How to Write a Resume to Impresses Top Companies' HR?

During each hiring season for top companies, a group of overseas students emerges: they come from the world's top universities, possess outstanding professional skills, yet they struggle to get an opportunity to showcase their talents to interviewers. The reason behind this lies in the absence of a resume that catches the eye of HR professionals. Each year, HR teams at top companies review tens of thousands of resumes, spending an average of just 20 seconds on each one. Therefore, graduates must use their resumes to quickly grab the attention of HR professionals to increase their chances of securing valuable interview opportunities.

So, how exactly do you write a resume that qualifies as an impressive resume for graduates? The most fundamental and crucial feature is a well-structured resume. A well-structured resume must include important personal information, as well as sections for education, internship experience, extracurricular activities, and personal skills. Below, I've provided writing tips for each of these sections in the hope of helping those who are writing their resumes.

Education Background

Educational background is an essential part of a resume, as it is a fundamental representation of their identity. It is typically the first section of the resume. When describing educational background, start with the highest degree and work your way down to the lowest. 

For each educational experience, include the name of the institution, major, degree earned, and the duration of your study. To enrich this section, top notch resumes often include subsections with class grades, honors received during school, and relevant major courses related to the applied position.

For example, 

Education: Burbank Community College, Associate of Arts in Education, May 2020

• Graduated with a 3.8 GPA

• Received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence

• Completed courses in child development, curriculum design, classroom management and educational psychology

Relevant Coursework and Projects

• Designed and implemented a lesson plan for a third-grade class on fractions, using manipulatives, games and worksheets

• Conducted a research project on the effects of parental involvement on student achievement, using surveys, interviews and statistical analysis

• Created a portfolio of teaching materials, including lesson plans, assessments, rubrics and feedback forms

Internship Experience

For recent graduates, describing internship experience is crucial for their resume. Using the STAR method in combination with the job description (JD) to describe each experience on the resume is a timeless strategy. STAR stands for Situation, Target, Action, and Result. It's an approach where you describe your experiences using the format: Situation—Target—Action—Result. 

When writing about your internship experience, you should focus on the accomplishments or skills you gained rather than the duties you performed. You should use action verbs to start each bullet point and quantify your results whenever possible. You should also use keywords that are relevant to the job and the industry you are applying to.

Here is an example of how to write a resume, particularly the internship experience section:

Internship Experience ABC Marketing, Social Media Intern, Burbank, CA, January 2023 - June 2023

• Assisted with creating and managing social media campaigns for various clients across different platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

• Conducted market research and analysis to identify target audiences, competitors and best practices

• Created engaging content, such as posts, stories, videos and graphics, using Adobe Photoshop and Canva

• Monitored and measured the performance of social media campaigns using Google Analytics and other tools

• Increased engagement by 25%, followers by 15% and conversions by 10% for each client

Extracurricular Activities

Most graduates have rich and diverse extracurricular experiences, and these experiences can often reflect their unique soft skills. Leadership in organizing extracurricular activities, the ability to handle pressure in major competitions, the spirit of volunteer service, and interpersonal skills developed in club activities—each of these can become highlights that attract HR professionals. Depending on the job applied for, graduates can select relevant extracurricular experiences to make their profile vivid in the eyes of HR.

When listing your extracurricular activities and volunteer work on your resume, you should include the name of the activity or organization, your role or position, the dates of your participation and any achievements or contributions you made. You should also use bullet points to highlight the key details of each activity or project.

Here is an example of how to write a resume, particularly the extracurricular activities section:

Extracurricular Activities

• Member of the Marketing Club at Burbank Community College, organized events and workshops for students interested in marketing (2018 - 2023)

• Player on the college soccer team, won the regional championship in 2022

Volunteer Work

• Volunteer at the local food bank, helped distribute food to families in need (2020 - 2023)

• Volunteer tutor at a local elementary school, helped students with their homework and reading skills (2019 - 2023)

Personal Skills

The personal skills section is usually the last section of a graduate's resume, focusing on language skills, computer skills, and other relevant skills. Briefly list your job-related skills; this not only complements your capabilities but also increases the chances of your resume being accepted.

In addition to your skills, you can also include any languages you speak on your resume. Being able to speak multiple languages can be a valuable asset in today’s globalized world, especially for graduates who are applying for jobs in another country. You should list the languages you speak and your level of proficiency in each language.

Here is an example of a skills and languages section for an   resume:

Skills

• Digital Marketing: Proficient in creating and managing social media campaigns, conducting market research and analysis, creating engaging content and monitoring and measuring performance

• Technical: Proficient in Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Canva and Google Analytics

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to present complex information in a clear and concise manner

• Teamwork: Experienced in working in diverse teams, able to collaborate effectively with colleagues and clients

• Problem-Solving: Able to identify problems, generate solutions and make decisions under pressure

Languages

• English: Fluent

• Vietnamese: Fluent

• Chinese: Conversational

Final Thoughts

In reality, for every graduate, the resume is a written representation of their identity. Only by mastering the key points of each section and presenting their excellence comprehensively to HR professionals can their resumes stand out among many others. Finally, I wish all graduates success in obtaining satisfactory job offers in the upcoming spring recruitment season!