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!
