resume « The Career Development Center Blog

College is the time to develop the skills you need and Career Trail is here to help! Take advantage of the Career Trail Prep by Step program. I am excited to be part of Career Services’ Initiative to reach out to OSU students both on and off campus by offering a new way to engage students in career preparation and develop their skills! Student success is the focus!

Career Trail is our new online career development self-directed and interactive program to reach students and alumni 24 hours per day, making accessibility for all at their fingertips. Career Trail engages faculty and staff by providing a resource including curriculum/assignments that can be used individually or in a classroom setting. Career Trail engages users with diverse levels of experience.

One of the aspects of the “Career Trail Prep by Step” program that I am excited about is how a student or alumni can quickly review the steps and determine where they are at in the career preparation process and find the step they are ready to engage in.

The Career Preparation process begins with getting to Know Yourself, your strengths, values, interests, and personality. What a great way to start!
Know the World of Work is the next step where you can learn about majors, what you can do with your major, and learn about jobs that excite you!
Next it is off to Develop Tools and Skills that will prepare you for a job. Here you learn about building a stand-out resume and developing stellar interviewing skills.
Next you Learn How to Connect. Connecting with others through your network, expanding your network through informational interviewing and using professional social media like LinkedIn can help you learn about opportunities and be ready to act on opportunities when they present.
You can even learn how to develop a professional website or blog under Now Keep Going!

Link to Career Trail: http://oregonstate.edu/career/trail

For more help or information visit us at Career Services|B008 Kerr Administration Building | 541-737-4085 | career.services@oregonstate.edu

Carolyn Killefer serves as an OSU Career Counselor with over 20 years of professional counseling experience in academic, community, private practice, and industry settings with a commitment to helping others reach their personal goals.

When I applied for my first job out of high school, my entire resume was made up of activities and clubs that I had engaged in during high school to make myself look impressive to the world. I was proud of the long list of things I had done: math team, speech and debate, and the like. I was convinced that I had picked up a plethora of skills that I could take with me for the rest of my life. But then I got most of my way through the first year of college here, and was told suddenly and harshly that it was time to take high school off of my resume. That was it— the long list of accomplishments that I had spent four years developing was erased in the time it took to hit the backspace key. Then I looked at my resume, and surprisingly it wasn’t empty. It was a good time to take high school off, to make room for more opportunities.

So when is the optimal time to break free of your past? My first recommendation is to start moving away from high school as soon as you can once you get to college; college is a great place to start forming new and exciting relationships with professors, and to get involved in clubs and activities, sometimes even the same activities you did in high school. These sorts of things will make great references and talking points on your resume that would draw any employer’s eye. And really— let’s face the facts— you’re in college now. Everybody knows that you went to high school, and did at least reasonably well, so it is definitely time to take your diploma or GED out from your education section of your resume.

There are other sections of your resume though. One big aspect of a resume will always be to choose relevant experiences to include. Sometimes the most relevant experiences will be from high school, and it is okay to use those for your first few years of college, but by the time you are an upperclassmen, it’s time to lose the training wheels. While you are in your first two years of college, though, you can pull from those things you did in high school- volunteer opportunities, and even select clubs and activities, they can all be relevant to a job you are applying for.

There is one last aspect of your high school experience, and that is one that will never have to be omitted from your resume— the skills you developed. By the end of high school there are some skills we might have developed: proficiency with Microsoft Office, intermediate skill in a foreign language, technical writing, public speaking, etc. These are all skills you can always boast on your resume all the way through college.

Remember when you are constructing a resume that you only want to put down the most relevant experiences, and sometimes those will come from high school, but college is a place to start developing new and exciting sets of skills to show off to employers.

What are the skills you attribute to your high school experience? How are you building on those in your current academics and career opportunities?

by Richard Thomas, Career Assistant

Regardless of what your major is or if you graduated with honors, there are specific skills all employers are looking for in their new hires. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2013 Job Outlook report, although degrees and majors in demand may vary from year to year, the key skills and qualities that employers seek in their new college hires remains nearly identical year after year.

Ability to:

1. Verbally Communicate

In today’s world of text messages and social media, the ability to effectively communicate verbally is in decline, but is still in high demand. Start improving this skill by putting the smartphone away and engaging in conversations.

2. Make Decisions and Solve Problems

With the increase in standardized testing, there has been a decrease in the teaching of critical thinking, but this is still a skill employers are expecting of their employees. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and risk being wrong in order to solve problems.

3. Obtain and Process Information

Listening and understanding is an important part of success in the workplace. Employers are looking for someone who is able to understand directions presented to them in verbal and written methods, but don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions if you are unclear of the expectations.

4. Plan, Organize, and Prioritize Work

Employers are looking for people who are able to effectively manage their time in the office. Practice developing this skill by utilizing organizing software or apps and making and completing “to do” lists.

5. Analyze Quantitative Data

Statistical analysis is what drives decision making within companies. Employees don’t need to be statisticians to be effective in their jobs, but they must be able to disseminate quantitative information presented to them to assist with problem solving in the workplace.

