The other day I was doing some recruiting at a local technical school for my company. Reflecting upon the experience, one thing really stood out at me. There were a large number of people who were walking around without a resume.
Now, it’s true than many companies will just ask you to apply online and that many of the resumes that you distribute to potential employers will simply be recycled without much review, but it would be wrong to assume that the act of distributing a resume is futile. Trust me, its not. Here’s why:
Resumes or (CVs for the Europeans) are a list of past experiences and interests. Your goal as someone walking around to various companies to get the recruiters interested in you. Most companies turn away far more people than they accept, and you need to distinguish yourself from the rest of the people applying for a job in some way. Establishing a personal connection with an employer is a great way to get a callback.
At the event I remembered talking to someone who had attended the same university as my little brother. We were able to talk about the school, the curriculum, and the weather there. It was enough for me to remember the rest of the conversation and help me bump the person up a bit when it comes to reviewing them.
These personal connections can come in several forms. I wouldn’t hesitate from including the following on your resume as they are sources for good connections:
- Hobbies
- Universities
- Hometown
- Sport Interests (even in high school)
- Additional Clubs or Interests
- Extracurricular Projects
Now, of course resume design comes into the picture. You don’t want to make your resume too cluttered such that it would be hard for employers to understand what they are looking at. Resume design, however, is very complex, and definitely a topic for another day, when I have more time to write.