virginia tech resume help

Resume Resources

Review and pick some of the skills below to start expanding your qualifications. Some are just ideas to get you started. If you get stuck, the internet will be your friend when finding further resources (hint: Google it).

General Resources

University resources.

• FRITH Lab: https://enge.vt.edu/undergraduate/frith.html

Helpful Websites

• Coursera ( www.coursera.org ): Offers a wide range of computer science courses from top universities and institutions.
• edX ( www.edx.org ): Provides computer science courses from renowned universities, often for free.
• Udemy ( www.udemy.com ): Offers a vast library of computer science courses on various topics at affordable prices.
• Linkedin Learning ( https://www.linkedin.com/learning ): Paid (30-day free trial) but offers a good variety of professional development resources
• MIT OpenCourseWare ( https://ocw.mit.edu/ ): Offers Engineeing and Science Related Courses 

Job/Internship Search

Microsoft 365.

• Excel Skills for Business Specialization: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/excel

Soft Skills

Soft skills are vital interpersonal qualities that facilitate effective communication, teamwork, and personal development. Comparable to a strong foundation in any field, these skills empower individuals to navigate diverse situations with confidence, making a positive impact both personally and professionally.

• Systems Thinking
• Public Speaking
• Foreign Language
• Time Management

LinkedIn Learning

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/systems-thinking  (free trial, cost of course $34.99)

In this course, learn the basic tenets of systems thinking, a more sophisticated way of looking at problems and organizing your thoughts. Instructor Derek Cabrera—a Cornell University professor specializing in systems thinking—lays out what systems thinking is, why it’s valuable, and how to do it. Learn all about the power of mapping in systems thinking and get examples of its real-life applications.

https://www.toastmasters.org/  ($7.50/month)

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization's membership exceeds 300,000 in more than 15,800 clubs in 149 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders.

VT Rosetta Stone Access:  Rosetta Stone -- VT

• Planning:  Notion  (free indivdual plan when @vt.edu email is used)
• Pomo­doro timer:  Flow  (free)

Computer Science and Engineering Resources

• Computer Science
• Engineering

Computer Science 101

• Computer Science 101: Master the Theory Behind Programming (Cost ~$17): https://www.udemy.com/course/computer-science-101-master-the-theory-behind-programming/?signupsuccess= 1
• GitHub Student Developer Pack: https://education.github.com/pack
• JetBrains Educational License: https://www.jetbrains.com/community/education/#students

Coding Communities/Forums

• Stack Overflow ( stackoverflow.com ): A question-and-answer platform where you can find solutions to programming problems and participate in discussions.
• GitHub ( github.com ): A code hosting platform that allows collaboration on projects and provides opportunities to contribute to open-source projects.
• Mozilla Developer Network Web Docs: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/

Python is an increasingly popular programming language that can be used for various applications including website development, data science, and scripting. 

• Official Documentation: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/controlflow.html#defining-functions
• Official Website: https://www.python.org/
• Python Group on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/25827/
• Python for Everybody Specialization: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python#howItWorks
• Harvard Python Courses: https://pll.harvard.edu/subject/python
• Learnpython.org : https://www.learnpython.org/
• Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming
• Python for Everybody Specialization Course: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python#howItWorks

Javascript is a programming language that serves as one of the core technologies for the world wide web. Knowledge of this language is necessary to work on many website development projects.

• PluralSight (Learn the Basics of JavaScript): https://www.javascript.com/learn
• MDN Web Docs JavaScript: (Tutorials, Documentation, etc.): https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript | https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Getting_started_with_the_web
• Learn JavaScipt: https://www.w3schools.com/js/js_intro.asp
• Introduction to JavaScript: First Steps: https://www.educative.io/courses/introduction-to-javascript-first-steps?affiliate_id=5073518643380224
• How to Learn JavaScript Effectively – Tips and Learning Strategies: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-learn-javascript-effectively/
• W3C: HTML Documentation: https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/
• MDN Web Docs HTML: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML
• W3Schools learn HTML: https://www.w3schools.com/html/
• Web.dev (by the Chrome DevRel team) learn HTML: https://web.dev/learn/html/
• Apple Swift:  https://developer.apple.com/learn/
• Google Dev Library:  https://techdevguide.withgoogle.com/resources/?no-filter=true

Git is software for tracking changes in any set of files, usually used for coordinating work among programmers collaboratively developing source code during software development. Knowledge of this tool will help you work on software in teams.

• Git Started with GitHub: https://www.udemy.com/course/git-started-with-github

Linux/Ubuntu

Linux is an open source operating system that is used on the vast majority of servers. Comfort with Linux and the terminal will give you increased knowledge of how a computer actually works and prepare you to work on enterprise software teams.

