The Daily Campus

Issue date: 9/11/08 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Kevin McQuade Dennis Rouelle of Career Services speaks about certain skills UConn students must include on their resumés to be successful.

Students tend to forget that all their tuition money is meant for a diploma that will help them get a job. Through all the parties and fun, there is still the bottom line and that is to be competitive in getting a career. So what makes a resumé competitive?

Dennis Rouelle, 59, gave a talk in CUE yesterday on some of the important skills needed for building a strong resumé. Rouelle has worked for human resources for several years and is currently a staff member of UConn's Office of Career Services.

Rouelle started with one question, "What are the skills that give you the greatest satisfaction?"

One attendee mumbled an answer and Roulle explained that there must be a sense of self-awareness when writing a resumé. After all, the resumé is the first step in getting an interview. Brainstorming on what skills are important would help the applicant be competitive in getting a job.

1.) Start by listing every responsibility associated with each position you have held and write them clearly. It is important for the employer to know what specific skills you have garnered during each position. It will give a better impression to pick the right keywords when writing a resumé.

2.) For each responsibility, list and describe all the discrete steps and use good verbs that are related to a skill. Rouelle suggested paying attention to responsibilities that you carried out.

3.) Review the list of actions/steps, underlining the verbs that represent the skills. It is important to use verbs that relate to your career goals. Reviewing and editing your resumé will give you a better final result.

4.) Combine, edit and compose bullet statements. By using bullet statements you can clearly write qualifications in a more organized manner. It is important to list every possible step in your previous job position.

5.) Write your resume according to the job description. By understanding what the employer wants, you can write your resume based on the job description. It would be a waste of time to write a resume for the wrong job.

As Rouelle pointed out, a strong resume will show relevant qualifications for the applied job. Students can get their resume reviewed by staff members at the Department of Career Services, and this can be done by appointment or walk-in. There are many career development centers inside and outside campus that will provide students with additional help in writing a resume.

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