Here’s what you should take OFF your resume to stay competitive
👉 It’s almost the end of the year: time to give your resume a good cleanup!
Need to know where to get started editing your resume? Try these 8 things.
When you think about improving your resume, your first instinct might be to add to it: more experience, more skills, more words. But sometimes, removing things is even better. The best resumes are succinct, easy to read, and quickly show employers why you’re the best candidate.
We polled our team of career advisors – here are the top things you should be taking off your resume.
Your physical address. These days, most recruiting communication is done by phone or email, and a mailing address is not needed. Include just a city and state instead.
Dual columns. Stick to a simple resume format. If the employer is using automated job application software known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to process your resume, the ATS might fail to properly scan a two-column resume, and your resume could get rejected! See our library of sample resumes for examples of good one-column resume formats, or the VMock resume tool for pre-formatted templates.
All the details of your academic career. Applying to jobs in academia? You need a CV: a full, multi-page record that lists all your academic accomplishments. Applying to a job in private industry? Do not submit a CV! You need to create a resume: a tailored snapshot that explains why you’re the best candidate for this particular job. Learn more about CVs, resumes, and how to compare and convert between the two.
An objective statement. Including a statement about the kind of job you’re looking for is no longer a common resume practice. You can leave this off or replace it with a Professional Summary section. If you do include this, let the job description guide you. Keep your summary short (2-3 sentences) and tailor it to the job you are applying for. Use this space to showcase how your unique combination of skills and experiences makes you the best candidate for this particular job.
Stumped? Try taking some of your relevant resume bullets along with the job description, and prompting an AI tool to help you draft a summary statement, then edit the best version it produces yourself. Remember: never upload personally identifying information like your full resume to ChatGPT or other AI tools.
References. If an employer wants references, they’ll ask for them separately; don’t make your resume longer by listing them. The exception to this rule is a federal or government resume, when references must be included.
Personal information. In some countries, it is common to include personal details like sex, gender, age, marital status or religion on a resume – leave those off when applying for jobs in the U.S.
Photos. Keep the focus on your qualifications; including a photo of yourself on your resume is unnecessary. Automated job application software may also mistakenly reject resumes that include elements like graphics or images.
A quirky email address. Your email address should be simple, professional, and easy to associate with your name (not a nickname, hobby or online handle). Your OSU email address is a good choice until after graduation. If you’re about to graduate, make sure you plan ahead and create a personal, professional email address.
Ditch these outdated details to streamline your resume
When you think about improving your resume, your first thought might be to add to it: more experience, more skills, more words. But sometimes, removing things can be just as effective. The best resumes are succinct, easy to read, and quickly show employers why you’re the best candidate for their job.
We polled our team of career advisors – here are the top things you should be taking off your resume.
Can you spot the mistakes in this person’s resume template?
Your high school diploma. Once you’re in college, only list your completed or in-progress college degrees in the education section of your resume.
Dual columns. Stick to a simple resume format. If the employer is using automated job application software known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to process your resume, the ATS might fail to properly scan a two-column resume, and your resume could get rejected because the ATS couldn’t read it! See our library of sample resumes for examples of good one-column resume formats, or use the VMock resume tool for pre-formatted templates.
Your physical address. These days, most recruiting communication is done by phone or email and a mailing address is not needed. Include just a city and state instead.
A quirky email address. Your email address should be simple, professional, and easy to associate with your name (not a nickname, hobby or online handle). Your OSU email address is a good choice until after graduation. If you’re about to graduate, make sure you plan ahead and create a personal, professional email address.
References. If an employer wants references, they’ll ask for them separately; don’t make your resume longer by listing them. The exception to this rule is a federal or government resume, when references must be included.
Personal information. In some countries, it is common to include personal details like sex, gender, age, marital status or religion on a resume – leave those off when applying for jobs in the U.S.
