THE BILINGUAL JOB FAIR BLOG

Quick Resume Tips for Recent Bilingual College Graduates

July 28, 2009

The feeling that you can accomplish anything you want to, along with the desire to get a job that pays your college loans is all the motivation you need to get an exceptional first job after college.  To get a great first job, you need to write a resume that makes a great first great impression on the employer.  That impression needs to last until the day you call the company or interview with the company.  The employer needs to say: ‘that’s the young man or young woman whose resume said this or that’… from the hundreds they read.  Your job is to make your resume as memorable as you possibly can and to set yourself apart.

Below are some quick tips that will make your resume be more memorable, when you don’t have much work experience:

• Tell the company about any internship you completed and what tasks you executed. Describe what you learned, and what your main accomplishments were.
• Mention the different part-time jobs you held while going to college, and what your responsibilities were at those jobs.  (This shows the company that you offset your college expenses with your own work and sweat).
• Tell the company about the clubs and or organizations you have been a part of, such as the ‘youth council group’ or the ‘president of the Spanish or French club’ in high school and or in college.
• List any volunteer work you have done, such as ‘served as a volunteer at the homeless shelter each Saturday morning for three years’ or ‘helped organize the Rotary Club’s International food festival’, ‘assisted with raising funds for the local Lion’s Cub’.
• If you studied abroad, tell the prospective employer.  This will add a star to your resume, since you can show that you got out of your comfort zone, that you traveled abroad, and possibly even lived with a hosting family.  If you learned the specific language of the country where you did your internship, put this on your resume as well.  For example, ‘Learned Spanish while studying abroad in Ecuador.’
• If you are bilingual, make certain that you include your knowledge and experience in the resume.  For instance, ‘Fluent in English and Russian, and understand Italian and Spanish.’  This will set you apart from many job candidates, especially if the company has branches in countries that speak any of those languages.
• Show your leadership abilities, your willingness to learn, your cooperative efforts, your team orientation, and your great ‘can do’ attitude.

The examples mentioned above serve to show that ‘experience’ comes in many forms.  Your ‘work experience’ might be a little short, so concentrate on other accomplishments and experiences.  Show the employer who you have been as a student and as a productive citizen, and that you have already made contributions to your community.

Filed under: Resumes & Letters

Tags: diversity, resume tips