9 awesome resume tips for international students

Adapting to life in a whole new country other than where you were born and raised can be quite a challenge. When it comes to a job search as an international student, there are a few things you must get right to make sure that your job application gets seen by the right person.

Resume trends differ across the globe. In some countries, including personal details on a resume is still considered the norm. But here in America, irrelevant personal information on a resume is frowned upon by recruitment professionals. Here is how you can create a resume that caters well to the needs of the US job market:

1. Take your full address off of the resume

You only need to mention the city and state when you add contact information to a resume. Including a full mailing address in your resume is considered unnecessary exposure to potential scammers today.

2. Highlight the most relevant experiences

Crafting the work experience section of your resume will be a hard task if you keep adding jobs from 10 years ago. The key to a good career summary for your resume is to lead with the most recent and relevant jobs.

3. Remove the photograph

When you are applying for a job in the US, adding a photograph to your resume will decrease your chances of getting hired. This fact is not valid for jobs in certain sectors such as acting, modeling, and other performance arts. Usually, if your resume needs to carry a headshot, the employer will list that in the job posting.

4. Use action verbs

The language of your resume is important. A strong resume usually contains unique action verbs that describe the applicant’s involvement with their accomplishments impactfully. Action verbs not only help you highlight your hands-on nature but also make your resume an interesting read.

5. Emphasize results on your resume

Instead of filling the career summary of your resume with boring lists of job duties, focus on your achievements. Under each job entry, list a few of your most notable accomplishments. Always use numbers, percentages, and metrics to bring out the value of your contributions.

6. Optimize your resume for the ATS

A considerable portion of US employers uses Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen candidates. If you want your resume to be read by a human eye, you must always optimize the resume for the ATS. You can do this by incorporating the right keywords from the job description into your resume.

7. Don’t include irrelevant details

You are applying for a job, not briefing the employer about your entire life. Therefore, you must not mention anything like your political standing, religion, marital status, or number of children on your resume.

8. Write about your volunteer experience

As an international student, you may not have enough paid work experience to put on your resume. If that's the case, you can center your resume around any volunteer positions you’ve held. Volunteer jobs, when described the right way, can vouch for your skills and expertise just as much as a full-time job.

9. Get rid of all resume errors

Mistakes on your resume send all sorts of wrong messages about you to potential employers. While some hiring managers may forgive a typo or two on a resume, others may consider those a sign that the applicant is negligent. Always proofread your resume a few times before you send it out.