Step 1: Watch the video above, and follow Erin’s steps to Brain Dump. Don’t forget some key details: is there something you’re knowledgeable of that not everyone knows, like a computer program, or how to create a beautiful piece of art? How many people did you help at your job? What kind of a degree did you, or will you, graduate with? What classes stand out to you from high school and college?

Step 2: Search the web, and find a resume template that is a.) black and white and b.) doesn’t have columns, ultra-unique formatting, or pictures. That applicant-tracking system Erin talks about? It really doesn’t like those. While you’re at it, find a job or two that seems interesting to you and you think you’d be a good fit for!

Step 3: Read carefully through those jobs you found interesting, and figure out what details you provided in your Brain Dump that may match up. Nothing matching up? That’s okay. Take a deep breath and continue without stress! You’re still getting an idea of what to expect.Take some time to figure out where you can sort the information from your Brain Dump into the resume template you chose. Make sure to also replace info in the template like your name, city, state, and area code (we no longer recommend an exact address). What other sections that Erin named may be relevant to you?

Step 4: Head to https://www.jobscan.co/blog/top-resume-keywords-boost-resume/ and learn about the top keywords of 2024. Do you find any of them in the descriptions of the jobs you chose? If yes, they are important to have on your resume. If not, what keywords do you find in the job description? We actually don’t recommend copy/pasting anything — instead, think about how you could best rephrase those things. ChatGPT can be your friend here, but don’t plagarize!

Step 5: Take what you’ve written so far, and brainstorm how you can quantify what you’ve written.

It helps to think about the format: what did you do, why did you do it, how did you do it, and what was the result? Example: “Communicated with three senior staff members daily to promote best practices for supporting 15 students by developing weekly reports to monitor progress.”

Step 6: Time to clean up that resume! Head over to Grammarly.com and JobScan.co to help polish your document. Looking good? Your final task is to contact us and meet with one of our career mentors. It’s always nice to have someone else look for things you might have missed!