Find roles you qualify for
Match the role’s tasks to work you have done. Check required enrollment, graduation and work authorization; a missing preferred skill need not rule you out.
Not sure you meet the requirements?
| What the posting says | Your situation | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A required graduation window | Your date is outside it | Find a different program; ask only if the rule is genuinely unclear |
| A software tool is preferred | You can do the underlying task with another tool | Apply with accurate evidence and learn the missing tool |
| Prior internship experience is preferred | You have relevant coursework or paid work | Show the relevant work instead of screening yourself out |
| A required skill you cannot yet perform | No current evidence | Build the skill or target a role with an appropriate starting level |
Use experience you already have
Coursework, paid work and campus responsibilities can show relevant skills. Pick an example that matches a task in the posting.
Harvard recommends specific, fact-based résumé language: “Handled return questions and escalated exceptions to my supervisor” shows more than “excellent communication skills”.
Sources[1]
Choose one relevant project
Use a class, club or personal project. Explain the task, your contribution and the result. Possible examples:
- Marketing: a campus-event poster and its intended audience.
- Software: a working application and one problem you solved.
- Operations: an event schedule or a supplies plan.
Label projects accurately. If you need a new example, keep it small; do not wait for a large portfolio to apply.
Tailor your application
Choose two or three examples relevant to the role. Test any work-sample link and remove confidential material.
Follow employer instructions. Projects do not replace required enrollment, location or work authorization; do not delay an eligible application for a perfect sample.
Apply to one suitable role
Tailor your résumé and submit the requested documents. Keep the submission date so you can return when you hear back.
No suitable role? Try another title for the same work or your campus career center. Campus jobs, supervised research and part-time work can build experience.