The top 1/3 of your resume is critical. You have only seconds to capture attention and keep recruiters interested. Employers spend 11 seconds on average on the first pass of your resume before deciding whether to keep reading or move on to the next.

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List your name, personal email, phone number and linked-in.

Professional Summary

As a P-TECH student, you can craft a strong professional summary which is a concise and compelling summary that highlights your educational achievements, emphasizing the dual attainment of a high school diploma and an associate degree through the P-TECH program, your top 3 skills and what you are looking for career wise.

Education

In another section, it is important to highlight your education. Your level of education as a P-TECH student is one of the things that make you unique. So, dedicate a prominent section to your education. Clearly list your high school diploma and associate degree, including the institution's name, graduation date, and any notable academic achievements.

Skills

In your third section, highlight your skills. Showcase both technical and soft skills acquired during your P-TECH program and internship. Include abilities such as project management, data analysis, communication, problem-solving, and any industry-specific skills relevant to your field.

Highlighting Your Internships

Create a dedicated section for your internship experience. Outline your role, responsibilities, and accomplishments during the internship. Highlight any projects you contributed to, technologies you utilized, and skills you gained. Quantify achievements wherever possible to showcase impact.

Highlighting Your Job Experience

Whether it’s retail, fast food, trade experience you can pull the value and skillsets you have gained and apply it to the role you are applying for.

For example, instead of saying “Mastered flipping burgers, cleaned, and handled cash”. This is very task specific that undermines your experience. It does not demonstrate the transferrable skills that might not align with the requirements of the role you're applying for.

Instead, start with strong action words, quantify your experience and emphasize the value you bring: “Managed X customer interactions daily in a fast paced environment, honing exceptional time management, prioritization and adaptability skills”

Here are some resume tips and tricks to keep your resume looking nice and professional!

1. Know your audience, know yourself, and know what matters.

   1. First, you should have a job target in mind and start writing for that audience. Second, you should specifically point out your qualifications and value-adds. You must know yourself to know what to sell. Third, successful resumes need value, clarity, targeted content, qualifications, achievements, and metrics all packaged in a succinct format.

2. Customize content for every job, general resumes don’t work.

   1. Every audience is different, and every job posting has unique requirements that need to be addressed. You can utilize the same professional expereinces but you must tailor the value derived from each expereince to be relevant to the job you are applying for.

3. Proof is in the pudding!

   1. Employers don’t appreciate general, vague and lack luster statements. If the role is asking for someone with great communication, leadership, and management skills do not repeat this by saying, “Excellent communication skills with the ability to lead and manage others” in attempt to pass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Make sure to provide proof of how the application of your skills resulted in good outcomes. Support all statements with concrete achievements or success.

4. Utilize action words!

   1. Your resume needs a wide variety of action words to help keep the content engaging and energizing. You want to capture and keep a reader’s attention with strong, measurement-driven details and a wide variety of action words. Example of action words that are often overused fast and to be aware of are “Responsible, Worked on, Utilized, Managed, Handled”. It’s okay to use these words in moderation but refer to MIT’s list of action words for ideas!

With all conflicting information out there and new trending resume practices here are some several resume myths that you know you can avoid:

1. Myth 1: Avoid addressing personal shortcomings

1. One common job search misconception is the assumption that you should avoid difficult conversations around barriers or potential ‘shortcomings’. Employers may subconsciously make certain assumptions in the hiring process without even noticing. And it’s best to be prepared for them.

2. As a P-TECH student, some shortcoming employers may be weary of is the length of experience and level of education, such as bachelors degrees. To be preapred for this conversation, you can say something like this (make sure this is already backed up and can be seen on your resume): During my time in P-TECH, I had the opportunity to complete an internship with [name of the industry partner] where I gained hands-on experience and contributed to [mention a specific achievement or project]. This experience, along with the rigorous coursework P-TECH gave, has equipped me with a solid understanding of the industry, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to adapt quickly to new environments. [Mention any relevant skills to the role that P-TECH gave you]. I am eager to continue learning and growing professionally, and I'm committed to ongoing education and development. I believe that my dedication, passion for the industry, and the practical skills I've gained through my internship and coursework make me a valuable candidate for this position. I'm excited about the opportunity to contribute my skills and enthusiasm to your team.”

2. Myth 2: Write your resume for tracking software, not humans.

1. Over 98% of Fortune 500 use applicant tracking systems to monitor the intake and storage of resumes. However, at some point, an actual human will have eyes on your resume. And, many opportunities are found through networking, referrals, outside recruiters, or social media – not online. So it’s important to write for people but ensure your resume is easy to read and follow and relevant to the role.

3. Myth 3: No one reads cover letters

1. This myth is more of a debate – some employers admit to reading cover letters, and some skip them altogether. But how do you know which employer is expecting the file? Consider drafting a thoughtful and customizable cover letter. When well-written, the letter can be an excellent opportunity to stand out from the crowd!

2. More about this in our Cover Letters section.

4. Myth 4: Your LinkedIn profile is a resume replacement

1. LinkedIn is a fantastic platform for executive job search and an excellent way to network for a new job. But it’s not a replacement for a stand-out executive resume. Your LinkedIn profile should complement your resume rather than replace or duplicate it.

2. More about this in our LinkedIn section.

5. Myth 5: Social media is for personal use only

1. Expect everything about you online to be found by potential employers. 90% of employers say they regularly screen candidates on social media, and 79% of them have rejected an applicant based on what they saw. Consider adding privacy settings, but don’t disappear completely; it may look like you are out of touch or have something to hide. Show up on social media so potential employers can find you – just keep it professional.

6. Myth 6: It’s all about experience and qualifications

   1. Employers are looking to build teams of people who work well together. So, they also consider values, goals, communication styles, and personality when determining who will best fit the company culture. Therefore, you want to position yourself as the best candidate and someone who will smoothly transition as an asset to the existing team.

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