Whether you will be applying for jobs or graduate school, you will need to present your experience and skills. So what kinds of experiences will help you achieve in both of these areas?

Building your CV/resume

Not only will participating in a varietyof experiences benefit your life after college, but it may also help you to decide what areas you want to pursue for further study or in your career. For example, joining a psychology research lab at UNL will give you experience in some aspects of doing research. If you enjoyed that experience, it might lead you towards considering a career as a researcher. If not, perhaps it rules out such careers. Similarly, experiences in internships or summer jobs as well as volunteering may not only be a line on your resume, but an enlightening experience that helps you to form your long-term goals. The more experience you have had in your areas of interest, the better your resume will be, and the greater your chances for achieving those long-term goals.

Writing up your CV/resume

As you are having the building your resume through your experience, be sure to keep track of everything you have done. Preparing your resume is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks you will do during your college career. You must be able to distinguish yourself by highlighting your strong points, describing your experiences, and illustrate your interests... and sometimes you must do this all in only one page. Not an easy task! Start working on this early. It is easier to update a resume if you already have the framework to build on. Each semester, it is a good idea to reflect back and describe any positions that you held or important experiences you had. Keeping track in this way makes it easier when you are thinking about your life after college, but will also benefit you as you apply for positions while you are in college. Career Services has several webpages with samples dedicated to academic resumes, resumes in a variety of styles, and cover letters. It is important that you taylor your resume in way that emphasizes your strengths but also highlights how you fit in or will be an asset to the position you are seeking, whether it is a career position or admission to graduate school.

For more information, see the pages below:

What is the difference between a CV and a resume?