So there's a giant job fair at my college tomorrow and like a chump I didn't check to make sure I actually had my resume from two years ago still available until now. And of course it's not. If a few people here could give me some tips on start-up and then maybe look it over when I get it done that would be so helpful!
I'm mostly looking to place resumes right now (outside of doing scouting of my own), but the idea would be to get an internship this summer. I'm majoring in CE and I want to specialize in design of large structures (e.g. bridges). This is what I have that I could put on my resume (in general):
Minor, blue-collar work experience Mechanical engineering internship in high school Programming experience for a geo-physics consulting company 2 year, LDS mission Various awards and unrelated accomplishments Equivalent of 2.5 years of college completed in CE
The fact that I have no direct CE experience is one of the many reasons I need an internship this summer! Anyways, I know some of the basics of resume writing (it gets minor amounts of time, don't overfill, one page, clear and good looking) but any tips on what to stress, how to organize, or whatever would be helpful. I've got classes and meetings till around 8:00 EST tonight, then I'm going to come home and do this until it's done. Anyways, any help at all would be appreciated.
Hobbes Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
I usually start with Word's resume wizard. Lots of options and easy building and organization.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
No real advice, but good luck. If you are interested in traveling for the summer, I recommend looking into the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (or the Army Corps of Engineers, which is more likely to be nearby, but don't tell anyone I recommended them ). They have excellent summer programs, and make it easy for someone with initiative to do real work quickly.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
If you're all set in the design department, my suggestions are:
1) Highlight any significant academic or extracurricular projects you've been directly involved with, especially those you can show the results of (e.g. if you helped program a simulation of a bridge under earthquake conditions, show the simulation if available).
2) Make sure to highlight any important coursework (especially coursework where you received excellent marks) you've completed within the CE major.
3) Cover letter - explain why you've decided you want to pursue CE as a career.
4) Ditch the unrelated accomplishments unless you feel the scope of those accomplishments has a direct bearing on what kind of person you appear to be.
5) A sticky point, but weigh the pros and cons of mentioning your LDS mission. A completed mission is an incredible thing, but keep in mind there are still a lot of people prejudiced against (or at least bearing misconceptions of) Mormons and while they certainly won't come out and say "you look great on paper, but you're a Mormon, so no thanks," it'd be unfortunate if you missed some opportunities because of it. On the other hand, you may not want to work for a company that would let that influence their decision, in which case: go for it!
6) Don't worry too much! Companies looking for college interns don't expect you to have a ton of experience in the field.
Posted by MattP (Member # 10495) on :
Outside of Utah and Idaho I wouldn't mention the mission unless it is directly related to the job you are applying for. Even then, I might phrase it differently - if you are applying for a job which requires Spanish proficiency, you might just state that you spent two years living in Mexico.
I would leave out unrelated stuff like cashiering at a fast food place, provided you have some "meatier" experience to list.
I'd also highlight your job functions and skills more than who you worked for. The bolded/large-font stuff should be something like "Software Engineer" not "IBM." A lot of places only give each resume a few seconds on the first review, so if it's not immediately obvious that you're in the ballpark, yours will just get tossed.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Hobbes, if I see you on AIM, I can probably help you out more specifically.
-pH
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Well, I finished a lab early so I'm going to have an extra little bit of time snuck in here. I'll be on and off eating dinner but I'm going to start. (pH, I'm on AIM, long time since I used it, but I did manage to sign back on. hobbes7714)
Hobbes Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I've always stuck my mission at the bottom as a "Voluntary 2-year church service" kind of thing under the "About Me" header. If you've got room for it, I'd say it fills you out a bit more.
I'd say put any experience you've already had in the field up front and throw in a few good, specific examples of something you accomplished for the company as an intern. In each entry, try to describe your duties in a way that would resonate with someone hiring an intern. Don't be shy about your class experience. Maybe you're involved with something in class that's relevant. They know you're in school and don't have a ton of experience yet, so they're looking for initiative and learning ability in what you're doing in school.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I guess one of my biggest questions is, how do I organize this? I haven't done this in so long, I can't really remember how I did it last time.
[EDIT: Well now I guess I've got a start on that, I'm using some examples from my college's career center. Anyways, I've got to go, I'll be back tonight, if anyone is willing to look over what I develop, let me know, I'd really appreciate the feedback.]
Hobbes
[ September 10, 2007, 05:57 PM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Picture yourself as the hiring manager pulling your resume from a pile of resumes and glancing through it. What's important to you in a candidate? What information makes this particular candidate stand out from the others in a positive way? What can you skim over without missing anything important? Organize it like that. Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I appreciate all the help that's been offered so far. To be honest, I'm pretty dissapointed with what I have right now, but at least it'ss a starting point. I'm just about done, so I'm going to ask, is there anyone who could, in the next hour or so, quickly look it over and give some quick advice?
I feel like I should add "creative writting" to my skill section.
Hobbes Posted by scholar (Member # 9232) on :
The problem with leaving off the mission is that then you have two years unaccounted for. I can understand just putting voluntary church service and not which church, but I think you need to explain those two years of your life, especially since it was so recent. Also, depending on the job, some employers outside of Utah and Iowa like the LDS thing (for example, NSA).
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I have one written and edited and what not, and I'm about to get a final check on Tuesday (there's an even bigger job fair coming up on Wednesday). If anyone would be willing to look it over and give me some tips before I'd appreciate, but it's fine if no.
Hobbes Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I would be happy to look at it. Is the gmail account in your profile current?
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Indeed it is. I'd appreciate it.
Hobbes Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
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