7 Ways to Boost Your Resume This Winter

The holiday season calls for gift giving, relaxation, and joy. . . but what do you do with the other 3+ weeks of winter break?  Bettering your resume can really be rather simple with all that free time. Not really sure how you can improve your resume? Well here are 7 ideas that you should consider:

1. Volunteer
The holiday season is all about giving, so you should think about giving back to the community this winter break.  You can volunteer at soup kitchens, churches, or other centers in your area.  Volunteering can be both personally rewarding and beneficial to your resume.  You’ll meet great people, do good for your community, and build your resume all at the same time!

2. Tutor
Colleges typically beat grade schools to winter break, and college students don’t go back until after grade schools are already back in session.  So take this opportunity to connect with an old teacher and ask if you can assist any of the youngins back home through tutoring.  It’s a great way to spend free time and build your leadership skills too.

3. Network
Take a stroll down memory lane and reconnect with old teachers, employers, and others as you develop your network. Once job or internship application time rolls around, you’ll often need references, so touching base with old co-workers and bosses can be very important for your resume.

4. Create a blog
Blogging is writing, and writing is a powerful form of communication you can put on your resume.  Be it a personal journal, food blog, sports blog, or blog on The Walking Dead, write about whatever you please, as long as you’re passionate.  Certain positions ask for writing samples, so a blog with emotion can be a powerful way to show prospective employers that you’re creative and passionate.

5. Seek out campus manager positions
There are plenty of campus rep and manager positions that various companies offer college students.  Apple has their own campus rep program that offers plenty of perks (like a free iPad!), as do other popular companies, so seek them out!  Campus reps typically help build the brand across their respective campuses, and at the same time, get to gain experience in sales and customer service through the experience.

6. Spark up your resume’s aesthetics
They say prospective employers only look at your resume for seconds… so make sure your resume is well organized, crisp, and clear.  Wordy resumes can get confusing and typos can be detrimental.  Many universities offer a college career center that can help you edit and rebuild your resume to employers’ liking, so be sure to connect with them! You don’t want to miss out on an internship or job opportunity just because the format of your resume isn’t right!

7. Begin applying!
The only way to continue to build your resume is by having new experiences, embracing new opportunities, and getting new jobs.  The best way to do all that?  Preparing and applying to new positions.  Take a seat and begin looking for new opportunities you may be interested in this summer as you diversify your resume and gain new experience.