Are you a recent graduate or senior in college and at a loss for what to include on your entry-level resume?

Your entry-level resume must be an individual marketing strategy– a subtle but powerful advertisement of yourself. Depending on what sort of job or internship you’re applying for, the format and content may change. What must always remain the same, however, is the entry-level resume’s ability to stand out in a pile of hundreds of other inexperienced students’ resumes.

There are several things that make your resume unique. You’ve likely heard many resume writing tips in the past! Here, we’ve compiled several factors that make an impressive entry-level resume.

Objective Statement

An “objective statement” is a sentence at the top of your resume, which summarizes why you feel you are the ideal candidate for that position.

The general pitfall of an objective statement on an entry-level resume is either making it too specific or too vague.

The well-written objective will tell the employer immediately the kind of job for which you are looking and why they should hire you.

Power-Words

The use of power-words is a great technique to draw attention to the parts of your entry-level resume you want to stand out most. They are noun modifiers that catch the eye of the resume screener, giving your resume an edge.

While it is best to use power-words in your objective statement and the beginning of sentences, you can make every task and responsibility sound proactive and valuable on your entry-level resume. Just be careful to use the correct words in its appropriate context!

Presentation

Presentation is very important in your entry-level resume. Make sure that:

• it has a simple and easy-to read-structure
• it is balanced and uncrowded, with as much space between blocks of text as possible
• it includes all the necessary information (such as extracurricular activities, education and previous employment skills)
• the blocks of text are no longer than six lines
• you use bullet points when describing your past job responsibilities (a great place to include power-words!)
• it is grammatically correct

Make sure that your entry-level resume is uniform with the use of bullet points, boldface, italics and underlining. Stay focused! Keep in mind the job you are applying for and don’t crowd the page with unnecessary details; choose your words wisely–shorter is usually better.

If you know the job and company that you are applying for, it is much easier to create an entry-level resume that will be most appealing to your potential employer. Use these tips to create a comprehensive, easy-to-read and proactive sounding advertisement of yourself.

Of course, professional resume writers can do the work for you and create a very effective entry-level resume!

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