(ThyBlackMan.com) Months before climb up on stage and snap that long-dreamed of graduation selfie, you worry about your resume. It’s that pressure-packed time of year when search engines are inundated with queries like resume advice, how to write a college resume, college graduate resume, how to write a resume with no experience, and resume for first work, just to name a few. A new batch of graduates will then have their first real taste of the corporate world.
In the US alone, almost two million students will graduate from college this year, and that excludes those who now search for “recent graduate resume example,” the recent grads who have not yet 
landed jobs. Virtually all of them will apply to jobs relevant to their majors and almost all of them shall also submit resumes peppered with embarrassing errors enough to make employers cringe. Rookie mistakes are understandable, but being a rookie doesn’t mean you cannot know what to put on a resume for first job. Thankfully, it’s time to digest these 15 resume dos and don’ts for college students and graduates:
First of all, the biggest don’t:
Don’t: Fabricate information. This is self-explanatory. You’ll be caught and be in a world of mess.
- Do: Professional-sounding email. You are looking for a job, not aiming to look cute. Your email should be formally and aptly named after you. If your email is cuddlysquirrelheart@gmail.com, change it, please. Case in point, williamgarciapro@gmail.com sounds more professional, right?
_ - Don’t: High school stuff. Of all the resume dos and don’ts, this deserves reiteration. If you’re a fresh grad, elaborate only the highlights of your last 2 years in college as they are reflective of your current work ethic. Employers don’t care about high school and neither should you.
_ - Do: Include accomplishments in previous jobs. This doesn’t just apply to recent graduates who have little work experience (those that search for recent college graduate resume samples) or the seasoned job-seekers. If you are a fresh grad without work experience, you may include on-the-job training you underwent back in college if you were paid for it.
_ - Don’t: Cite excellence in Word or PowerPoint. This is not a special skill. Proficiency in Word or PowerPoint is a necessity in life. Even kindergartners know how to use these.
_ - Do: Include relevant experiences. Should include experiences that contributed to your skill set. For instance, rather than exaggerate that you “trained employees at a charity fundraiser” at an upscale restaurant, replace with a more honest and realistic “formed 8-strong wait staff and bartender team and presided over a charity event that raised over $10,000 in donations.”
_ - Don’t: Dwell too much on your college performance. Employers couldn’t care less if you got an A+ in all your college papers or in Philosophy. You wouldn’t want to make your resume look like a scholarship application. If you made it to the dean’s list a number of times, mention it. Otherwise, focus on other equally important aspects of your resume.
_ - Do: GPA on resume. How to write a resume with no experience? Stress emphasis on your excellent grades, if they are indeed excellent. This is important for fresh grads. Aside from interview and impression, this is used by employers to gauge your competency.
_ - Don’t: write a long, cliché personal summary. Employers know that this is just for show. Your credentials should speak for you, not your personal summary which is simply a waste of precious space. Oftentimes, personal summaries are detectably curated, not to mention corny.
_ - Do: Impressive summary statement. In no way should this contain your career aspirations. Base the summary statement on the position you are applying for and it must focus on what you can contribute and how you can satisfy the job’s demands.
_ - Don’t: Commit spelling or grammatical errors. The cardinal rule in how to write a college resume. Many employers justifiably throw away resumes that have the slightest grammatical errors. Rightfully so, because a college graduate should not commit any grammatical or spelling errors in the first place. Resume advice: thoroughly review your resume and have it proofread by someone with the right qualifications, say, a friend who majored in English.
_ - Do: Work experience section should be detailed. Surely you’ve had jobs that aren’t related to the post you’re applying for. Often overlooked in the list of resume dos and don’ts, this section indirectly highlights the array of skills that you possess. Remember that every job requires a certain skill that any employer would be happy to have. For example, don’t leave out that short stint you had as a substitute bartender for 2 months, for it takes a certain skill to deal with many different people at once.
_ - Don’t: Include your full address on your resume. This norm is now obsolete due to the prevalence of identity theft. Resume advice: your phone number and email address are enough. Quite frankly, employers don’t need your mailing address. Remember, you already have an email address.
_ - Do: Include your LinkedIn profile. In this day and age, employers will stop at nothing to investigate the credibility of an applicant. Craft an impressive LinkedIn profile and post it below your email address in the header of the resume.
_ - Don’t: Underestimate your minor. Ideal for a resume for first work. A fresh college graduate resume should include your minor because your academic performance (i.e. GPA on resume) is arguably the sole criterion of your employer in hiring you so you might as well capitalize on it. For instance, if your college minor was German, mention it because it will surely boost your chances of landing a job that requires knowledge of a foreign language.
_ - Do: Sports, if you have any. Sports skills easily adapt and translate to a harmonious and competent workplace. Athlete qualities like leadership, teamwork, perseverance are essential to sports as they are to the workplace. Unsurprisingly, employers look for these qualities in the potential members of their workforce. So yes, include the sports you excel at.
This list of 15 resume dos and don’ts for college students and graduates, if understood and followed correctly, should land you that coveted job. The items on this list might sound basic, but with the exception of your credentials, employers only look at the basics of your resume. When it comes to resumes, basics and first impression is the name of the game.
Staff Writer; Jerry Shaw