Resume workshop guides students to present their best selves

 Students strengthened their resume making skills on Nov. 5 during a workshop designed to help them craft resumes that hook employers and navigate through modern hiring practices such as AI.

Student Angelica Sanchez expressed strong opinions when she was asked about AI being used to scan resumes.

“I don’t like it, period. They’re trying to be us, and you can’t be us. We’re human, we’re genuine, not computerized,” Sanchez said. 

The workshop began with an interactive discussion to engage students led by the Career Center’s Advisor Jorge Rios about the essentials of resume building, from formatting and keyword alignment to emphasizing personal professional achievements. 

Advisors encouraged students to think critically about how to tailor their resumes strategically for specific positions and industries.

“Our goal is to make students feel confident while creating their resumes,” Rios said.

Students had the opportunity to ask questions, share their drafts of the resumes and receive feedback from the advisor. Many said the workshop helped them understand what employers are looking for in today’s job market.

Latoya Johnson, an early childhood education major, said the workshop gave her an opportunity to make important updates to her resume.

“I wanted to be able to correct my resume, I had some things I wanted to add and wanted to make sure the format was correct.” Johnson said.

Johnson also shared that the hardest part of writing her resume was deciding what to list as her skills. 

“When I look at my resume now, I realize there are skills I learned from my previous jobs that aren’t listed. That’s another reason why I came.” Johnson said.

Another student, Enrique Gutierrez, said he attended the workshop while transitioning between fields and wanted to refine his resume to reflect his academic and professional goals.

“In undergrad, I studied political science and have been working in marketing, now my declared major is math because I’m considering data science or business school in the future.” Gutierrez said.

Rios wrapped up the workshop by emphasizing key strategies for creating effective resumes.

“Knowing what’s on your resume is very important, sometimes students get lost using AI such as ChatGPT and don’t accurately reflect what they actually did,” Rios said.

The workshop allowed Rios to highlight the importance of students being themselves and engaging with professionals for help.

“Meeting with professionals and getting feedback is a great way to ensure your resume represents the real you,” Rios said.

Beyond workshops, the Career Center is open Monday through Friday on both LAC and TCC, with scheduled appointments being recommended. 

^{LBCC students attend the Career Center’s Resume Creation Workshop in LAC’s L255 computer lab on Nov. 5. (Hailey Hildreth).}