The Boerigter Center for Calling and Career is back into the swing of second semester with the kickoff of its 30 Day Challenge! The 30 Day Challenge, similar to Career Camp that was held in the Fall semester, is another opportunity put on by the BCCC that exposes students to more ways to prepare themselves for internships, jobs, graduate school, or whatever comes next in their journey. The challenge runs through February culminating in the annual Career Fair on February 24th.
This week’s session was titled “You on Paper,” and focused on how we as students can demonstrate our personal brand and experience through resumes and CV’s. The session was hosted by Megan Scheldt, who works with for the Boerigter Center, and Keegan Aguilera `12, who is a Divisional Director at Beacon Hill Staffing.
Megan started the session off by briefly introducing the two different ways that students may have to demonstrate their experience on paper, resumes and CV’s. She explained that a resume is a shorter, one-page document that is commonly used to demonstrate one’s work, leadership, or other experiences in a quick and efficient manner. These are generally going to be required by internships and other jobs that students will be applying for. A CV, or Curriculum Vitae, is a longer document, generally, more than two pages that go in-depth on a person’s experience in things like research, experiences, education, certifications, etc. A CV is more commonly used when applying for graduate school, health-related industries, or international job.
After explaining the two different methods, the hosts explained the importance of personal branding through these documents. The point of a resume or CV is to demonstrate to potential employers who you are, what your personality is, and what you can bring to the table. Students were encouraged to keep their own brand in mind and to let this show when they are designing their resume. If you are a design major, don’t let your resume be just text on a page! Let your talent show here!
Keegan then gave some advice on bullet point writing, and how important these are when someone is reviewing a resume. Keegan outlined three important things for bullet points, be specific, use I statements and take ownership of your work, as well as use relevant information that applies to the position that you are targeting.
All in all, the session proved to be full of useful information for students to use when they are beginning their journey into internships, jobs, and graduate school. The 30 Day Challenge picks up next week on Tuesday with students having the opportunity to pick between two sessions. The first session is about major discernment, and the second is about diversity and inclusion within the workplace! There will be four more weeks of the 30 Day Challenge with sessions taking place each week at 11 AM! If you are interested or would like more information, reach out to careers@hope.edu!