Seek resume advice and peer review
- Due Mar 29, 2021 by 11:59pm
- Points 1
- Submitting a text entry box or a file upload
- File Types pdf, docx, doc, gif, jpg, jpeg, and png
dilbert.com Links to an external site.
As a UW-Madison student you have access to a wide range of career advisers and writing tutors right here on campus. In this assignment you will identify and use of one of these resources to provide an outside perspective on your draft resume. And you will also get advice from your social network of peers in your discussion section.
Special update: Given the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic concerns, please practice "social distancing" and complete this assignment using digital communication tools such as Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, voice calling, or email -- not face-to-face, in-person meetings.
Read this first
- Lindsey Pollak, "Market yourself on paper and online," in Getting from College to Career (2012). Download Lindsey Pollak, "Market yourself on paper and online," in Getting from College to Career (2012).
Complete these steps
1. Edit your resume so it's ready for review. Take some time to check over your resume to make sure it is updated based on the last few assignments we've completed, so it's ready for expert and peer review in this assignment. Here are a few good resources:
- SuccessWorks guide to resumes and cover letters
- Free Canvas instructional model on resumes created by SuccessWorks
2. Make a resume review appointment. Make an appointment with either a career advisor, a writing tutor, an academic adviser, or an AI system to take a look at your resume. Here are some options to get you started:
- SuccessWorks: You can make a resume-review appointment with a SuccessWorks career advisor or peer advisor here: https://successworks.wisc.edu/make-an-appointment/
- Writing Center: Visit the Writing Center for drop-in help at 6171 Helen C. White Hall (or find other locations at https://writing.wisc.edu/Individual/LocationsHours.html). Make an appointment at https://writing.wisc.edu/Individual/MakeAnAppointment.html
- The department adviser of your chosen or intended major ... find them on the web!
(The Career Exploration Center in Ingraham Hall does not do resume feedback.)
3. Attend your resume review appointment. Remember to gather evidence from the appointment that you can upload in order to get credit for this assignment. For example:
- take a photo of the marked-up resume or written feedback that you receive after your adviser or tutor gives you suggestions
- take a screenshot the email confirming your appointment with the adviser or tutor
- take a selfie with the person who helped you!
- take a screenshot of the results of your Rezi review
Special resume review opportunity in Spring 2021: SuccessWorks is offering the opportunity to submit your resume for video review by a SuccessWorks staff member! Students may submit one PDF version of their most updated resume by March 12th at 11:55pm or until submissions close. Up to 150 total resumes will be accepted, so be sure to submit yours early! A SuccessWorks staff member will complete a recorded review of your resume, including an on-screen look and voiceover of their suggestions. Links to watch review videos will be sent to students between March 15th - March 26th. If you complete this activity, it will fulfill your resume review appointment for this assignment! Submit your resume here: https://airtable.com/shrRloxhE7rcKoSHM |
4. Trade your resume with peers, and make printouts. Now it is time for peer review. Your TA will provide you with the names of one or more peers in your class. Use LinkedIn to contact these peers (you might want to link to each other as well). Or you can use the UW-Madison email directory to find your peers' emails if LinkedIn fails. Trade resumes electronically, then print out each peer resume on paper in preparation for your review.
5. Review your peers' resumes while they review yours. Consider the following factors:
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Errors: Proofread each resume for spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Mark directly on your partner’s copy.
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Style: Is the resume clearly organized? It is organized based on chronology, skills, or a combination of the two? Could it be organized more clearly? If so, how might they organize it differently? Make notes in the margins if helpful.
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Formatting: Is the formatting (font, spacing, and bullets points) consistent? Mark up formatting issues.
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Targeting: Is it clear what type of position this resume written for? What part of the resume do you think is most important in terms of targeting this position? How might the student better highlight their key traits for this targeted position?
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Specifics: Does the resume describe job tasks, skills, and concrete accomplishments completely and specifically while still being succinct? What was the most effective descriptive line?
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Big Picture: Overall, what are the strengths that are best communicated by this resume?
For each resume you review, print and fill out this resume review check sheet Download resume review check sheet. Remember to engage in constructive criticism of the same kind that you would want to receive, face to face.
6. Email your feedback back to your peers. You should attach the filled-out resume review check sheet Download resume review check sheet for each person's resume. If you want to scan or take a photo of their resume with your scribbled annotations on it, that would be fine too.
7. Turn in your results. Upload both the file documenting your resume review appointment, and the resume review check sheets for each student's resume you reviewed, to Canvas to get credit for this assignment.
Notes on this assignment
- Do you have a professor or a TA from another class who is experienced in the field you're interested in working in? They can give useful resume advice as well.
- Before you edit your own resume, and before you conduct your peer review, you may want to review some samples: click these links to check out an example of a strong resume Download example of a strong resume, and an example of a weak resume Download example of a weak resume.
- What did the person who reviewed your resume notice that you had missed? Was there anything on your resume that was unclear that you had to explain or contextualize?
- After you receive feedback on your resume from your peers, think about whether the outside advice you received in this assignment matched with your peer advice. What should you do if different people give you differing or even contradictory advice about your resume?
- Are there any preconceptions, stereotypes, assumptions, or biases that you think employers might bring to your resume? What can (or should) you do about this?
- Is there anything you have decided to add, remove, or alter on your resume as a result of this assignment?
Read more about it
- Taking Initiative Student Guide Download Taking Initiative Student Guide chapter 08, "Communicating your value."
- Katharine Brooks, You Majored in What? chapter 08, "Your wanderings on one page."
- Eric Feezell, "Nihilist job resume," McSweeny's Internet Tendency (April 3, 2006). Download Eric Feezell, "Nihilist job resume," McSweeny's Internet Tendency (April 3, 2006). (Note: This is satire.)