Picture this: First year is over and you have three months to lay back, relax and
binge-watch some Netflix because it’s summer! After three days of shuffling through
Trending Now, Top Searches and Watch It Again, you realize you might have already wasted too much time and your life is over now. Friends are at internships, running lemonade stands or taking summer classes, making you feel like a blob with no ambitions.
Maybe you should update your LinkedIn? Add to your CV? Yeah, that seems appropriate of a uni student who has their life together… except… you’re 18 years old, never had a proper or part-time job and have nothing to show for your name.
If this sounds familiar, you’ve probably been in my shoes. If you need some quick ways to populate your CV for a job, placement or internship, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 6 things to fill up empty spaces on your CV:
1. Volunteering
This is probably the easiest way to get CV experience. You can sign up for so many different volunteer positions (and there’s usually a high demand) to gain valuable skills and practice that you can apply to jobs later on. You can also ask volunteer managers to be a reference, and make connections with other volunteers within the same group or under the same organization.
2. Leadership positions you’ve undertaken as a student
Apply for that student rep position. Become a PASS leader/PEER mentor. Join your student hall RA/JCR committee. These are all straightforward and beneficial activities that make you look good and actually make a difference too.
3. Module skills
Your education is supposed to make you employable! Head to your course page on the university website and take a look at your course details. If you click on each module you take, you’ll see each comes with a list of employability skills. Don’t forget to include those in your LinkedIn skills section!
4. Involvement in societies and sports clubs
If you’ve founded, chaired or acted as a committee member for a society at the university or otherwise, it’s an easy way to show initiative, leadership and teamwork.
Similarly, if you were in a sports club or won a tournament, teamwork and resilience are notable attributes you may have. If your CV is lacklustre, maybe think about joining a club or committee.
5. Internships and placements
This one may be obvious but if you’ve undertaken any apprenticeship or internship roles over your breaks or back home, it’s a good idea to highlight those roles with what they entailed as well.