An objective statement. Including a statement about the kind of job you’re looking for is no longer a common resume practice. You can leave this off or replace it with a Professional Summary section. If you do include this, let the job description guide you. Keep your summary short (2-3 sentences) and tailor it to the job you are applying for. Use this space to showcase how your unique combination of skills and experiences makes you the best candidate for this particular job.
Stumped? Try taking some of your relevant resume bullets along with the job description, and prompting an AI tool to help you draft a summary statement, then edit the best version it produces yourself. Remember: never upload personally identifying information like your full resume to ChatGPT or other AI tools.
Photos. Keep the focus on your qualifications; including a photo of yourself on your resume is unnecessary. Automated job application software may also mistakenly reject resumes that include elements like graphics or images.
10 action steps Oregon State students can take now
Join professional organizations related to your field. If broad professional sites like LinkedIn feel overwhelming, dial in your efforts by focusing on sites specifically related to the field you want to enter. Professional organizations are good for networking opportunities, and many associated have job boards; most also have free or lower-cost membership rates for students.
Not sure which orgs to join? Here are a few ways to get started:
Browse OSU’s list of organizations with the “academic & professional” filter turned on.
Do a search for “XXXX industry here + professional organizations.”
Know who’s hiring now. Get familiar with typical hiring timelines – if you need a job now, jobs in government or academia, which have longer lead times, won’t be your best bet. (Learn more about academic job searching and typical academic timelines). What are some private industries that interest you?
Don’t rule out short-term work. Internships, seasonal or short term work can be a good bridge to the next phase of your career. You’re still adding to your resume, earning income and building your network even if it’s not a long-term position.
Handshake is a job board focused on college students and recent grads; it’s a good spot to look for internships and seasonal positions.
AmeriCorps, City Year, the Peace Corps and other service organizations offer one- or two-year programs where students can gain experience before pursuing longer-term employment.
Parker-Dewey offers paid micro-internships: anywhere from 5 to 40 hours per week of work, with many opportunities that can be completed remotely.
Focus on skills, not just just job titles. Ask a career advisor or an AI tool to help you analyze your resume for transferable skills. Are there jobs you’re qualified for that you’ve been missing out on?
Suppose you’ve been thinking of being a park ranger, which requires skills like “promoting environmental conservation” and “communicating well with diverse groups of people.” What other jobs need those skills? Can you search for job listings based on skills rather than titles?
If your long-term goal is to join an industry that’s currently facing a hiring freeze or downturn, don’t be deterred from taking other work until your dream industry bounces back. For example, if you’ve been looking for jobs in the federal government, use our government agency mapping tool to find similar job listings in state or local government agencies.
Tap into your Oregon State network. Through the OSU Alumni Association you can join OSU Connections, an OSU-specific professional network with 5,000+ members, for free.
Get tips on how to ask OSU alumni in industries you’re interested in for advice and job leads, including good questions to ask and email scripts you can use when you’re reaching out.
You can also join the OSU-specific LinkedIn group: Beaver Careers.
Upskill with purpose. Not getting jobs? Do a skills inventory and analyze your gaps.
Not sure what skills you lack? Ask AI to help you analyze. Sample prompts could include: “What are the top skills for a programmer? For a _____?.”
You can also supply a sample job listing you are interested in as well as your current resume (make sure to remove your personally identifying information, such as your name, email and address, before uploading), and then ask your favorite AI tool to perform a skills gap analysis.
Take advantage of an AI-assisted appointment at the Career Development Center and use the combination of skilled human plus a custom AI tool that’s been trained on OSU-specific career resources.
Once you know where you need to grow, use LinkedIn Learning while it’s still free to you as an OSU student to build up your resume.
Train your algorithms. Follow organizations you like on Handshake and LinkedIn, favorite jobs you like, and set up alerts for job categories you are interested in so you are the first to know when new jobs are posted.
