Afterschool activities are not enough for college

Your daughter has to know how to sell what’s she has gained from her experiences

I’ve encountered many students who have a long list of activities on their resume.  Leadership experiences.  Volunteer experiences.  Work/Internship experiences.  Social clubs at school.  Some were life changing.  Some were just something they showed up to once a week.  And some – when you really dig – where just something they did for an hour or tow.

But it’s rare that students understand how to market  or “sell” what they did.  And by sell, I don’t mean to literally make money.  But to convince the reader how the activity made an impact on their live and would now allow them to do (blank) to benefit a future college or employer.

Let me share an example:

Save “John the Friend” – Leukemia Cancer Drive, Any City, Any State          
September 2012-June 2013

I volunteered in a fundraiser to help a classmate who was diagnosed with leukemia.

That looks presentable on a resume right?

Well, it’s OK but it could be a LOT better.

• First, why did she volunteer?  Was this something she did because she was close to John or because her teacher/school shared that everyone HAD to get involved?
• What did she during the fundraising?  Was she involved in the marketing?  Did she get others involved?  Was she talking to other groups or the local community about the fundraise?
• How much did they raise?  I am sure we are all wondering…well how much did John’s fundraiser raise?  And what is the money going towards?  His medical expenses I presume.  But it would be good to have more clarity.
•  What impact did this make on her life?  While it’s hard to list here on a resume, she should be prepared to speak about it in a future interview. The person speaking to her might be a passionate fundraiser or someone committed to the cause of ending cancer and be curious about more details.

I recommend that she lengthen her description by two bullets if this was an activity that made a big impact on her and she wants to showcase it on her resume.  She can include some or all of the ideas listed above.

So let’s take the test here – Does your daughter have experiences on her resume that you think could sell her better?  Go ahead and list them below and let’s see how we can rewrite them!