Kelsey Vickers
Perspectives Editor
When I was a freshman at Troy, my resume and applying for jobs was the very last thing on my mind.
All I really cared about wholeheartedly was having a good time and making new friends (and making good grades, of course).
However, as I’m nearing graduation, I’m finding myself wishing I had spent my time a little more productively through my freshman and sophomore years.
While I’ve accomplished a good amount during the past two years, my resume could be a lot more impressive now if I had kept these things in mind while I was younger.
Keeping a future resume in mind is definitely something you should think about as a freshman or sophomore.
One day you’re going to be applying for jobs, and if you haven’t gotten any experience in your field it’s going to be tough to get any attention from employers.
If you’re interested in anything during your first year, do it now. It doesn’t matter if you know you want to major in that field at this moment—just getting some experience is helpful.
If you’re a freshman and still haven’t figured out what you want to do for your major, not only will getting involved on campus add to your resume, it could also potentially help you figure out what you want to major in.
Getting involved with clubs and organizations that interest you is really helpful when you’re getting started in college.
This year, nearly everything I’ve decided to do has become a resume builder, and with resume building comes attention from possible employers.
The great thing about Troy is that there’s an organization for almost anything you’re interested in.
There’s also a ton of opportunities to build your resume here if you just start applying yourself.
You could go to any building on campus that has subjects that interest you and find something that you could get involved with.
I know thinking about your resume now isn’t exactly fun, but if you involve yourself in things that interest you, I can assure you that it won’t be a waste of time.
It’s also really helpful to appear well rounded on your resume.
Most employers really like to hire someone who seems to have done a little bit of everything.
Also, with our generation, having experience with blogging and social media can actually be great for a resume.
Another helpful tip for students of any age—whenever you start applying for jobs, keep an open mind about what to apply for.
You honestly never know how many different career options could be relevant to your major.
As a print journalism major, I thought my job options were limited.
However, after some deep digging into job searches online, I’ve realized that I could apply for hundreds of different types of jobs whose employers are looking for journalism or communications majors.
Content analysts, marketing representatives, online writers … the possibilities are very broad.
Searching for jobs very thoroughly can really help you find more obscure jobs that you’re more likely to actually get hired for.
The whole point of college is to prepare you for the workforce one day, so take advantage of your resources and make sure you keep the future in mind.
