Louisville senior Laura Kenney knows the importance of preparing a quality resume.

But early last semester, all Kenney had on her resume was a list of activities, the classes she took and her grade point average.

“I didn’t know where to begin with my resume at all,” Kenney said.

She went to Carol White, the associate director of the Career Services Center, who critiques resumes and conducts resume presentations.

“Carol set me on the right track,” Kenney said.

Through the help of the center and time spent reviewing which resume design would be best, Kenney completed her resume.

Eventually, Kenney said she learned how to make a resume that can set her apart from the competition.

“Don’t use the (resume) wizard or makers with programs,” Kenney said. “I spoke with employers, and they see hundreds of those.”

White also teaches students the best structure for a resume. She said students should tailor their resumes to the employer.

“The information needs to be clear, concise and easy for employers to find,” White said.

White said students should also watch out for errors, unclear and inaccurate information, and wordiness.

There are several ways for students to get information on resumes and job openings.

The Career Services Center’s Web site has job listings, resume tips and other useful tools, including the Hilltopper Internet Resumes Service (HIRS).

HIRS lets students post their resumes online for employers to view. The service also allows students to add or delete information from the system at any time.

Employers are able to sort resumes on the system by certain criteria, such as: majors, degrees or career codes.

White said students can also search the web, browse newspaper ads and attend career fairs to find potential employers to whom they can send their resumes.

White said that the resume is a standard part of the application, but there should be a more professional way to approach it.

“Your resume is your sales tool about yourself,” White said.

Reach Kandace Sebastian at [email protected].