Bullseye Resumes - Spotlighting Education on the College Grad Resume

Millions of college students, grads and recent graduates seeking internships, co-ops and other career opportunities will pound the pavement and troll the on-line job boards over the next few months, resumes in hand. Unfortunately many of those resumes will be less than perfect. Frankly, most will be bad.

Despite the volume of FREE resume writing advice on line, campus career centers stocked with FREE job search resources , most college students, grads and recent graduates still do a last minute rush job with their resumes and hope for the best.

For the last minute resume writer, trying to write a bullseye resume , here are some pointers to focus attention on the Education section of your college resume.

1. Move Education close to the top of the resume - The EDUCATION section on the college resume immediately follows the OBJECTIVE, if you choose to have one. It should not go to the bottom of the resume or after your EXPERIENCE. The fact that you are completing your college degree, is the single most important thing that employers are interested in right now. It needs to be in the top 30% of your resume.

2. High School Activities - As a rule, do not mention High School beyond your college Sophomore year unless you had significant and outstanding accomplishments there. For example if you held leadership roles, set academic or athletic records and you can add them without exceeding a page - go ahead and include them. If you are in college and beyond your Sophomore year, you should have enough activities to replace the ones from high school. If you don't, make that your goal.

3. Can You Name Your Degree? Visit the Registrar's office on campus to find out the correct name of your program. Are you working on a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration or a Bachelor in Business Administration? Is it a BS, BA or BBA? You should know this and state it correctly on your college resume.

4. Major - What was your area of emphasis within your degree? Was there an emphasis? Did you double major? Did you have a Minor?

5. Coursework & Projects - When listing relevant coursework on the college resume, avoid repeating the subject names. Listing both English "I" & English "II" really means nothing to the recruiter. Eliminate "I" & "II" and try "English, 2 years" instead. It saves space and gives a sense of advanced studies. Include non-trivial projects and coursework that demonstrate your ability to work with teams or practically apply your knowledge.

6. Graduation Date - Many college students, grads and recent graduates will add the date they started college, but omit the date they graduate. Don't leave the recruiter guessing about your grad date. This is important especially if you are not on a 4-year track anymore.

7. Status - Are you a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior? This really gives recruiters a sense of how much knowledge you might have already acquired and therefore what roles within the company might be best for you.

8. GPA - Is it a requirement for the college students' resume? NO. Will it work against you if you omit it from your resume? It very well could. The fact is that recruiters want to know. If low, it is better to let them know up front but have an explanation for why it is low, rather than try to hide it. Without an explanation, the recruiter might second guess your qualifications or think that you have a poor work ethic. State both Overall GPA and Major GPA if it tells a better story.

9. Certifications, Honors & Awards - Did you gain any certifications throughout your college experience? Food Safety, CPR or technical certifications are a great way to showcase a commitment to go above and beyond. Highlighting academic honors and awards you received will go a long way to set you apart from other candidates as well.

10. Language and Technical Proficiencies - Do NOT claim technical or language proficiencies that you do not possess. Recruiters can spot a fake quickly. It is so much more powerful to leave it off the college resume, but mention knowledge of a language or technical skill in the interview.

Once your resume is complete, visit your campus career center for it to be proof read by a career advisor. Many online services are also available to help you with FREE resume critiques and can offer feedback to help college students increase positive response to their college resume.