Revisit your priorities and broaden your scope. Which is more important right now – high pay OR staying close to your romantic partner or your family? Working in a dream location OR landing a job in a dream industry? Chase after your most important goal in your first job, then after you’ve gained a little experience, you can land a job that nails multiple values.
Focus2 is a career assessment tool that’s free to Oregon State students; it can help you think through your values if you’re not sure what you’re looking for in your first job.
Get expert advice. The Career Development Center, OSU-Cascades Career Center, and the OSU Alumni Association offer career events and workshops every month that are focused on helping you build career skills and build your network.
The OSU AI Career Assistant was developed by student workers and trained on OSU-specific resources
Maggie Willard is one of the career assistants trained to use the OSU AI Career Assistant as a supplemental tool during peer advising sessions.
Student workers at Oregon State’s Career Development Center have a new tool to use during career advising appointments. It’s a custom AI chat, trained on OSU’s own career resources, that they actively participated in developing.
Launched this spring, the OSU AI Career Assistant is a custom AI tool based on Open AI’s ChatGPT platform. It’s designed to aid the Career Development Center’s team of student career assistants (CAs). CAs advise their classmates on all things career-related, helping fellow Beavs with resumes, cover letters, interview preparation, and other questions related to exploring careers and securing jobs and internships.
“It’s a really cool tool that is used to supplement what we’re already doing, and just make sure that we’re providing students with the best resources and support that we can,” said Emma Partridge, a public health major who is one of five OSU career assistants currently trained to use the AI tool.
Michal Kawka, Director of Career Education for Oregon State, said he was inspired to create the OSU AI Career Assistant because he was curious about the possibilities it offered.
“One of the new things in AI in the last year has been the ability to create custom chats, right? These don’t just rely on generic technology. We can customize them content-wise and behavior-wise to a specific use case,” he said. “So that’s when we thought, okay. How about if we try to add ChatGPT as a tool for peer advising appointments, where it does not replace a human interaction, but augments that interaction?”
How might it augment the interaction? Very often, just by listening.
During a career advising appointment, and only with student permission, a CA can activate a dictation function in a regular Microsoft Word document. As the CA inquires about the student’s career goals and provides guidance, a transcript is generated. The CA can then provide the transcript to the OSU AI Career Assistant and prompt it for additional insights based on what it heard.
“Honestly, I was kind of amazed the first time that I used it,” said Maggie Willard, a CA who participated in a practice session with Kawka as part of her training.
During the practice appointment, Kawka interviewed Willard about her work and academic experiences, and together they brainstormed ways she could improve her resume. Then, they shared their transcript with the OSU AI Career Assistant and asked it for some ideas.
“It picked up on this very specific project I had talked about, and then Michal and I took that suggestion and refined it from there for my resume,” she said. “It took a whole conversation that we had, and it just completely picked out the bits and pieces that were important and kind of morphed it into what I could use. I felt like it helped pull everything together and put the bow on top of it, out of the conversation that we were already having.”
CA Emma Partridge is excited to take her experience developing and using the custom AI tool with her to future job opportunities.
In another appointment, Kawka and a CA worked with a student who was preparing to interview for a specific job. They used the OSU AI Career Assistant for help in several ways:
They asked the OSU AI Career Assistant to generate sample interview questions based on the student’s photo of the job description.
They practiced interviewing, provided the AI assistant with a transcript of their practice session, and asked it for feedback based on its knowledge of interview best practices.
At the end of the appointment, they prompted the tool to generate an interview practice guide based on the core topics discussed during the appointment, then emailed the student with customized career recommendations.
The fact that OSU AI Career Assistant is typically working with completely original content – transcripts of advising appointments, generated in the moment, rather than generic material from online sources – is part of what makes it unique, Kawka said.
“Here, the base material for what AI is generating for us is really our conversation,” he said. “It’s content that we generate together, that we then ask AI to reflect on. It’s always very authentic material.”
