It’s Never Too Early to Build Your Résumé!

Networking session in the Munnerlyn Atrium, Goergen Hall.

Orientation week has been crazy—you’ve met so many people (and you’ve forgotten most of their names), you haven’t slept more than four hours per night, and classes are looming around the corner. It’s college! You’ve probably heard the word “networking” thrown around quite a bit during week events, and by now, you may realize that having the right contacts is key to success in school and in your professional career.

Some of you may be looking for jobs on campus (or if you’re an over-achiever, you’re already thinking about summer internships). Whenever you seek to apply for any work position, you will be asked for a résumé. Résumés come in different formats and colors, and different fields have preferences on these aspects. An engineering student’s résumé will be very different (in content and formatting) to an art student’s résumé (this may have an attached portfolio). The résumé can be a powerful weapon, if formatted cleverly with the right content. It is an excellent way to portray a summary of yourself, your skills, accomplishments, and experience. The Career Center at the University is an exceptional resource to help students build their résumés based on their aspirations and interest. Seasoned students and professional advisors have walk-in hours and can help you build a strong résumé in less than an hour. They not only have the “pro tips” on how to format a résumé, but they also have contacts in many fields of study that they can direct you to in your search for jobs or internships.

It is never too early to begin your résumé, as you will be accumulating items throughout your college career that will strengthen the contents of it and will make you a better candidate for future job applications. This does not only apply to freshmen, but also to sophomores and even juniors who don’t have a résumé yet.

The Career Center is located in Office 200 on the fourth floor of Dewey Hall. Pay them a visit soon, and good luck on your job search!