How to Strengthen Your Resume at University

Earning a degree will be a big boost to your career, but it’s not everything you need. An incomplete resume could make it difficult for you to compete with other candidates for jobs after you graduate. The good news is you can strengthen your resume while you’re still at university — here’s how.

1. Choose a Relevant Major

Your choice of major will have a major influence on what jobs are available to you after you graduate. It’s crucial to avoid picking something just because it seems interesting or easy. Whereas your major should definitely be appealing, you need to think about what kind of career it could lead to.

Furthermore, if you want to continue your education after earning your degree, it’s important to choose a major that covers all the core classes you’ll need before grad school. Your careers advisor can help you make the right decision.

2. Consider a Minor

You can also strengthen your resume by studying a minor. Your minor doesn’t need to be related to your major — something completely different could show that you’re an interesting candidate. Use your minor and electives to explore your interests and develop useful skills.

3. Learn Tech Skills

One thing you’ll need whatever your career goals is tech skills. At a minimum, you should be able to use key software, such as for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations, as well as any tools that are common in your field. It’s even better if you know how to create a website, can use social media for marketing purposes, and have basic coding skills. If you’re unable to learn these at university, use online tutorials and add your knowledge under the skills section of your resume.

4. Work an Internship

It can be difficult to find a part-time job in the field you want to enter, but internships often allow you to work for top companies in a role related to your career goals. Take full advantage of the chance to work an internship by applying for positions at your dream companies and doing your best once you start working. In particular, focus on building relationships with people at the company — later, they may be the ones who can write you references, introduce you to other contacts, or even offer you a job.

5. Run for a Leadership Position

As soon as you start university, find out what clubs you could join — and be open-minded when signing up. You’ll be learning the ropes for the first year or two, but later you should feel confident running for a leadership position. This is great for showing that others trust you to manage a team, although it’s even better if you can show that you accomplished the promises you made when running for election.

There’s no need to live on campus to be an active student. In fact, you’ll be much more comfortable (and able to achieve better grades) if you find an off-campus apartment. For Ontario Tech University housing, there’s 17Hundred. Our suites are fully furnished and come with spacious private bedrooms. You’ll have the chance to meet many students who could open up even more opportunities. Book a video tour to see the housing for yourself.