Another thing that makes the AI Career Assistant unique? Its knowledge base. Kawka and the CAs trained the tool on specific data sets: the Oregon State Career Guide, the Career Development Center website, information from trusted industry associations, and government labor statistics.
“When you look at the generic ChatGPT and our ChatGPT, if you use both and ask the same question, one will give you an answer based on everything that’s out there on the Internet. Ours will give you answers that are OSU-specific, with the general Internet being a background for some of that information,” Kawka said.
Kawka drew on his background in software development to lead the CAs through an extensive testing process to refine the tool before using it in student appointments. The CAs asked multiple different types of prompts, recording and rating its responses each time. The goal, Kawka said, was to find the tool’s boundary conditions and improve both its tone and its performance. They also considered privacy and data security concerns, formulating procedures for gathering student consent and ensuring that no personally identifying information is fed into the tool.
Partridge, one of the trained CAs, says she thinks the experience working with the OSU AI Career Assistant will benefit her in the future.
“Because AI is on such a rise, it’s cool to have an opportunity where you can interact with it in a way, and then also be able to bring that to future jobs and say, ‘This is something that I am trained in, that I have some experience with,’” she said.
That’s exactly what Kawka has been hoping for – that the OSU AI Career Assistant will be an asset to his team of student workers, not a replacement for them.
“The interaction, the connection between students working together to learn more about careers, that’s still the core of it,” he said. “The AI is a supplemental layer of intelligence that helps us see what’s being said and what’s being discussed in a more holistic way.”
Will every appointment at the Career Development Center include AI now? Not necessarily. Kawka said the CAs can use their discretion to bring the OSU AI Career Assistant in when they need an additional perspective.
“I don’t think I would have to use it for every single typical appointment,” Willard said. Many students, she said, simply need help making minor formatting edits to improve their resume.
“I likely will not be using it just to edit someone’s resume. It’s going to be for stuff like generating interview questions for a specific major, or someone coming in and maybe not even having a resume. Then we can have that conversation and get some good insight from the AI there,” she said.
Our best tips for how to strike up a conversation at any networking event
Benny the Beaver is GREAT at networking at career fairs!
Career fairs are a great chance to make a good first impression on potential employers — they’re looking for potential new hires or interns, and you’re looking for companies you want to work for. The But what if you get nervous at a crucial moment and don’t know what to say? We’ve got you covered! Here are some lines you can use at your next career fair or other networking event.
Short & simple convo starters
It’s classic for a reason: say hello, then share your name and what you’re studying. “Hi there! I’m Aiden, and I’m studying Spanish and Business Administration.”
Ask about the other person:
How is your day going today?
Have you been to one of OSU’s career fairs before?
Ask about something on the booth or table:
Do you mind if I grab one of these flyers?
I love these giveaway items you have!”
Ask about their organization: “Could you tell me more about (Name of _____)?
Questions about the company
What kinds of roles are you looking to fill?
What stands out to you with new hires coming out of college?
What are some things your team is working on right now?
Questions about the other person
What do you like about working at ____?
How did you get started in this industry?
What advice would you have for someone just starting out in this field?
Exit strategies
When you’re ready to say goodbye and need a graceful way to end the conversation, try these:
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me! Have a good rest of your day.
Do you have any business cards I could take with me?
Thanks for all the info! I hope the rest of the career fair goes well for you.
(If you brought resumes with you) Do you mind if I drop a resume off with you? I’d love to hear about any openings if they would be a good fit for me.
All about you: The Elevator Pitch
If you have time to practice a bit before a career fair or networking event, spend a little time polishing a short statement that tells people who you are and what you’re looking for. People call this the Elevator Pitch.
The basic formula is: Who you are + what makes you stand out + what you want to achieve.
Your elevator pitch should be no more than 30-60 seconds; something you can easily remember and feel comfortable saying when you are introducing yourself.
Start with the basics. “Hi, my name is Sam, and I’m studying graphic design.” “I’m Mariana, and working on a degree in computer science.”
