Graduation is quickly approaching, and it is time to start applying for internships and jobs. But, as college students, it can be difficult to know what to include in a résumé to make the best impression on future employers.
If writing a résumé is not stressful enough, Addye Buckley-Burnell, assistant director of career development and licensed professional counselor at Auburn University’s Career Center, said employers only spend an average of six seconds looking at each résumé.
“All of the formatting suggestions we give are based on that rule,” Buckley-Burnell said. “We talk about putting the most important things to the top of the page and on the left hand side of the page because we read top to bottom and left to right.”
Buckley-Burnell said all sections on a résumé should be in order of importance, as should any bullet points. Furthermore, she said all résumés should be kept to one page, stressing again many employers only spend six seconds on each résumé.
“Students are involved in so many things that they’re doing that it is a struggle for students to get to that one page mark,” Buckley-Burnell said. “Think of your résumé as your highlights reel instead of everything you’ve done.”
While keeping résumés short and concise may be a struggle for many students, others may struggle with knowing what to include. Any information pertaining to high school should not be included in a college résumé, except previous jobs and volunteering. Bullet points should be used to highlight the skills required in the new position, rather than any duties in previous positions.
“You need to have different résumés for every position you apply for because each of those positions will be different,” Buckley-Burnell said. “So, the idea is you look at what you need to be doing in the new job and analyze that and say, ‘Where have I used these skills or where are these skills transferable,’ and highlight those elements.”
After students have applied and sent future employers their résumés, they may begin the interview process.
“Interviewing is a big challenge,” Buckley-Burnell said. “I encourage everyone to have a mock interview done and that’s something our office does accommodate both in person and via technology.”
Auburn students can schedule mock interviews at the Career Center or use the Career Center website to practice online interviews through a program called InterviewStream. InterviewStream allows students to act out an online interview through a webcam and pre-determined interview questions. Students may then go back and view their responses.
“The most common mistake that we see in mock interviews is the ‘tell me about yourself’ question,” Buckley-Burnell said. “Everyone sees it, but no one knows how to answer it. When you’re asked that question, stick to a professional streamline. Think through how you got started, what you’ve done up until now, and why you’re in that room now, professionally.”
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