significant they are. The last thing you want is for your ASDA summer job to take space away from your full time job at NASA :).

• I agree here. I have accomplishments I have done in sports as a small section on mine that have had a huge positive in my first job as well as moving up and landing my second job. They like to see initiative, drive, and determination. If they show it, then add them. Proportionally of course. –  Adam Commented Jul 24, 2012 at 22:15
• +1 great answer. I just have the title of the job. However, if the work that you did in those summer jobs or internships is significant to you or to your job application, give it more emphasis and more detail description. –  tehnyit Commented Jul 25, 2012 at 7:54
• Thanks for the answer. I've decided to just cut those college jobs down to just a short two line description. Leaves plenty of space for more relevant stuff. –  Chaser324 Commented Jul 28, 2012 at 0:32

The "general rule on listing college work experience on a resume after 3-5 years of professional experience" is "it depends" .

The overall rule is that your resume includes everything that showcases your skills and experience but that also remains within the generally accepted and desired 1-2 page range .

As a hiring manager, if you held only that one position for those 3 to 5 years after college, I would still prefer to see those part-time jobs from college, because you're early enough in your career that I'm still using your resume to get a full picture of who you are and how you've grown as an employee, and if that starts early, I'm interested. However, if you've been there 5 to 7 years, I care considerably less about that, because who you are as an employee is clear: someone who stays in one place for some time.

If you held multiple jobs over those 3 to 5 years, then I want to see all of those listed as well -- same reasoning (I want to see how you've grown as an employee) but with more attention paid to the types of jobs you've hopped around to, to try to figure out why (bored, bad fit, moved to a new area, etc).

Now, in either of those situations, if the work you did in college was dramatically different (e.g. pizza delivery versus computer programming), then I would clearly classify those as "Miscellaneous" or something like that, and list them just for completeness (and in truth, many companies will ask you to complete a job application listing all your jobs for the last 10+ years, so you might very well have to do it anyway).

For example, you might have:

Some Job Title, Some Company, Some Location, 2009-2012 Description and list of skills used. Past Positions Held Pizza Delivery (part-time), Some Company College Town, 2009 Video Store Clerk (part-time), Some Company College Town, 2008

But, if the part-time stuff was relevant, I would be totally happy to see this no matter the space it takes:

Some Important Job Title, Some Company, Some Location, 2009-2012 Description and list of skills used. Some Job Title (part-time), Some Company, Some Location, 2009 Description and list of skills used. Some Job Title (part-time), Some Company, Some Location, 2008 Description and list of skills used.

...until I see this :

Some Really Important Job Title, Some Company, Some Location, 2016-2020 Description and list of skills used. Some Moderately More Important Job Title, Some Company, Some Location, 2012-2016 Description and list of skills used. Some Important Job Title, Some Company, Some Location, 2009-2012 Description and list of skills used.

Probably somewhere in 2013 or 2014 the imaginary person in this example could knock the college off the list, and certainly by the completion of that second position listed.

Again, the goal is to give the best (and most accurate) picture of you that you can give, in the space you have to give it. That may include 9 entries for 9 years (5 years plus college), 2 entries for nine years, or anywhere in between.

Leave them as is , if you find that assistantships and internships to be very challenging project that you have accomplished. This is your accomplishments !

Another option would be writing these experience in detail as an independent project(s) that you have completed !

One solution I've used in the past was to summarize all part-time jobs as a single entry at the bottom of the list. This de-emphasizes them, but you can still refer to them if the hiring manager is interested. E.g.

• Skills needed, responsibilities held, etc
• Company C, "jobtitle", three word summary
• Company D, internship, three word summary
• Company E, "jobtitle", three word summary

I'd keep all the relevant jobs. If you worked as a pizza delivery, a tech support and a webmaster during college, mention about pizza delivery, describe the tech support in a one or two lines and write more about webmaster stuff.

I had the same problem with my education. I finished two universities. I was studying computer science in one and management in the other. When I applied for an IT job I focused on the computer science studies and only mentioned the other faculty.

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Articles & Advice > Internships and Careers > Articles

Best Insider Tips to Land Your First Job Out of College

Don't be intimidated by your first big job hunt. Learn the best strategies and resources to make your career search successful here!

by Marie Hershberger Business Manager, Talaria Burbank

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2023

Originally Posted: Oct 16, 2019

At some point, all college students will graduate and look forward to life after college. While it’s exciting, it takes a lot of strategizing to figure out what the right position, employer, and job location are for you. Instead of postponing your job hunt, be confident in your skill set and all the hard work you did to get your degree. Getting your first job out of college will go smoothly if you decide on a specific career path, write an outstanding résumé, and use the appropriate online tools to benefit you.