Add a little bit more about yourself and your interests.
Is there anything you’ve done in college or in work that has stood out for you? “I’m taking a course in branding right now, and I’m finding out that I really love the strategic side of design work.” Or “I have been able to take part in undergraduate research through the URSA program at OSU, and I think I really want to pursue something that lets me do more research.”
Then add a little more about what you’re interested in: “I’m hoping to find a summer internship,” or “I’m still trying to figure out what I really want to do after college.”
Meet Michael Acosta, a graduate of Oregon State’s mechanical engineering program currently in his first year on the job.
Michael Acosta, Mechanical Engineering ’24
Michael, currently a rotational engineer with Amentum at the Hanford Vit Plant in Richland, Wash. talks through where he’s been, what he’s doing now, and what he’s aiming for in the future.
Then: a passion for building led to mechanical engineering at OSU
My joy for engineering started when I was younger and often played with Legos, tools, and general crafts. Back then, going through the process of designing and building my own structures, vehicles, and contraptions gave me such joy and sense of accomplishment. I often took part in events that involved designing and constructing things like wooden bridges, water powered rockets, and small robots.
Michael’s capstone research project at Oregon State gave him the chance to work alongside plant engineers at Amentum and gain real-world experience solving challenging problems.
Further into my life I aimed to gain more knowledge towards engineering, and in high school I took many courses such as AP Physics, General Engineering, AP Calculus, and Machine Shop. With my interest and enjoyment of engineering ever growing, I applied to Oregon State University, was accepted, and started to build my school curriculum. In the end, I chose mechanical engineering since it branched out to multiple fields like electrical, chemical, and even nuclear engineering which gave me insight into a variety of industries I could go into.
Now: solving problems as a Rotational Engineer
A day in the life of a recently graduated engineer can vary but for me it is full of problem solving, questions, brainstorming, teamwork, and bonding.
I start my days waking up at 4:30 a.m. I get ready for work and take care of my dog Remi, and then head off to the Hanford Vit Plant. I clock in and start my days catching up to what I missed during the night and prep myself for the morning meetings.
Michael is a Rotational Engineer at the Hanford Vit Plant, part of the team that’s designing, constructing, and commissioning the world’s largest radioactive waste treatment plant for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Michael’s dog, Remi.
Desk at the Hanford site.
Michael and friends after work.
I am a part of the Instrumentation and Controls group and in our morning meetings we meet up online and discuss our plans for the day and what systems or projects we will be working on. My projects include working on the cybersecurity system for the site, working on the camera systems that our mechanical handling team uses, and even finishing up work from my prior team, the Water & Steam group. These projects come with their own unique challenges but utilizing my coworkers’ individual skillsets and asking questions greatly increases our efficiency.
After work, I meet up with my coworkers where we bond and enjoy playing trivia and eating Thai food at a local restaurant. Afterwards, I get ready with my meal prep and prepare myself for another day full of challenges and learning opportunities.
Future: aiming for a greater impact
Future career goals and opportunities I am looking forward to as a growing young engineer: I aim to take on tasks and projects in different fields that I can learn from and expand my technical and engineering knowledge.
Additionally, I have an ambition to rise to an engineering position where I can have a greater and more positive impact on helping the environment because as an engineer, I want to help people and the world with my work.
Overall, I look forward to using these experiences to build my confidence as an engineer and being able to truly own my signature.
About Amentum & the Hanford Vit Plant
In southeastern Washington state, Bechtel National, Inc. and Amentum are designing, constructing, and commissioning the world’s largest radioactive waste treatment plant for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). When complete, the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, also known as the Vit Plant, will process and stabilize million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste currently stored at the Hanford Site.
Amentum is a corporate partner of the Career Development Center; thank you for supporting career development at Oregon State University!
Have you ever wished you had a list of interview questions you could practice with before an upcoming job interview? Something a little more specific and useful than the generic lists of commonly asked questions you can find online?
