Fortunately, creating a powerful resume that puts you in the best light possible is not rocket science.

Unless, of course, you’re actually trying to get a job as a rocket scientist. 

With the spring semester already underway, the approaching crunch time for finding the right job can cause a Public Relations major to break out in a cold sweat in the middle of class. In a highly competitive job market, standing out from what could be hundreds of other candidates for a coveted PR gig is as challenging as it’s ever been, especially when you may not feel like you’re the most qualified. 

Most PR students expecting to graduate this coming May should start building that dream resume now so they’re ready once the interviewing season starts heating up. 

Here are some top resume tips to help you land your share of interviews for exciting PR and marketing jobs available for new grads:

Internships to the front

When creating your resume, consider the first employment you list as the headline of an article. If the employer doesn’t like it, they may not keep reading. They won’t dig for relevant work experience or internships, so be sure to put it at the top. 

Another great way to put your best foot forward with your resume is to consider asking a mentor or professor to review your resume. They’ve been through the job hunt before and probably have lots of experience knowing what looks and works best. 

This is also a great time to request to use them as a reference, bettering your chances to get the job you want. 

Know your target audience

In order to best understand what will stand out on your resume, you must first understand who you are marketing yourself to. Are you going after national or international PR agencies or smaller boutique ones that focus on a particular geography or industry niche, like B2B tech PR? 

Once you have figured out your preferred target company by type, research the individual companies you’re hoping to work for. Do a thorough review of their website and relevant social media channels to figure out as much as possible about the kinds of clients they work for, their unique expertise, the kind of company culture they have, and so on. 

Once you understand what they are looking for, you can know the key terms to include that will bump your resume to the front of the pack. 

Bonus: this also helps you understand if you even want to work for them in the first place! 

Make the most of bullet points 

Employers don’t often care about the mundane, everyday tasks you slogged through at your job, but they do want to know what you learned and how it makes you a better asset to their company. Your bullet points are a great way to emphasize your transferable skills and how you contributed to your previous job. 

One of the most important resume tips for PR majors is to add quality to your bullet points whenever possible by calling attention to results. This makes them more memorable. “Worked on an email campaign” does not sound as impressive as “created an email marketing campaign that boosted overall sales by 45%.” 

Include certifications and education

Certifications and education are a great way to highlight what makes you best qualified for their position. If you don’t have certifications, here are a couple of good ones to check out that will majorly boost your resume: Top public relations certifications for your career in 2022. 

Another reason to include your education and graduation date is to help potential employers adjust their timing expectations. When employers see that you are graduating college in May, they know to look for internships, coursework, volunteer service, and GPA, rather than years of job experience. 

Look out for keywords

Today, many companies search online resumes using keywords. Some companies even use automated programs that will flag resumes for hiring managers (or send resumes straight to the trash!) based on inputted keywords. 

If they’re looking for specific keywords, be sure to include those same words in your resume. Sometimes job sites mention what keywords they are looking for. Other times, looking through the job description will give you the keywords you need to know. Either way, be sure to include these terms in your resume to gain the attention of the employer. 

Keep it simple

Simplicity is key. Studies have shown that too much information on your resume doesn’t boost your professional desirability. An excess of information distracts from the important and is instead seen as clutter. If you can, keep your resume to a single page with relevant jobs and experience. 

Another way to keep it simple is with resume templates. Consider using a good-looking, contemporary resume template design to organize your experience, differentiate you from the crowd, and increase your professionalism. We think these templates look pretty fresh.

Yes, you have PR experience

Are you wanting to apply for a PR job but feel you’re not qualified? Even if you only have non-industry experience, you can showcase the skillsets you’ve learned in other industries by taking full advantage of the bullet points to describe relevant skills. 

For example: If you were a barista, you can describe your winsome work ethic, multitasking abilities, and strong people skills as you dealt with difficult customers under a time crunch of mochas piling up on the bar. Almost all “non-relevant” jobs have transferable skills that can be spun to fit your resume. 

And that’s it! 

No more need to sweat in class because you can now approach your final classes and the job hunt with confidence. With these resume tips for PR majors in hand, you should be ready to take the job market by storm.

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About Lara Tanner: Lara is an Account Associate Intern for Swyft, which is a tech PR firm in Austin and Houston and a top digital marketing and PR agency in Denver since its founding in 2011. Swyft also has a small satellite office where it offers tech PR in San Francisco. Swyft has been listed as one of the top tech PR agencies in Texas for two years running by the B2B services review site, Clutch.co.