Students encouraged to develop a resume that showcases their qualifications and accomplishments

 

Before an individual can obtain a job as a professional they need to create the most effective way of showcasing their ability – a resume. 

Resumes are documents that contain an individual’s contact information, their educational background, experience and other information that is applicable for the job the individual is applying for.

Julie Ohlsen, the program coordinator for career development, encourages students to come to the Career Development offices for walk-in hours. Students can use walk-in hours to answer any career-related questions.

“You come in and you sign in and then there are one or two of us working that and so we’ll come grab you and then basically you have 20 minutes with each student,” Ohlsen said.

During walk-in hours, Ohlsen said, there are quite a few questions about resumes and cover letters.

Resumes should have three parts that are the same for all majors: contact information, education and work experience.

“Now where it gets pretty gray is what’s going to be on the bottom part of your resume that can be very variable,” Ohlsen said. She recommended putting related course work and activities.

When working on the experience section, students should include work experience that relates to the job the student is applying for. Ohlsen said that students can have two parts in the experience section: applicable experience and additional work experience.

“The biggest point to note is that [the employer] wants to see that you’ve been well-rounded,” Ohlsen said.

Ohlsen said when students are telling their strengths and qualifications for the job they should be “using numbers to quantify what you’ve done and being really specific about what you’ve done to tell your story.”

Students should note that every resume is different. With more technical majors, it would be applicable to include different programs that a student can use proficiently. Another major, such as nursing, could list different certifications they hold.

“One of the most important things I tell students is put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter,” Ohlsen said. “It’s putting the most relevant information on there. Cleanly, concisely so it’s easy to read.”

In addition to hosting walk-in hours to talk about resumes and cover letters, the Career Development office has a list of services they offer on their website on the SDSU website. The office has a service called Jacks Career Links where employers post jobs and internships targeted at SDSU students.

“It’s another system we’re trying to get the word out on more and make sure students know it’s there; these jobs, the public access, the system, it’s just for SDSU students,” Ohlsen said. “The employers that post here are looking for SDSU students, they want to hire you and that’s what they’re looking for.”

Miranda Hueners, a junior health education major with a specialization in pre-optometry is the career development chair for Chi Omega. She heard that the Career Development office gives targeted presentations to different organizations and classes on campus. The office hosted a resume workshop for Chi Omega.

“I wanted to put on an event that would really benefit the girls,” Hueners said. “I thought a resume workshop would be good so that we could all have some guidance in the area. It was nice to have someone there to answer all of the questions we had. As college students, building a resume is super important for our future.”

Resumes illustrate a student’s accomplishments in a single document to show employers that the student is the best candidate for the job.

“Your resume doesn’t get you the job. Your resume gets you the interview; the interview is what really lands you the job, so you’re trying to think in terms of how do I get that interview,” Ohlsen said. “What do I need to do to show I have the relevant skills needed to get that interview?”