6 tips for your resume and cover letter as a starter

Just graduated and looking for your first job? A striking CV and a convincing cover letter should of course not be missing. Certainly not if you don't have that much work experience yet and still want to have a chance at that one nice job. In this blog you will find a number of tips on how to optimally use your cover letter and CV as a starter.

The benefits of a starter
The lack of the right experience is not equally important for every organization. Appoint precisely because you are a starter, you are very flexible and you want to learn. Starters generally bend easily within organizations and do not limit themselves to one particular vision.

Name situations from other activities
By linking your experiences and training to what is asked in the vacancy, you make clear why you are suitable for that one position. But how do you do that if you don't have that much work experience yet? Use situations from your education or other activities, such as your part-time job, study association, sports club or volunteer work. Activities from these situations can also be very relevant, make no mistake about this!
STAR method
You can then substantiate the situations with the STAR method and link them to the job profile from the vacancy.
With this method, you give a S ituation again, what tasks you performed while T which A ctivities taking were discussed, and what's the R esults of wax. Be creative, don't be too modest (but don't bluff either) and make your added value for the organization in question as clear as possible.
Specify education
In your cover letter you have the opportunity to go deeper into your education. This period of learning and development is much more than just the actual degree you have obtained. Also name your courses, specializations, (foreign) internships and minors. And what interesting projects did you carry out during your studies? And what was your part in this?
Specify side jobs
You can specify not only your education, but also your side jobs. Do consider the relevance of the side job in relation to the vacancy. Not every side job will underline the required skills of the position you're applying for. Some of the activities that you performed during your part-time jobs have contributed to your personal and professional development and you should therefore certainly mention them in your cover letter.
More than standard
Have you done activities in addition to your studies, such as a board position in a study association or have you done committee work? Be sure to name them. In this way you show the reader that you have ambition, like to develop yourself and that you are willing to do more than just the standard tasks.