There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must subject themselves to the mercy of an 8 ½ by 11-inch piece of crisp white paper and someone else’s evaluation of said paper. Either you have carefully crafted it, or you have haphazardly googled your way through its creation. You turn it in and hope for the best.
That’s your résumé.
It is a rather foreboding item. I remember making mine for the first time; I had no idea what I was doing. I scoured googled and used Microsoft Word templates, and I listed jobs such as babysitting and volunteer work with an afterschool Bible club. It was an overwhelming experience and I did not get the job I applied for.
That was freshman year. Fast forward to last Spring when I applied for a summer internship. By my best estimation I have spent about 10-15 hours working on my resume over the past three years. When I turned it in to the hiring program I was confident that I would make it to the interview phase.
I did. I got the job.
What I did not know at the time was that after my résumé had passed the recruiter’s initial look, it was then evaluated 2-3 more times. With each round, that 8 ½ by 11-inch sheet of paper was not only given high marks, but it was used to determine which company I should work for. When that company got it, I basically already had the job—at least that’s what my supervisor told me later.
So do not be put off or scared by having to make a résumé. Instead, take it as an opportunity to get to show case all of the great skills, talents and experiences you have—even if it just babysitting! Don’t worry, it doesn’t take three years to make a great résumé. Just some knowledge of do’s and do not’s.
If you are ready to learn about how to make a résumé, then come to “Impressible You” on Oct. 16th at 7 p.m. to learn all about the ins and outs of résumé writing. Professor Kelli Gassman taught me everything that I know, and you can only gain from a night of learning from her too!