4 Easy Ways to Enhance Your Resume

If you are having a hard time finding a job, it may be a lack of content on your document. So here are 4 different ways to enhance your document while simultaneously building transferable skills that you can use in your future career.

1. Volunteer
Find an organization that aligns with your work interests and see if there are any unpaid opportunities to gain experience. Many companies are looking for volunteer help on projects because they cannot budget to hire another person. Therefore, volunteering allows you to gain experience in your field of interest (ultimately enhancing your document), while also helping the company get their work done in a timely manner. A win-win situation for both parties!

2. Academic Experience
As you move through your post-secondary education you will have the opportunity to do many assignments that can include an essay, a group presentation, a case study analysis, or field work for course credit. Though these may not seem directly related to your future career, these provide excellent opportunities for you to develop skills that are necessary in the workplace. This is why we encourage students to have an 'Academic Projects' section on their resume that highlights these experiences and what the students learned from them. This does take some reflection, but in the end these will help enhance your document and can set you apart from other candidates.

3. Workshops/Certifications
Training you have received from previous positions or from your academic career can show that you have built skills others may lack. Traditionally certifications include SmartServe and CPR/First Aid, but these can also include Professional Communication, Project Management, Conflict Resolution Workshops or Mental Health Intervention. These can showcase that you have gone above and beyond to further foster critical skills for your own career development.

4. Special Skills
The fourth and final way to enhance your resume is to include any special skills you have acquired, especially language and technical skills. Having the ability to communicate in multiple languages or even one aside from English, or having the knowledge of a specific software can make you a greater asset to the company.