How to land that perfect summer job
Finding a job for the summer can be stressful. Finding a job in your field—that you actually like—can be even more stressful.
Now that classes and exams are coming to an end, it’s time to dust off your resume and cover letter and brush up on your interview skills. Here are some tips to help you land the summer job of your dreams.
1. Keep your resume clean and concise
Don’t drag on and on for a whole paragraph about the same skill or what an excellent leader, team member, or customer pleaser you are. That’s what your cover letter is for. Clean and concise also means that everything should be in the same, legible font and your sections should be neat and tidy.
2. Give a brief snapshot of your qualifications
Show your potential employer why you are a better fit than any other candidate. Try to demonstrate that you have a diverse range of skills, and easily adapt to new situations.
3. Please… please check for spelling and grammar errors
I think this one’s pretty self-explanatory. Your resume and cover letter should have absolutely no spelling or grammar errors. That’s how you get an application thrown out—no matter how qualified you are.
4. Identify accomplishments
In addition to a list of all the places you’ve worked, include accomplishment statements that detail some of your major contributions to that company or workplace. Give concrete examples of some of the great things you’ve done, and don’t be afraid to quantify those accomplishments. For example: “Connected with students on a personal level by giving 25 one-on-one presentations,” would be a great accomplishment.
5. Use a different cover letter for each job
Okay, maybe not for every single job. This just means you should be tailoring the cover letter (and even the resume) for the job to which you’re applying. You don’t want to have one generic cover letter that you send for retail jobs and jobs in health care. You want to play up your strengths in each field to separate yourself from other candidates.
6. Don’t just retell your resume in your cover letter
Your resume should be a brief overview of your qualifications. It should foster some interest to keep reading more about you—that’s where your cover letter comes in. This is where you prove to the hiring manager that you have what it takes to do the job, and that you’re genuinely interested and excited about it.
7. Highlight your most relevant skills
I’m sure you have an incredibly impressive list of skills, however, the hiring manager at an advertising agency probably doesn’t care much about your CPR certification. Pull out the experiences that have the most to do with the job you’re applying for and highlight those. Elaborate on those experiences to show the hiring manager what you can bring to their company that nobody else can.
8. Do your research
It’s always a good idea to look up the company you’re interviewing with. You want to have a good sense of the environment in the workplace and what you can bring. Try to figure out what their biggest challenges or problems are right now and how you can help solve them. Don’t be afraid to ask the hiring manager or someone else from the company out for coffee to talk about the position.
9. Use specific examples
When asked about your skills in an interview, use concrete examples to strengthen your answer. Don’t just say you’re a great leader; tell a story about a time when you demonstrated leadership; whether in a past job, through volunteer experience, or even in a group project at school, prove to them that you have really developed that skill.
10. Follow up after the interview
This is something so simple that makes such a huge impact. The day after your interview, follow up with the hiring manager to thank them again for the opportunity and to reassert your interest in the position. You can send a quick email, give them a call—or if you want to look really impressive—drop off a thank you note.
Photo by Alejandro Escamilla via CC BY 1.0