USW – CREATIVE RESUMES
Dr Graeme Salter
Yr 9 and 10 students took part in a workshop on creative resume writing presented by Dr Graeme Salter. Students were involved with interactive group work and quizzes on their understanding of resumes and the difference between good and poor resumes. Students were able to identify the features of good resumes as those that have consistent font, white space, formatting, easy to read, headline, opening statement, list of key skills, qualifications, personal attributes with evidence, past work experience and testimonials or references from past employers. While poor resumes are centre justified, too much writing and have spelling mistakes.
Resumes are important for students because it sets them apart from other people also trying to get their first or subsequent job interview, which will lead to paid employment. The resumes need to have explicit evidence that supports the statements made about the skills. Stating that the student is a team player must be backed up by a statement of…. This is demonstrated by….. It is therefore important that students start using their school opportunities to collecting the evidence of skills. Examples may include ‘being a team player by being a regular part of the school sports team, or being reliable in being asked to lead the groups in their learning activities.
Tailoring the resume to the career choice and picking and choosing which skills to highlight according to what the employer might be looking for is also of crucial importance highlighted by Graeme. Specific industries are interested in certain skills and the student needs to include these points in their resumes.
The use of MS Word to format and present a professional resume is vital if the resume is to stand out. Students learnt about the importance of only stating the truth in resumes, as in an interview, you may be asked to demonstrate specific skills.
Students briefly explored the concept of disruptive technologies that have infiltrated our workplaces. Disruptive technologies are those organisations that have changed industries. Eg Airbnb is the world’s largest hotel, but has no beds. YouTube is the world’s largest telecaster, but makes none of their own movies. EBay is a leading store, but has no floor space.
Many thanks to UWS for their partnership with RPCS as we build the students of today into the careers of tomorrow. Students will now have the opportunity to develop their own resumes using all the information they have gained.
