The De Anza Higher Education for AB540 Students hosted a resume building workshop at the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action office on May 29.

“Employees will only spend 30 seconds reading your resume,” said Helen Pang, career counselor at De Anza. “You have to make sure it stands out.”

Pang, who conducted the event, spoke to students and shared an array of slides with helpful tips, examples and ground rules, such as keeping your resume to a one page length and not adding the familiar “references available upon request” line.

“It takes up space that could be used for a far more important bullet points,” said Pang.

Pang said if references are required you can simply provide them at a different time on a separate page.

Students took notes and asked questions as Pang explained that resumes are not limited to only listing previous work experience.

According to Pang, any experience or skill you might have that relates to the current position you are applying for can be added to your resume, including unpaid work like internships or  volunteer jobs.

Aleyda Davalos, 24, aerospace engineering major, said she is currently looking for a job that is more related to her major.

“Now, knowing that I can just highlight my leadership skills is really helpful,” said Davalos.

Other students said they were glad to have a more intimate conversation about resumes rather than searching the web.

“Searching online didn’t really help,” said Karina Guzman, 19, biology major. “Being here and being able to ask questions about what to add and what not to add was really helpful.”