Making a great impression on someone is difficult, especially if you’ve never met them.

No, this isn’t pertaining to online dating, but it is regarding to obtaining a job.

The first step to making that great first impression is having a well-written resume.

On Tuesday, April 5 Traci Ukita from Cerritos College Career Services held a resume workshop in BE 108.

She discussed an introduction to the basics of resume writing.

“A resume is never a finished product, it is always a working progress.

Like you, your resume will continue to evolve because you acquire new skills and knowledge,” she stated.

Typically, just a resume isn’t enough to get you the job and you will probably need a cover letter as well, but your resume can help get your foot in the door.

Most employers don’t spent more than 15 seconds looking at your resume, so what you add should be concise, significant, and well formatted.

A uniform font and consistency in design is also a key factor since presentation is important.

Employers are primarily looking for key-words and phrases that match what they’re looking for.

The very first step is to add your name, address and contact information such as phone number and email on top of the page.

It is essential to have a proper email, for example “[email protected]” is not appropriate.

It is also wise to have a formal voice mail, in case your future employer needs to reach you and you don’t pick up.

When listing jobs, the most recent experience should be on top, or reverse chronological order.

As for listing job duties, use concise phrases (no need to complete sentences) with action words/verbs focusing on your accomplishments.

Personal pronouns such as “I” should never be used.

Things to include are what you did in past positions, any softwares you have experiences with, and what impact you made in the job place.

Most employers what to know “what can this person do for me?”

Including elements of what, why, and how should lead up to explaining the result of your work.

Any irrelevant information with grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors will probably result in the employer to pass on your resume.

Dempsey Garcia, theater major expressed, “I am currently looking for my first job. If I want to get anywhere, I need some form of income.

I came to this workshop because I’ve been scared out of my mind on how to write my resume.”

Students like Garcia are welcome to schedule a one-on-one appointment with Career Services in Multi-Purpose Building 201.

You must come in with a first draft of your resume.

Walk-ins are Wednesdays 3-4 p.m.