Decide on a career path

You’ve worked hard to get a degree, and now it’s time to think about which specific career path to take . You’ve probably been thinking about this for a while. After graduation, you should solidify which direction you’re heading in. Consider what you’d like to do full-time. If you have specific skills, use your degree for the position you desire. If you double-majored or have a minor, for example, there might be more than a couple job options to pursue. Depending on your skill set, you can decide what role will best fit with your degree and career goals moving forward. Take the time to write out job specifics and figure out where you’re the most trained. For example, say you have a bachelor’s degree in Communications , and your focus is in interpersonal communications. Here are some options you have for a career path:

• Social media manager
• Event planner
• Development officer
• Health educator
• Technical writer

As you can see, there are many options to choose from, and some positions encompass more than one specialty. Have a good idea of what positions you want to look for before you start searching.

Related: What Career Path Is Right for Your Personality?

Write your résumé

There are many examples of exceptional résumés out there, and your college’s career office will have quite a few examples to check out. You can also chat with your college advisor and see what he or she recommends you highlighting. Remember that the perfect résumé will still need tweaking from time to time—you’ll need to highlight skills for one target job and other skills for different potential employers. When you’re writing your résumé, keep in mind there are three primary kinds of résumés job hunters use:

• Chronological
• Combination

New graduates typically use a functional résumé layout . Why? Functional layouts are a good fit for new graduates because they highlight skills and work experiences. Chronological résumés are common, but since they list work experience from most recent to least recent, it’s likely not a good fit. You’re a new graduate who doesn’t have a lot of work experience yet, and that’s okay. A functional résumé will highlight your skills and how you can contribute those skills to a new position. And if you’re wondering what a combination résumé is, it’s just what it sounds like: a combination that features your previous jobs and your skills! When you work on your résumé, make a few different copies. Making various versions based on the companies you’re targeting will better align you with each unique job position. But always be sure to list the following:

• Contact information
• Description of your career goals
• Accomplishments in college
• Career-related activities (i.e., volunteer work, study abroad, professional associations, and leadership positions)

Related: Entry-Level Résumé Mistakes to Avoid as a New Grad

Develop a job-hunting strategy

Now that your résumé is all set, start learning all you can about your job focus! But you shouldn’t go into this without a strategy and a health focus on your end goals for where you may end up. Before applying for jobs, there’s some research you should do.   Here are a couple of distinct things you should be doing and looking for in your job search.

Study the job market and current salaries

The job market varies depending on where you live, so do some research on the job market in your area. You can also look at salary trends online by typing in a key phrase such as “entry-level” in front of job titles you want to look up. (One site that can assist you in looking up salaries is Indeed, which lets you see what you potentially could get paid.)

Establish a schedule

As you start your search, treat it as a job and establish a daily schedule. The trick to job hunting is to be consistent and checking for new job listing every day—because there will be new listings every day. Just because one day may look bleak without a lot of offerings, doesn’t mean you won’t see two or three (or maybe more!) great listing that just get posted on a different day. Sticking with a schedule will keep you accountable and dedicated.

Related: 5 Job Search Survival Tips for College Seniors

Use the right tools

The internet makes it easy to search and apply for jobs, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to look first. There are so many tools available to you, so why don’t we discuss a few? (We also included a few different ways to look for jobs. These unique tools may enable you to find an incredible career that other job hunters haven’t caught onto yet!)

You would think that more graduates would look for jobs on Facebook, but it turns out that the social media powerhouse didn’t allow companies to post job ads until 2017 . You may not notice every Facebook job ad that pops up, which is why it’s ideal that you can search for jobs in your area. Search for jobs on Facebook, and you can apply directly on the platform as well!

Who hasn’t heard of Indeed ? Search this website and you’ll find millions of job listings. It pulls from various sources such as newspaper classifieds, company career pages, job boards, and more.