6. Understand Technical Knowledge

Every job will have specific hardware and software specific to that location and it is expected of employees to constantly learn and adapt to the new technical information presented.

7. Be Proficient with Computer Software

Just like the technical knowledge requirements, employees are expected to be proficient with the most common computer software applications (Microsoft Office for example) and be able to learn and adapt to new software specific to the company.

8. Create and Edit Written Reports

Effective professional written communication is vital in the office. Remember that all written forms of communication should be professionally composed, including text messages and emails.

9. Sell and Influence Others

In 1936, Dale Carnegie wrote “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Over 70 years later, this is still one of the most popular references for business communication skills.

Think about which of these skills you do well and a personal example to support your claim. For the areas you need to improve, think about how you can start improving these skills and implement a plan to gain these skills. Keeping your nose in the books and graduating with a 4.0 GPA won’t cut it when you get out into the workplace.

Posted by Jennifer Edwards, Career Services Career Advisor

Often, the most common reasons a resume gets thrown out are also the easiest mistakes to avoid. Here are a few things to watch out for when you’re writing your resume to maximize your chances of getting called in for an interview:

1. You’re not actually a fit for the job

The first thing to do when you’re hunting for jobs is to make sure you would actually be a fit for that position. Do you meet all of the minimum qualifications? And have you made it clear that you do? Make sure that you’re being explicit about having the skills and qualifications that they’re asking for, because making the information hard to decipher is only doing you a disservice.

Another part of making it clear that you’re a good fit for a position is tailoring your resume. Read the job description carefully and write your resume using important words and phrases from it. For example, if a job description lists teamwork as an important skill to have in a candidate, write an accomplishment statement detailing working on a team to achieve a specific outcome. Hiring managers often will only look at each resume for a few seconds, so don’t be afraid of being extra-obvious.

2. Your resume is unprofessional

There’s a fine line to walk between making your resume unique and having it become unprofessional. Definitely avoid pictures and art, unless you’re in a field like graphic design and you know for a fact that an artistic resume is expected. Even then, look up examples of resumes for your field and see what kind of design is expected. Also avoid funky fonts and colors, as they can make your resume harder to read and annoy a hiring manager.

If you’re wondering how to spice up your resume, definitely focus on the formatting. Feel free to use bold and italics, different font sizes (within reason), and play with the actual layout of your resume. You may be tempted to use a resume template, but it is strongly recommended that you don’t because you won’t have as much freedom with how it looks and they often turn out bland.

3. You didn’t spend enough time on it – and it shows

A huge turn-off to hiring managers is a lack of attention to detail. Spelling and grammar errors are especially bad, and many recruiters will toss your resume at the first error they encounter. Don’t rely on spell check to catch everything (it definitely doesn’t), instead actually read through your whole resume and have other people read through it as well. It’s always good to have multiple sets of eyes on your resume to catch mistakes that you might have unwittingly missed.

Another sign that you didn’t spend enough time on your resume is if you’ve used a lot of clichés and vague statements. So many people say things like “hard worker”, “team player”, or “innovative thinker” – but don’t offer any proof. Use your accomplishment statements to prove that you have these qualities. Instead of just saying “team player”, detail a time when you worked with a team of people to achieve something. Be as quantitative as possible, because hiring managers are much more likely to be impressed with numbers and concrete facts about what you’ve accomplished. Quantitative accomplishment statements do take some time and may seem overwhelming, but they’ll be well worth it in terms of making you stand out from the crowd.

Be patient with the process of building your resume. Good resumes take time to make, but the time spent will benefit you in the end when you get called in for an interview.

References:

http://www.engineerexcairo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/trash-300×200.jpg

http://www.thedailymuse.com/job-search/3-things-that-will-get-your-resume-thrown-in-the-trash/

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/resume-mistakes-pet-peeves/article.aspx

Posted by Deirdre Newton, Career Services Assistant

Question: I have six months remaining before I earn my Bachelors of Science degree in Merchandising Management. How do I begin my job search?

Before you actually apply for a job, you need to have a plan, network and all of your application materials ready to submit. Below is a list of some activities that can help you expedite your job search.

Begin your search early. Don’t wait until you’ve completed your degree to look for job opportunities. Many employers start their recruitment efforts early and you don’t want to miss out on great opportunities.

Have an updated resume. Tailor your resume for the job. You don’t need lots of details about every job you’ve ever done. Elaborate on the ones that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Explore opportunities outside of your major. Many majors don’t have clearly identified job titles. Be open to researching occupations, career fields and organizations that relates to your area of interest and/or major.

Stay focused. Keep your search targeted. Conduct company research and identify the type of jobs and organizations that would best fit your interests, talents and skills. Prioritize your search according to preferences such as location, company size, career mobility and any other necessary qualities that you look for in an employer.

Broaden your search. Use multiple job search methods to maximize your efforts. Solely looking at online job posts can limit your options. Networking is one of the most effective job search methods. Use social media to enhance your chances of being a top-notch job candidate.

