Score a Graduate Job With Just One Resume

You’ve probably been told to customise your resume for each job you apply for, but as a student or graduate you’re unlikely to have enough experience to pick and choose what you include.

Instead, you only need to create one resume that highlights the key skills a graduate in your industry should possess.  

Don’t know where to start? We’ll take you through each section of a resume and tell you what to include.

Then at the end of this article you can put our tips into practice on a new, exciting platform which helps students find jobs!

1. Start with the general details:

Ease yourself into resume writing by starting with what you know – your name!

Next, make your potential employer’s life easier by putting your contact details at the top of the page. Include your phone number, email address - a professional one please! - and your general location if you want (eg: Perth metro or WA regional). 

You should then write an ‘elevator pitch’ – a brief statement that sums up your background and experience. It should be short and snappy, and can include any of the following:

  • Your degree
  • One relevant job/internship
  • An area of interest in your industry
  • Community service, passions or hobbies
  • What kind of employer you are looking for

For example – I recently graduated from (this university) with a degree in Marketing. I interned at (this marketing agency) where I really enjoyed creating social media campaigns. Now, I’m looking for a gradate position with a company that will assign me a broad range of work so I can widen my skillset.

You may also choose to add links to your social media on your resume but think wisely about which platforms to include. LinkedIn is commonly used by industry professionals, but other social media such as Instagram, Facebook or YouTube may be appropriate if you have a portfolio to share (eg: photography, graphic design etc).

Regardless of the social media you choose, be mindful about what these pages say about you. Even if you don’t include them yourself, chances are potential employers will search for you online anyway – in fact, a recent study found 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process. So maybe now is a good time to do a tidy up on all your social media accounts!

Finally, you could supplement this general info about yourself with an introduction video. It is a quicker, more engaging way for employers to learn a bit about you and put a face to a name, meaning you’ll definitely stand out amongst other candidates!

2. Brainstorm ideas for your career:

Before you get into the next part of your resume, grab a piece of paper and jot down answers to these questions:

  • What fields do your degree and majors qualify you to work in?
  • What occupations are you most interested in?
  • What industries would you love to work in and why?

Keep these answers in mind when writing the rest of your resume.

3. Highlight your education:

Start by mentioning the university you study at and your degree, including your major/s.

Make sure to include your expected finish date – you’d be surprised how many people forget to!

You can also choose to include your Course Weighted Average, although it’s not necessary.

If you studied abroad or did any extra courses on top of your degree, don’t forget to include them!

4. Describe your work experience:

Internships/industry work experience:

Include all your internships and work experience if possible (if you are trying to stick to a 2 page resume, just include the most recent).

For each internship, list the company, your title and when it was completed.

Think about the key skills needed for the industries you listed in Step 2. Don’t know what they are? Google it. It should give you an idea of the practical and soft skills employers in that industry are searching for.

Now briefly describe any tasks at your internship that helped you gain or build on any of the listed skills.

Casual or part-time work:

As we’ve mentioned in a previous post, employers will look at your ability to hold a casual or part-time job while your studying as it implies you can manage your time, adapt to a workplace and apply your soft skills. 

This is what you should highlight in this section, as your casual job might not always be relevant to your degree and potential employers don’t need to know about every task you were assigned.

Instead, only talk about tasks that demonstrate the key soft skills needed for your industry. For example, you displayed leadership at your café job when you were appointed a mentee barista to train.

If you’ve had multiple casual or part-time jobs, just include the most recent or the one that gave you the most relevant soft skills for your future career.

5. List your awards and achievements:

Separate your achievements into academic, work and other (sporting, community service, musical etc) and list them in reverse chronological order.

Remember you don’t need to include every achievement since primary school, just the most notable ones.

It’s also a good idea to include a very brief description of the award, especially if its specific to your university or workplace.

Don’t think that every achievement needs to be a formal award. For example, you might have completed a uni assignment for a real client, and they chose to implement your campaign/project/strategy.

Ready to write a killer resume?

Lucky for you, we know something that will make it even easier.

Studium is an exciting new platform which allows university students across Australia to connect with employers who recognise the unique skills and attributes students bring to the table.

When you first sign into the platform, it will prompt you to complete your profile, hitting all of these key areas.

Plus, on top of your regular profile, you can also complete a values assessment that will make you stand out even more.

Fill out your profile once and start connecting with employers immediately!

To get started with Studium go to studium.work – it’s free!

And if you get stuck along the way, here’s a tutorial video to help you out.