Your Resume as Thanksgiving Dinner

Resumes and Thanksgiving dinner: both take painstaking preparation and can leave you sleepy. And like the autumnal feast, your resume has some basic components that no Pilgrim should be without. Here’s how each item on your Turkey Day plate corresponds to a fulfilling resume.

Turkey = Experience
If you host Thanksgiving dinner and don’t serve a protein—turkey, turducken, bean loaf (poor vegans)—it won’t be received well. The same goes if the meat is missing from your resume: recruiters will be left feeling empty.

Potatoes = Education 
It’s not the potatoes themselves, but the flavoring that kicks things up a notch. Butter, rosemary, and garlic please the palate just as the pedigree of your school, your GPA, or a unique minor can entice employers. If the hiring manager is a fellow alumnus, that’s seasoning gold.

Stuffing = Skills 
Like a box of off-the-shelf Stove Top Stuffing, some skills are rather generic. Nearly everyone knows Microsoft Word. But fluency in Arabic is the homemade chorizo-apple-walnut stuffing of skills: Include the ones that make you stand out.

Cranberry Sauce = Awards & Honors 
A little bit complements your meal, but too much will turn your plate tart. Listing a few awards, such as Dean’s List or academic honor society, will help set you apart, but don’t overdo it.

Vegetables = Interests & Travel
A medley of country vegetables adds some color—and vital nutrients—to an otherwise drab Thanksgiving spread. Likewise, studying or traveling abroad paired with your unique interests brings a personal touch to your resume. Let there be life.