Develop Your Professional Skills: Tips From a Peer Career Coach
As a business major, there is the constant pressure to develop professional skills. Whether it be an interview, networking fair, or internship, there is always something looming over your head to prepare for.
This past semester, I was fortunate to become a peer career coach for Ohio State’s Office of Career Management. This role gives me the responsibility to stay up-to-date with professional nuances and provide recommendations to fellow undergraduate students to make their resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles stronger! I will share my top three tips that I have learned on the job:
1-Make your LinkedIn profile an effective tool!
Make sure you have a great LinkedIn profile photo. Your profile is actually 7 times more likely to be viewed if you have a picture (crazy, right?!). And don’t think you have to buy a photo session with an official photographer. There is no shame in putting on a professional looking shirt and making your roommate take a picture of you against a white wall to get that headshot.
2-Have the job description in front of you when writing cover letters and fine-tuning resumes.
Just as no job is the same, none of your cover letters and resumes should be either! Filter each cover letter to connect your experiences with the skills that are required for the job. Also, make a master resume that compiles all of your professional and leadership experiences into one comprehensive file. This will make it easy to pick and choose those involvements that fit each job description!
3-Quantifying information ensures a stand-out resume.
Recruiters spend an average of 5 seconds on each applicant’s resume. To ensure they pull valuable information from yours, use an assortment of numbers and quantifiable information. For example: instead of listing “produced budgeting plan”, it would be more beneficial to say, “produced 3-year budgeting plan that saved company $300,000”.
Keeping these tips in your back pocket will help you connect better with recruiters and make you stand out to get that dream job or internship!
About the author
Jess Steiner
Jess Steiner is a senior at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. Specializing in Finance and Insurance, she hopes to pursue a career in consulting or financial advising. Other than being a Pearson Campus Ambassador, Jess serves as the President of the Nu Chapter of Delta Sigma Pi, an international professional business fraternity. She’s also a Peer Career Coach in the Office of Career Management. Jess is an avid runner with a dream of running in the Boston Marathon, and also has a love for her Cleveland sports (even the Browns)!
Jess is a Pearson Student Insider. To learn more about the Insider program and apply, click here.
