You're a few months from graduating with your degree in psychology, and the only work experience you have is from several seemingly unrelated hourly jobs you had while in college. Perhaps you were a lifeguard or you tutored a few hours a week at your school's academic assistance center.
Regardless, now that you're writing your resume, you realize you have nothing to offer prospective employers in the way of useful on-the-job experience.
You couldn't be more wrong. At face value, these job experiences may not translate into the type of work history you want on your resume, but most hourly jobs teach you a host of essential skills that employers demand. Skills like working well with others, communicating effectively and demonstrating self-motivation.
If you're like many college students, you don't realize what skills you've gained from typical hourly jobs like these:
Working in Restaurants
This is perhaps the most underrated hourly job. But think about the skills you had to demonstrate while working: accuracy in taking orders, coping with stressful shifts (Remember those daily lunch and dinner rushes?) and developing ways to effectively manage your time.
More importantly, you've learned to be diplomatic with difficult patrons and may have had to respond to questions and even complaints with confidence and, in some cases, good humor. When including this type of job on your resume, be sure to emphasize the interpersonal and communication skills you gained from the experience.
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