Career Resources

A summary section uses 1-2 sentences to explain the major goals of your job search.

Including the summary section of your resume is optional. 

• We highly recommend including a summary if you are applying to a role that is unrelated to your major or if you have limited experience.
• Example: "Upcoming Biology graduate pursuing an entry-level position in Human Resources after an internship with the local city council sparked my interest in employee support and internal communication. Looking to build practical HR experience in a collaborative setting with opportunity for long-term growth. 

To begin the education section, you should list the full name of your degree and university.

• Example: “Bachelor of Science in Chemistry” 

Include your GPA in this section only if it is above a 3.0.

Consider including the awards, certifications, on-campus affairs, and student organizations that best showcase your qualifications.

Instead of simply listing job duties and responsibilities, you should focus on the outcome of your work, emphasizing any transferable skills. You can accomplish this with your bullet points. 

A good format for bullet points is: 

• Action verb → Task → Outcome

Here is an example:

• “Supported council staff with administrative tasks, constituent services, and research on local issues to aid council decision-making.”
  • “Supported” is the action verb
  • “administrative tasks, constituent services, and research on local issues” is the task.
  • “to aid council decision-making” is the outcome.

The format of this section's bullet points should be similar to the format of the work experience section. 

• However, you should only discuss unpaid activities and experiences in this section.
• Example: “Assisted in organizing and distributing food supplies to over 100 individuals weekly, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in service.”
  • “Assisted” is the action verb.
  • “organizing and distributing food supplies” is the task.
  • “ensuring accuracy and efficiency in service” is the outcome. 

This section is for information that does not require a detailed explanation. 

Examples of self-explanatory information include:

• Languages
• Certifications
• Organizations
• Special skills
• Visa status
• Willingness to relocate

Include information based on what the job posting asks you for. 

Purpose: Confirm your qualifications for the role and express your general character and personality. 

Strategy: Highlight how your skills, experience, or character equip you for success.

Examples of interview questions: 

• What are your strengths as an employee?
• what feedback does your supervisor give you about your performance?
• Why should I hire you?
• Who are your heroes? Why?
• Tell me about your current job.
• What have you done that shows initiative and willingness to work?
• Give me an example of a time you went above and beyond your responsibilities to get the job done.
• How do you ensure that your work is error free?
• What motivates you to do a good job?
• What does success mean to you?  

Purpose: Discuss your basic approach to resolving problems in the workplace.

Strategy: Highlight how you pursue issues proactively, ask for assistance, adapt to change, and push forward new initiatives and projects.

Examples of interview questions:

• How do you go about making important decisions?
• What was the biggest (or most shocking) change you have ever faced at a job, and how did you adapt?
• Tell me about an improvement you made in your work process. How did this improvement help you and your team?  
• Tell me about a project that you were responsible for but needed the help of others to complete the project. How did you handle this situation?
• How do you generally handle conflict?  
• Are you known for anticipating problems or merely reacting to them?
• Did you initiate/enact any new procedures in your previous position? Tell me about them.  

Purpose: Showcase your leadership and share your outlook on managing others.

Strategy: Focus on thoughtful responses, be positive, and show respect for positions of authority.  

Examples of interview questions:

• How do you motivate others?
• You are a supervisor of a busy office. Two employees just called in and will be out sick for the next two weeks. How do you deal with this unexpected event?
• What do you believe is the role of management?
• How do you deal with individuals in the workplace who are acting as part of a problem instead of acting towards a solution? 

Purpose: Showcase your communication style, strengths, and preferences.  

Strategy: Provide clear examples and acknowledge the importance of strong communication skills.  

Examples of interview questions:

Discuss a time when you had to explain a complex idea to someone with little or no background knowledge in the subject. How did you handle this situation?

• Tell me about a situation where your style of communication helped resolve an issue. What did you say or do to solve the conflict?
• Discuss a time when a misunderstanding happened at work. How did you address and resolve it?
• How do you show someone that you are fully engaged in what they’re saying?
• When you’re communicating important information, how do you ensure clarity and prevent misinterpretation?
• Describe a time when you had to communicate under pressure or on a tight deadline. How did you handle the situation? 

Purpose: Discuss how you use time and organizational skills, even under pressure.  

Strategy: Showcase your methods by talking about situations where you used them.  

Examples of interview questions:

• How would you describe your organizational skills?
• Describe how you manage your time when you have competing priorities.
• Tell me about the last time you failed to complete a project (or assignment) on time.  
• How do you take initiative when requirements on the job are slow?  
• Typically, what do you do in the first and last hour at work.
• Describe a time when you felt overwhelmed by numerous responsibilities. How did you prioritize your workload? Were you successful?
• Tell me about a time when you used your organizational skills to solve a problem. 

Purpose: Describe how you collaborate with coworkers and your ability to ethically make decisions in the workplace, especially when under pressure.

Strategy: Be thoughtful, stay positive, and highlight your responsibility in your actions.

Examples of interview questions:

• Tell me about individuals that you have trouble getting along with or who have trouble getting along with you.  
• Do you prefer to work alone or with others?
• How would your co-workers describe you?
• Your supervisor tells you to do something that goes against policy. How do you proceed?
• Tell me about a situation where you and another person had a disagreement. How did you solve your disagreement?  
• Can you take constructive criticism without feeling attacked? Give an example.