Emily
As a student in a competitive field, what can you do to stand out to be chosen for a job?
I am considering going into Marketing or Human Resources, which I have been told are very competitive fields. I am looking for ideas on how to stand above my peers and have a more attractive resume than other people in these fields in order to get a job. #college #business #college-major #internships #college-jobs
2 answers
Deborah Frangquist
Deborah’s Answer
I can't tell how far along you are in your education, but whether or not you have chosen your college major, here are some ways to stand out: Pay attention to what you are especially good at and what you most enjoy learning. Fortunately, these two criteria usually point in the same direction, so that will help you notice nuances beyond getting good grades in a course. For example, given your potential interest in marketing, you might notice that you are particularly interested in writing that grabs and holds the attention of prospective customers, or you might notice that you are particularly good at analyzing marketing metrics. In human resources, you might discover that you are especially interested in labor relations or in leadership development. There are lots of other possibilities, which you will discover as you take classes. Whenever you can, pick a class project or do some extra reading in one of your special interest areas, so you can build some special expertise and at the same time you can test the hypothesis you are building about your strengths.
Meanwhile, you can choose electives that will both expand your horizons and deepen your knowledge, such as psychology or sociology for human resources or writing and design for marketing. Again, whenever you have some choice about your projects, pick something that in some way relates to your potential career.
This strategy will help you apply for internships or part-time jobs that will give you experience to enhance your resume. It will also give you specific projects you can include in your resume and in your LinkedIn profile so that you can show special qualifications even before your graduate.
Sumit Sachdeva, MBA
Sumit’s Answer
Consider putting together a portfolio of your best work and bringing it with you. The professional portfolio can be in form of a small 3 ring binder and is guided to be no more than 20 pages (front and back double sided). Make the thing polished using plastic sleeves so your work is protected and presents as valuable to the reader. Never leave it behind...it's your intellectual property...