Volume 3 Issue 2 – Page 3

The True First Impression of a Job Applicant

line of people sitting for an interview — Image courtesy of Adobe Stock

By Rebecca Martin

The job search process can be daunting, especially when it comes to creating a resume. Much attention is given to the content of the resume but the truth is that the appearance is just as important, if not more so.

Having worked as a recruiting specialist for four and a half years, I know that appearance can put a resume on the top of the stack or the bottom, or sometimes even in the trash. The decision is made before a single word is read.

Think of it like this: you dress according to how you want to appear for a job interview. The same applies to your resume. Just remember that employers are people too. Having been one of those employers, I can give a little insight into the thought process when looking at a resume:

A resume that clearly did not take any effort says that you do not really care about the job. If you do not put in the effort to write it, why should I in reading it?
Time is money. So a first glance can tell if your resume is organized and makes the desired info easy to pick out.
Resumes are boring. They blur together. So a resume that catches the eye is more apt to be read first.

So what should you do? Start with a font. Times New Roman gets pretty old and really does not make an impression. Just do not go crazy; you want your resume to look professional. It is not the time to show your personality flair.

Use lines, bullets, and a border. Separate sections with lines then bold the title of each section. Bullets are great for listing information and making it stand out. Long blocky paragraphs are not likely to be read. Finally, a simple border can actually do a lot for the overall look.

Regent University has a great page that shows how they transformed a very blah resume to a better-looking resume. While still very simple, you can see the transformation process and the difference it makes.

There are plenty of places to see examples of resumes online or get templates. Online Resume Builder has some great ones that are even sorted by the type job you are looking for. Just remember that your resume is your first impression when finding a job.

Good Grit Magazine: Opportunity on the Rise

The Good Grit office

By Peyton Chandler

The experience gained from internships and fieldwork is proving more and more valuable in our professional world full of high expectations and an unapologetic, competitive nature. For many, these “real world” business opportunities can be hard to come by.

However, Birmingham’s English and Professional Writing students have more access to quality work experience than they may realize. Nestled in UAB’s own backyard on 2nd Ave. N, Good Grit Magazine is a young, promising publication focused on illustrating the true character of the new south. Good Grit manifests its vision through the creation of original print and digital content.

I was fortunate enough to work at Good Grit as an editorial intern during the time of its onset in the summer of 2015, and the following fall semester as its Digital Managing Editor. Since the summer—in less than a year’s time—the magazine has seen tremendous growth: it’s now available on shelves in six states throughout the south and southeast.

Throughout my time at Good Grit, I gained valuable work experience in a sometimes hectic, but always rewarding environment. My bosses and coworkers provided me opportunities in which to utilize my strengths and improve upon my weaknesses, all while helping the magazine grow and develop.

This upcoming summer, Good Grit hopes to continue its relationship with ambitious, motivated students looking for quality experience at a company on the rise. The magazine is searching for a potential full-time digital editor to assist with the success of its website and various web outlets. Additionally, this summer Good Grit is offering editorial internships, event planning internships, art internships and web/social media internships for current and graduated students.

I strongly encourage UAB students to take advantage of these opportunities at one of Birmingham’s most promising young companies—one that molds inexperience into professionalism.

The Case for a Full Bookshelf

Allison Underwood

It’s okay to keep your books.

Those old works of literature, anthologies, document design books– it’s okay to keep them on your bookshelf. The end of a semester comes and I never know what to do with my books. As an English major myself, I wrestled with this problem throughout my college career. I just spent months pouring into these texts, marking up their pages with my own thoughts as well as comments my professors have made. Throwing them away is not an option. It’s possible to sell them, but again– I just spent months in their pages. This problem is particularly relevant to professional writing students. The books in that particular branch of English are such a valuable resource. I don’t think I’ll be rereading Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend from a past literature class anytime soon, but I’ve already looked at The Non-Designer’s Design & Type Book by Robin Williams a few times this semester for extracurricular design work. Sure, I could have Googled what I was looking for, but that’s another reason professional writing books are great to keep around. Even though books are essentially out of date the moment they print, books in the professional writing field will always have an edge on online resources. The first result on a Google search for “document design rules” is “The 50 Most Important Rules of Document Design.” This article was a wall of text, even the section on the color wheel. By the time I scrolled down the long online list, eyes blurring, trying to find the subtitle I needed– I could have flipped through Williams’ book and seen an image related to my topic of interest. That isn’t to say all webpages are a wall of text, but students may be more likely to remember something their book said. I would rather look in an old textbook for the concept I vaguely remember than look online for an article that might not give me the same advice. I can look at my books for something a professor said about a certain topic. I can go back into my original frame of mind when I first read the text. I can read my old insights and pen my new.

Keep your textbooks– they’ll always be useful, even if their use is taking up bookshelf space and helping you appear smarter.</p

5 Tips for Writing on Social Media

Erica Turner

Social media is one of the most popular communication outlets people use in the 21st century. Many utilize social media as a way to develop their brand or business and to reach people all over the world. As writers, we have to be innovative when reaching vast audiences and getting them to view our brand or business. Here are five tips that can help improve your performance: Continue reading “5 Tips for Writing on Social Media”