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Composing a solid resume is pretty much essential in landing a decent job, unless you have really good connections or the ability to talk your way into anything. For the rest of us out there, we have to rely on the ever-important resume to break the ice for us.
If you are thinking about rewriting your resume, chances are you are either out of work or thinking about switching jobs. In doing so, it’s important to look back at all the jobs you have had and determine which skills might look the most appealing on your resume.
If you haven’t had years of professional experience, this might be a difficult task. These days it’s tough to break into the professional world, especially if you are fresh out of college and have no prior experience. But transferrable skills can come from all types of jobs, no matter if they were just part-time or hourly positions.
If you are having trouble finding a job in the professional world, it might make sense to try and pick up something on the side. Don’t worry about part-time work looking bad on your resume. Studies have shown that companies are more likely to hire people that are already working, rather than those who have been out of work for a long time. And as long as you know how to milk those jobs for attractive skills to throw on your resume, it’s a win-win situation.
One job that many people have had at one time or another but are hesitant to include on their resume is waiting tables. There should be no shame in working as a server. The job itself has many benefits – earning cash tips, flexible scheduling and working with like-minded people.
Working in the service industry also provides many skills for a resume that can easily be overlooked. A customer service background is valuable in any industry, and you can take this one step further and say that you have experience in conflict resolution or problem solving from dealing with the public. Some other positive skills that are gained in the hospitality industry include multi-tasking, working as a team member, keeping track of inventory and staff supervision.
Another job that can easily be picked up freelance and from home is working as a writer. There are many websites that offer minimal pay but lots of experience in composing articles and blogs, and this experience is admirable on pretty much any resume as well. Marketing firms and online publications sometimes don’t have enough money to hire full-time writers, so they hire freelance. A good way to get into this is to simply contact a publication you like and ask them if they are looking for freelancers.
Bank teller is another good hourly job that will prepare you for the real world and better your resume. Once again, this is a job that provides customer service experience. Plus, you can easily work part-time and work your way up to offering loans and opening accounts. Always look to gain more experience and skills in any job; it will benefit you in the future.
These are just a few examples of how you can work past jobs that you might not think are beneficial into your resume. It’s all about how you word things. If you worked at 7-Eleven, instead of saying that you were just a cashier, talk about how you were in charge of inventory, managing cash and credit, trained to deal with robberies, supervision of team members, opening and closing, etc. When rewriting or composing your next resume, remember to look at the glass half full.
- SnagAJob (jobnabreview.com)
- Creating A Resume That Works! (nicoledarling.wordpress.com)
