Analysis of example resume. (2)

 (f) Awards / Scholarships.  First, at the beginning of your college experience, you should ask yourself, “What prize do I want to compete for, and win?”  Instead of competing with the others for one prize, you should select and hunt down the prize itself.  Try to take part in competitions that are unique.  Don’t just “follow the crowd”!  Of course, there are prizes that everyone wants to have a chance at, and you can try those too, but these activities are not the most important venture.  Second, most people look at competitions as social, or as prestige, or as “face” events.  You should rather assess, plan, and execute your victory, as part of something that interests you. 
     As for scholarships (which are different from “awards”), try to be the best student you can be, and let the school choose the winners.  Unlike the awards, here, you should not specifically “hunt” the prize.  That is one of the big differences between “awards” and “scholarships”. 
 
     (g) Interests.  Ask yourself, “What have I been interested in, over time?”  Be honest with yourself... very honest.  The prospective employers want to know what you have been doing with your spare time.  This tells them something about you. 
     Do not say, “Singing, watching T.V., surfing on the Internet”.  This is so common and boring.  The prospective employers will not like this.  In any case, everyone else does this.  What do you do, that makes you more interesting than the others?  Also, you should not say, “Studying English, reading classical novels, and debating current affairs”, as the prospective employers will wonder if you are telling the truth, or are just trying to please them.  Of course, if you really do these things, then write them down. 
     What do you do, that makes you so special and unique?  How long have you done them?  You should think about these things while you are only in middle-school, and then develop these interests over time.  Not only will your long-term interests make you interesting to the prospective employers, it will make you interesting to yourself.  However, do not make and follow interests, so as to make yourself more “marketable”; instead, amuse yourself as you want, doing creative things with your free time. 
     What the prospective employers are looking for are signs that you are independently motivated, creative, and also interesting.  To follow one’s own dreams is better by far than just being another member of the “herd”. 
     Also, I wish to ask you here, “What do you want to do with your free time, when you are truly free of the many expectations of all others, when you are alone, and can do what you want, and do it freely?”  If you can answer this question honestly, looking deeply into the mirror, then you will go a long way towards discovering what it is that you want to do with your life.  For me, I want “career” to be something I want to do, not something I have to do.  (In spite of “reality”, try to think about this.)  Sometimes, how you spend your free time is a good indicator of how you will spend much of your life. 
     There is more to life than “just work”, and thinking about this matter of “interests” will help you to better plan and enjoy your time with yourself.  Then ask yourself, “If this is how I like to spend my free time, how am I using my time under employment?  (There are many, many such hours!)  Remember : this resume business is not about your boss, or your getting a job.  It is all about you!  (The boss, and the job are secondary.) 
 
     (h) References.  This means, those who will say good things about you, to persuade the boss to hire you.  List them at the end of the resume, so that a prospective boss can contact them, to ask about you.  There are two ways you can do this: 
       (i) List the “references” name, unit, relationship to you, and contact information (telephone number, or e-mail address).  Problem : people move and change jobs, so that even one “lost contact” can make your resume look “out-of-date”. 
       (ii) You can say, “Available upon request” on your resume.  This means, “If you want to know who my references are, contact me, and I will give you their contact information.”  This way keeps your resume more current-looking.  You do not have to change your resume, each time you lose a contact (and you will “lose” contacts, as life sweeps you all away in different directions).  You can change the names (on a different list) very easily.  You are also more flexible.  Problem : maybe the boss will not want to call you, to ask who your references are! 
 
     Final comments on resume-writing.  Remember, resumes are all about you!  Therefore, please dream well, plan well, write well, and act it all out well!  Have fun, and happy hunting.