By Kihei Staruch-Paikai, English Major & ACH Clear Pathways/Community Writing Center Intern
The time has finally arrived! I have been hard at work, curating helpful resources for next week’s Resume Workshop. After researching and surfing the web for many (many) hours, I think I have a pretty good grasp of resume writing! I am quite nervous about Tuesday… What if someone asks me a challenging, specific question regarding their work experience? What if NO ONE asks a question, or talks, at all?! What if I freeze? What if the workshop isn’t helpful? My monkey-brain is racing right now with all of the things that can potentially go wrong.
I want so badly for the workshop to go well and be useful for people in the community. In my PowerPoint, I tried to account for a variety of employment backgrounds and untraditional work experiences. I incorporated some helpful links and made the slideshow easy to read & visually appealing. I have studied functional, chronological, and hybrid formats and when it’s appropriate to use which. As I get closer to the date, I’ll continue to brush up on the material. Regardless of how much information I can cram into my head about resumes, I will still feel this anxiety and worry. In no way, shape, or form am I an expert. But, I know a bit and have a strong desire to help people. I’m not saying this should suffice– I think that everyone, regardless of previous experience, deserves a great resume, and I hope to provide people with the necessary tools to create one. Despite not knowing everything, I know myself and know that if I’m presented with a question I’m unsure about, I will do whatever I can and spend as much time as I need to figure it out. As my psych professor would suggest, we feel anxious because we care. And I really do.
With the stress of finals setting in, these next couple of days will be busy for me. Yet, amid the storm of presentations, papers, and projects, the workshop continues to be at the forefront of my mind. I’ve learned so much during this internship and I pray I can represent all I’ve learned in this workshop to the best of my abilities!
I leave you all with the coolest trick for resume writing:
The 20-second test!
Have someone read your resume and time them for 20 seconds. What all did they learn about you? What came through the most? Did your reader pick up what you want employers to pick up about you? If so, fantastic! That’s the sign of a direct and targeted resume. If not, revise, revise, revise! Try moving more important aspects of your resume up! Too much fluff? Cut it. You want to be as concise as possible.
Try it out : )
Building Bridges 