How to Write a Resume?
As UCSI University students, I believe most of you will have to go through internship at some point in your course of study. Internship is basically an official program collaborated by the university and employers from different companies to offer the students, their potential employees, a chance to work at their company for a few months in order to gain valuable work or networking opportunities. Most general programme students at this university are required to go through 3 internships, which are separated into 2 months each. Hence, it is crucial that all students know how to apply for their desired position, starting with how to write their resumes.
Instinctually, you may think that the first part of your resume should start off with your personal information. However, did you know that employers only read the first 15 to 20 words before deciding whether to keep reading? Hence, you should start off your resume with a personalized summary of ideally 3 to 5 sentences. Describe yourself briefly, what you’re passionate about and what you’re looking for in this internship.
Next is your personal and contact information. Usually, you should highlight your name, email, phone number and address at the top of the page or in a prominent position. Including a decent picture of yourself often helps to make your profile more appealing too, and make sure all your information is up to date.
Your past work experience should come next. Summarize your best professional accomplishments and capabilities. Write about your past work experiences clearly, which means you need to write about the name of the company, what kind of responsibilities you had while you were there, what new skills and knowledge you gained and so on in reverse chronological order. However, it is okay if you do not have any work experience. You just need to make sure the other sections of your resume are eye catching enough.
Your educational background is a must to write. It plays a very important role if you lack of work experience, especially when you are still a student. Include the name of your university, your grades, and your academic achievements. List your most advanced educational level first and work backwards. Besides, do not forget about all your relevant co-curricular and volunteering activities, as they could tell the employer a lot about your skills or character. For example, someone who was in the school band may give the impression of being disciplined, hardworking and a team player. It shows what type of person you are to the employer, and whether you are a good fit for the position or not.
Last but not least, include a section about your relevant skills in the area. It should be as concise and precise as possible so it is easier to read and absorb in the least time possible. List your most relevant capabilities in a bullet list. Write about a mix of ‘hard’ skills (the technical qualifications for the job) and ‘soft’ skills (your interpersonal talents). For example, if you are an IT student, you should list down all the relevant programming and computer skill you have, such as Java, Python and so on. Then, include interpersonal skills that you have such as public speaking or leadership qualities. This is particularly important if your field of career places less emphasis on technical abilities and more emphasis on your communication skills.
In a nutshell, these are the 5 basic steps you should include in your resume. Remember to update your resume from time to time so that it best reflects your skills and abilities in any point of time. And good luck in your job search!