Good news – while you may not be able to generate an exact list of the questions your interviewer will ask, AI-based Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Microsoft CoPilot can help you get pretty close; they can even conduct a mock interview for you! Here are some tips and sample prompts to help you get started.
AI tools like ChatGPT can be a helpful way to practice before your job interview.
An important note: Remember that LLMs should be used as research tools and thinking partners, nothing more. ChatGPT has been known to provide false or biased information; you should not rely on it to create entire interview answers for you. In addition, default settings allow everything you provide to ChatGPT to be used in training the model. To ensure your confidentiality, do not upload any personal information. Consider disabling the “Chat History” feature.
Give the AI tool context about yourinterview.
Tools like ChatGPT are most effective when you give them specific information to work with! Try the following prompts:
I am applying for the following job [copy and paste job description here]. Based on this job description, what are 10 questions I am likely to be asked in an interview?
Please analyze the following job description [copy and paste job description here]. What are the skills & experiences that are most important for this position, and what questions are likely to come up in a job interview?
A note: If you didn’t save the job description and the posting is no longer live, try using a combination of the specific role, company name, or industry.
I am applying for a [job title here] role at [company name or name of industry]. What are the questions I am most likely to be asked in a job interview?
Ask the AI tool to give you a variety of question types.
Most interviews will include a mix of questions about your technical skills (what you know how to do) and your “soft skills” – delving into things like teamwork, communication, or critical thinking. These are usually called technical questions and behavioral questions. Some sample prompts:
I’m applying for a [title here] internship in the [specific department] at [name of company]. Please give me some examples of technical questions and behavioral questions that will come up in the interview.
If you have the job description available, ask the AI tool to analyze it for you and tell you what technical skills and soft skills you should come prepared to talk about.
I’m applying for this job [copy and paste job description]. Please analyze it and tell me which technical skills and personal skills are most important, then provide me with some technical and behavioral interview questions.
Ask the AI tool for feedback.
Once the tool has given you some possible questions, you can brainstorm answers. Then, continue the conversation by asking for feedback on what you have planned.
Here is my answer to the following question [question here]. [write in your answer]. Assume you are the hiring manager for this role and give me some feedback on my answer. What stood out to you? What could I have done better?
Mahi Pandey landed an international internship working with endangered cheetahs
Here’s how she did it and how you can, too.
Mahi Pandey, a 2024 graduate of Oregon State’s Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Science program, helped care for cheetahs during her internship at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia.
About Mahi: Class of 2024, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Science major. An international student, Mahi is from the city of Lucknow in Utter Pradesh, India.
“This internship was such an amazing experience,” she said. “I learned so much from all the rotations.”
Mahi did everything from caring for the 27 resident cheetahs to going out in the field to collect data. She also worked on the model farm – as part of the CCF’s mission to reduce conflict between farmers and wildlife, they breed livestock guarding dogs and place them with local farmers.
“During one rotation, I was part of a puppy placement. I got to drop the livestock guarding dog puppy off with the farmer and learn more about the farms in Namibia and the ongoing human-wildlife conflict. That really made me fond of the model farm department,” she said. “Then there was also husbandry, which is working with the cheetahs, and that’s awesome. In the ecology department you work with data but also go out in the field. It was all very fascinating and interesting,”
Daily life in Namibia: Mahi lived in on-site housing – a small cottage – at the CCF facility and ate meals at a staff dining hall. The closest town, Ojiwagongo, was about 45 minutes away.
Her fellow interns at the CCF came from all over the world (including one fellow intern from Oregon State), but they all communicated in English. Mahi said the relationships she built and the hours they spent talking around the campfire, singing karaoke, and playing card games, are some of her best memories.
“Usually I would take animals over humans any time,” Mahi said. “In some part of my mind, I thought that I would be going just to work with cheetahs and focus only on animals. But I was so wrong. I ended up making so many good friends and so many great memories. They were the friendliest people I’ve ever met – genuinely good people who genuinely care about nature.”
