10 Things That Aren’t On Your Resume (But Should Be)

by Mark Babbitt

Many young careerists – even those with a couple internships under their belt – feel as though their resume and LinkedIn profiles are, for lack of a better word… lacking.

And sometimes this is true – especially when you’re up against someone with three, five and even ten years of at least semi-relevant experience. In that case, how do you compete?

You compete – and win – by including on your resume the achievements, projects and assignments you may have overlooked, or chose not to put on your resume because they were short-term, campus-only related or “not a real job.”

Here are nine great examples (and one thing that probably is on your resume, but shouldn’t be):

Social Media Savviness

No. You aren’t a guru, ninja or an expert. But you do know your way around Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. Your profiles may be the envy of all your friends and colleagues; the number of followers is respectful. Throw in your knowledge of Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Twitter Chats, LinkedIn Groups, Facebook ads – and whatever else you’ve dabbled in so far – and you just might impress the social media novice whose organization needs social help, right now.

Self-Learning

In today’s job market, there isn’t a single employer who doesn’t respect someone who took it upon themselves to learn a skill, or master a software program relevant to their organization. Demonstration of expertise using project management, Photoshop, Salesforce, Infusionsoft, Google Analytics – and maybe even a little coding – can take your resume from “meh” to “marvelous!”

Freelance Projects

Remember that project you did for the business near your campus? Or the couple of weeks you spent at that non-profit solving its biggest problem? Those mini-projects weren’t real jobs, no… but they were real experience. List every relevant project you’ve ever taken on. Display the impact you had on the organization you served (quantify!). Show your entrepreneurial spirit! And you’ll catch the attention of a hiring manager looking for someone not afraid to take on a project alone.

Theses, Studies and White Papers

Did you head up a research project? Write an industry relevant thesis that blew your professor away? Did you lead an on-campus or community-based study? Each of these projects shows attention to detail, problem solving and analytical thinking – three skills in high demand by nearly every employer. Again, show the impact of your work; and talk passionately about the mission. Employers don’t only want to know what you did… they want to know why you did it.

Content Creation

Have you begun blogging? Guest blogging? Have you begun to show your subject matter expertise in a podcast, or a video blog? Maybe a YouTube channel? Have you built a community of followers? All of those things go on your resume! Employers will respect that you are willing to let your thoughts be known, and aren’t afraid to stick your neck out. They’ll get a glimpse of your personality and passion. And – if the fit is right – they’ll develop a bond with the digital you, well before they call for an interview.

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This article was originally posted on youtern.com.