Can a Physics & Math Major with No Work Experience Create an Effective Resume?

[AdkinsJr]

I'm starting my junior year this fall as a physics & math major, in order for me to apply or even make myself available for co-opts or internships at my University I will have to have a resume' to post on their website. The problem is I have no prior work experience, I don't know what to put on it other than my limited education.

I'm transferring in from another college, so I don't know anyone on campus yet, or any of the faculty, obviously I'll be raising the issue with them when as soon as I can, I"m probably going to e-mail the chair of the department and ask his opinion, but I thought I'd raise it here too just to get as many opinions as possible, it's eating at me and there's still about 2 weeks before classes start before I"ll be active on campus meeting other students and faculty.

I've actually never developed a resume' before for anything, and I don't know where to start. I can look up examples on the net and everything, but pretty much every section I see would be inapplicable in my case.

I get mostly A's in my important courses though, and I have GPA around 3.6. I graduated from high school with a similar GPA. But that's really all I have going for me. Is this unusual? Or am I useless at this point?

 

[Lavabug]

Use what you have. Use your high school curriculum, language diplomas (if any), mention the courses and skills you have acquired in high school and university setting, computers/programming skills/software skills (MS office, graphing software, etc.). Skills obtained in lab courses (I had to learn to use labview, for example), non-academic activities too.

Obviously,ntry to get experience wherever you can if that's an option, as soon as you can. Check if your university has a job shop for students, maybe you could get a part-time job working for library or web services, at residence halls, or something similar.

 

[xodin]

Well, first off, your education will count for a lot--especially being a physics and math major. My recommendation would be to get as much research experience as possible while in school, and have a research section on your resume in place of work. In addition, be absolutely sure to include all volunteer activities, organization memberships, awards, etc, as those can also help fill your resume with beneficial information in place of work. If you are applying for entry level positions or internships, they won't be shocked that you have no work experience, but you are right that you also need to have more than just your education to write down. The formatting can make a big difference too, and including a personal summary will also help--explain your best skills, personality traits, etc, that would be applicable to the job you're applying for. Write, revise, review, rewrite, revise, review, and have your resume checked by multiple third parties--as you mentioned, the campus should have people who do this, though you will likely have to make an appointment. Good luck!

 

[AdkinsJr]

Thanks for the advice, I already have a template coming together with my stepdad. Maybe I'll post it in the near future once I have some of the section filled out more.

I could list some of the skills I acquired in classes like calc and diff eq; And maybe list them in the sections where I list the courses. Like the basics of linear modeling with differential equations... or something like that.

The good thing is that I have nearly a 3.9 looking at my physics, math, and chemistry classes alone. So I've listed the courses important to my major and giving the GPA for them as a group. I'll also include the overall so they don't think I"m trying to obfuscate any details, because 3.6 still isn't bad.

...including a personal summary will also help--explain your best skills, personality traits, etc, that would be applicable to the job you're applying for. Write, revise, review, rewrite, revise, review, and have your resume checked by multiple third parties--as you mentioned, the campus should have people who do this, though you will likely have to make an appointment. Good luck!

Yes, I'll do that for sure. I should probably discuss my academic goals as well, that way it will give the reader some insight in terms of what kinds of skills I need to acquire, why I need to co-opt, etc. Ambition is probably an admirable characteristic also.

And yes, after I put it together, I'll make an appointment with career services at my University. I believe they're the one's who help with this sort of thing, otherwise I'll find out.

Thanks Again
Thanks for the advice. I already have a template going with my step dad, maybe I’ll post it here in the

 

[Astronuc]

In the absence of work experience, one could put course work and any research. It's generally expected that one takes the traditional introductory math and science courses, so one should mention on special courses.

Community services would also be acceptable.

I've hired high school and college students as interns for the summer. Both high school students went on to distinguished academic careers and I believe both obtained PhDs.

 

[AdkinsJr]

In the absence of work experience, one could put course work and any research. It's generally expected that one takes the traditional introductory math and science courses, so one should mention on special courses.

True, but I think I should still mention them so I can give my GPA for that group. My overall is 3.6, but if I consider only my math and science classes: physics 1-3, chem 1-2, calc 1-4, diff eq, and linear algebra my GPA is over 3.9. I'd like to emphasize that.

Note that I have decided to take some special courses outside of my major; I'm going to start out with a programming course and see how that goes. I wish I had thought of this before though.

 

[uby]

Focus on the coursework relevant to the position you hope to attain and skills developed to this point (these should be as specific as possible - what lab techniques are you familiar with, what computer skills do you have, what types of analysis can you proficiently perform, etc.).

By this point in your career you should have an idea of where your interests lie, so you should be selective and target your applications appropriately. While any internship is better than nothing, if it ends up being wholly irrelevant then you've also made it harder on yourself to progress down the road.