Imagine someone looking at your resume suggests that you “diversify” your experience. What comes to mind? Hopefully, it is something along the lines of adding a cultural edge, varying your activities and involvement, engaging in new experiences, or taking a global approach. (If the only thing that came to mind for the word “diversify” was a Harry Potter spell, we will let it slide this time.) Adding some diversity to your resume can be interpreted in different ways. For our purposes, let’s break it down into two categories: diversity within your experiences and diversity of your experiences.
Diversity Within Your Experiences:
Cultural diversity is a hot-button topic for almost all companies and organizations right now. That being said, if over the past few months the most diversity-based activity you think you have done is eat at Carlos O’Kellys, follow along closely. Most employers would say that if they are given two qualified resumes and one contains evidence of cultural experiences, that application will move right to the top of the pile. Since travelling and studying abroad is not feasible for everyone, try to find ways on campus or in the community to broaden your cultural horizons. Volunteer at organizations that engage with diverse populations and take the time to learn about the different cultures, or attend a diversity advocacy workshop. The Center for Multicultural Education is a great resource for UNI and has everything from book clubs and speakers to movie series and ethnic events. If that doesn’t sound appealing, try getting involved in the conversation partners or English Corner programs to help international students learn our language and culture— you might learn a thing or two yourself! Believe it or not, this big world of ours stretches far beyond the Cedar Falls city limits. Even if you don’t foresee yourself leaving our beloved Midwest anytime soon, the companies you apply for here will still appreciate an employee who has shown their commitment to diversity.
Diversity of Your Experiences:
It is important to take classes and join organizations that support your industry, but you don’t want to have too much tunnel vision when it comes to choosing your activities. For example, if you are a business student looking to “diversify” your resume, consider joining the international business club in addition to the standard student business organization. Not only will this give you an edge on your resume, but it may lead to interests and opportunities you didn’t even know you had. Get involved in a variety of things within your industry to open some doors, and then branch out even more. Work on your leadership and communication skills, which will give anyone a leg up in the job search (and life in general). Figure out what skills you lack or where your weaknesses are, and find opportunities to practice them. If you are a shy teaching major, why not join the improv comedy group or enter yourself into a poetry slam contest? You will never progress if you don’t test your limits and change up your activities every once in a while!
Unfortunatley, there is no “diversify” spell to say while waving our wand over our resume (although how awesome would that be?) and like everything else, expanding our horizons takes time and effort too. Start small, and keep these tips in mind the next time you are going to sign up for the same old thing. Keep an open mind and try something new— you might be surprised where you end up!
Want more career advice from Taryn? Check it out here!