Summary
This workshop is designed to assist post-secondary institution (PSI) students with the resume-building process. The presentation provided covers the parts of a resume, the "do's and don'ts" of resume writing, best practices, and how to use AI as a tool when building a resume. This workshop is designed to help students navigate the tricky process of creating their own personal resume.
Essential Questions
How can I create effective resumes to showcase my skills to future employers?
Snapshot
Engage
Students recall action verbs using the Word Play Instructional Strategy.
Explore
Students will examine current resume trends and complete a career-specific round using Word Play.
Explain
Students will recognize different aspects of a resume, including best practices.
Extend
Students brainstorm a list (of responsibilities, experiences, skills) to help them in creating their own personal resume.
Evaluate
Students compare their curated list with the list created by the chatbot using “Critique the Bot.”
Materials List
Activity Slides (attached)
Word Play handout (attached; one per student)
Resume Toolbox handout (attached; one per student)
Pen/Pencil
Electronic device
Current resume (optional; provided by students)
Learning Goals
Understand how to build a resume.
Determine common pitfalls to avoid.
Learn how to describe themselves and their experiences in a positive and detail-oriented way.
Engage
15 Minute(s)
Use the attached Activity Slides to facilitate this event. Show the title on slide 2 then move to slide 3 and use the Word Play instructional strategy to help students practice using action verbs. Provide each student with a copy of the Word Play handout and something to write with.
Explain the premise of Word Play:
Have students write a word in each blank based on the clues given.
Walk the students through the first box, titled “Superhero.”
Give students 5 minutes to fill in the remaining blanks, focusing on the things superheroes do.
This activity is designed to get the students thinking about how to talk positively about the things that they do and ways to express them to others in a more descriptive way.
Ask for volunteers to share what they wrote. After students are done sharing, transition through slides 4-5 and review the essential question and learning objectives in as much detail as needed.
Explore
20 Minute(s)
Display slide 6 and review current trends in the job market and the importance of resumes. Then move to slide 7 and invite students to take out their Word Play handout again and continue following Super(b)man’s adventure. Read the prompt and explain to students that they and their Elbow Partners will fill in Clark Can's resume. Allow students five minutes to work. When students have completed their resumes, ask for volunteers to share their answers.
Explain
20 Minute(s)
Pass out the Resume Toolbox handout to every student and invite students to take notes as you review the parts of a resume. Transition through slides 8-10 to discuss the key parts of a resume. Then move through slides 11-12, covering the do’s and don'ts of a resume. If time permits, unhide and share slides 13-14 which can be used to elaborate best practices when describing work responsibilities. Lastly, move through slides 15-17, emphasizing the limited amount of time students have to make an impression on recruiters.
Extend
20 Minute(s)
Move to slide 18 and have students return to their Word Play handout and turn it over. Allow students 10 minutes to compile a list of descriptions of at least one of the three parts of their resume (or more if time allows): Education, Skills, and Experience. Remind students to think back to how descriptive and detailed the super(b)man’s resumes were. Have students share their written responses.
Evaluate
20 Minute(s)
Transition through slides 19-20 explaining how AI can be a useful tool (not the toolbox) when building a resume. Invite students to turn over their Resume Toolbox handout, then move to slide 21 and introduce students to the Critique the Bot strategy. Explain that they will compare the bulleted list they created on their Word Play handout to one the chatbot creates. Move to slide 22 and instruct students to access a chatbot of their choice and use one of the template prompts. Once students have had time to work, ask for volunteers to share their experience. This activity should reinforce the idea that AI should be a resource/tool they can use to help, but that it shouldn’t be the whole toolbox.
At the end of the presentation, display slide 23 and ask for questions.
Research Rationale
Resume workshops are crucial for helping students develop effective, professional resumes that help to meet industry standards (Tillotson & Osborn, 2012). These workshops, typically conducted by Career Services, or other post-secondary institution employees, and supported by academic mentors, guide students through the challenging process of translating limited college-level experience into a compelling document (Anderson-Rowland & Culley, 2007). The primary focus is helping students understand how to showcase their skills from various aspects of their life, including academic projects, extracurricular activities, and work experiences, using strong action verbs and keywords (Tillotson & Osborn, 2012). By providing resources, critiques, and industry insights, these workshops help students create resumes that effectively market their potential to future employers, bridging the gap between academic achievements and professional expectations (Anderson-Rowland & Culley, 2007).
Resources
Anderson-Rowland, M., & Culley, P. (2007). Helping lower division engineering students develop a good resume. 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition. https://peer.asee.org/helping-lower-division-engineering-students-develop-a-good-resume
K20 Center. (n.d.). Critique the bot. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/3491
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elbow partners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/116
K20 Center. (n.d.). Word play. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/4652
Kurtuy, A. (2024). 99+ Must-know resume statistics to get you hired in 2025. LinkedIn. https://novoresume.com/career-blog/resume-statistics
Tillotson, K. and Osborn, D. (2012). Effect of a résumé-writing workshop on résumé-writing skills. Journal of Employment Counseling, 49: 110-117. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2012.00011.x