OVERHEARD IN THE RECRUITING LOUNGE is a weekly feature on things going on in the recruiting side of CCD.

One of the toughest questions asked in interviews this week was “Walk me through your resume.” This question seemed to stump quite a few students so here’s a quick break down on what to do.

• Don’t just read your resume out loud to the recruiter.  Clearly, they made it this far in their life, they can read.  Instead, choose to highlight the things that YOU have done on your resume that are relevant to the position that you are applying for. The question you are really answering here is: Why are you sitting in this seat in front of me?
• Start with your recent summer internship, talk about what YOU did, how YOU did it, and how that is relevant to the position you are interviewing for.
• Move on to the next thing on your resume.  Maybe it’s your on-campus job?  What skills are YOU gaining from that position? (Organizational skills? Communication skills? Pretty sick Access skills?) How would the skills help you at the job you are applying for?
• Continue to do this with all of the experiences on your resume - telling the interviewer what skills you learned, honed in on, or sharpened as a result of that position.

By the time you get to the end of your resume, the interviewer should have a pretty good idea why you would be a good ________(Insert title of position you are interviewing for here)_________.

But what if I don’ t know what’s on my resume?

1. Always know what’s on your resume.  Furthermore, if there is something on your resume that you can’t speak to, take it off.
2. Always carry several copies of your resume in to the interview with you.  Get one of those handy dandy leather portfolios from the bookstore and keep a couple copies of your resume in there.
3. If you are having trouble getting your resume to “tell a story” swing by CCD drop in hours M-Th 1-4 or make an appointment to see a counselor: 781-239-4215.

And that’s what we heard this week in the recruiting lounge…