Writing a résumé could be crucial to landing that dream job. It may be an employer’s first impression of an employee.
The University of New Mexico’s Office of Career Services aims to answer questions surrounding résumés through features like walk-in résumé writing labs.
Labs will provide clients with an opportunity for one-on-one meetings with someone who is educated and trained in marketing someone for the job field.
Jess Harmon, a counseling intern with Career Services, said matching a résumé with the desired job should be someone’s top priority.
She said the most important thing to realize about a résumé is that it is very similar to the cover letter it typically accompanies, and therefore must change, like the cover letter, for every position.
She said there are different formats for résumé — the two most common being chronicle and functional.
“The two different types provide two different functions,” Harmon said. “Chronicle emphasizes work history by putting it first. Functional emphasizes related skills and qualifications by putting them first. You can even combine both styles by putting all of that information first.”
She said a résumé is a flexible document, and there are many ways to tailor it to the needs of your job application.
“Format is key,” Career Services Director Jenna Crabb said. “Industry-specific research is crucial for deciding what format to use.”
Someone creating a résumé should consider any skills or work experience related to the job they are applying for and change their format accordingly, she said.
Crabb said she recommends that students draw a chart, write down the job qualifications and then check which ones they meet and how they meet them.
“Say a job requirement is ‘critical thinking,’ and you’ve volunteered at an organization that had you create a fundraiser on your own — showing that you came up with a fundraising idea is just one great way to prove critical thinking skills on a résumé,” Crabb said.
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She said she also recommends job sites, specifically the Handshake App, which the Office of Career Services utilizes.
“This app, which is similar to LinkedIn, works directly with UNM and attracts employers who want UNM grads,” Crabb said. “It’s a great place for any undergrad, graduate student or even alumni to look for jobs.”
She said because New Mexico is still recovering from the 2008 recession, it would be a waste not to tailor a résumé toward each different position.
“The job market is still rough here in New Mexico,” Crabb said. “The best thing for new graduates to do is still sending out résumés as quickly as possible to as many employers as possible, and the chart process speeds this up.”
Donald Amble is a freelance news reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Deambler.