Be patient. Looking for a job takes time and involves many steps. It’s a process and don’t be discouraged. Proper planning is your best ally.

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

Question: I am a student-athlete and it takes up a lot of my time while in college. How do I include this experience on my resume?

This is a great question! Being a student-athlete does make it difficult to get involved in other experiences due to training, travel, and keeping up with your schoolwork. You also develop and grow professionally as an athlete and gain skills that many employers are looking for in their employees…time management, discipline, teamwork, communication, hard-work ethic, and the list goes on! You definitely want to include your athletic experience on your resume and display it as you would any other professional experience. Here’s an example:

OSU Women’s Rowing Team Corvallis, Oregon
Full-Time Student Athlete Fall 2009 – Present

Attend two practices daily with team while maintaining a full class schedule

Travel throughout the northwest during season with the team for regattas representing the university

Member of first varsity eight boat which placed 7th at Pac-12 Championships

Participate in weekly academic counselor meetings and study tables to maintain degree progress

Here is the full resume of the example above.

So just like any other experience you would include on your resume, be sure to give the details and make yourself stand out. And always tailor your resume for each job!

Any other questions when it comes to resume writing? What other experiences do you find difficult to include on a resume?

Question: Can I use involvement activities as experience on my resume?

YES! What you list under “Experience” doesn’t necessarily have to be paid. It can include clubs and organizations you have been involved in, internships, volunteer work, research, in-depth projects from school, etc. Employers like to see that you got involved while attending college. If you can, try to get involved in activities that relate somewhat to your major but we also encourage you to try new things because you never know where that may lead.

For example, if you are interested in sustainability, then you could join the Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) by either being an intern, volunteer, or member on their board. They are actually currently looking for board members….here are the details:

The SSI (Student Sustainability Initiative) is now accepting applications for two openings on the SSI Fee Board. These are volunteer positions and Fee Board members are collectively responsible for the advancement, effectiveness, health, and longevity of the SSI. Applications should include a current resume and a cover letter addressing why you are interested in the position and what you envision as a culture of sustainability at OSU. Applications are due by Monday, August 6th at 11:59 PM and should be submitted to ssi.feeboard@oregonstate.edu. A full position description of an SSI Fee Board member can be found on the SSI website.

So go get involved but be careful of getting overly involved where you stress yourself out and can’t focus on school. After all, the main reason you are at OSU is to get a degree.

What ways have you gotten involved in college or how do you plan to get involved in the future?

Question: What can I do over the summer or while I’m searching for a permanent job so that my resume doesn’t have a gap in it?

Excellent question! There are many things you can be doing over the summer to gain experience, build skills, network, and in turn, make your resume stronger. Here are some ideas:

Internship – 9 in 10 employers said they look for students to have one or two internships before graduating, and that those internships should be at least three months each to provide enough experience. If you don’t already have an internship for the summer, create your own! Here’s how! Or get planning for next summer.
Part-time or temporary job – you can gain many skills through a part-time or temporary job no matter where you work. Communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, initiative, hard-working…these are all qualities employers across industries seek in their employees and you can easily demonstrate this on your resume through a part-time job. Also, sometimes that temporary job could turn into full time!
Volunteer – there are so many places that could use your help and volunteering is a great way to assist others and also improve your own skills. Thinking about becoming a vet? Volunteer at the humane society. Want to be a writer? Volunteer to start a blog for a nonprofit and write the entries. Interested in teaching? Volunteer at a kids camp or summer school program. The opportunities are endless!!!
Go abroad – summer is a fantastic time to travel! Going abroad either through school or on your own can be a great way to learn more about another culture and yourself. You can also build your network internationally and even better if you learn another language (or at least the basics!).
Take a class or two – either for your major or just to learn another skill (Photoshop, html code, typing, pretty much there is a class for everything these days!)…and oftentimes you can find them online.
Start your own business – due to technology pretty much anyone can start their own business and with little cost. Find out some strategies to get you started.
Start your own blog – blogging is a great way to network and be known in your field…or even in an area that isn’t necessarily related to your career. It shows that you have something to offer and you become somewhat of an “expert” on that topic. It also demonstrates your written communication skills and these days many companies have blogs and therefore need people to manage and write for the blog. There are various blogging platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, Weebly, etc. Here is a great article about the top 10 free online blogging platforms.

These are just a few ideas of ways you can gain experience and skills over the summer or while searching for a permanent job and still have some fun! And hopefully you will find that the things you are doing to gain experience and make yourself more marketable on your resume are FUN…this means you are probably going into an industry that fits your interests, strengths, and values and therefore you are more likely to be happy in your career.

What will you be doing this summer to develop your skills and gain experience? Any new ideas from the list above? Any career related questions you want answered during our Q & A Monday post? Comment below!

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The Career Development Center Blog

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Tag Archives: resume

Find Your Way with the Career Trail

High School: When is it time to say goodbye?

Skills: What You Need to Know

Why Your Resume Got Tossed

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