By VIRGINIA MANN

Contributing Reporter

The semester is nearing its end, and many students are thinking about putting their resumes together to apply for jobs and internships.

To help, Oakland University’s Career Services department presented tips at the “Write (Right) Resumes” presentation on Thursday, March 19 in the Oakland Center’s Lake Michigan Room.

The main thing is to learn how to write a persuasive document, said Pamela Mitzelfeld, OU professor of business communication. She said your cover letter is what persuades prospective employers to read your resume.

“Employers are looking for a reason to dump your resume in the trash, because it takes too much time to go through all of the hundreds they receive,” Mitzelfeld said, “If your cover letter is not perfect, I will not read your resume. Don’t stand out for the wrong reasons.”

Ankur Acharya, a grad student majoring in software engineering, said he uploaded his resume on oucareerlink.com, and had help from the Writing Center and Career Services.

“It was pretty much to the point and would help people avoid the common mistakes they usually do,” he said of the information presented Thursday.

Genevieve Taylor, a senior majoring in psychology, said she has two or three working resumes, but is still in the process of getting one on oucareerlink.com

“They are invaluable,” she said of the tips presented. “It is always good to share that information with others so that they can empower themselves.”

Tips presented for cover letters were:

•    Always include significant keywords listed in the job description.

•    Create a consistent look between all documents (i.e. cover letter, resume, reference page).

•    Proofread everything—little things can loose you the job, especially if someone else’s is better and you both have equal qualifications.

•    Always mention that you have enclosed a resume, etc.

•    Be direct and ask for an interview.

•    “Soft Skills” = people person, communication skills, etc.

Tips presented for resumes were:

•    Include specific computer skills—sometimes employers aren’t proficient at technology, so they won’t assume you are—and what level of skill you have.

•    The same goes for languages—which ones, and how well do you speak/read them.

•    Only use the most important and relevant information. “No one has time…they spend 15 seconds reading your resume,” says Prof. Mitzelfeld.

•    Have a clear objective.

•    “Do not include where you went to High school, even if you are in first semester of college,” says Carol Ketelsen of Career Services.

•    “Your resume is all about you, but think about how you are going to pack it,” says Prof. Mitzelfeld.

More information can be found at the following locations:

•    Career Services, 275 West Vandenberg Hall, 248-370-3250

•    www.oakland.edu/careerservices

•    For a writing consultant to look at your resume/cover letter:

o    Joan Rosen Writing Studio, 212 Kresge Library, 248-370-3120

o    www2.oakland.edu/writingcenter

o    http://www2.oakland.edu/secure/wc/scheduler/

•    Formatting/layout guidelines for resumes:

o    Http://www4.oakland.edu/upload/docs/Career%20Services/resume-writing-guide-slides.pdf