Employers’ Biggest Complaint Regarding DU Student Resumes

When DU career staff members chat with employers, we noted an interesting themes in relation to their thoughts on student resumes. While, students’ resumes were well written and highly rated, employers repeatedly mentioned one needed improvement:

Students need to BETTER TAILOR their materials to the employer and the job posting!

Writing a strong general resume is a great start for job seekers, but employers fully expect you will adjust that great foundation document to their job posting. Here are some tips for doing this well:

First, highlight all of the skills in the job posting and check off each skill that is clearly mentioned in your resume:

Highlighted job posting

Second, edit your bullet statements to include as many of the remaining skills and qualifications as possible. Do NOT simply add these words to a skills section. Help employers understand where you used those skills:

  • Communicated research findings to the community by conducting outreach presentations to local nonprofit organizations.
  • Wrote content for and designed materials summarizing research findings.

Following these simple steps will make it clear to employers that you have the skills they need! This also increases the application score assigned by applicant tracking systems used by many companies.

Need resume help? Schedule a resume review appointment by calling 303.871.2150 or schedule online via Pioneer Careers.

By Heidi J. Perman
Heidi J. Perman Assistant Vice Chancellor, Career & Professional Development