Conducted by Mr Leo Tan from the Career and Attachment Office, the Resume Writing Workshop held by the Holistic Development Portfolio provided great insight into what employers are looking out for in a resume.
Besides going through the content required in a resume, Mr Tan also engaged us by provided samples of resumes from different people, which gave us a chance to put ourselves in the shoes of an employer. By making us see things from the perspective of a different stakeholder, I was able to understand first-hand why certain resumes are particularly attractive to employers while others are not.
Our scholars looking at example resumes.
Furthermore, Mr Tan was also able to provide pointers for writing a resume for research attachments, as it has different requirements from a normal job-seeking resume. Given the research-focused nature of the CN Yang Programme, this special consideration was especially appreciated.
The workshop also included a segment on LinkedIn. Besides teaching us some basic functions, Mr Tan highlighted the usefulness of LinkedIn as a tool for professional communication, especially in the age of digitalisation.
Mr Tan giving important pointers about writing resumes, take note!
I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from this session and I’m sure the other scholars in attendance did too.
The Resume workshop was certainly a helpful and
eye-opening experience. As an undergraduate student, I have had my eyes set on
resume making tips for a while. It is an important skill that is applicable to
anyone in search for a job.
One of the most important tips was to tailor and
frame my accomplishments in a way that is attractive and relevant to the
employer. One’s resume is more than just the consolidation one’s skills and
talents and it is definitely not an autobiography. Instead, it should be seen as
a quick and brief overview of one’s skills that are relevant to the job.
Key components of a resume
Presentation of the information is also
crucial. Typos, formatting errors can be deal breakers in the highly
competitive job landscape as they can be seen as evidence of a lazy person with
poor attention to detail. In the workshop, Leo from CAO gave us the opportunity
to review several sample resumes. He also gave us time to discuss and choose
who we would choose as a potential employee. This is an interesting exercise
since viewing job hunts from the employer’s perspective is not intuitive. Stepping
in the employer’s shoes is also extremely helpful in clearing past
misconceptions.
Online presence is also important in securing
corporate networking opportunities. LinkedIn is an online platform that is
increasingly relevant to the 21st century. Not only do job hunters,
but also CEOs and industry leaders are on the prowl for potential
collaborations and networking opportunities. LinkedIn is the platform of the
future and I believe too few people know about it today. I will definitely
update my profile regularly and look to spread the word on the platform’s
importance in the modern day and age.
Jeremy listening intently at the workshop
Overall, the resume workshop was not a
disappointment as I have learnt plenty. I will keep Leo’s words in mind and
work on previous drafts of my resume.
The CN Yang Scholars’ Club (CNYSC) is set up and run by the scholars of the CN Yang Scholars Programme. The management committee is elected by the scholars on an annual basis.
