Students can have their resumes quickly critiqued at the Resume Blitz from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Career Services, Room 1301 in the Human Services Center.

A second Resume Blitz will be offered Monday at the same time and place. No appointments are required either day, and the service is available for all majors.

Although the critiques are intended to take only 15 minutes, students should give themselves extra time in case there is a line, Allison Frees-Williams, interim director of Career Services, said.

Frees-Williams said the critique is intended as a quick overview for students who already have a completed resume and who do not need a full appointment to create one from scratch.

Career counselors will carefully proofread the resumes, but they also offer expertise that friends or family proofreading might not have, Frees-Williams said.

“That’s why it’s helpful to come into Career Services and have somebody take a look at it, because it’s something that we do all day, every day,” she said.  “We’re very familiar with what the resumes need to look like … If you don’t know that you’re doing something wrong, how are you going to fix it?”

One small detail students are often not aware of, Frees-Williams said, is that they need to put the exact title of their degree on their resume, “Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences,” as the degree is officially titled at Eastern, instead of “Bachelor’s of Science in Biology.” 

Career counselors will also look at design issues that often go unnoticed, such as consistent formatting and the use of white space to improve readability.

Attention to those kinds of details can make the difference between getting the job and being overlooked, Frees-Williams said.

She said if the resume has errors on it or does not look polished, employers may wonder if the applicant would not pay attention to details if they were to get the job.

“Having a good, strong resume, that’s definitely the first impression. And it’s hard to come back from that if you don’t make a good first impression,” she said.

While Career Services offers the resume critiques a couple of times each semester, the two critiques coming up are especially useful for students planning to attend the Job and Internship Fair Wednesday, March 1 or the Educators’ Job Fair Monday, March 6, Frees-Williams said.

She said students can visit the Career Services website to see a list of employers that will be at the job fairs and what positions they are hiring for.

She said it would be helpful for students attending the Resume Blitz to look at the list and come in with an idea of the kind of job they are looking for.

Frees-Williams recommended students print out more resumes than they think they will need for the job fair.

“They may end up talking to somebody or networking with somebody, and even if it’s not for a position they want, that person may know someone else,” she said.

Leon Mire can be reached at 581-2812 or lkmire@eiu.edu.