We are on our fourth day of the “10 Days of Career Services” and the topic for today is the Public Service Fair/Resume help. The Public Service Fair is today from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in Union South (TITU). In preparation for the Spring Career and Internship Fair next Monday (Feb. 4th, 4-8 p.m.), we are also helping you prepare your resume. Today from 1:30-4:00 p.m. there will be Walk-in Resume Advising in 116 Ag. Hall. The Dietetics and Nutrition Club will also be hosting a “Careers in Health and Nutrition” workshop at 7:30 p.m. during their meeting.
The Public Service Fair was created to help students get connected with organizations in the government and nonprofit sectors. The organizations at this fair are looking for full-time, internship and/or volunteers. It’s a great way to network with organizations and start researching possible careers. There are currently about 70 organizations attending.
Here are some tips to resume writing:
Start Early: Over the years, I have learned it is best to start your resume as early as possible. Make sure to jot down important dates and events you participated in. Waiting the week before an interview is too late to start your resume and can lead to grammatical errors. Once you have your resume started, make a point to update it after every semester. This will ensure your resume is ready whenever you need it.
Everything has to gain its spot on your resume: You should think of your resume as piece of real estate and every square inch is important. Everything you add to your resume needs to add more value than what was there before. This is especially important when trying to keep your resume to one page. You need to critically analyze your resume and pick out what an employer would want to see. When giving resume critiques, I often answer tough questions based on what I would want if I were an employer.
CAUTION: two page resumes: One of the most common questions we get at CALS Career Services is if a resume needs to be one page. In short, no it does not “have” to be, but there are employers out there that are against a two page resume. Most of the time it is because they feel two page resumes tend to have “fluff”. employers also want to see information that relates to the position they are looking to fill. Every employer is different, but most are looking for a resume to be a tailored – strategic document. For a BS candidate – this can often be accomplished in one page.
Make your bullets do the talking: The information (bullets) on your resume should make you stand out. Every bullet point should include three things: an action verb, a soft skill and a hard skill. Action verbs are verbs you use to being the bullet. Soft skills are characteristics that are transferable to other jobs, such as leadership and organization. Hard skills are characteristics that may not be transferable to every job, such as being able to count money. Having these three characteristics in your bullets will make your resume much more effective.
These are all important things to consider when writing a resume. For more in depth information on creating your resume come into 116 Ag. Hall and grab a resume handout located in our handout section to the right when you come in the glass doors. You can also get information from our website.
Once your resume is complete, make sure to put it on BuckyNet.
