The college life is all about planning one’s future. Whether it is searching for what you want to do, finding your lifelong friends or exploring job opportunities in your field, this is the time to figure out your life before graduation. While taking the first plunge into your major outside of school can be nerve-racking, Oakland University has the service for you.
The Career and Life Design Center (CLDC) is a resource students can use to strengthen their resumes and cover letters. Students can schedule online or in-person appointments with a career coach and learn how to make their job applications shine.
Jordan Smith, a graphic design student working at the CLDC, explains some of the tools that they use to help students with their resumes.
“The main tool that we use is Handshake because it has an entire like section for resources on different things,” Smith said. “More often than not, I’m pulling up the resume writing guide because that’s super helpful, but on top of that, we also have Big Interview, which is a service primarily for interview prep.”
Smith explains one of the new functions of Big Interview.
“There’s a function now [in Big Interview] for resumes where you can scan your resume and analyze and compare it to resumes within the field,” Smith said. “You can get feedback based on that and how you stack up to the resumes out there that other people may bring to the table.”
While those at Career Services work to help other students strengthen their job applications, Smith explains that the workers also learn a great deal while on the job.
“A lot of people who apply to this job may not necessarily have a bad resume, but their level of professionalism increases a lot when they work here,” Smith said. “It’s not only a way to help other people, but it’s also a way to help yourself because while you’re teaching it to other people, you’re also learning it too. You can come out of this job with a resume, way better than when you started and better skills on how to navigate the professional world.”
Although helping other students is rewarding in its own right, Smith explains that his favorite part of working at the CLDC is being surrounded by his coworkers.
“At the end of the semester, we had an office party, and we shared a lot of sentimental moments together,” Smith said. “On top of being able to help people every day, it’s what I look forward to with this job.”
While it can be intimidating to ask for help, staff at the CLDC are continuously working to make sure they have a warm and comforting environment for all students.
“It may seem intimidating, but we’re accepting of anyone and everyone and we will help you no matter what your resume looks like,” Smith said. “No matter what you’re bringing to the table, we can do something for you.”
Students looking to schedule an appointment with the CLDC, can find their office in North Foundation Hall in room 103, or visit their OU webpage.
