Written Report of Community Project: Resume Workshop

Spring 2014: LEAD 7100 Education and Community

Tiffany Seaman

The

statistics released about the job search related to resumes is disheartening.

Therecruiterslounge.com posted an article on April 4, 2013 that said an
average of 250 resumes are received for each open job position (This is why
your resume was rejected, 2013). Time.com explained that recruiters spend
an average of six seconds looking at a resume if it is even reviewed (Sanburn,
2012). Having a grammatically correct resume that efficiently highlights a
persons job skills has never been more important to a successful job search.
Through observation, it was clear that students did not possess the skills to
properly highlight all the leadership qualities and experiences they have
acquired through their involvement on campus.
The goal of this community project was to help students improve their
resume writing skills to better highlight their abilities and accomplishments
gained through extracurricular activities. The workshop was held the week
following spring break at the University of Memphis, which was the week of
March 17. I passed out flyers to students in Sorority and Fraternity life, the
Student Activities Council, as well as placed them in the Student Leadership
and Involvement office. See Appendix A for an example of the worksheet.
Initially, three students scheduled meetings the week following spring break.
During their follow-up meetings, students brought several friends. At the end
of the workshop, ten students participated in resume critiques.
As part of the workshop, mock interviews were offered to students who
wanted them. No one chose to go through the mock interview process, but I
was able to offer feedback for students who had gone through the interview
process for a position on the Student Activities Council. I played a part in

conducting their interviews, and afterwards, they reached out to me for

feedback on their performance. A total of five students were able to receive
feedback on their performance during their interview.
The students would bring their original resume to their meeting to
discuss their involvement and activities. Suggestions were provided for the
layout as well as content. Feedback was dependant on what jobs or positions
they planned to apply. At their second meeting, students would bring their
new resume, which would include the edits they had made based on advice
given to them. See Appendix B for an example of an initial resume and
Appendix C for an example of a revised resume.
The idea for the workshop stemmed from a conversation during a
retreat for the Student Activities Council. A guest speaker commented on the
lack of description students have on their resume for the leadership roles
they have held on campus. The speaker said it is often these mistakes that
keep students from getting the jobs they are qualified for. If student leaders
on campus are not able to convey their leadership qualifications to the
community during employment opportunities, then they are perceived as
someone who will not bring anything to the community. This does not align
with the mission of postsecondary education. Students should be leaving an
institution with their degree and the qualities and skills to make their
communities a better place.
Throughout the process of the workshop, I found that it really helped
student to reflect on their experiences in order to have a better
understanding of their acquired skills. Our conversations would start with me

asking the students what their most involved position was on campus, and
the students I had worked with would often respond with being part of the
Student Activities Council. I would then ask them to reflect on their
experience and tell me what it was that they had done. After ten or fifteen
minutes of conversation, students would say to me, Wow, I had no idea I had
done all of those things. I have really learned a lot through this position.
Loeb shared a story in Soul of a Citizen of a woman named Sonya that
recognized the importance of assessing skills and having reflective
conversation. Through her story, we see the need for these conversations to
happen outside just the confines of the corporate world. By assessing skills
and reflecting on experiences, Sonya sees the importance of social action
campaigns that allow people to understand, who they are and what are
the things that light them up inside, then involving them in things that fit
them best (Loeb, 2010, p. 193). By reflecting on their experiences and how
they have grown, the students in my workshop were able to understand what
they really enjoyed doing and how that can relate to their work outside of
their roles on campus.
A sense of accountability was something I found was important to the
students improvement. Through their mock interview critiques, I had many
conversations with the students on their performance. I stressed the
importance of holding yourself accountable for the positive and negative
aspects of an interview experience so that, when they look back on what they
can improve, they are being completely honest with themselves and focusing
on things that are within their control.

