Resumes Are Like Pizza

No one is hiring. All you can do for the rest of your life is eat pizza topped with potato chips. 

At least, it feels that way about 90 percent of the time. Ever searched Google or Indeed.com for a summer job? Right. Everyone needs you, but they are either too far away, or need other specialized majors than yourself. Or, when you finally work up the nerve to email them, turns out, they aren't hiring and the ad was ages old! 

But what happens when you find THE ONE?

That one job you absolutely can do, hands down, at your best all the time. The one that you fit most or all the requirements for. The one that might just get you through the summer so you can pay for those outrageously priced college textbooks. The one that allows you to apply online. You hurry to the computer, click "APPLY", and when it asks for a resume and cover letter...

You break into sweats? Crave pizza all of a sudden? Smell pepperoni when none is cooking?
Perfectly natural reaction. 

But it doesn't have to be.

Here I will give some advice on a stunning, and easy resume. Mine is not the only advice, so I suggest you also search the World Wide Web for other ideas as well. 

NOTE: Some countries call a resume a CV.

1. Ingredients. Resumes require information, much like pizza is made from flour, eggs,

butter, etc. Most resumes call for work experience and activities you are involved in. If you are not involved in anything but were recently, you can put that on your resume with the year and time you were active.                                    



For example, if I were captain of the pizza squad (I wish!), that section might look something like this:

MO Pizza Squad-Captain

August 2017-May 2018

• Created chants for team to use at pizza cook-offs
• Created detailed schedule for team practices
• Led class for twelve new recruits
• Inspired recruits to join team via flyers 
• Collaborated with marketing team to make flyers
• Led demonstrations of correct way to sauce a pizza

Do you see how that works? I have the (hypothetical) organization I worked at, my role, and underneath that the times I was in that organization and role. You can go into specifics if you had a role and then dropped it, but was still a part of the org, but for now, keep it simple.

2. Recipe & Menu. You noticed the bullets, didn't you? Good! Those describe the duties I performed during my role (in this case, as pizza captain). Think of this as the recipe to why this role makes you a great job candidate. Did it teach you leadership? Did you handle money? Did you supervise huge groups of children? 
These bullets also create a sort of menu for the employer to look over and choose why they should hire you. 

"What is on the menu today, waiter?"

"A detail-oriented leader who makes tasty pizzas".

(You get it). 

Always use active voice, and start each bullet with a verb. "Created schedule for team practice" is a good example. 

Remember that if you are no longer in this role, use past tense in your bullets. If you are still active in your role, use present tense. Stay consistent!

3. Pizza Baker. Work experience follows the same format. If you are getting paid, it is "work", and if it is a scholarship you were awarded, mention you were paid a scholarship for your time. This will pique employers' interest and allow them to ask why you were awarded the money you were. 

Here is another hypothetical example of work experience. Here, I am a pizza taste-tester.

Pizza People-Pizza Taste-Tester

January 2018-Present

• Taste-test pizzas for correct ratio of each spice and ingredient for best possible taste
• Submit a report per each pizza taste-tested to chef team regarding test data
• Warn team of any odd findings, such as too-spicy sauce or bad pepperoni
• Create spreadsheet of data, such as reactions to spicy pizza:how many affected
• Teach future testers how to safely test a pizza blindfolded

Again, remember to use verbs and SHOW why this section matters.

3. Toppings (the best part of pizza!). Much like cheese, olives, or pepperoni, headings add flavor and personality to a resume. Remember to place your contact information and name at the top of the resume. Your first and last name, email, website (if applicable), cell, and city and state should suffice. This gives the employers a way to contact you if you get the job! Here is an example:

Kat G

XXX-XXX-XXX/city, state/website.com/xxx@gmail.com

I use dashes in my resume to save space but also cleverly separate the information. Some people use boxes or headings. Your name should be front and center in nice bold font, but use a font easily readable. Here I used Verdana, but a script that is not too tight should be fine as well. Be as fun as possible! Your font sets you as an individual apart. Your contact info should be bold as well.

TIP: If you are in college use your personal email and not your student account. Some schools might disconenct your account after so many months after graduating. Double check with your adviser!

4. Flavor. Speaking of bold...

Bolding any headings in your resume allows the employer an easy read. Make headings a bit larger than the normal text, but do not bold normal text! Too much dark black makes it hard to read! This adds contrast, much like a cheese pizza with cinnamon on top. 

Some resumes have space for you to add a professional photo. If you use a photo, make sure it is of you from the chest up, to add depth but without making it awkward. (Plus, you could wear comfy pants under your dress shirt!).
 I personally find photos a bit clunky, but some like the personal touch so the employer has a face to associate with your name, which is totally fine! Remember: this is your way to be your fun self, while being your professional self at the same time. 

5. Pizza Party.  Pizza can be eaten with ice cream at a party, much like your skills can be combined in unique ways to become so awesome no one can turn you down. Maybe you are not just a pizza, but a chocolate sauce pizza. Some applications ask for certain skills you have. You can often address those in your cover letter, but you can also either
 1) list those skills, which is not recommended if you have lots of experience, and plus it takes up space
 2), incorporate those skills into the bullets, such as "collaborated with team to finalize paperwork". 

Carry-Out
And there you have it! Some basic ideas for a quick resume! Comment below to add ideas or for more questions!

Keep rocking! Eat pizza! And God Bless!

---KatG

all photos free download from pixabay.com