It is National Career Development Day! We sat down with Diana Jimenez one of our Career Services Advisors from our Mesas campus to get resume tips and tricks.
How important is it to select the right template for a resume?
Selecting the right template for a resume is important because you want to ensure you are using something that highlights鈥�. And nowadays there are resume scanning systems used when submitting your applications online. These systems do not read pictures or symbols; therefore, your resume could go through distorted looking and would miss out on the opportunity for an interview.
What all should be included when creating a resume.
Your first and last name, city, state, and zip code, phone number, email address, a professional summary or objective, education, skills, work history, certifications, achievements, and volunteer experience. I also ensure that the clinical rotations and externship rotations that our students go through are included on their resumes along with the hours spent on each rotation and what skills they used and gained.
Can a resume be longer than a page?
Absolutely! If you have a lot of experience, certifications, education, and skills that revolve around the field that you are going to, you don鈥檛 want to exclude any important information from your resume just to make sure it is one page. When I was going through my Resume Writing Certification exam, the resume that I submitted to earn my certification was two pages. Of course, I was concerned about it because I always had in my mind that they had to be one page, but that is not the case. Resumes can be longer than a page.
Any common resume mistakes to avoid?
听Unprofessional email address, grammatical and formatting errors, listing hobbies unrelated to the job.
What are your top 3 resume must-haves?
It is hard to pick just three, but I would say current contact information, licenses, and certifications related to the field, and expand on work experience related to the position you are applying for. This means including accomplishments/acknowledgments to the work experience and any hands-on obtained throughout your education such as clinical and externship rotations.
When meeting for an interview is a resume copy needed?
听YES! I always suggest bringing three copies to an interview to provide to the person you are interviewing with and anyone else who may be sitting in on the interview. Also, have your resume printed on resume paper to have it look more professional
How does Career Services assist students and graduates with resume writing?
We hold resume workshops for students in which we cover how to put a resume together, tips, and what should be on their resume. Students and graduates can also schedule appointments with their Career Services Advisor to work on putting a resume together. Since graduates have career services assistance for the rest of their careers, they can reach out at any time for assistance with a new resume or updating the resume they already have. I鈥檝e had graduates from up to 30 years ago call and ask for help with updating their resumes.