The feedback I gave ranged from Do not chew gum while interviewing
and take off your jacket so it looks like you are more invested, to Do your
research on the position and the group, as well as, try to anticipate questions
based on the nature of the position. Some students came to a thirty-minute
interview and only took seven minutes. My advice to them was to look at the
amount of time allotted for the interview and cater their answers to that. If
they give the applicant an hour, they are looking for in-depth answers. If they
set aside fifteen minutes, they are most likely trying to be efficient with not
only the interviewers time, but also the interviewee.
Loeb spoke on the importance of accountability by stating, If our eyes
are windows to the soul, and faces reflections of character, looking into the
mirror lets us step back from the flux of our lives and hold ourselves
accountable (Loeb, 2010, pp. 21-22). Having a better idea of the person you
want to showcase in an interview will allow students to better understand
their role within the position and the community that job creates. Also holding
oneself accountable for our performances means that we are one hundred
percent able to improve what we need to. I was impressed with the students
who came to me with feedback because they were taking responsibility for
the things they might be able to improve in their interview experience,
instead of attributing anything that might have gone wrong to external
factors.
The workshop as a whole was a good example of non-formal education
discussed in Taylor (2006). The definition of non-formal education provided by
Heimlich in Taylors article was defined as, any organized, intentional and
explicit effort to promote learning to enhance the quality of life through non-

school settings (as cited in Taylor, 2006). Before the workshop began, a
student from the group TRiO reached out to me about getting their students
involved in the workshop. They were interested in the experience because it
was not part of a requirement or a class, and they wanted someone with
fresh eyes to look over their work. In this instance I saw that students
preferred non-formal education to formal education. This speaks to the need
for communities to provide education that reaches out to all preferences.
That is why a balance of workshops provided by people not affiliated with an
academic program, as well as, a focus on resume building and career
readiness inside the classroom would be the most beneficial approach to
preparing students for post-graduate careers within the community.
Coping with burnout is another topic I encountered through my
experience working with the students. Through our conversations, it was easy
to see that students were involved in a number of things on and off campus.
As our conversations continued, I wondered if they would have time to revise
their resume and meet with me again when they were faced with many other
commitments. I found it difficult to follow up with students, and when they
finally came to their second meeting, they would explain to me how thin they
seem to be stretched across their commitments.
I was also facing burnout as a facilitator. I found that I was saying the
same thing over and over again to students. It became difficult to remain
invested throughout the process. Luckily I was able to recognize myself
becoming burnt out before it caused an issue in the workshop and was able
to rejuvenate myself and remain helpful throughout the rest of my meetings.
I reminded myself that the students attended their meetings because they

cared about becoming better members of society and understanding the

strengths and skills they possess.
For advice on burnout, Loeb says, If we are to stay involved in our
causes, we must set boundaries to keep our lives from being so consumed
that we are forced to withdraw from involvement entirely (Loeb, 2010, p.
288). This is what I would relay to the students who were feeling overinvolved. They were surprised to hear that too much involvement could be a
bad thing. I explained that too much involvement without a good handle on a
routine or a strong set of goals can become overwhelming and the level of
involvement in the things that really matter to them can suffer.
Surprisingly, many conversations I would have about the level of
support through students job search and career preparedness would come
back to the level of support present in families. This is similar to what I saw in
the article by Shevitz and Koren (2004) on the importance of familial support
and being able to showcase their values. In their article, the parents reported
that the program was a success because they were able to show their
children how they valued Jewish education and they thought this would make
a positive impact on how their children felt about Jewish education in the
future (Shevitz & Koren, 2004). Although the topic of our discussion was
career readiness and not Jewish education, I found that students who had
more support from their families on this topic felt more prepared to apply for
jobs and felt more positively about the job search.
Through my collaboration with TRiO, I was able to create a workshop
that allowed me to successfully reach my goals. Students left feeling more

prepared to apply for jobs and travel through the interview process more
successfully. I was able to see many themes in this experience with the
University of Memphis student community. Those themes included the
importance of reflective conversations, holding oneself accountable,
providing non-formal educational opportunities, avoiding burnout, and having
familial support.
I was fortunate enough to have conversations with students who told
me that they were more successful in their interview process because of the
feedback they received from our interview. One student came to my office
and told me, Things like this are why I will be making the big bucks one
day. I felt that I was not only successful in preparing them to enter into the
community as confidant employees who are aware of the skills they possess
and their role as a leader, but I was also successful in developing my skills as
a member of the community of student affairs professionals. Through this
experience I feel more confident in my skills to advise students in ways that
will allow them to grow and develop into positive influences on their
communities.

References
Loeb, P. (2010). Soul of a citizen: Living with conviction in challenging times.
New York:
St. Martins Griffin.