Not only is LinkedIn a great way to showcase your skills, educational achievements, and jobs, it’s also ideal for job hunting! LinkedIn is the biggest online professional network for a reason. You can hunt for jobs, recruiters can contact you, and don’t forget—you should be networking too! There are countless of other sites where you can hunt for jobs on, such as Glassdoor, Monster, Twitter, Instagram—the list goes on and on. (Yes, companies do post on Instagram and Twitter looking for new employees!) Here’s a tip: pull up job listings by searching for hashtags such as #nowhiring and add locations such as #nowhiringarizona. Do some research and make a short list of your favorite sites so you don’t get overwhelmed. After a while, explore other sites and compare them to see if there are more or fewer opportunities than what’s on your shortlist.

Related:  How to Be Smart When Building a Strong LinkedIn Profile

Apply and prepare for interviews

Who would have thought that more than 60% of people who hunt for work on Indeed use their smartphone to apply? It’s convenient to look for work on your mobile phone, and it’s easy to submit an application too. After you fill out an application, confidently submit it. You may not hear back from an employer right away, but it’s good to start applying for various jobs that interest you. Refer to your shortlist of job sites so you can regularly apply for jobs, and when you get a call, get excited because it’s interview time! We could write a whole other article on interviews, but just know that you need to dress to impress and prepare ahead of time . Read up on a company, know about the position, and develop a series of responses and questions. There’s no doubt you’ll succeed!

Bonus: Take advantage of your college’s resources

There are many colleges resources at your disposal. Check out the college career office, college job fairs, and recruiting programs. Use these resources to help you hunt for a job. One of the most important resources you should take advantage of is the college career center . If you haven’t already, visit your college’s career services office to get hooked up with multiple job-hunting services. Career center staff can point you to job and internship listings, career counseling, and other forms of assistance. They also can help you tweak your résumé and cover letter and practice interviews with you. While at the career center, you should ask about upcoming job fairs or if there are any networking opportunities available.

Related: 9 Essential Job Search Resources for College Students

As you can see, applying for jobs takes a lot of strategizing. However, after working hard on your degree, this should be the easy part. You have all the skills and experience you need to get a great entry-level job out of school; you just have to look for the right career path and do the work of presenting all you have to offer in the right way. Follow these tips and soon enough you’ll have more interviews lined up than you can handle!

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• How Long Should You Stay at...

How Long Should You Stay at Your First Job Out of College?

6 min read · Updated on December 15, 2021

Learn when to stay and when to quit your first job out of college.

As you journey through your career, you will likely face some tough, major decisions: For example, when should you take a leap of faith and move to a new position, and when is it best to play it safe and stay put at a current job?

These two questions tend to pop up a few years after landing your first “real” job, i.e. not a summer internship or school job. Most entry-level employees start at the bottom and work their way up the ranks. You have to learn new skills, gain valuable on-the-job training, and grow your work experience first. As time goes on, however, it can often become difficult to determine if you have learned what you need in order to advance, or if you should stay a little while longer. Here's some key advice to consider when you're determining whether it's time to start looking for a new role or continue on at your current company.

Your first job after college often isn't your dream job

A first employer is a starting point on the board game of life. First jobs for college graduates are great for learning valuable skills — you learn from the industry's best minds (hopefully) and take those experiences with you on the road to your dream career. Think of your first job as an extension of college, where professors taught you the skills and techniques necessary to enter your desired field. First jobs teach you how to apply those techniques in the “real world.”

There's no golden rule stating how long you should stay at your first job for a new company — just don't wait until you're grey and wrinkled to find something better.

Pay your dues

As a young and hungry first-time employee, it's not uncommon to want to rush and get ahead of the game. That's not quite how it works, though; you have to pay your dues. Everyone starts out small and has to work menial positions. Don't aim for your boss's chair until you've earned the right to sit in it.

Likewise, hiring managers cringe when recent graduates and new hires leave a company quickly. To some, it shows that you never intended to learn the ropes and instead used them as a stepping-stone to a better job. Don't make this fatal mistake. Not only will it burn bridges you may need later in life during a job search, but it's also rude and distasteful. Recruiters recommend staying at your first job after college for at least a year before making any big changes. Rather than rush to enter the race, take the time to learn from others in your field, talk to your supervisor and learn from their wisdom, and volunteer for tasks no one wants. You won't regret these actions down the road.

Be realistic

New graduates tend to make one common mistake: They're unrealistic about the first five years of their career. Students often leave college thinking they'll take on the world, move up the ranks within a few months or years, and open their own corporation. It is seldom that easy in a short period of time — becoming an industry leader takes time. Not only do you have to build a solid reputation, but competition is also fierce.

