For upperclassmen, it’s an important time as this year marks the first step in their professional careers.

Building a resume is one of the most important steps to starting an internship or professional level job. Having your resume will allow you to start the process of job hunting for a career in your preferred field.

“The resume is essential when applying for an internship or job,” said Bernadette Rushmer, director of the Insalaco Center for Professional Development and Leadership. “Often the employer will ask for a resume. What that document is, is almost like a mini marketing piece.”

At Misericordia, there will always be an advisor, teacher, or friend to help you throughout the process. Even if you have already built your resume, someone at the Insalaco Center for Professional Development and Leadership will look over your resume to make sure you have included all the necessary information.

Rushmer, better known as “Bernie” on campus, is also advisor for Student Government. She started her career at Misericordia in January 2004 and has helped students prepare for the workforce for almost two decades. She is more than eager to help new students with the resume-building process.

Rushmer encourages students who have already created a draft of their resume to stop by any of the three offices in Insalaco hall to have it reviewed. Rushmer, Johnna Evans and Tiffany Wiernusz are all available with appointments through Handshake to assist with resume building.

One of the key points to a good resume is making yourself easy to contact.

“Make sure you have your name and contact information easy to find,” Rushmer said. “Also, talk about your education and make sure to be specific.”

The main goal of a resume is to showcase the experience you have, whether it’s in your desired field or in a different area of work. Rushmer added that retail work, employment at a restaurant or any type of job experiences help build transferable skills worth displaying on a resume.

According to Rushmer, you want to convey your skills to your employer with the idea that a resume is a snapshot stating, “Here’s who I am and here’s what I have to offer.”

“When we’re talking to employers, we’ll ask them what they’re looking for in a resume, too, because we want to make sure we’re able to convey exactly what they are looking for,” Rushmer added.  “Believe it or not, their expectations and desires do change over time.”

There are many ways to format a resume, depending on the type of job you are seeking. Misericordia also offers a resume-building guide book under the career development page in the student tab on MyMu.misericordia.edu.

Fifth-year occupational therapy masters student Alyssa Volpe reflected on her resume-building process during her time at Misericordia. She initially started building her resume in preparation for attendance at Misericordia’s career fair, an opportunity for students to showcase their abilities to potential employers face-to-face as well as ask and answer questions

“I first looked at the resume-building guide on the mymu page to find a template that best fit my potential employers desires,” said Volpe.

She was then assisted by her friend who was a member of the Guaranteed Placement Program (GPP), which provides job preparation skills as well as assists members in the resume-building process

Volpe said she was “very lucky her friend was a part of GPP and able to review her potential resume and pass along some of the skills acquired in the organization.”

She was able to extend her resume to potential employers at the career fair who have contacted her about future employment opportunities once she graduates. Volpe’s resume has been beneficial in her internship process, as well allowing her to introduce her skill set to both of her fieldwork internship placements.

Misericordia will host a number of workshops involving building resumes. Those workshops are listed on MyMu.misericordia.edu under the student tab and career development subtab.

Rushmer wants students to know if anyone is thinking about starting a resume or already has a resume and needs someone to look at it, she would love to help. Contact her office or make an appointment through Handshake.