Sanburn, J. (2012, April 13). How to Make Your Resume Last Longer Than 6
Seconds. Time.
Retrieved April 11, 2014, from
http://business.time.com/2012/04/13/how-tomake-your-resume-last-longer-than-6-seconds/
Shevitz, S., and Koren, S. (2004). "It Planted the Seeds:" A retrospective
study of Jewish
family education's impact on Families. Journal of Jewish Education,
70(3), 40-49.
Taylor, E. (2006). Making meaning of local nonformal education: Practitioners
Perspective.
Adult Education Quarterly, 56(4), 291306.
This is why your resume was rejected. (2013, April 4). The Recruiters Lounge.
Retrieved
April 11, 2014, from
http://www.therecruiterslounge.com/2013/04/04/this-iswhy-your-resume-was-rejected/

Appendix A
This is the handout given to students who may benefit from the
workshop.

Resume Workshop & Mock Interview

Opportunity
Learn how to sell yourself!
Get resume feedback!
Prepare yourself for the professional world!
Get sample resumes & eye-catching resume
words!
Participate in mock interview opportunities with
interview feedback!

Time-slots available March 17- 31! Come by yourself or bring

some friends! Please bring a resume!
If interested, please contact Tiffany Seaman:
trseaman@memphis.edu.

Appendix B
This is an example of an initial resume brought to me by a student involved in
my program. All personal information has been removed.
STUDENT NAME
CURRENT DATE AND EMAIL
Education:
Aug. 2011 Present
Memphis, T.N.

University of Memphis

Undergraduate Junior
Pursuing a Bachelor of Science and Education
degree in Health and Human Performance
Hope Lottery Scholarship and Deans Scholarship
Recipient
Helen Hardin Honors Program Member
Current Cumulative GPA:
Aug. 2007 May 2011 Bolton High School
Arlington, T.N.

Honors Diploma: GPA

Beta Club Member
National Honor Society Member

Work Experience:
Universiy of Mempis Residence Life, Living Learning Complex (LLC) Desk
Assistant
Memphis, T.N.

Aug. 2013 Present

Pizza Hut Call Center, Customer Service Representative

Bartlett, T.N.

May 2012 August 2012

Activities:
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Epsilon Chapter, University of
Memphis (November 2013-Present)
o Chapter Vice President
Student Activities Council, University of Memphis (June 2012 April 2013)
o Vice President
Black Scholars Unlimited, University of Memphis (June 2012-April 2013)
o

Community Service Co-Chair

References available upon request.

Appendix C
This is an example of a revised resume brought to me by a student involved
in my program. All personal information has been removed.

NAME

Address/email/telephonenumber

EDUCATION:
B.A.inScienceinEducation&HealthandHumanPerformance
May2016

TheUniversityofMemphis
Memphis,T.N

G.P.A.:3.3
Honors:HelenHardinHonorsProgrammember,HopeScholarshiprecipient,DeansScholarship
recipient
WORKEXPERIENCE:
VicePresident,StudentActivitiesCouncil,Memphis,TN
June2012Present
Maintainmembershipofover200members
Planandexecuteretreatsfor5boardmembers,2executivemembers,and2faculty
members
Provideguidancetostudentsduringprogrammingselection,conflictresolution,anduseof
campuswidesurveys
Assistinoverseeingabudgetof$360,000
DeskAssistant,UniversityofMemphisResidenceLife,Memphis,TN
August2013Present
Answerconcernsofresidents,parentsandstaff
OverseetheadmittanceofresidentsandstudentsintotheLivingLearningCommunity
Building
Supervisesurveillanceofthebuildingwhileensuringthesafetyofstudentsandresidents
Maintainacleanandorderlyworkplace
CustomerServiceRepresentative,PizzaHutCallCenter,Bartlett,T.N.
May2012August2012
Processedandhandledcustomerordersbyphone
Managedcustomerconcerns
Workedwithdatabasetomaintaincustomerinformation
Suggestedproductsandmerchandisetobettermeetcustomerneeds
RELATEDEXPERIENCE

AlphaKappaAlphaSorority,Inc.,EpsilonEpsilonChapter,UniversityofMemphis
(November2013Present)
o ChapterVicePresident
BlackScholarsUnlimited,UniversityofMemphis(June2012April2013)
o CommunityServiceCoChair

SKILLS
Computer:MicrosoftWord,Excel,PowerPoint,iMovie,GoogleDocuments,Photoshop,
AdobeIllustrator
SocialMedia:Facebook,Twitter,Instagram,YouTube
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author. I have cited all
sources from which I used data, ideas, or words, either quoted directly or
paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for
this course.
Signature _______________Tiffany Seaman_______________ Date
______4/17/2014__________