Learning how to turn a so-so résumé into an attention grabber is something Elizabeth Brogan is now able to do for others. She discovered that skill while taking The English Major in the Workplace course offered through Liberal Arts Career Services in the fall semester of 2007. By spring of 2008 Elizabeth had received numerous calls from recruiters after finding her résumé in LiberalArts@Work.
“I’d made the usual mistake with my original résumé of simply listing all of my college activities, which communicated very little other than I’m super-involved,” admits Elizabeth. “The new version is much clearer because it makes connections for potential employers between my transferable skills and the value I can bring to the workplace. It highlights the difference I can make to that organization. The English Major course I took with Dr. Brooks was hugely influential in helping me shift my thinking. She said something in class that I wrote down and review every day: English majors don’t make the product, we make the product better. It was therefore up to me to be able to explain to recruiters how my skills and experiences could do just that.”
Some of the recurring comments Elizabeth heard from recruiters were not only that her résumé looked good, but it mirrored the résumés of people who had worked for their company previously, or matched with the activities of their most successful employees. It was Elizabeth’s role as a Disney birthday princess that was the biggest talking point, however.
“I’d been working for Alley Cat’s Imagination which involved attending children’s birthday parties dressed as Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Ariel the Little Mermaid,” explains Elizabeth. “Aside from acting out that particular role, I’d make balloon animals, play games with the children, and do face painting. I decided to highlight my experience after hearing Dr. Brooks’ story about how a former student had made a greater impact with recruiters by talking about the time she had worked as the Krackle bar at Hershey’s.
“It was definitely a great selling point,” adds Elizabeth. “During one interview, I had an offer within the first 20 minutes. The recruiter and I made a connection because I had the right kind of personality with proven people skills that they needed. After all, when it comes to the technical aspects of a job the organization is going to be able to train anyone with reasonable intelligence. But when it comes to having the right personality and attitude—particularly for any job where I would be representing the company, it is crucial that I am comfortable meeting and connecting with lots of different people—you have to hire for that.”
Elizabeth’s top tips for crafting a compelling résumé:
- Formatting is a large part of making sure your résumé stands out. Not only does it need to look attractive, but key words linked to what the prospective employer wants have to almost jump off the page. I worked with one of the LACS career coaches to hugely improve my résumé, and highly recommend any student to do the same.
- Think about how you can turn your general résumé into one that is targeted to the specific needs of the employer. For a recruiting position, for example, I was able to demonstrate that I have strong people skills, an outgoing personality, and lots of self-confidence by highlighting my role as a Disney birthday princess.
- Don't be afraid to put something unusual on your résumé, including something you might have done during a summer job, as a volunteer, or for extra money. Recruiters are curious human beings and it must make their jobs more interesting to find something on a résumé that is out of the ordinary. If nothing else, it can be a great conversation starter, helping you to relax and feel more comfortable in an interview.