­­­­Students that want to get ahead on the job searching game can attend the “30 Minute Resume” workshop hosted by Career Services on Thursday.

Linda Moore, the director of career services, said it is a good idea for students of any year to make a resume.

“A prepared student with a good resume can respond quickly to an opening,” Moore said. “Research shows that early applicants have an edge.”

Career Services has hosted this resume service for over 10 years, but they have been offering career services for over 80 years.

Bobbi Kingery, master career counselor at Career Services, said the center typically offers this workshop several times a semester as well as interviews, events and many other workshops.

Kingery said the 30 Minute Resume event is usually well attended since it is convenient for students to get in and out of the office with a finished product.

“It can also help students realize what they need to work on next, and they can schedule a follow-up appointment with a career counselor before they leave the office,” Kingery said.

Kingery said it is always important for students to have a resume prepared, whether they are looking for internships or full time employment.

Moore said students need to bring either a rough draft of their resume or they can start a new one if they bring a list of jobs, clubs, activities, skills or anything relevant to making his or her case to an employer.

Kingery said education and any related experience to the field a student is pursuing is important to include in their resume.

Other important aspects Career Services encourages students to put on their resumes are work experience, activities and volunteer work.

“We really want to show a strong knowledge base and applied experience,” Kingery said.

Students are able to get help for resumes for any jobs they are on the search for, and Moore said they work with anyone’s goals and dream careers.

“We adapt resume styles to different types of jobs or applicants,” Moore said. “Some are straightforward, and some resumes show a creative side of the applicant.”

Moore said the counselor’s goals at Career Services are to make every students’ resumes personalized by looking at their past experiences and what they have planned for the future.

“Overall resumes must be highly individualized to each applicant, as generic resumes do little to make a job candidate standout,” Moore said.

Students interested in creating their resumes can call for an appointment Thursday morning at 217-581-2412.

The Career Network Day will be on Feb. 18 at the Career Services office. Kingery said it will give students the opportunity to find summer internships, summer jobs, and full-time opportunities for upcoming graduates.

Career Services is also hosting their annual Mock Interview Day scheduled for Feb. 10.

Kingery said if students visit www.eiu.edu/careers, they can see a full list of job fairs and workshops for the semester.

Lynnsey Veach can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].