Resume

You only have about 15-20 seconds to grab an employer’s attention with your resume. Learn the best ways to format your resume and tailor your skills and experiences for your career field. Not looking for a job yet? That’s ok. It’s never too early to get started. Writing your resume now will help you identify crucial skills and experiences you may be missing.

Metropolitan College Students

If you are a Metropolitan College participant, needing to complete your CAPP resume requirement, please refer to your MyMC page for instructions and next steps.


Get Started

As you begin writing your resume, do the following:

  1. Format your resume in a way that is professional and easy to read. Review the CREW Career Center Resume Resource Packet (pdf) to learn formatting suggestions with examples.
  2. Review sample resumes to get formatting and content ideas.
  3. Utilize CREW Career Center resume templates to create your resume
  4. Incorporate some of the Top Ten Skills employers look for when reviewing resumes. Be specific about how you have demonstrated these skills
  5. Review your resume by using the Resume Audit Worksheet.
  6. The most effective resume is a resume that includes the skills and experiences important in your career field. To write a career field specific resume, you should:
    1. Review sample resumes to learn how others have made their resumes industry specific.
    2. Locate your major or career field and review skill statements specific to your industry.
    3. Find your career field on ONET to determine additional relevant skills.

Create Draft Resume and Schedule Appointment

Schedule an hour-long appointment to receive in-depth resume development assistance from a CREW Counselor. Prior to your appointment:

  1. Review CREW Career Center Resume Resource Guide and/or the resume samples.
  2. Create a resume draft using the CREW Career Center resume templates or the KY Career Edge Resume Builder tool.

Schedule a CREW Appointment


Upload Your Resume To Complete Your Handshake Profile

After you have activated your Handshake account, upload your resume to complete your Handshake profile.

The Handshake Student Guide will walk you through how to upload your resume to your student profile.

Complete Your Profile - It is important to thoroughly complete your profile in Handshake, just as you would with LinkedIn, or any other professional networking platform. This is very important if making your profile visible to others.  No one will be impressed with an incomplete profile. 

Change Your Profile Privacy Setting - There are 3 privacy settings: Community, Employers, and Private.  Some Handshake features require profile to be set to either Community or Employers. It is recommended to use the private setting until profile is complete and you are ready to network.

Change Your Resume Visibility by Employers - Do not inadvertently make your resume visible to employers until you have had it reviewed by the UCC staff or other experts. You do NOT want your incorrect or incomplete resume coming up in employer searches! Note: resume visibility is different from profile visibility.   


Create the Content for Your Resume #section

If you do not have a resume, use Resume Smart to create the content for your resume. Then, use this content to format your resume and submit it to our Resume Dropbox.


Get Feedback on Your Resume: Resume Dropbox #section

Would you like quick feedback on a draft of your resume? You can use the Resume Dropbox service to receive feedback on your resume within 2 business days. Read these tips before submitting your resume:

(Note: Metro College students completing CAPP resumes should not submit their resume to the Dropbox. Log on to your My MC page for directions.)

  1. Review the CREW Career Center Resume Resource Guide and resume samples and templates for assistance in formatting your resume draft.
  2. Resume feedback will not be stored by our staff. Be sure to save the document with feedback to a USB drive and bring that document into our office if you need additional assistance.

Submit Your Resume and Cover Letter


Develop a Reference Page

You usually need 3-4 professional references when applying for a position. A reference should be an individual who can provide positive feedback regarding your work or academic experiences; supervisors, professors, volunteer or student organization contacts, and colleagues are examples of commonly used professional references. Be sure to ask permission before including the reference’s contact information on a reference page.


Write Your Cover Letter

You also leave a lasting impression with your cover letter. The cover letter is your opportunity to address why you are applying to a specific opportunity and why you would be a good fit at that company. The cover letter can also serve as an example of your writing skills.