Rate my résumé

11. Does the person provide enough information about their past or not enough? What should they have left out or included in their résumé?

Crawford Hentz: There should be more specific information about her duties at the internship, and more specific information about her news assignments editor position. She should also include a link to clips she's written.

Mattson: This résumé shows someone coming out of college with some versatile work experience.

Eubank: As stated in question 7, I would like to see more about school successes.

12. What is the résumés greatest flaw?

Crawford Hentz: The greatest flaw in the résumé is over-blowing the descriptions of the responsibilities of jobs like hostess and under-describing the communications experience.

Mattson: I don't see the changes I've recommended as flaws but tweaks to make it better. Overall, it is a very good start of a résumé.

Eubank: Lack of objectives. Please note that these might be tailored somewhat for particular opportunities. A cover letter will be critical.

13. What is the best feature of the résumé?

Crawford Hentz: The best feature of the résumé is that I truly believe this candidate can be a fit for an entry-level job or internship in communications at a large global company, particularly one working in or with Korea.

Mattson: The best feature of this résumé is the recent experience working for the State Coalition.

Eubank: A sense that this is a well-organized person with good computer skills who can write, lead, and organize. This is the message you want to give the reader at first impression.

14. Does the person successfully sell themselves? What did they fail to do?

Crawford Hentz: This résumé doesn't successfully differentiate the candidate's skills so that she stands out from other entry-level candidates. I also have concerns that she only did one internship (last summer).

Mattson: Jane's résumé should highlight more of the accomplishments with results that show the value she added to the role.

Eubank: A summary and objectives would really help.

15. Additional comments

Crawford Hentz: I'd recommend going back to the career center at her university and having several hands-on critiques from the staff there. The candidate may also want to head over to the career center at her university's business school for their perspective on her résumé. I think it's also important to stay in close touch with them, as they are a resource for her.

She may also want to see if she can touch base with someone in career services from her university's College of Communications, as communications jobs may be listed there rather than in the Collge of Arts and Science.

Because the candidate is new to the job market, she may want to keep herself open to a long-term temp or internship assignment. At Osram Sylvania (my company) and many other large multinationals, we have year-long post bachelor's internships in our international marketing or communications groups. This is a way to get valuable corporate experience, get exposed to professional networks, and build up a portfolio.

A cover letter is going to be a really important part of the candidate's package. Many people don't include them anymore, particularly in on-line applications, but they can really help answer a variety of questions including what does this candidate want to do and what skills does she bring to our company.

Best of luck. This résumé is a good start, and with some fine-tuning you can really improve your chances in the job market.

Mattson: What I do not clearly see is this person's skill set, so she might want to add a line that highlights her skills and provides an overall objective. This candidate mentions she wants a role in "consulting, international management or anything business related," but did not indicate the type of position she desires. I would have this person work with her college career services office or a staffing agency to help her get her foot in the door and get some corporate work experience. For instance, if she wants to work in the consulting industry perhaps she should start off in an administrative role and work her way up the ladder. Also, she needs to make sure networking is part of her job search. Good luck!

Eubank: Good luck! Remember that the first job is always very difficult to get, but you will get there! Do not be discouraged.