• The Linux Foundation: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/
• Introduction to Linux (LFS101x): https://training.linuxfoundation.org/training/introduction-to-linux/

Data Reduction

Data reduction is the goal of any experiment. It is the transformation of numerical or alphabetical digital information derived empirically or experimentally into a corrected, ordered, and simplified form.

• IBM Data Science Professional Certificate: https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/ibm-data-science
• Virginia Tech Software Downloads: https://swat.eng.vt.edu/software-installation-guides/Download-Software.html

IEEE Code of Ethics

IEEE Code of Ethics:  https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html

Student Resources

• VT VPN to access software bundle site: https://www.nis.vt.edu/ServicePortfolio/Network/RemoteAccess-VPN.html
• Free Autodesk Software: https://www.autodesk.com/education/edu-software/overview
• MATLAB Online: https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab-online.html
• Scilab (Free Numerical computation and simulation): https://www.scilab.org/

Fluid Dynamics

• OpenFOAM (Free open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software for simulating fluid flows): https://www.openfoam.com/

Engineering Societies & Organizations

• Science Reference Services List of Engineering Societies and Organizations:  https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRefGuides/eng-organizations.html
• https://www.engineering.com/home
• Stanford Engineering Courses: https://online.stanford.edu/explore?type=All&topics[1043]=1043&topics[1050]=1050&topics[1048]=1048&topics[1072]=1072&topics[1045]=1045&topics[1042]=1042&topics[1046]=1046&topics[1044]=1044&topics[1055]=1055&topics[1071]=1071&free_or_paid[free]=free&filter[0]=free_or_paid%3Afree&filter[1]=topic%3A1042&filter[2]=topic%3A1043&filter[3]=topic%3A1045&filter[4]=topic%3A1046&items_per_page=12&keywords=

Circuit Analysis

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Circuits and Electronics 1: Basic Circuit Analysis: https://www.edx.org/learn/circuits/massachusetts-institute-of-technology-circuits-and-electronics-1-basic-circuit-analysis
• Circuit Simulator Applet: https://www.falstad.com/circuit/

Develop Your Skills

• Personal Projects
• Certifications/Credibility

https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub ($40+)

Personal Website

https://www.w3schools.com/

https://www.w3schools.com/spaces/

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web

Resources for learning basic and advanced web development

https://pages.github.com/

Free website hosting via Github Pages

Starting Guide

Community Service

https://www.yelp.com/nearme/community-service-non-profit

Community Service Ideas

University Competition

https://www.hackviolet.com/schedule

https://vthacks.com/

LinkedIn Skills

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/ 

You can get a one month free trial if you haven’t signed up for LinkedIn learning before.

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html

If you are a paid university employee (research, organization, etc.) you must complete Title IX training.

Drafting/CAD

Get started with Solidworks

Lean/Six Sigma

https://leansixsigmainstitute.org/

Many Virginia Tech professional organizations give scholarships to students for Lean/Six Sigma

Mentorship/Shadowing

https://www.linkedin.com/

Best way to reach out is by connecting with professionals on LinkedIn

SEC LinkedIn

Professional Societies

Virginia Tech professional honor societies

https://gobblerconnect.vt.edu/organizations?categories=10080

AWS / Google / Apple

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

https://aws.amazon.com/certification/

Google Cloud -- Foundational certification 

https://grow.google/certificates/

CompTIA Security+

https://www.comptia.org/certifications

These two courses introduce IT professionals to the skills, tools, and knowledge they need to deploy Apple devices and support + troubleshoot Apple devices inside an organization.

https://training.apple.com

• Meet The Team

Resume Dos and Don’ts

As college students, the search for internship and career opportunities is front and center. A fundamental and essential part of the process of landing an internship and/or receiving a job offer is your resume. Now, this word can bring up a significant amount of anxiety around ensuring you present an accurate and quality representation of your experiences, skill sets, and overall education. There are plenty of templates, guidelines, and opinions floating around regarding what your resume should contain and look like. With career fairs swiftly approaching and the academic year ticking away, it’s important to have a resume ready to present and one that you feel confident with. Here are some top dos and don’ts to crafting a professional resume:

This would be your professional email, phone number, address, and LinkedIn URL .

This would be your major(s) and/or minor(s), GPA, and your expected graduation month and year (ex. May 2025). You can also include relevant coursework that you have completed that would demonstrate various skill sets needed for the position you are applying for.

When it comes to resumes, you want to maximize the limited space you have on that one page. Since resumes are not for elaborating on every experience, you want to get to the point yet still be effective in communicating the key details of the roles and experiences you’ve had. Choosing strong action verbs grabs the attention of the employer or recruiter reading over your resume and enhances the explanation of your role or position. Some examples of strong verbs to include when writing your resume include executed, orchestrated, coordinated, implemented, launched, facilitated, collaborated, mentored, trained, negotiated, partnered, advised, analyzed, assembled, drafted, and promoted. There are also plenty of online resources like TheMuse and Indeed that can help guide you on what verbs to use for specific circumstances.

