As many of our students get ready to walk across the stage in May to pursue their next adventure in life, it is important that they are ready to take this next big step. One item that graduates will need to pursue their dreams after college is a career-ready resume. In a perfect world, they will have been preparing their resume for graduation throughout their college career; however, this is not always a perfect world. Here are five tips to help your graduate prepare a career-ready resume.

 

  • Make Use of the Free Career Development Center Resources

The Career Development Center, located in Eder 202, offers a variety of resources to help your student become career ready. The CDC offers a wide range of career service resources free of charge to all students. They offer resume and cover letter help, interviewing skills and practice, social media presence review, networking and more.

Encourage your student to submit their resume to the Career Development Center for review. They can schedule an appointment to have a counselor look over their resume and then provide suggestions for improvement.

Students graduating in May are beginning their search for post-graduation careers, while students with semesters left before graduation begin to search for summer employment options. The CDC can provide assistance for all students through their career-management portal, Handshake, an online career-management portal accessible by students, alumni and employers. Students are encouraged to seek employment through this portal, as it will efficiently connect them with potential employers on campus and within the community.

If you or your student have questions about the Career Development Center and the resources they offer, call (816) 271-4292, or email careercenter@missouriwestern.edu.

 

  • Prepare At Least Three Professional References

 

By this point in your student’s college career, they have likely had either had a job/internship or completed a research project relating to their field of study. These experiences are a great place for your student to start looking for professional references to include in their resume. Many employers want to see three to five professional references on a resume, so encourage your student to start thinking about who would be the best references to list.

 

Be sure your student knows to ask these people to serve as references before actually including them on a resume. Some may not want to be included, and others may just like some time to prepare their thoughts in case they get a phone call asking about your student’s work. Your student’s references should be able to speak to their skills, work ethic and general character. Even if your student does not have any professional work experience, it is important to have at least a couple of academic references that can speak to their skills and character throughout their studies.

 

  • Develop a Professional Online Presence

Up until this point, your student’s online presence has probably been surrounding fun, social activities without much thought on how it will impact their ability to get a job in the future. Employers have discovered, though, that a person’s character and reputation are best found outside of their resume. Oftentimes, employers will Google a person to find out how they have been mentioned online. They may look at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram among others. It is time for your student to evaluate what they put on social media, both in the future and in the past. They may have had a lot of fun at a party and talked all about it on social media, but those photos or status updates could provide a red flag to potential employers, even if your student is of legal drinking age.

 

Encourage your student to try Rep’nUp, a service that will find the social media posts that could damage your student’s online brand. With the free, basic report Rep’nUp will provide a list of potentially inappropriate content. For a small, one-time fee Rep’nUp will link your student back to each questionable post and tell them why it could be harmful. The service can scan both text and images. Removing questionable postings could have a substantial impact on your student’s current and future career search.

 

Your student should not only look into eliminating red flags from their online presence, but should look into intentionally creating a professional presence as well. Social media platforms like LinkedIn are used for professional careers in the way Facebook is used for social activity. With a LinkedIn account they will be able to update their current career path and future career goals, browse through job listings, follow influencers within their career field and network with contacts and future employers. Your student will want to keep LinkedIn as updated as they keep their resume. They will want to have a robust presence on LinkedIn, as many employers will use a LinkedIn profile as a supplement to an applicant’s resume. Your student should want their LinkedIn page to jump out to possible employers the way their resume does.

 

  • Develop an Elevator Pitch

Just as important as your student’s resume and online presence is their elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is quite literally the quick statement that your student can use to sell themselves while riding in an elevator with a potential contact. This quick pitch is useful when meeting employers at career fairs, when networking at conferences and events and as a jumping off point for a cover letter.

 

Your student’s elevator pitch should include several quick speaking points including their name and credentials (what sets them apart from other people who have given a similar pitch), their career goals, demonstration of their interest in their career path, why they would be qualified for a job or career, and a question or request for assistance. Encourage your student to practice this speech with a professional contact or professor so they are ready whenever the moment arises for them to pitch themselves to a possible professional connection or employer.

 

  • Tailor a Cover Letter to the Company and Position

While your student’s resume is the place to sell their skills and experience, their cover letter is the place for them to let their potential employer know why they are the right fit for the company and why the company is the right fit for them. By tailoring their cover letter to the company and position they are applying for, they can show their potential employer that they have done their research about the company and put effort into the decision to apply. If they show the employer that they are passionate and enthusiastic about getting a position, they are more likely to get noticed than someone who sent a generic cover letter to multiple employers.