Building resumes to guarantee success

Research shows that employers look at resumes for an average of six seconds; finding suitable information that is enough for an impression can be difficult to squeeze into this sliver of time. 

To address the do’s and don’ts of what fills the page, the Maverick Success Workshop and the Career Development Center at Mankato State combined forces to educate students about building their resumes at 4 p.m. Monday in the Centennial Student Union. 

Assistant director and campus career liaison of the MSU Career Development Center, Alexis Persons, took the lead on this workshop to stress how a resume reflects its bolded name on top. 

“We have so many great students, but if they have difficulty translating that to a resume, then people outside (the employers) are going to have a hard time seeing how great they are,” Persons said. “How do we put that greatness onto paper in a way that employers are going to be excited about it?” 

The two programs at the university answered this question by accumulating research on current trends in employers and what they look for in applicants. From there, Persons presented the knowledge on behalf of the Career Development Center and its role as an advising facility for career planning. 

“The majority of students come to college with the idea of getting a job at the end of it, and so that’s our goal, too. We got it. We have a shared goal,” Persons said. “Let us help you get that job.”

A resume embodies someone’s career path. This is able to expand through self assessment, occupational exploration, gaining experience, evaluation, goal setting, and networking. Through these processes, one is able to vamp up their report and acquire skills along the way.

Although there are many elements that make-up a resume, the most important aspect is to have experiences to pack it with. 

“Worry less about how to put it on the resume and worry more about just getting the experience in general,” Persons said. “Whether that is doing informational interviews with professionals, getting involved in a student organization, or whether that is finding a part time job or a volunteering opportunity. Focus more on getting those experiences than exactly how they’re going to translate it to the resume.” 

Supporting MSU students in their future endeavors is valuable to the Maverick Success Workshop and Career Development Center. It is their job to relieve some of the stress that comes from planning a future, and provide a helping hand with navigating a career journey. 

“We are here. We are a resource,” Persons said. “We’re here every day from 8-4:30, and when we’re not here in person you can meet us, you can get us on an email and we can handle it as soon as we get back.”

Both programs have useful materials and invite students to come explore what is available. Students are also able to utilize drop-in hours at the Career Development Center with their resumes in hand, or via email at cdcreviews@mnsu.edu to receive recommendations.

Header Photo: The Maverick Success Workshop, working together with the Career Development center, vow to help their students attain their best futures. (Phedias Pierides, The Reporter)

Write to Mercedes Kauphusman at mercedes.kauphusman@mnsu.edu