Mahi’s internship with the Cheetah Conservation Foundation included rotations through several different functional areas of the program, including the on-site clinic.
How she found it: Mahi had already been successful in on-campus jobs, but she wanted to get experience related to her major and hadn’t had luck landing a conservation-focused internship. One morning, she was listening to a science video while getting ready for her day. Her ears perked up when she heard the zoologist in the video say that she’d attended Oregon State University and completed an internship working with cheetahs.
“I stopped getting ready and just turned all my attention to my phone,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘What? Cheetahs? Where, when, how? I want to know about it!”
That day on campus, Mahi asked her advisor how she could find out more, and her advisor directed her to the Office of Global Opportunities – OSU GO. In addition to coordinating study abroad classes, OSU GO partners with trusted organizations to offer more than 100 international internships. Their internships can be as short as 4 weeks or can last a full year, with opportunities available in all corners of the globe and in multiple subject areas.
How to apply: Before applying to the cheetah internship, Mahi first had to complete steps to get involved in OSU GO, including a Canvas module to learn about the processes, costs and steps involved. She then interviewed with an internship coordinator, was selected to move forward, and worked with the coordinator to make her application to the CCF as strong as she could.
“I took the advice of my internship coordinator to edit my resume and cover letter,” she said. “I thought it was good enough, but my coordinator wanted it to be very tailored and very specific – that was something I learned from her.”
Finally, she was selected for the CCF program and began preparing for the trip.
Overseas internship costs: International internships can involve extra costs, including airfare and other travel expenses. Mahi used OSU’s ScholarDollars portal to find aid to offset her costs. Mahi was able to collect enough scholarships to fund about 80 percent of her expenses, and her parents helped with the rest.
“Don’t hesitate to ask around in your department if they provide any funding for unpaid internships or abroad experiences,” Mahi said. “They will tell you exactly which scholarship to look for on the ScholarDollars portal or which other places you can look to for funding.”
Learn more about funding options for international experiences.
Advice for future interns:
“I would say do it: it’s a really good experience,” Mahi said.
Since Mahi is herself an international student who traveled from India to the U.S. to attend Oregon State, she already believed in the power of experiencing new cultures and understanding new perspectives – her internship in Namibia only strengthened her love for travel.
“Traveling is a really good way for you to explore your strengths,” she said. “It made me realize I could handle myself alone. And it makes you see other people, people from a completely different culture and background than you, in a new way. It helps you get a better view of the world.”
The experience also deepened her love for nature and her desire for a career working with wildlife.
“It solidified things for me. I want to stay in conservation, and I want to work more with carnivore conservation and human-wildlife conflict,” she said. “When I went to Namibia, I was not only able to work with one of my favorite species, but also learn about their conservation efforts and see how they are dealing with human-wildlife conflict mitigation. I got that reassurance – yes, this is what I want to continue working with.”
Advice from a career advisor helped Food Science student Sierra Kuhn land a competitive national internship that clarified her long-term goals
OSU food science student Sierra Kuhn and a fellow intern at work in the cheesemaking facility at Firefly Farms Creamery.
Some students enter college without a clear idea of what they want to do after they graduate. Not Sierra Kuhn.
The Food Science major chose Oregon State University specifically because she wanted to learn the science of cheesemaking, leaving behind her sunny home state of Arizona to enroll in OSU’s Food Science program. And when she learned of a selective national internship program that would give her the opportunity to get hands-on experience with a sustainable creamery, Sierra was determined to land it.
“I knew it was going to be really competitive, and I wanted to make sure I had my best chance at getting it,” she said.
So she took her resume, a draft of her application, and made an appointment with Katie Harvey, her university career advisor.
Katie and Sierra sat down together and worked on Sierra’s application for the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund Farm Apprenticeship program, which places young adults into month-long apprenticeships based on sustainable farms.
