Building a resume can be complicated. Some people consider it the most difficult part of finding a job, even if it’s the starting point. Others aren’t sure what to include or what skills are necessary to be considered for a position. The Male Success Monday Resume Workshop aimed to help attendees navigate these challenges.
On Monday, March 10, the Male Success Initiative (MSI) club hosted the workshop in room L201 of the Vasché Library, where food was provided before the presentation began.
During the workshop, attendees worked on their resumes and learned the key components that go into one. They were encouraged to ask questions throughout the presentation.
At the beginning of the workshop, MSI members Victor Lopez and Carlos Avila-Chavez introduced the presentation. MSI started the workshop to help minorities build their resumes for future careers.
Alex Brown, a career coach from the Career and Professional Development Center, was the main presenter of the program. The first thing Brown did was ask the attendees what they struggled with. Some said they didn’t know what to put on the resume, one needed help navigating due to being neurodivergent and another struggled with putting a headline on the resume.
That’s why Brown was there to help. He provided a rundown of what the Career and Professional Development Center does, along with his own work.
Brown explained what a resume is, saying it is “a one-page document that highlights your skills, experience and education to show employers why you’re a good fit for a job.”
He also went over what should be on a resume and what to avoid when making one.
Brown covered the necessary steps for building a resume: a professional statement, an objective statement, bullet points and a skills section. He explained the topics clearly, using his expertise and experience.
Multiple people attended the workshop. Rafael Jimenez-Zamora (Junior, Psychology) was one of them, and he shared why he joined the workshop.
“I attend the workshop because it’ll help me understand how to write a resume, what resumes should be and how to create a great resume,” he said.
Jimenez-Zamora hoped to increase his knowledge in building a great resume as well as see examples of strong resumes. He was also interested in learning the dos and don’ts of what to put on a resume, focusing mainly on the skills section.
He heard about the event through an Instagram post that had information about the resume workshops and mentioned a career coach would be present.
Jimenez-Zamora shared that he had struggled with making a resume, such as knowing what skills to list and what to write for the summary.
“Sometimes people don’t know what to put on a resume,” Jimenez-Zamora said. “I wished I had put this or that.”
He continued to share that sometimes the information on a resume can be too vague, too much, or lacking the qualifications for certain jobs. He also said that it isn’t always about the experience, but about how you present yourself during the process.
Regarding how the workshop would help him build his resume in the future, Jimenez-Zamora believes he will better understand the components of those skills and how to elaborate further, such as what makes him a hard worker. He also plans to learn what employers want to see in candidates’ resumes.
“Like, oh, some employers want to see this or some employers want to see that,” Jimenez-Zamora said.
Jimenez-Zamora would highly recommend attending the workshop to other students, as it is educational and can help you get ideas on how a resume should look. It can also help you get connected with campus resources such as the Career and Professional Development Center for advice on resumes and interviews.
The next resume workshop from MSI will be on April 14. If you need more help with developing your career, you can check out the Career and Professional Development Center.
