A few weeks ago, during a Career Trek, one of the speakers shared an insightful perspective on what makes a candidate stand out. He noted that many of the resumes he received from students looked similar—strong GPAs, relevant coursework, and comparable experiences. While these are important, they didn’t always make it easy to determine the best candidates to move forward in the hiring process.
His advice? Find ways to showcase your skills beyond the classroom.
For the group of mostly engineering students in attendance, he suggested creating personal projects—whether it’s designing something from scratch, troubleshooting a real-world problem, or even breaking something just to figure out how to fix it. Employers want to see your problem-solving process. What steps did you take? What challenges did you encounter? What tools and programs did you use? And most importantly—what did you learn?
This is just one example of how you can add a unique experience to your resume and demonstrate what you bring to a potential employer. But it’s not the only way.
Experiential Learning: A Path to Gaining Experience
As the workplace continues to evolve, employers increasingly prioritize candidates who possess both theoretical understanding and real-world experience. That’s why experiential learning is a powerful tool for career readiness—it goes beyond the classroom, allowing you to apply your knowledge in hands-on settings. Whether through internships, research projects, service initiatives, or leadership roles, these experiences help you build career-ready competencies and make meaningful connections.
With over 4,000 opportunities at your fingertips, you have the power to design an exceptional and distinctive student journey. UF offers countless ways to gain hands-on experience and tailor your path to fit your career goals. The Experiential Learning Guide provides practical tips, interactive activities, and insights to help you make the most of your time here.
Not all experiences require a major time commitment, but each one helps you develop key skills that employers value. Start exploring your options and take the next step toward a career-ready future!
