Making graduation easy

As the time for graduation draws near, seniors begin to feel the pressure to finish what they started four, five, six, or perhaps even more years ago.

The concerns of creating a resume can be overwhelming and the process difficult. Many students have questions about how to create the best possible resume because it is a representation of who they are and what they have accomplished in the last four to six years of their lives.

“It can be overwhelming trying to determine exactly what to put down on paper that truly captures my abilities and personality without having previous work experience,” said senior art major Jess Parks.

In some freshman seminar classes at GCSU, professors require students to prepare a resume. This provides students a chance to lay the foundation for the rest of college. As experiences and accomplishments come along, they can be added to that resume. Then, when it comes time to graduate, the information is already there. All that is left is organization and formatting.

But, for those who wait until the last minute to start putting a resume together, there is still hope and a chance to build a resume that will leave a lasting impact on anyone that takes a look at it.

Monster TRAK career coach Peter Vogt, has written some articles with tips for seniors that are getting ready to graduate and transition into job searching mode. He answers some common resume-related questions that college seniors, and recent graduates. often have as they begin putting a resume together.

Often times, students wonder what to put on their resume, especially if they lack a large amount of experience in their field of study. Vogt suggests incorporating the various skills that are gained from experiences ,such as studying a foreign language, constant computer and Internet use, previous jobs and even extracurricular activities.

Another resource available for students to use, is the GCSU Career Center located on campus in Lanier Hall. They have multiple workshops, seminars and fairs throughout the semesters to provide students with all types of help and resources. The Career Center has put together a resume packet for students to use as a guide as they begin building their resumes.

Once the resume process is complete, the time to begin the job search is on. It can be confusing to know where to start, so the Career Center has set up the Career Connection, which is an online job and internship database. This allows students to search for job and internship openings that companies and organizations have registered with Career Connection. And after students sign up online, they begin to receive information about upcoming events the Career Center is hosting.

Finding a job or internship can be a stressful task for anyone, but especially seniors graduating with little to no experience under their belts. That is why networking is so important. Attending events the Career Center hosts is a great way to begin networking and meet people who could potentially help you land a job.

Another way to begin networking, is to set up an account on LinkedIn which is an online network of more than 30 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries, according to the Web site. By joining LinkedIn, students can begin making connections with people they already know, and as a result, get connected with the people their connections know, giving the potential to eventually link up with thousands of qualified professionals.

The resources to successfully graduate and land a dream job are out there. All it takes is a little bit of effort combined with determination. The results can be phenomenal.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 14 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry