Students gain professional development during winter intersession

     The Career Development Center at California State University, Long Beach hosted a workshop for students looking to improve their resume writing skills on Tuesday. Trained counselor Betty Schmicker-Black conducted the workshop. Roughly 30 graduate and undergraduate students attended the workshop.
     At Tuesday's workshop Schmicker-Black advised students to avoid websites that charge money for resume development, "You'll probably get a product that is less personalized." From her experience, employers are not looking for a cookie-cutter resume, but a resume that will allow employers to see the depth of a candidate.
     When tailoring a resume it is important that students provide a professional email and phone message for potential employers who might try to contact them. During the workshop, Schmicker-Black displayed a slide in her PowerPoint showcasing a plethora of inappropriate emails she was able to acquire from resumes students had submitted to the Career Development Center for review. There are several websites where a person can receive a free email such as: Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail.
     The workshop contained data from a survey that was conducted, showing half of employers did not like when a candidate expressed an objective on their resume. However, it is unlikely an employer would not hire a candidate for this reason, so the career counselor's advice is to include an objective tailored to the position that is being applied for. "A common mistake I see with students is they are too wordy; employers have a limited amount of time when reviewing resumes," said Schmicker-Black "Students have to make good word choices and not be too extraneous."
     When formulating an objective for a resume it is suggested that it be brief and not self-serving. Students may have a tendency to create an objective that outlines what they hope to get out of their employment when it is more relevant for an employer to understand what a candidate will bring in to a job or company.
     Students seeking help with their resume are encouraged to utilize the drop-in advising hours at the Career Development Center, Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The next workshop on resume writing techniques will be hosted on Wednesday, Jan. 16th at 1 p.m. Seating is limited and it is suggested students reserve their spot on BeachLINK.
       "The workshop was really helpful, I'm sure it will help me build a stronger resume and make me appear more confident." said Ketaki Savadi, a graduate student studying computer science.

     Winter intersession classes started Jan. 2nd and will be held until Jan. 18th. During the spring semester the Career Development Center hosts workshops Monday through Thursday on topics including: resume development, interview preparation, cover letter creation, and social media etiquette.