Related: What to Expect From Your First Job Out of College?

Look for big opportunities at your first job

If you find that your first job after college offers some great benefits, it may be worth staying long term. Does the company offer sabbatical or “meternity” after working several years? Are stock options available? Some benefits at a great company are worth the wait.

Some companies have a high turnover rate, so look for trends in supervisor roles. If you work hard and learn the ropes, you may be able to earn a promotion faster than you would at other companies. Just be warned: High turnover rates can also be a red flag. Ask questions and learn why so many team members leave.

Keep compatibility in mind

Sometimes the job at a current employer just isn't a good fit. Team leaders may expect employees to take on unreasonable workloads, the job description may not have accurately reflected the position, the overall environment may not be conducive to a positive workflow for you — the possibilities for incompatibility are endless. Give it at least three months. If you still feel it isn't a good fit, start looking for a new position.

What if you leave before your first year is finished?

While staying at your first job for at least one year is usually the minimum suggested, remember that this is not a concrete rule. There are times when you can — and should — move on to better opportunities. If you tried everything in your power to make it work and just couldn't, or maybe you got a better offer, what's next? If you decide to leave your job before one year is up, it is advised to stay at your next job for at least two to three years. Leaving the second job early establishes a negative pattern and could make you look like a job hopper. It sends the message you aren't committed to the job or, worse, cause problems within the team. You don't want hiring managers to get the wrong impression.

Just remember, if it's been less than a year, write a thank-you note to the hiring manager , your supervisor, and the head of your department. Tell them you appreciate everything you learned from them and how they made it possible for you to advance in the industry. This goes a long way in preventing hurt feelings or resentment for leaving early.

Once you decide to leave your first job, leave gracefully ; don't tell the boss or other team members how you really feel. Keep up appearances and treat everyone with respect and decency. It's easy to burn bridges during the job hunt, and the chances to rebuild them are few and far between.

Leaving your first job? Submit your resume for a free resume critique to make sure it's up to par!

Recommended Reading:

How to Write an Entry-Level Resume for Your First Post-College Job

Tackling the Transition from Campus to Office

6 Ways to Rock Your First Entry-Level Job After Graduation

Related Articles:

Set Goals That Really Matter for Your Career

10 Back-to-School Resolutions for Your Career

Lean Methodology: The 5 Principles Explained (and their Benefits)

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What to put on the resume after my first job

Hi. I'm currently working on my first job out of college (graduated last year) and I was recently contacted by a recruiter asking for my resume. I was wondering what should/shouldn't go on my current resume? Of course I would put half a page (or more) on my current job, but should I remove the internship experience from college (that was over two years ago). If I remove my internship experience/other experience from college, I have nothing else to put on my resume because I have only had one job.

5 Tips on How to Transition from High School to College

Congratulations on nearing the end of your high school journey! You're about to embark on an exciting new chapter in your life. If you’re planning to continue your education and earn your Bachelor’s degree right after high school, brace yourself for an exciting and transformative journey ahead. Going from high school to college is a significant life transition and it marks the beginning of a new adventure filled with opportunities for growth and discovery.

Entering college from high school can feel as though you have stepped into a completely different world, with more rigorous course loads, freedom to study any subject that piques your interest, and access to a diverse community of students and faculty. While this new chapter in life is full of excitement, it can be daunting and overwhelming. As you near the end of your highschool journey and prepare for life as a college student, there are a few important steps to consider to ensure a smooth transition to college life. In this blog, we’ll go over 5 tips that can help you effortlessly transition from high school to college. 

1. Get organized

It comes at no surprise that life as a college student is significantly different from life as a high school student. Heavier course loads, balancing work responsibilities, being involved on campus with clubs and organizations, and spending time with friends are all part of the college experience. It's a dynamic period in your life where you'll navigate newfound independence while juggling various commitments and aspirations. Embracing this transition means adapting to a more rigorous academic environment, honing time management skills, and nurturing social connections that enrich your personal and academic growth.

With all of these commitments to juggle, it's crucial to get organized before your first day of classes and maintain that organization throughout the school year . Coursework, studying, job responsibilities, and other obligations can quickly become overwhelming if not managed efficiently. Keeping a calendar, whether it's a physical planner or digital application, can help you keep track of deadlines, appointments, and important events. By regularly updating your calendar and prioritizing tasks, you can ensure that nothing falls through the cracks and maintain a balanced approach to your responsibilities.

