The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Get yourself a job

Drafting a resumé is one of this first steps a student should take to “optimize the UVM experience,” according to a Career Services pamphlet.For a student preparing a resume for the first time, going to the Career Services website, www.uvm.edu/~career/, is the best way to begin, said Sydnee Viray, a Career Services Representative.On the Web site, there is a “job-search tool kit,” said Viray, which allows students to receive resumé guidance via the internet. This tool kit may be found under the “Students” heading on the Career Services homepage.Yet the job-search tool kit mentions two different kinds of resumes: the functional and the chronological. It also provides the positive and negative attributes of each style of resumé.A functional resume “present[s] information under headings” and “abilities and experiences are grouped according to job-related functions,” the job-search tool kit stated.On the other hand, the job-search tool kit explained that a chronological resume “list[s] jobs and experiences in reverse chronological order with most recent work first.”Professor Lisa Schnell, the Director of Undergraduate Advising, thought that the most convincing resume structure was the functional resumé.”The functional resume will make the relevant in?formation obvious,” and “the things I need to know will be seen right away,” Professor Schnell said.Yet, Dean of the UVM College of Engineering, Domenico Grasso, said that he would look for a “hybrid of the functional and chronological.” He would choose the usual functional setup, while making sure that the bullet points were in chronological order, if applicable. Dean Grasso said he would make sure that he had “chronological work experience” as well.If a student “doesn’t have a lot of experience, they should do a functional resumé,” said Viray. When asked about the most frequent mistake students make while writing their resumé, Professor Schnell said one common “mistake is when students feel like they need to put everything on [the resumé], making it look messy.”In a similar line of thought, she emphasized the importance of the font, spacing, quality of the paper, and the need for the resumé to be “visually striking.” Some aspects of a resumé may be too extreme and portray a negative image of the student, Professor Schnell. said, “Some fonts and card stock take it too far.”Dean Grasso said to “keep the whole concept simple but informative.” Simplicity and clarity are two very important qualities a resumé must have, according to both Professor Schnell and Dean Grasso.Both also came to similar conclusions about grammatical errors on a resume. “One grammatical error and I will chuck it,” said Professor Schnell concerning her own reviews of resumes. “I don’t want that person working for me,” she said, as it “reflects their attitude on the job.” For Dean Grasso, grammatical errors are “something that can be avoided and should never happen” on a resume.These grammatical errors do not reflect the strengths of the student, as seen by Professor Schnell’s and Dean Grasso’s assessments, and advertising one’s strengths is key to resumé writing, according to a Career Services resume-preparation booklet.The resumé booklet also emphasizes the need to “know your audience” and to “include experiences that are relevant to the work you are seeking.””The best resumés are the ones that are tailored to specific jobs,” said Dean Grasso, and if students “graduated with honors, they should not be shy.”Reflecting oneself in the best possible light is the goal of one’s resum. A resume should show a student’s “eagerness” and “potential,” said Dean Grasso, while Professor Schnell said it should also reflect “competency, clarity, responsibility, and intelligence.”

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