6 Ways To Build Up A Resume For English Majors

If you’re an English major and aren’t looking to teach after college then here are some things you should do to make sure you are able to land a job after graduating.

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1. Get an internship early on or multiple internships. Many employers are going to be looking for students who have at least 2 years of experience in whatever field you plan going in and the best way to do this is through an internship. Many people will tell you that you shouldn’t bother with those that don’t pay you but if you are able to afford not getting paid for a summer or are okay with a part-time job to make sure you have cash on hand then I recommend taking any opportunity you can get in the field you want to get into.

2. Write for your university’s newspaper. Internships are key when it comes to getting a job as an English major but if you aren’t able to find one or have been rejected from all the ones you applied to the next best you can do is write for your university’s newspaper. Does your university not have a newspaper? Start one! Or you can even create a WordPress or Wix or Tumblr for your university. Jobs look for content creation and your name in the byline so any sort of publication credit will be ideal.

3. Check out if you can intern or work for your university’s public information department (could be listed under a different name). Not only will you be working for a university but you will also most likely end with a reference from a credited university which is ideal for job seeking.

4. Remote writing jobs. A good way to show employers that you are capable of creating content is through remote writing jobs. Most of these are unpaid but are great ways to build up your resume.

5. Do clubs or academic departments have social media? Ask if you can manage them. Many employers are looking for people who have previously managed social media pages and so try and see if you can make content and manager a club or academic departments social media. And make sure to save those analytics.

6. Contact your local town government. Most towns have public information officers that send out press releases about town events or are in charge of other communication. Showing employers that you’ve participated in local government through working as public information officer is great especially if you are looking to get into a communication job.

All in all, my advice to you is to write. Write as much as you can and never stop. Any kind of content creation is a huge help in building up a resume. Also, if you have the time try and make an online portfolio. Most companies want to see what you’ve written in the past and it’s so much easier to show them through an online portfolio than putting all your writing samples into a word document or google drive.

Good luck with the job hunt and remember that something will come along!