2. Take advantage of resources

As a college student, you will have access to a plethora of resources to support you and your goals. Colleges offer a wide range of resources to support students, including academic advising, tutoring services, counseling centers, and health services. As you enter college, one of the first steps to ensuring a smooth transition from high school to college is to familiarize yourself with the resources that your college of choice provides. You can utilize most resources after you have officially made the decision to attend the university even prior to beginning your first day of classes, so don't hesitate to seek help when needed.

As an incoming first-year, speaking to an academic advisor will help you start your semester on the right track as your schools’ academic services provide guidance and support in course selection, academic planning, and navigating university policies and procedures. One helpful tip in starting your college journey off strong is to meet with an academic advisor and create a graduation plan that you can use as a roadmap throughout your time in college. This can help you take stress off your shoulders as you’ll be able to have a general idea of what classes you need to register for come time for course registration.

Another important resource that will prove to be helpful is the career center , which provides guidance and resources for career planning, internships, job searches, and professional development. Colleges and universities also offer a campus counseling center , which offers confidential support and guidance to students facing various challenges, ranging from academic stress to personal issues. As an NJIT student, you can be sure that your needs will be met. NJIT offers a variety of support services and resources to assist students in their academic, professional, and personal endeavors.

3. Stay connected

One of the most significant parts of attending college is the ability to form strong relationships and academic and professional connections. Take advantage of the opportunities you’ll have entering college to network and begin forming long-lasting connections. You can start by exploring your schools’ student clubs and organizations, where you’ll be able to participate in activities with like minded individuals and discover your passions. Another great way to connect with others is to participate in campus events to connect. Keep an eye out for emails, flyers, and your college's student life office to stay up to date on what's happening on campus.

One helpful tip is to utilize your professors office hours , which can be a great way to network with faculty that share your academic interests. Building relationships with professors, classmates, and professionals in your field can lead to internship opportunities, job referrals, and career advice. Many job opportunities are found through networking, so establishing connections early can give you a competitive edge in the job market.

4. Be open-minded

College will present you with a multitude of opportunities for personal growth, exploration, new encounters with people from various backgrounds, and the chance to cultivate a network of connections that can shape your future endeavors. To make the most of these opportunities, it's crucial to cultivate an open-minded attitude. 

Embrace diversity by actively seeking out opportunities to engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and be open to learning from their experiences and viewpoints. Challenge your assumptions by approaching new ideas with curiosity and humility, and be willing to revise your perspective based on new information or insights gained through conversation with others. Practice active listening when engaging with classmates, professors, and other members of the college community, and strive to understand their perspectives without immediately judging or dismissing them.

And most importantly, step out of your comfort zone and explore unfamiliar subjects, activities, and opportunities as it is through this openness that you'll grow academically, professionally, and personally. So remember, as you begin college, enter with an open mind and embrace these opportunities so that you can make the most of your college experience and expand your horizons.

5. Stay focused on your goals

Last but not least, as an incoming first-year college student, you’ll want to remember to stay focused on your goals. Even if you aren’t sure of what you want to do after college, or even during college, make self-discovery a priority so that you can finish your college years off strong. Do this by exploring various academic disciplines, participating in internships, joining clubs and organizations related to your interests, and seeking guidance from professors, advisors, and career services. Take advantage of the resources and opportunities available on campus to gain clarity about your passions, strengths, and career aspirations. 

Remember that it's okay to change your mind and adapt your goals as you learn and grow throughout your college journey. By staying focused and proactive in your pursuit of self-discovery and personal growth, you'll set yourself up for success both academically and professionally.

Apply to NJIT today

Congratulations on taking the next step in your academic journey and preparing for your first year in college. As you transition into college from high school, you’ll want to be sure to stay organized with your time, priorities, and goals, and take advantage of resources that can help you succeed. With plenty of programs to choose from and faculty that will have your back along the way, NJIT will help you reach your academic and professional goals. Apply today !

• MyU : For Students, Faculty, and Staff

hUMNs of Chemistry #16

She/her/hers Associate Professor

Tell us about your journey to the University of Minnesota.

I first came to the U in the fall of 2006 as a chemistry graduate student, worked in Christy Haynes' group, and received my PhD in 2011. After a postdoc, I joined the chemistry department at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) as an assistant professor in 2014. During my time at VMI I realized I really enjoyed teaching and running teaching labs. My partner and I also missed living in the Twin Cities. I came back to the U in the Fall of 2017 as the term assistant professor for analytical chemistry.

