How to translate your non-work experience to your resume

By Vicki Salemi, career expert at Monster.com

During your internship or job search, you may try to stretch your previous work experience to fill up a page and it may seem like it’s falling short. 

There’s no need to freak out. Here’s the thing: Yes, employers will specifically look for your skills and experience on your resume, packed with power verbs, and quantifiable responsibilities. That said, they know you’re in college and won’t have a robust resume full of numerous employers and bullets describing each position. If you only have one or two at this point, that’s completely fine.

Better yet? Your resume doesn’t need to entirely showcase your internships and employment. In fact, it shouldn’t. You should include more information serving as data points for recruiters. And you don’t need to recreate the wheel (industry resume templates can help get you started!). 

When you’re in college, employers expect to see experience drawn from areas outside the classroom. They provide more information to employers as a well-rounded candidate, plus it can make you stand out from other candidates. As a bonus, if the interviewer had a similar experience in college or connection through your endeavors, it’s a way for you to organically make a genuine connection.

Here are several ideas to ramp up your resume that go beyond the standard internship and job.

Volunteering

Including your volunteering on your resume is an excellent way to highlight your out-of-the box experiences. When I worked in recruiting, it was always an interesting talking point during interviews. I was intrigued to find out more about the volunteering itself and what the college students learned and ultimately, how their skills developed. 

Volunteering is a great way for you to gain new skills and experiences while meeting new people and potentially getting a recommendation from your supervisor. It also teaches you intangibles like time and project management and allows you to build soft skills. 

Always include volunteering on your resume! Quantify it whenever possible–if you spearheaded a committee for an annual fundraiser, was the total amount raised? At an entry-level volunteer position, employers will know you’re not at a leadership level running the event, for example. What they do know and look for is your participation in the overall organization.

Pro tip: as you’re reading this list if you don’t have any of these experiences yet, feel free to leverage them as inspiration to pursue some, even short-term volunteer gigs not only for your resume, but also for your overall career growth.

Study abroad

Your study abroad experience on your resume is another excellent way to show your versatility in assimilating to other cultures and languages, especially if you’re learning the language and/or becoming proficient. If you had an internship during your overseas stint (or maybe not overseas–I studied “abroad” in Canada, thank you very much!), definitely include it. If you went on an excursion with your school or lived with a host family, include these things, too. They make you a well-rounded person.

Research projects

If you’ve been working closely with a professor, assisting with research, if you’ve been mentored by a professor for your thesis, include these important projects, too! They’re worth mentioning. 

By adding a few bullets on your resume about academic pursuits above and beyond the curriculum, again, you’re providing interesting fodder to employers about your background. They’re conversation starters and they show how you go above and beyond what’s expected of you. 

Student organizations

Don’t sleep on the organizations you’re a member of or the ways that you contribute, such as running meetings, being a reliable staff member (such as giving campus tours on a weekly basis), honor societies, Greek life, and more. 

As you list the organizations and your role, include your skills and responsibilities. For instance, if you’re a treasurer in student government, you’re likely constantly working with your “clients” – students and the administration while crunching numbers–a valuable skill when you’re pursuing analytical and financial roles.

These are just some ideas to get you started. Got a side hustle? Include it! Build websites or run social media for your friends? Those are valuable skills and show your entrepreneurial spirit–let this article spark ideas for your interests and experiences that you may not even realize employers would be interested in hearing about!

In addition, you may want to schedule appointments with your career center on campus for their input, talk to classmates and friends about what activities and endeavors they’ve put on their resume, look online for ideas and resume conversations such as r/resumes on Reddit, and more. 

Keep in mind as your resume should at least be one page long with critical elements included. 

As you progress during your career, education and your experiences related to earning your degree will move toward the bottom of your resume instead of the top. Over time, you’ll start whittling down these extra endeavors, but now they’re pertinent, relevant, and very important.