Ok, so there are no rules to resumes. I’ve seen some of the best resumes, some that definitely grabbed my attention, and some that made me question the existence of all things good, like why? As college grads are job hunting to be a part of the real world, and real out here it is, there are some things every PR resume should reflect:
Rounding up PR Words – Don’t jargon it up, but don’t be afraid to show your PR knowledge with your words. Instead of saying “Printed t-shirts for Greek Week” try saying words like “Developed campaign for Greek Week including invites and giveaway shirts.” Is it a stretch? Eh. You come to learn campaigns come in all sizes. Other PR words to sprinkle into your resume include: communicate, pitch, team, clients, announcement, target, generate, digital, and the cherry on top, secured.
Eye courtesy – I know my eyes start to see glazed doughnuts after looking at resume after resume. Make yours jump out with design elements that demonstrate your style and your creativity.
Social Media Burn – Oh, you provided a link to your twitter to show that you understand the value of social media…. and then everything is protected? #Burn.
Under size 9 font is too small – Stick with 11, you over-achiever that has so much to squeeze onto one page. Prioritize. Everything else that doesn’t fit, like your part time job planting trees, belongs on LinkedIn because trust, if you’re coming to the wonderful world of PR then you know that we’ve stalked “researched” you already and we like to see variations.
My name is – This seems simple enough so I refuse to elaborate. Contact info is a must.
Err to the side of caution better known as ‘write it well and write it carefully’ – Typos, grammatical errors, and poor choice of words are deal breakers. And trust me, I’ve been there. I got the worst email in college from a PR Gal in regards to fixing my ONE typo. That one frickin’ typo.
Remember, HR sees your hours of work in less than 30 seconds.
Make it count,
Great advice! The social media burn…loved the snark. Haha!
• Lindsay