What courses do you teach? What can students expect to get out of your course?

I teach introductory analytical chemistry lecture and lab, modern methods of instrumental chemistry lab, general chemistry I and general chemistry II. In all of the courses I teach students work on their critical thinking skills and how errors effect the accuracy and precision of their experiments.

Tell us about an important mentor in your academic life?

I can't choose just one, but the chemistry professors at my undergrad, Cornell College, were amazing. They had high expectations, but were always supportive and kind. They made learning tough topics approachable and were amazing role models. I try to be as good of a professor as they were and are each day.

What do you do outside of the classroom/lab/office for fun?

I enjoy being outdoors as much as possible. I like walking with my spouse and dogs, running with my running group, biking, and cross-country skiing. I read cozy mystery novels and travel during breaks in the academic year.

What’s your favorite piece of chemistry/science pop culture media? Why do you love it?

I still love the cheesy 1980's movie Real Genius. The idea of blowing up a giant jiffy pop popcorn bag with a military grade laser to destroy the evil professor's house is still hilarious. 

What was your very first job?

I worked as a fry cook at my undergraduate college's snack cafe. I worked the flat top, fryer, and made milkshakes.

Where is your favorite spot in the Twin Cities?

I love the trailhead @ Theodore Wirth Park. I spend most of my winter skiing there and I love how you can be out in nature and be able to see the city skyline.

Tell us about who makes up your household (including pets).

I live with my husband and two golden retrievers, Pepper(11) and Grey(2).

Arceus Pogany

They/Them/Theirs Senior Laboratory Technician

Please give a brief description of your role within the UMN Chemistry department.

I work with Patrick Schildt and Laura Kundel in the stockroom to support various teaching labs. Getting/creating materials, cleaning spaces and equipment, helping with safety and more to have successful classes.

I graduated from Macalester college and found it to be the best time of my life. Working in academia was a career goal, since an environment of learning is exactly what I like the best. I had a couple roles in commercial laboratories before ending up at the East Bank. I hope this is the start of a long career at the U!

Do you have a background in or like chemistry? Tell us about it!

My background is in biology, but that's because it was the most broad science major to pick. I have the problem of liking too many different things to pick just one, so that's why I majored in biology. I've always been interested in organic chemistry, since my father was an avid gardener and he had his compost heap down to a science to ensure the right ratio of nitrogen and carbon to get rich soil for his vegetables.

What professional successes are most important to you?

Improving myself every day. Be it with learning a new skill, mastering an old one, or staying informed about scientific discoveries, I like to feel like I go to bed a better person than when I woke up.

What do you hope to contribute to the chemistry community at the University?

Enthusiasm, accuracy, and a cheerful greeting everyday.

The Magic School Bus. I refused to play with dolls, but Ms. Frizzle was my one exception when mom bought a Ms. Frizzle doll from a Scholastic book fair when I was in elementary school. I loved her so much I almost tore her head off, and mom had to meticulously match the thread color with the fabric and stitch it back together. Someday I'll probably buy the whole series on disc if I can find it.

I worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington as a Youth Conservation Corps member. I did all sorts of things, like painting park buildings, catching and banding birds, clearing trails, cutting down invasive species, educating visitors, and wildlife surveys to name just some of the fun things I was able to do. I really loved the job!

I like to go hiking in the state parks with my DSLR camera. I will usually have quite a few pictures of fungus, moss, birds, and interesting tree bark by the time I'm finished.

What non-chemistry interest or activity of yours might surprise department members?

I started foraging for mushrooms a few years ago and it's been very fun! A giant puffball even popped up in the front yard that I was able to harvest for stir fry. It really is just like tofu for cooking.

Lake of the Isles. Mom and I love to walk, bike, or kayak around it. I keep a keen eye out for the birds, as we've seen kingfishers, egrets, loons, herons, and all sorts of migrating songbirds around it.

I live with my mom, Gillian and one-and-a-half year old cat, Matey. I also have numerous houseplants and a bioluminescent dinoflagellate (Pyrocystis fusiformis) colony!

Are there any family or cultural traditions you want to share with our community?

I have native white sage growing in the boulevard that we harvest and put into campfires to make wishes and share gratitude for what we have.

