| By Ally Mueller |
When building a resume, most people know to include relevant work experience, your educational background, honors/awards you received, and potentially a GPA, but there actually are a variety of other topics that can be included on a resume. These topics are especially beneficial for students who may not have an abundance of work experience, as they show the employer that you are still a good candidate for the job. Here are 4 specific ways to build your resume in unexpected ways:
- Include volunteer experience
Although work experience is obviously beneficial to include on a resume, volunteer experience is also extremely valuable. In many cases, volunteering (especially if it is a long term commitment) can result in many of the same benefits as holding a job, as you learn leadership, project management, and time management skills. Additionally, employers view volunteering very positively, as it shows that you are active in your community, not solely financially motivated, and involved in a place/cause about which you are passionate. Remember, just because you didn’t receive a paycheck does not mean that it wasn’t valuable experience!
- Include professionally relevant hobbies
Hobbies are typically not something that most people would include on a resume, but professionally relevant hobbies are often perfect to include under the “Interests” or “Skills” section of a resume. For example, if you’re interested in graphic design, photography is a great skill to include. If you’re pursuing a finance/business position and manage your own stock portfolio, it would definitely be an applicable skill to include on your resume. Hobbies that you would include under the “Interests” tab would likely be more abstract in nature, yet still could indirectly communicate a skill to the employer.
- Include non-professional experiences
Non-professional experiences still count as experiences! Many college students have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester or summer session, and this most certainly counts as an academic experience. If you spoke another language while abroad, be sure to include that under your “Skills” section of the resume. Non-professional experiences can be extremely varied; from having a blog, to tutoring other students, these experiences are impressive and valuable.
- Include interests (non-academic ones, too)
When including interests on a resume, it is often helpful to further investigate the organization that you are interested in to gain insight into the culture of the office and their employees’ interests. If the organization supports a charity that you are involved with, or if you love to run and the organization has a running club, listing these interests on your resume can help the employer to connect with you and ensures them that you are a good fit for the company’s culture. However, be careful to not include too many interests- keep them tasteful and relevant.
Including some of the above 4 recommendations on your resume can set you apart from the competition by presenting you as a well-rounded candidate who has more than just traditional paid experience.