Creating a resume and LinkedIn profile

BY RONALD HANAKI

SC Staff Writer

On February 11, Daria Wielebinski, the director of ESU’s Career Development Center, hosted the semester’s first Success Series on writing the perfect resume and LinkedIn profile.

Wielebinski said that good resumes should be well organized and not contain fluff. The resume should also have a list of accomplishments in addition to the job candidate’s qualifications.

There are also alternatives to the traditional resume including visual resumes or even video resumes. These are especially suited for creative artists and graphic designers.

A resume should be accompanied by a cover letter tailored to a specific job listing, and it is important that the application cover letter be directed to the right person at the company or organization.

The key components of a good resume include having an organized format, correct spelling, proper grammar, a professional attitude, and profile keywords.

The top of a resume is called the heading. This shows contact information. It should have the prospective employee’s name in 18- or 20-point font size, and the name should be clearly displayed in bold.

The current trend with resumes is the inclusion of a profile statement. The profile statement replaces the objective statement, and it should state whom identity and objectives. It should clearly state the value that the candidate can add to the company.

The profile statement is especially important because employers typically only spend 15 seconds looking at a resume.

Many students wonder if they should include their GPA on their resumes. The general rule of thumb is to include a GPA of 3.0 or above.

A format called Harvard-format has been developed to list the job candidate’s prior job experiences on a resume. This style lists the job candidate’s roles and responsibilities in paragraph form, and one’s accomplishments should be displayed in a bullet list.

In terms of networking, Warrior Careers is ESU’s internal job board, and alumni are a great source for potential job leads.

In addition, the social networking website LinkedIn has grown to become a valuable career management tool. 60% of job recruiting is done through LinkedIn or other social media.

Wielebinski encouraged students to create their own LinkedIn profiles. A proper head shot should accompany the student’s LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn is primarily used for networking. Once a student creates a LinkedIn profile, the student should then join groups. These groups may list job openings that students may be interested in applying for.

Students are encouraged to add alumni from ESU and other LinkedIn users with similar majors or from certain geographic areas where they may be interested in relocating.

Students who want more personalized attention are encouraged to stop by ESU’s Career Development Center located on the second floor of the University Center.

ESU’s Career Development Center will host another resume writing workshop on Tuesday, February 18.

On February 20, ESU’s Career Development Center will continue its next installment in the “Success Series: Considering Graduate School?”

Email Ronald at:

rhanaki@live.esu.edu