How to market your educational experience as an early-career professional

By Olivia Kozlevcar

Finding work as a student or early-career professional requires persistence and dedication, and it can be challenging to break into your choice industry with sparse professional experience.

Fortunately, school projects, club activities and service opportunities often build the skills hiring authorities look for in your résumé. If you’re seeking a new opportunity to break into your desired career path, here are some best practices to highlight such achievements:

Demonstrate your academic excellence:

Your degree program, whether in progress or recently completed, should be included in the first section of your résumé. Under your degree and graduation date, be sure to list any classes you took that relate to your preferred career path. For example, hiring authorities will likely be interested in any graphic design classes you have taken if you’re pursuing a role in design and/or marketing.

The top of your résumé is also a great place to showcase your GPA or any other quantifiable academic achievements. While these numbers are not always required, some hiring authorities may ask you about this if you’re a current student or recent graduate, so be ready to chat about common academic metrics during interviews.

Make the most of your extracurriculars:

Chances are, you’ve had some involvement with extracurriculars at your school. Don’t be afraid to list your club memberships under the education section of your résumé. Including any positions you held in these clubs, such as president or secretary, will be of interest to hiring authorities no matter what type of role you’re seeking.

This is also a great place to list quantifiable data pertaining to these activities. For example, the money you raised, the attendance count of your events or the number of hours dedicated to service or other activities are easy metrics to show your proficiency in a variety of skill sets. These quantifiable achievements are especially important if you opt to leave out your GPA.

Supplement industry experience with other work experience:

Many college students hold positions in retail or food service during their time as a student. These are valuable jobs that teach critical skills applicable in any workplace, such as punctuality, customer relationship building, patience and teamwork. Because these roles require skills that are universal to so many industries, hiring authorities are likely just as interested in hearing about your achievements in these positions as they are in internship or professional work experience.

Tailor different copies of your résumé to different roles:

As you scope out your career goals, it’s generally in your best interest to keep different copies of your résumé tailored to the various career paths you may be applying to. Switching out the relevant classes, titles or extracurriculars listed on these résumés can help illuminate the skills that are most relevant to each potential employer.

Once you’re happy with the way your résumé looks, be sure to utilize any opportunity you have to share it. Many schools have events for you to meet alumni and make connections with potential employers who graduated from your institution. These meetups are a great way to expand your network and gain traction in your industry.

Your résumé is the most important component of every job application. If your work experience is limited, following these tips will help you make the most of your submissions.