Shloka Ramshankar

On August 23, I attended an informational session hosted by the Career Management

Center called “Write A Resume That Gets You Hired”. This session lasted from 2 to 3 pm and
the speaker was Thomson Reuters Senior Talent Acquisition Worker Ninette Allen. Before
attending this event, I was under the impression that my resume at the time probably needed
some improvement; upon leaving, I realized that I completely needed to redo it. Further, I
received a reality check in the midst of listening to the speaker realized that the format of a
resume is more strategic than I realized.
Perhaps the most shocking takeaway from the event for me was when Ms. Allen said that
recruiters typically spend around ten seconds scanning a resume. I had always thought that the
very least that a recruiter or potential employer would spend on a resume is a minute, however I
learned otherwise. In fact, the speaker conveyed that “taking their time” probably amounted to
30 seconds at the most. To be honest, I was a bit fearful and taken aback when I heard this.
However, my worries were slightly relieved when the speaker went on to describe how the
“JSOM Template” was a great method for UTD students to organize their resumes. The moment
the speaker finished talking about the template was when I realized that I needed to completely
redo my current resume.
The interesting aspect about the JSOM Template to me is that it prioritizes “Academic
Projects” as a separate section on the resume. According to the speaker, companies are
increasingly looking for individuals with strong team work and collaboration skills; so if
interviewees can demonstrate this effectively, they have an advantage over other candidates. I
realized that having Academic Projects as a separate category is intended to explicitly convey
collaborative qualities and further in depth commitment to causes I am passionate about. This
characteristic of the Template planted a new goal within me to seek out large scale academic
projects during my time as an undergraduate. As I was thinking further about this new goal, I
pondered that perhaps pursuing undergraduate research or even business case competitions could
be potential avenues for contributing to a significant project of influence.
I’ve gotten involved in Mock Trial as well as Women and Business in Technology at UT
Dallas so far, however this event that I attended has influenced me to consistently keep track in
writing of what I do at these commitments. The speaker in fact shared that keeping track of
happenings and accomplishments at activities, internships, and jobs I become involved in allows
you to better reflect and explain them on your resume and even during actual interviews. I came
to an understanding that when I hopefully reach leadership roles in the activities I’m involved in,
I will be able to look back on everything I have experienced and contributed during the time I
spent as well as be able to communicate this effectively to future recruiters or employers.
A final takeaway that I received from the event is that the resume is actually a foundation
for deeper networking. To be more clear, the profile an individual conveys on a physical resume
can be translated onto their LinkedIn profile as well. I learned from the speaker that it’s
important to convey in the topmost “about me” section of LinkedIn to write what specifically I
am looking for. For example, on my profile, I should write something to the effect of
“[freshman] seeking an internship in” and then describe my passions and interests. Currently, my
LinkedIn network is quite small. I believe that following the aforementioned tip from the speaker
will allow me to connect more effectively with other UT Dallas students, administration, and
local recruiter.
While the event I attended focused on the improvement of a resume, the implications that
it had on me extended beyond that and allowed me to visualize ways to improve myself during
my undergraduate years.
Shloka Ramshankar