Marvin Roth has seen a lot of resumes in his day. Some are complete, some are in the works… Marvin Roth has seen a lot of resumes in his day. Some are complete, some are in the works and some are exactly the same as the sample copies that appear in the familiar information packet given to students to help them write effective resumes.

“All of a sudden, we started seeing clone resumes out there,” Roth, director of Pitt’s Career Services, said as he laughed at the memory of seeing verbatim descriptions of being a resident assistant.

According to Roth, it’s a common shortcut for students to plug their information into sample resumes and cover letters. While he said that this is OK for them to do, he warned that students and anyone constructing a resume must be careful not to make gross mistakes.

Roth said he understands that the process of job searching can be intimidating to students, but he encourages them to prepare gradually throughout college.

He recommends that busy students treat outside job preparation as another course they are taking at Pitt, devoting time to conducting research, networking and resume “tweaking.”

The first assignment in this course, which Roth calls “Finding a Job,” is creating an effective resume and cover letter that will serve as a student’s advertisement when contacting employers.

There are many sections you can include in a resume: contact information, objectives, summary of qualifications, education, experience, achievements, relevant coursework, campus activities or volunteer work.

Roth suggests that students update their resumes at the end of each semester, asking themselves what they have done and where they can use it on their resumes.

“A resume is a work in progress, literally,” he said. “It reflects where you are going.”

Monster.com and Collegejournal.com offer free resume services to help students land their dream jobs. A free resume and cover letter tips message board also allows you to send your resume to other job seekers for their suggestions.

Monster.com includes a checklist to use when viewing a friend’s resume and offers answers to a list of first resume concerns, such as what to include on your resume if you do not have much experience.

Both Roth and the staff at Monster.com agree that students with little job experience should not overlook or ignore skills they’ve gained in activities and throughout their education. According to Roth, employers look for leadership abilities in any form.

“Students don’t make the most of what they have,” he said. “In all of those [jobs and activities] there is always a skill.”

Monster.com suggests that when students lack job experience, they rely on things like foreign language experience, computer and Internet skills and extracurricular activities.

“More and more, employers are looking for people with a social conscious and [who] have the willingness to help other people,” Roth said.

Liz Sims, a job recruiter for Aflac, said that activities and volunteer experience can be important to her because they give her more information about the applicant.

“It kind of tells you who they are in some small way,” she said.

She said she also looks for well-written, concise and easy-to-read resume presentation.

If a resume does list multiple job experiences, Sims pays attention to the applicant’s “job longevity.”

“If they are jumping from job to job, month to month, I would never call them back,” she said.

Roth said that when students are job seeking, it is important to remember that no two employers will completely agree on a student’s resume. Whether or not an employer likes or dislikes a student’s resume is always subjective.

“The important thing is, are you comfortable with it, because there is no absolute,” Roth said.

While constructing a resume remains crucial to job preparation, the cover letter that goes with it also plays a part in getting an employer’s attention. The cover letter should entice the employer into viewing a student’s resume with more interest.

Roth said that the same principles of resume writing apply when drafting a cover letter. It should include the name and title of the person to whom a student is writing and speak to the type of job for which you are applying.

Although the cover letter and resume act as a written correspondence between employer and job applicant, seeking out the opportunity to meet with employers can give a student a competitive and more personal edge.

Kat Bernazoli, employer services assistant for Career Services, suggests that students take the initiative to meet potential employers at job fairs and other networking events.

“If you make the extra effort, they are going to remember,” she said, recalling that employers seek her out at job fairs to tell her they will be keeping certain students in mind.

She said that some employers may not be particularly interested in your major or GPA but instead what type of personality you have.

“They are concerned with certain types of people that can do certain types of jobs,” she said.

Another benefit of meeting with employers is that students get to hear exactly what they are looking for in their applicants.

“It’s an ‘everybody wins’ situation,” Bernazoli said.

While Bernazoli and Roth dedicate time to helping students in their job-seeking journeys, both agree that they can only do so much, and it is up to the students to take the final initiative.

“While you are here, we are here to coach you,” Roth said. “We are teaching you how to fish so you can be effective from now on.”