By Jane Partizpanyan
On Wednesday, April 15, Professor Stephanie Bluestein of CSUN’s Journalism department graced the screen for the second CSUN PRSSA Zoom meeting of the semester. Essential resume building advice came along with her. With a plethora of tips on how to
choose a template, organize your page, as well as what not to do, Bluestein went into
great detail of how to create a standout resume.
Right from the start, Bluestein stressed that you have a purpose when you sit down to craft your resume, and that purpose is to land a job interview. Once you understand the importance of the purpose, everything begins to count. A small mistake could cost you a job that you might have been perfect for. However, fear won’t give you the resume of your dreams. That is why it is important to be prepared with these helpful tips.
According to Bluestein, the first step you want to perfect is your template. Although for many years the traditional template was the way to go, more modern times call for more modern templates, as long as they are not too busy with loud graphics and designs. It is important to stand out, but in a subtle and respectable way. There are several types of templates and there are many websites that could help you pick out the one that suits your style. Some include Canva, Template.net, Hloom, and Resume Genius.
Once you have chosen an appropriate template, Bluestein laid out some tips on
how to enrich the actual content of your resume. Some great ways to add flare and
credibility to yourself is to do an internship, write for the school paper, get involved with a
Journalism club, join a professional Journalism/Public Relations organization, or attend
many on-campus and professional Journalism events. Despite all of this wonderful
information, Bluestein reminded us that accuracy is always key. Do not stretch the truth; it
will never get you anywhere. In addition to staying accurate, remember to proofread
your work. Print out a copy and read it aloud, it will help you catch mistakes easily.
Another thing to always keep in the back of your mind is that you want your final version
to be a PDF, never an editable document of any sort.
Being precise in what you add to your list of accomplishments is what you want
to aim for, so it’s important to remember where to draw the line when it comes to excess
information. For example, you don’t need to mention high school unless you had a very
high position on your newspaper or yearbook staff, such as editor-in-chief. Your GPA is
not necessary to mention as well, unless you have a 3.5 or higher. What you do want to
add are any Journalism classes you completed or are currently in, as well as any clubs,
awards or scholarships you are a part of.
In closure, the PRSSA club is so grateful to have had Professor Bluestein take
time out of her day to encourage hopeful students on this new path of resumes,
internships and jobs. The first step to a bright future is to curate your resume in a
cohesive way that will help showcase the person you are in the field of education,
experience and interest.