When writing a resume, do you struggle to think of things to include? If so, you're not alone. Many young people — particularly recent college graduates — find it difficult to come up with relevant experiences to include in their resumes. Thankfully, there are ways to pad your resume with information that can help you land an interview without lying or embellishing the truth.
Start by considering your transferable skills. For example, if you are applying for a management job when you have only ever worked in entry-level retail roles, you might feel as though you don't have any relevant skills with which to pad your resume. However, your experiences might have equipped you with skills that are highly relevant in the new role, such as communication and teamwork skills. You can pad your resume with these skills to show the hiring manager that you are a suitable candidate.
Don't making the mistake of thinking that a hiring manager will automatically assume you have certain skills. For example, if you are applying for any kind of office-based role, you should explicitly state that you can use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and similar applications, even if it seems obvious that anyone applying for such a role would have those skills.
When writing a resume, you don't have to restrict yourself to skills you have developed during your professional life. If you do interesting things in your spare time, such as volunteering to help underprivileged children or selling your creative works on an Etsy store, you can use these experiences to pad your resume. Even though they don't involve paid work, these activities can help you develop important skills, such as oral communication, time management or handling accounts, so they are worth including on your resume.
Remember that your resume shouldn't simply be a list of skills. Every time you list a skill, you should include examples of times when you used that skill. For example, a hiring manager isn't likely to be excited by the statement, "I have excellent sales skills," but he is likely to be interested to hear that you were the top salesperson on your team for six months in a row. Pad your resume with specific examples to give it more impact and grab the attention of potential employers and hiring managers.
Padding your resume isn't always a negative thing to do. If you are struggling to fill the space, then including your transferable skills, your interests outside of work and examples of times when you have used your skills can fill up your resume with relevant, engaging information. Use these tips to pad your resume and encourage hiring managers to invite you to interview for your dream role.
Photo courtesy of punsayaporn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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