Creating a fresh graduate resume is a tedious process. Apart from writing the resume, you’d also have to think of ways to enhance your resume in order to stand out among the crowd.
Need help in triple-checking or even enhancing your existing fresh graduate resume? Here are the crucial things you should not overlook in your fresh graduate resume.
Things to Not Overlook in Your Fresh Graduate Resume
1. Professional Profile Picture
Generally, including a professional photo in your resume is highly recommended when applying for jobs in Malaysia and other countries in Asia. Be sure to use professional photos instead of selfies and group photos.
Here are more tips when it comes to including your profile picture:
- Face towards the camera
- Utilise good lighting
- Dress professionally
- Ensure your hair is neat
2. The “About Me” Section
The “About Me” section serves as your formal opening statement and it helps employers to identify your skills and strengths immediately. Think of it as your elevator pitch. As a fresh graduate, this section helps establish a good impression.
Start by stating that you are a fresh Finance graduate, an entry-level nurse or a licensed Law professional. You may also include your work experience to boost your credibility.
Specify a few relevant skills and expertise to further match your profile with the ideal candidate that employers are searching for. In one sentence, conclude the section on how your skills, experience and career goals can contribute to the company’s success.
3. Links & Portfolio(s)
As a fresh graduate, companies understand if you lack working experience. However, to compete with thousands of other fresh graduates, one of the effective ways to convince potential employers is to directly showcase your amazing portfolio of past works.
The same goes for your resume. You should always include the link(s) to your portfolio in your resume, showcasing your best articles, videos, songs, websites, etc.
Your resume is only the tip of the iceberg. Your portfolio should be the “Wow” factor to immediately impress hiring managers and land you the dream job you’ve always wanted.
4. Extracurricular Experience
The extracurricular section on a resume could be crucial, especially if the extracurricular activities are highly relevant to the positions they are applying for.
It’s crucial to elaborate more on what you have done and relate them to how you’re the perfect role for the position you’ve applied for. In other words, your value proposition.
Instead of just including some boring job scopes, always quantify them to make them measurable so that your potential employers can better gauge your capability. Include some numbers and statistics to liven your job scopes.
When it comes to skills and achievements, always relate them to how you can perform well in your job. To do that, you’d first have to research the positions you’re applying for, then customise your descriptions by including relevant keywords that they are looking for.
5. Expected Salary
Most companies in Malaysia usually request candidates to disclose their expected salary to better match their hiring budget. If you have no choice but to disclose your expected salary, here are a few simple pieces of advice:
- Do your research on the appropriate salary for the job you’re applying for
- Only include your basic salary – do not add in additional benefits
- State your expected salary range to provide flexibility
- Be honest and realistic
If possible, leave salary negotiation till later in the hiring process – especially after an offer has been made to you. Focus on securing job interviews first as it is easier to showcase your value vs what hiring managers see on your resume for 6 seconds.
6. Being ATS-compatible
An Applicant Tracking System looks for ATS-compatible resumes that contain specific keywords that the ATS is programmed to look for. No matter how fancy your initial resume is, it can still get rejected if its information cannot be read by the ATS.
If you need more help in creating ATS compatible resumes to stand out and pass the first test? Read this guide on ATS-compatible resumes.
One final piece of advice – honestly is still the best policy. Always ensure that the resume’s keywords and content are 100% true, and not there just to pass the ATS test.
Closing Remarks
With all the accessible fresh graduate resume tips out there, we hope that this article was useful for you to focus on the little details that matter.
Remember that in order to stand out from the rest of the fresh graduates and even working professionals, every bit of effort matters to land your dream job.
Need help on job interviews next, or thinking of creating your own video resume? The Job Majestic platform has all the career guidance you’ll need to achieve a successful career.
