By Chosalin Morales, student news writer and photographer, Office of University Communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE. Ky. — “It is your personal sales pitch!” Katrina Overgaauw, Office of Career Services employee relations and data coordinator, said as students learned to compose a variety of professional resumes.
On Monday, Feb. 7, Campbellsville University’s First-Generation Program held its weekly seminar for its First-Generation Scholars in the Badgett Academic Success Center.
Overgaauw presented “Building and Customizing your Resume,” a guide to help students prepare for the work force after graduation.
“A resume is a brief history of your accomplishments. It’s an advertisement for you. It is a summary for potential employers presenting your education, work, experience and relevant facts to your job search,” Overgaauw said, as she gave students tips for their resumes.
“You want to design the outline for skimmers, not readers, while being both clean and concise.”
Primarily, Overgaauw said employers taken no more than 30 seconds to glance at a resume. She advised to keep resumes to a two-page maximum if needed. You can use bullet points in resumes while providing brief and detailed statements. However, you should stay clear or bright colors and wild fonts.
Overgaauw said the overview of resume sections should include the following: contact information, objective or professional summary, education, work experience and skills or awards while following a chronological format.
Toward the end of the presentation, Overgaauw told students, as they start seeking various types of employment, not all resumes will fit the criteria for each employer. It is a good idea to build a variety of resumes, which is more likely to give a better outcome.
“I have learned about different resources offered at Campbellsville University. Seminars like this help guide me on paths I didn’t know were available to me in college and when I graduate. I feel more confident and prepared when I attend the First-Generation weekly seminars,” Adrianna Celis, a freshman, First-Generation Mexican American from Campbellsville, Ky., said.
For information, contact Teresa Elmore, director of career services, at tmelmore@campbellsville.edu or (270)789-5192.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university that has enrolled up to 12,000 students yearly. The university offers over 100 programs of study including doctoral, masters, bachelors, associate and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.