“Katie helped me specify and tailor my application to the Anne Saxelby program. I’m bad at talking myself up, but she helped me create some better descriptions for the application.”
Sierra Kuhn, student, OSU College of Agricultural Sciences
After completing the application, gathering multiple letters of recommendation, and crafting a tailored resume and cover letter, Sierra still wasn’t sure she would get in. She was only a freshman, and the program, which offers lodging, work experience and a stipend, draws applicants from all across the United States.
“When I got the news that I got in, I was shocked!” Sierra said. “It was really competitive, but I got in.”
She was placed at Firefly Farms, an artisan creamery in rural Maryland. Firefly sources goat and cow milk from nearby Amish farmers and makes a variety of hard and soft cheese. Sierra’s apprenticeship involved working under a head cheesemaker to learn all aspects of the cheesemaking process.
“The work was very hands-on,” she said. “I was up every morning picking up fresh bags of chevre. I had learned about cheesemaking in my dairy process class, but I didn’t fully comprehend how much physical labor was involved until my apprenticeship.”
Sierra Kuhn working in the cheesemaking facility at Firefly Farms Creamery.
After her summer in the apprenticeship program, Sierra realized she was most drawn to the behind-the-scenes aspects that go into food science – and that she wanted to explore opportunities in food science beyond just cheesemaking.
“I realized that there are other opportunities besides just being the one making the cheese,” she said. “They have all these recipes that guide the work. It made me realize I want to go deeper.”
One year later, Sierra has been accepted for a second year in the Anne Saxelby program, and this time she’s branching into a new aspect of food science, with an internship at Matunuck Organic Vegetable Farm in Rhode Island.
“I wanted to branch out,” she said. “I will be doing a lot of hands-on farming, and I’ll be learning about soil health and the microbes that help facilitate it.”
Sierra’s advice to other students considering applying for competitive internships?
“Apply no matter what!” she said. “The worst they can do is so no. Go for it, why not?”
Three ways to get help with internship applications
Use Vmock, OSU’s online resume tool. Vmock will scan your resume and make automated suggestions for improvement.
Meet with a career assistant. You can have scheduled or drop-in appointments with one of OSU’s trained peer advisors to work on your resume, cover letter, or other application materials.
Meet with a college-specific Career Advisor. Each undergraduate college at OSU has a career advisor who can offer specialized career advice and insights. Make an appointment via Beaver Hub (find your career advisor under the Success Team tab in Beaver Hub).
Have you ever seen a job you wanted to apply for, but felt paralyzed because customizing your resume to fit the position would take too much time? Here’s a hack to make resume updates easier: create a summary resume.
Summary resume: what it is
A summary resume is a master document that lists all of the potential items you might ever want to include on any version of your resume. This version of your resume is not one you’ll ever actually submit – it’s a back-end version just for you.
Include all your past jobs, all of your volunteer experiences, any leadership position you’ve ever held, any award you’ve ever won. It doesn’t matter how long this document is; this is your personal repository of everything career-related, an archive you can pull from whenever a new job opportunity comes along.
Why create a summary resume?
Rachel Palmer, the career advisor for OSU’s College of Science, likes to describe creating a summary resume as stocking the shelves of your personal grocery store.
“You’re getting everything ready. It’s all written. You’re good to go. You don’t have to remember those details later,” she says. “And then when you find a job, it’s going to tell you in the position description what they’re looking for. That becomes your grocery list. Then you just go back to your store, pick the things that demonstrate those qualities, and you curate it into your submittable resume.”
Rachel Palmer, Assistant Director of Career Development
It’s a trick that takes a little time on the front end, but can save you hours in the future. Once you have your summary, save it and add to it whenever you complete a major project, get a promotion, or start a new role.
What to add to your summary resume
Not sure what to put on your summary resume? Here are some tips to get you started:
