Teaching Students About Resumes

Answer 1

Most students simply do not know how to write resumes. This is not really a surprise because they have never needed to do so. A summer job at the local hardware store will not ask for a resume; the students will just need to fill out an application that is provided by the store. When they graduate and try to find full time jobs, though, these same students will not be able to resort to simple tactics like filling out an application. They will need to know how to craft a solid resume that showcases their skills.

If you are teaching a class that works with resumes, you should start by explaining the importance. Talk about the role that a resume plays in the hiring process. Tell the students how a poor resume can be thrown away before it is even considered just because it does not look professional. In general, you just need to make them see why they need to learn this type of writing. If they understand the reasoning behind the class, it will be much easier to teach them.

Next, bring out some resume examples and show the students both the things that were done well and the things that were done poorly. You may want to start with a good example and then see if they can spot the mistakes in a poor example. The way that you use these resume examples is really up to you, but it is important that the students see actual documents so that they can familiarize themselves with what these look like and what they are trying to accomplish. It is easier for someone to learn from an example than if you just tell them the same things.

After using the resume examples, have students draft their own resumes. Tell them to use the tactics and ideas that they have learned. This will really help to engrain the ideas in their minds. When they are done, go over the documents and give advice and direction. You may even want to take the resume examples back out and compare the students' drafts to those various examples.