Make sure that when you’re describing your roles or positions, that you give as much detail as possible without being too wordy. For example, if you were on the event planning team for a formal for one of your organizations, include an estimate of how many people attended as well as the specific tasks you performed in the planning process. Instead of stating that you “oversaw event planning for (insert organization’s name) spring formal,” say something more along the lines of “composed the event itinerary in collaboration with team members for (insert organization’s name) spring formal hosting over 300 students.”

It’s important to continually update your resume as you gain new experience and skill sets. Proofreading and revising help ensure that you present the best version of your resume. Fortunately, there’s a plethora of resources here at Virginia Tech. Career and Professional Development here at Virginia Tech is located in the Smith Career Center right across from McComas Hall. They offer various resources including advisory meetings where a staff member or experienced peer advisor can look over your resume for constructive feedback. Proofreading your resume and revising it eliminates common mistakes such as typos, margin errors, incorrect fonts, and punctuation errors.

Don’t:

Standard undergraduate resumes are one page in length.

When it comes to this section of your resume, generalized and soft skills are not needed. These soft skills would include things like time management, leadership, creativity, teamwork, active listening, ethics, etc. These are skills that are a bit more general and are oftentimes already expected. These kinds of skills reflect themselves in the experience section of your resume without the need to be highlighted or specifically explained. Soft skills will reveal themselves in places like interviews where you are having a conversation with the recruiter or employer. During this time, you can elaborate on the roles and positions you’ve had and discuss how you’ve gained and grown in your soft skills through those experiences.

For your college resume, it’s strongly recommended that you do not include every experience you’ve had. High school experience can be cut from your resume now that you’re a college student. For example, the fact that you were president of the environment club in high school or waited tables at Olive Garden one summer does not need to be included in the experience section of your resume. I would suggest adding those kinds of experiences to your LinkedIn profile and include the link to it on your resume. It’s important to ask yourself if the experience section of your resume is relevant to the position you are applying for. Try to include experiences since you have entered college. Since your resume needs to be one page in length, leaving out experiences that are unrelated to what you are studying and the field or industry you are pursuing can be excluded to make space for more relevant experiences.

When crafting your resume, it’s crucial to understand the field or industry you are in. The resume of a theater major is going to look very different than the resume of a finance major in both content and format. For example, it may be appropriate for majors in the performing arts or design to incorporate color in their resumes alongside portfolios of their work. On the other hand, majors in business, engineering, or the medical field should be strictly black and white.

It’s absolutely crucial to ensure that the skills you list on your resume are one hundred percent accurate and honest. If you list a second language on your resume, make sure to include your level of proficiency and be honest about it. The same goes for any software skill sets such as Canva or Adobe’s Principles of Design. Make sure if you are including software under your skill sets section, that you’re very familiar with the way it works and can produce quality content with it as well. If employers see a skill listed, they expect you to be competent in it.

For more resume resources, visit Virginia Tech’s Career and Professional Development website .

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Resume Books

Career fair preparation and resume workshop

August 30, 2021

Are you a mechanical engineering student who would like some advice on navigating Virgnia Tech's career fairs? Are you building your resume, and would like some help with best practice and being competitive? This workshop is for you.

Join us virtually on Thursday, September 9, 2020, from 10:00-11:00 am.

Presented by Virginia Tech Career and Professional Development and the Technical Communication Program of Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering.

Questions? Contact Kelly Scarff .

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The Student Success Center

We provide tools and resources within a welcoming environment where undergraduate students can cultivate academic, personal, and professional skills to achieve their goals.

The Student Success Center is proud to recognize Noha Elsherbiny as the 2019 ACPA Outstanding Graduate Student Award Winner. Virginia Tech

Supporting student learning for over 20 years

Our programs include tutoring, academic coaching, seminars, courses, Presidential Scholar support, the Black Male Excellence Network, and peer educator training. We offer individualized services, beautiful study areas, and private appointment rooms. Visit us today!

Welcome, Hokies!

We can't wait to see you in the Student Success Center. Tutoring and Peer Academic Coaching services have begun! Learn more by exploring our Academic Services pages.

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Fall Academic Services Have Begun!

Join us for tutoring or coaching appointments, attend a drop-in tutoring session, or visit our Seminar Series on Academic Success. This year, we are offering in-person appointments from 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday through Thursday as well as from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. We look forward to helping you be successful in your classes!

Career Quick Start

Career tips.

Looking to prepare for what's next? You're in the right place.

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