Placement Readiness Weeks
Most resumes in a batch fail in the same five ways
Students copy templates, list every tool they have heard of and leave projects unexplained. Reviewed one at a time, this takes months. Reviewed together, with working professionals reading alongside the students, a whole batch can be done in a session.
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A resume is read quickly, and by someone who has no time to guess.
A recruiter or a hiring manager often looks at a resume for less than a minute. Students do not know this. They write for a teacher who will read every line, and the document that results is long, crowded and vague about what the student actually did.
The fixes are small and well known. Because they repeat across a batch, they are best taught to everyone at once, and best checked by someone who reads resumes for a living.
This session is a review, not a lecture. Students bring a draft. If a student has no draft, we start from a blank page and help them begin.
What the review looks at
20 topics across 5 areas. Five parts, in the order a reader meets them.
The First Half PageWhat a reader sees before deciding to continue.4
- Name, contact details and a professional email address
- A one-line objective only if it says something specific
- Education that is easy to find and consistent in format
- Whether the document fits cleanly on one page
SkillsA list that can be defended.4
- Separating tools a student can use from tools they have only seen
- Why a long list of technologies often works against the student
- Skills that match the roles the student is applying for
- How to describe a level honestly
A recruiter may ask about anything on the list. If it cannot be discussed, it should not be there.
Projects and InternshipsWhere most of the weight sits for a fresher.4
A project line that says 'developed a website using several tools' tells a reader nothing. A line that says what the site did, who it was for and what the student built is something an interviewer can ask about.
- What the problem was, what the student did, and what came out of it
- Which part was the student's own, in a team project
- Numbers only where they are real and recorded
- Linking to work that can be seen, where it exists
Everything ElseActivities, certificates and the rest.4
- Which certificates are worth including, and which only fill space
- Clubs, events and responsibilities, described by what the student did
- Achievements that can be shown, not claimed
- What to leave out: photographs, personal details beyond the basics, and anything not true
The Online ProfileWhat a recruiter finds when they search the name.4
- A professional photograph and a clear headline
- A profile that matches the resume and does not contradict it
- A public code or portfolio page, where there is one
- What else turns up on a search, and whether the student is comfortable with it
A weak profile is better than a profile that disagrees with the resume.
Faults we expect to see in the batch
- Templates copied from a friend without changes
- Long skill lists with no depth behind them
- Projects described by the tools used, not the work done
- Inconsistent dates and formatting
- Claims that cannot be explained when asked
What each student leaves with
- A marked-up resume with specific changes
- A cleaner second draft, or a plan to produce one
- Two questions an interviewer might ask from their own resume
- A checklist for the online profile
How the session runs
A short walkthrough of common faults opens the session. Working professionals then read resumes with students, in small groups, and mark up what they find. The number of volunteers and the time depend on the batch, and are agreed with the college. A volunteer may explain their own work. They may not sell anything. Students need to bring a draft, printed or on a laptop.
What your students leave with
- A resume for each student that has been read by someone outside the college
- The common faults in the batch, named and fixed
- A profile that matches the resume and says the same thing
- A project description that a student can defend in an interview
- A short list for the college of what to teach or check next
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
A resume is the first thing a company reads. Let it be read by someone who knows how.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.