Daneasha Zackery

She/her/hers Graduate Student, Douglas Group

One day, as an undergraduate, one of my professors approached me about a great opportunity. She had told me about the Chemnext program hosted by the University of Minnesota. She said if I was interested in graduate school, then I should apply immediately (as the deadline was only two days away). I applied, and luckily, I was chosen to come and experience this community that I have come to appreciate dearly. It was during the Chemnext experience that I realized UofM was somewhere I wanted to be.

Are you involved in any student groups? What inspired you to get involved?

I am a member of NoBCChE. I was inspired to connect with other Black scientists along this journey in higher education to extend my sense of community.

What advice do you have for incoming chemistry students?

This journey is not linear, and will most likely be quite difficult at points, but always remember to celebrate your achievements. No matter how small they may seem in comparison to the overarching goal you have in graduate school, they are the things that will compel you to keep going and keep pursuing your dreams.

Dr. Eric Crumpler was my first chemistry professor and mentor. He is the person who made me realize that I could pursue chemistry as a career, and his teaching and mentorship taught me the value of "people first" as a way to approach being a scientist. We hold a social obligation to use our knowledge and findings to better the lives of the whole.

I am a big foodie and a snack enthusiast!

Related news releases

• Professor George Barany retires after a 44 year career at the University of Minnesota
• hUMNs of Chemistry #15
• Hannah Kenagy and Melissa Ramirez join Department of Chemistry
• hUMNs of Chemistry #14
• hUMNs of Chemistry #13
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Election latest: Senior Tory says bets on date are 'stupid' but seeks to play down scale of scandal

Many more people than the leading Tories already identified are being investigated by the gambling regulator over election betting, Sky News understands. Earlier, James Cleverly told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips he has "no reason to believe" any cabinet ministers are involved.

Sunday 23 June 2024 23:52, UK

• General Election 2024

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• 'Many more people' under investigation in Tory election betting scandal
• Cleverly: 'No reason to believe' any ministers involved
• Tory betting scandal: What is the law around gambling?
• Labour candidate's office vandalised in 'anti-democratic attack'
• Live reporting by Faith Ridler

Election essentials

• Manifesto pledges: Alliance Party | Conservatives | Greens | Labour | Lib Dems | Plaid Cymru | Reform | SNP | Sinn Fein | Workers Party
• Trackers:  Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Campaign Heritage: Memorable moments from elections gone by
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts: Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more:  Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Guide to election lingo | Sky's election night plans

We'll be back at 6am with all the latest from this busy election campaign, which has entered its latter days before polls open on 4 July.

Until then, you can scroll through the posts below to catch up on the day.

Join us for more live updates on Monday.

It's an election campaign - and that means political donations have ramped up.

What exactly are the rules on donations? Do they change for elections? Who gets the most money? Why do people donate? And can parties give funds back?

Here, we explain...

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer has tonight offered further details of an "awkward" hustings in Plymouth, after which he claimed his Labour rival was "bloating" his military service.

Mr Mercer, who is standing as the Conservative candidate for the Plymouth Moor View constituency, took aim at his Labour opponent Fred Thomas after the event on Wednesday.

The minister questioned whether the Labour candidate had served in combat missions during his time as a Royal Marine, as had been reported by the Guardian newspaper in 2023.

Labour has said Mr Thomas is unable to discuss much of his role in the armed forces because of its "sensitive" nature.

Now, in a lengthy social media post, Mr Mercer described the event, which he said "descended into anarchy".

In response to Mr Mercer's comments, Labour's shadow defence secretary John Healey said: "The Commanding Officer of the Special Forces Support Group wrote of Fred's integrity and his character. Those words will not have been penned lightly. Mr Mercer should do the right thing and withdraw his deeply disrespectful remarks."

By Adam Boulton , Sky News commentator

Have you ever taken part in an opinion poll? I was about to say I haven't and then a dim memory surfaced from decades ago of a nice lady with a clipboard asking me questions in the Berkshire town of Pangbourne.

Whether or not your opinions have been sampled, you will have found it impossible to miss coverage of polls during this election campaign.

Reporting of opinion polls has been such a feature of the race that some are complaining about it. The controversy has been inflamed after the dramatic results shown in recent MRP polls,  such as this week's YouGov survey for Sky News .

Critics range from those who argue polls are one-day wonders that take coverage away from the "real issues" to others grumbling that polls distort how people vote, even though they may turn out to be wrong.

