The Resume and Self-Reflection

ResumeEdge attended the CCA national convention in Orlando on June 14th and June 15th. A common theme heard among the attendees is the notion that students must learn how to prepare a resume. Having a professional write the resume for them serves no educational value.

We couldn’t agree more.

Resume preparation, like leadership, is very self-reflective. You must examine your personal values, communication style, and experiences, and put them down on paper in a manner that sets you apart from your competition. The resume experts at ResumeEdge provide verbal and written feedback designed to help you learn about your unique strengths (and weaknesses) – and how to convey those strengths to a hiring manager. This self-reflection works to the benefit of the job seeker and prospective employer. The job seeker gains the confidence needed to excel in a job interview, while also learning where to focus for improvement. The employer gains insight into an applicant’s history – to determine if he is a perfect fit.

Check out our photos from CCA: http://www.facebook.com/reqs.phpfriend#/album.php?aid=84775&id=16472597901&ref=mf

SHOWCASING ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU HAVE NO REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE

by Jennifer Stiglic, BA, ME, CPRW
Resumeedge.com Editor

Every job candidate faces the same challenge after graduating college – How do I get a job when all I have is a degree? If you look closer, you’ll understand you have more than a degree – you have group projects, research papers, class assignments, honors, activities, campus jobs, and campus leadership experiences.

Hiring managers are looking at your resume to understand your background and the type of employee you will be at their company. After all, past performance is the best predictor of future success…this statement is true whether you are referring to past professional or academic performance.

The first step in preparing your post-college resume is to take an inventory of any and all experience you have that falls into the following categories: academic honors (GPA, Dean’s List, awards, recognitions), class projects, leadership experience on project teams, extracurricular activities, campus work experience, publications, papers, and volunteer activities. It is important to highlight any projects that pertain to the industry you are targeting, e.g. business case studies, design projects, research papers, etc.

After determining your areas of experience, you can divide the resume into sections and add bullets to detail your involvement in the activities.

Examples of resume sections include:

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

UNIVERSITY NAME, City, State
Committee, Organization or Group Name, Position Held
* Add information on projects, assignments or work completed

HONORS & AWARDS

Name of Award, Organization Presenting Award, Date Received

CLASS PROJECTS

UNIVERSITY NAME, City, State
Course Name
* Add bullets with information on the project; focus on your specific role in completing the project

If your collegiate activities, honors and projects are limited, then you can always list the specific courses you completed that relate to your target industry or position. You can also include special projects or assignments within these courses.

The most important thing to remember is that your experiences during college help to demonstrate the contributions you will make to a company or organization. By expanding the details of your collegiate experience, you are communicating your value in your post-college resume.