Ripped, Revised, Résumé-d

You need a summer job. Can't you feel it? The impending sinking feeling when you log on to your ROSI account and a horrendous number in bold, bright red appears, reminding you that you are broke, and need to pay for school? You need a summer job, so when $5297 appears on your account, you don't lock yourself in your room, curl up in a fetal position and cry. Last week, the Résumé Clinic at our beloved Career Centre held a drop-in day, where you could come in anywhere from 10am-3pm without an appointment, and have your résumé reviewed. I figured that since I was on the way to landing a fantastic summer job, I'd need a competitive résumé. When I entered the Career Centre (located at the Koffler Student Centre), I could see that quite a few students had taken advantage of this opportunity – there was a waiting queue. Despite this, I was seen in a very short time…and here, I met Claire. Now Claire is one of those people who knows exactly how to use time efficiently, while being sweet. She was simply charming, and somehow managed to rip apart my three-page resume and provide me with an incredible amount of advice for improvement, without hurting my feelings or even getting me riled a bit. As a tribute to her excellent advice, I'd like to share with you what she taught me, and give you a bit of a teaser, so you'll be willing you go in there and meet her yourself! 🙂

Purpose

First, I learnt to identify what purpose my résumé was serving for me. Using standard résumé for a job application, scholarship application and graduate school is really not a good idea, because it doesn't emphasize the skills that you have which cater to what you are applying to. I was hoping to have a résumé to apply to a job – in specifics, in the legal and/or administrative areas.

Layout

Claire provided me with an enlightening blue book called 'Keys to Your Future: a powerful résumé and cover letter' that has been created by the U of T Career Centre. In this package, there are sample résumés and cover letters which are catered for you to recognize your own skills and display them accordingly. The layout of your résumé is important – and factors such as chronology or importance of content can dictate which layout you choose. Some résumés highlight education, research experience and field work, while others will present technical skills and work experience. The key is to find the résumé layout best for you.

Content

One of the most interesting tips I learnt from Claire is to make more than one résumé, where each resume caters to a specific job type. In my case, for example, I would like to work in a law office. I have plenty of academic experience through my criminology courses, practical experience through Moot Competitions such as Osgoode Cup, and administrative experience from working as the Secretary of the Pre-Law Society, as well as in an optometry office. While I've had plenty of other experiences during volunteer work, etc., the above activities really cater to law. Claire suggested that I make two separate résumés, one detailing my law experience prominently. The Résumé Clinic can provide you with many other helpful hints, including how to write a proper cover letter, how to effectively change your résumé for grad school, and how to, overall, make your resume standout among applicants. You can visit the Résumé Clinic by scheduling an appointment....Check it out! They are really good 🙂 Until next week! Fariya