In this election, there are at least 18 separate companies publishing voting intention polls. They are busier than ever now the campaign is under way.

Read the rest of Adam's column here:

A flurry of general elections since 2015 has brought an unprecedented churn in our parliamentary representatives.

This year, two in five MPs aren't seeking re-election and the picture for the Conservatives is record-breakingly grim.

An unparalleled total of 23% of Conservative MPs are calling it a day in 2024, more than the previous high of 22% of Tories who quit in 1997, another year of boundary changes.

In contrast, only 15% of Labour MPs are resigning.

There are many reasons MPs quit: from retirement, family commitments and health concerns to career change, abolished constituencies, and the prospect of defeat.

But their decision to depart can reveal much about life in Westminster and have a significant impact on parliament's mix of experience, demographics, and the direction of political parties.

Dr Sofia Collignon, associate professor in Comparative Politics, analyses the churn in our representatives here:

Our politics show hosted by political correspondent Ali Fortescue has just wrapped up for today.

But don't worry - the Politics Hub will be live at 7pm on Sky News every night through the election campaign.

And until then, you can keep up with all the latest right here.

This is the question asked by our political correspondent Darren McCaffrey ...

In 2019, Liz Truss was once again elected MP for South West Norfolk - her fourth election win.

The then international trade secretary and later prime minister romped home to victory with nearly 70% of the vote.

Her constituency was one of the safest in the country.

Now, if the polls are to be believed, it is hanging in the balance.

Watch below as Darren tries to track Ms Truss down:

The full list of candidates in the South West Norfolk constituency is:

• Earl Elvis of East Anglia - The Official Monster Raving Loony Party • James Bagge - Independent • Gary Conway - Heritage Party • Pallavi Devulapalli - Green Party • Lorraine Douglas - Communist Party of Great Britain • Terry Jermy - Labour Party • Toby McKenzie - Reform UK • Josie Ratcliffe - Liberal Democrats • Liz Truss - Conservative and Unionist Party

Crossbench peer Lord Darroch is next up with Ali Fortescue.

She asks if Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer becoming prime minister would change the UK's relationship with the European Union.

"Yes, there will be a reset," he says. "I think that he is hosting a European political community summit in Blenheim House within a couple of weeks of the election."

Lord Darroch says Sir Keir will likely be "the star of that show".

"If he wins as big as some of the polls suggest, this will be a historic margin of victory.

"All the other leaders will want to meet him, and talk to him, and discover how he did it."

He will find himself "almost mobbed" at this summit, Lord Darroch claims.

Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.

It shows a drop in support in recent days for Labour and the Tories - with a jump for Reform and the Liberal Democrats.

Read more about the tracker here .

The Metropolitan Police have opened an investigation into criminal damage after Labour candidate for Walthamstow Stella Creasy's office was attacked.

Photos shared by Ms Creasy on social media appear to show the that the glass of one of the windows and the front door was hit several times.

Detectives Superintendent Dion Brown, one of the senior officers responsible for policing Waltham Forest, said: "It is entirely unacceptable for the office of one of London's prospective parliamentary candidates to be targeted in this way.

"An urgent investigation is under way, and officers have attended the scene and are already following up active lines of enquiry, which will include full analysis of all available CCTV footage.

"The incident is believed to have occurred between 03:10hrs and 03:30hrs on Sunday, 23 June.

"I urge any witnesses or anyone with information to contact police and share what they know.

"Anyone who witnessed the damage being caused, or who has other information, should call police on 101 with the reference 2621/23jun."

Ms Creasy sent a message to the perpetrators herself, writing on social media: "You don't intimidate me and you don't belong in the political process.

"Same as those circulating malicious and false leaflets. Police already on this to find you - will press for the strongest penalties for such an anti-democratic attack and I know Walthamstow won't be cowed or influenced by your violence either."

Here is the full list of candidates standing in the constituency of Walthamstow:

• Imran Arshad, Workers Party of Britain
• Mohammed Ashfaq, independent
• Stella Creasy, Labour Party
• Dan Edelstyn, independent
• Sanjana Madan Mohan Karnani, Conservative Party
• Martin Lonergan, Reform UK
• Ruth Theresa Rawlins, independent
• Rosalinda Ayo Rowlands, Green Party
• Nancy Taaffe, Trade Union and Socialist Coalition
• Rebecca Taylor, Liberal Democrats

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