5 Skills that Look Good on Any Entry-Level Resume

If you’re a freshly-minted graduate, you’ve had the summer to take a break and recover from you hard work as a student, and maybe even relax on the beach, by the pool, or do some traveling. Perhaps you took on a job to save some money and gather your thoughts, or simply spent time meandering over what you’d like to do next.

Now it’s time to jump into the job search with both feet. Your life and your career await!

First, polish up your resume because it, along with your cover letter, are two of the things that a perspective employer will want to see when you’re job hunting.

If you don’t have any corporate experience in your field yet, keep in mind that exaggerating and lying are dangerous—and lies are easy for recruiters to spot.

Fortunately, there’s an alternative. You’re probably far more skilled than you realize, and those skills that you never thought of might be enough to get your foot in the door in some places.

Consider Adding these Skills in Your Fresh Graduate Resume:

Do you speak or write a second language?

If you speak another language fluently, you’re in luck. Second languages, especially ones that are in demand, are looked upon as great assets in many service and government jobs. Any employer can tell you that having workers who speak another language is an asset to many companies. Look at job postings in your desired industry, and see if there are languages that you may be able to highlight on your resume as something that puts you above the competition.

Do you have sales and customer service experience?

You did a stint at the GAP or at McDonald’s while you were going to school. They aren’t the most impressive things to have on your resume, right? Wrong. Those jobs likely taught you more skills than you realize—accountability, reliability, punctuality, and even management skills. Of course, sales and customer service are included in those skills, too. These basic skills are an asset in any position.

Do you have health and safety training?

Did you have to go through health and safety training at your summer job? If so, put it on your resume. Be sure to mention any certifications you received as well. You could be saving your new company a lot of headache and some money if you come in already trained. It could be the tipping point when a potential employer is looking at your resume and the resume of someone who doesn’t have that training.

Are you great at teamwork?

Were you on the student council? Did you run a club? Did you help organize an event? If so, you’re likely great at working on a team, which is a great asset to have at any job.

Did you have a high GPA?

Maybe you didn’t graduate with a 4.0, but you weren’t far off. Don’t listen to those people who say that nobody ever looks at your grades outside of academia. A high GPA shows employers that you are smart, can apply that knowledge, and that you are hardworking.

You don’t need a ton of job experience to get hired. Everyone has to start somewhere—and these skills will get you noticed on the ground floor. Good luck!