A résumé is a personal marketing tool designed to showcase your relevant skills and experiences garnered through your life experiences. Throughout your college journey and beyond, you’ll use it in a variety of situations—applying for part-time jobs, campus leadership roles, internships, graduate programs, full-time positions, and more. It can serve as a roadmap, helping you recognize the strengths you already have and guiding you toward the professional skills you want to build. But how can you be sure your résumé is effective? Will it even make it past the initial screening? And if it does reach a real person, how can you stand out in the mere 30 seconds they’ll likely spend reviewing it? Don’t worry – this guide will walk you through a variety of strategies and resources to help you perfect your résumé, giving you the confidence to apply for any position.
To begin, make sure to check out our website, career.uconn.edu. It’s filled with valuable resources on career exploration and development, including an entire section dedicated to creating and updating your résumé and cover letters by way of the Résumé and Cover Letter Guide, which provides helpful tips and steps to get your résumé on track. You can download the full guide as a PDF here, or stop by the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills on the second floor of Wilbur Cross to grab a printed copy. Another fantastic resource on our website is the Résumé Sample Binder, which features sample résumés organized by career interests and content areas. These examples are perfect templates for creating your own résumé and ensuring your style is aligned with professional standards.
If you are looking for advice/support on tailoring your résumé to a specific job posting, check out Quinncia – a résumé review site tailored to give you the best possible feedback to give you a stronger professional presence. Most employers today use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which is a tool to organize data and pick out the qualities they are looking for in a position. Quinncia bases its review with the ATS in mind, ensuring your résumé has the right keywords that make it more likely to be seen by recruiters. There are many other benefits to Quinn, and if you would like to learn more about Quinn’s résumé review capabilities, check out this blog. Also, don’t forget to enroll in our Career Center Modules, which covers essential topics to help you develop your career readiness such as Major & Career Exploration, Interview Preparation, Networking, and more! These modules are available for free and can be accessed 24/7, allowing you to move through each section at your own pace.
If you’d like more personalized support, consider scheduling a career coaching appointment. Our experienced coaches can assist you with everything from discovering industries and opportunities that match your interests to refining your résumé and preparing for interviews.
We hope these resources are helpful as you navigate your career exploration process and wish you the best of luck on your journey!
