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Your résumé shares your professional story. Focus on what you can offer and how your experiences connect to the role.
Your Skills
Skills Built in College
- Career Readiness Skills - Understand the professional skills you build through college coursework, group projects, and campus involvement.
- Industry-specific Skills - See how your major builds hard skills and values that align with your target industry.
- Research Skills - Identify the research methods and practices you’ve learned in your academic program.
- Data Analysis Skills - Highlight the data tools and analytical techniques you’ve used in coursework or projects.
- Technical Skills Find the technical tools, software, and systems you’ve learned through your major.
Skills Built Through Work & Life
- Skills-First Initiative - Review standardized skills for common jobs to identify transferable skills from your work experience.
- Customer Service Skills - Identify customer service skills you’ve developed through past or current employment.
- Administrative Skills - Recognize administrative skills you’ve gained from office, clerical, or organizational work.
- Language Skills - Learn how to present your bilingual or multilingual abilities effectively on your résumé.
Your Strengths
- Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) - Explore strengths gained from your family, community, culture, and lived experiences.
- CCW for Résumé Writing - Watch a video series to identify your strengths using six cultural wealth categories.
Your Professional Brand
Your professional brand grows through your classes, projects, and campus involvement—and it shows up in your résumé, applications, and interviews.
- Professional Brand Worksheet and Professional Brand Review - Build and strengthen your brand within your major.
- Career Action Plan – Map out how you’ll explore your major, gain experience, and grow your brand each semester.
See how your college and life experiences shape your professional brand. Watch: Build Your Brand
Start your first draft by highlighting what you’ve done in class, on campus, and in your work or volunteer experiences. Use the resources below to shape your résumé.
- Résumé Writing Guide – Learn the basics of organizing and formatting your college résumé.
- Résumé Review Checklist – Check your draft for clarity, completeness, and impact.
- Annotated Sample – See a résumé example with notes for each section.
- Accomplishment Worksheet – Draft strong bullet points describing your experiences and projects.
Customize your résumé to each position. Employers want to see experiences and skills that directly match the job posting, not a full list of everything you’ve done. Focus on the duties, responsibilities, and qualifications, and align them with your past experiences.
- Customize your Résumé – Learn how to customize your résumé to each job description.
- Customize for Federal Positions – Review how to adapt your résumé for federal government roles.
See why using keywords from the job description helps employers and applicant tracking systems spot your fit. Watch: Keyword Search Matters
Once you’ve reviewed the job posting and customized your résumé, you’re ready to write your cover letter. Your letter should connect your experiences to the position’s responsibilities and the organization’s mission.
- Cover Letter Guide – Review samples, including different types of cover letters.
- Cover Letter Review Checklist – Use this to evaluate and strengthen your draft.
Learn how to write a clear, targeted, and compelling cover letter. Watch: The Cover Letter
Résumé and Letter Builder
Use Skills First, our online résumé and cover letter builder, to create keyword-optimized drafts. You can get instant AI feedback and submit your résumé for review by peer career advisors.
Beyond the Résumé
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform where employers may review your experiences. Use it to showcase your résumé and portfolio, search for internships and jobs, and connect with alumni and professionals. Your profile should look professional and reflect your career goals.
- LinkedIn Profile Checklist – Follow key steps to build a strong, professional profile.
- Career Photo Booth – Visit the Career Center for a free professional photo; no appointment needed.
Learn how to create a profile that gets noticed. Watch: Standout on LinkedIn
A curriculum vitae (CV) is used for academic, medical, legal, and research-focused careers, as well as graduate and doctoral programs. It is longer than a résumé and includes your teaching, research, publications, presentations, awards, and other academic experiences. Your CV grows as you gain more experience.
Sample Curriculum Vitae (CV) – Review a sample to learn how to organize and format your own CV.
Résumé vs CV - Learn the difference between these documents.
Student Support
Our team is available for 15-minute drop-in individual appointments or 45-minute group appointments. Sign up for drop-in or schedule a résumé & cover letter appointment using Navigate LA (Student Life & Wellness).
Career events are offered all year to help you build your résumé. Sign up for career events on Handshake.
We provide professional, digital photos with our self-service photo booth. Photos. Walk in anytime during our office hours to get your photo taken. Hours: M - Th, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., F, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.