Everyone has different opinions on how to write a resume.

I spoke with Cindy Seghers, the director of career development at the Ogden Honors College, to talk about advice for students. I’ve broken down her tips, along with my own experience, for all your resume-writing needs.

Let go of your high school accomplishments after your freshman year of college. 

“A resume is a living document,” Seghers said. “So it’s constantly changing and needs to be updated.” 

This means that while college freshman can boast their high school accolades, other college students need to give up that resume space.

“Freshman can include all of their high school activities, achievements and accolades through their freshman year,” Seghers said. “After their freshman year, high school stuff has to go away.”

I was heartbroken when I got to college at 18 and was told in a resume lab that no one would care that I was valedictorian in high school.

At 22, I realize that I still have my pretty graduation picture, so getting all A’s in high school wasn’t a complete waste.

But, yeah, high school is high school. It lingers into your freshman year of college, but for the most part, once it’s over, it’s over.

Graduating seniors, get a professional eye to look over resume

Seghers said that students should get a professional to look over their resume at the beginning of their senior year.

“Don’t think you can put it all together yourself,” she said. “Have a professional look it over to see what it says.” 

With anything, it can be hard for us to see our own weaknesses. Don’t be afraid to get a second set of eyes.

Separate your resume into sections

I have four sections on my current resume — education, study abroad experience, journalism experience and working experience. 

“Be sure to include where you are in school,” Seghers said. “Because that is your job, for however many years.”

She also recommended that students include their graduation date, GPA, major, minor, study abroad and involvement, as applicable. 

On my resume, for education, I included my university’s name, my anticipated graduation date, my major, my concentration and my minor.

For study abroad, I included the university’s name, the months I studied there, the subject I studied and the specific classes I took. 

For journalism experience, I included my student media job — an opinion columnist here at The Reveille.

For working experience, I included three former jobs I’ve worked — a gardener, a bartender and a grocery store clerk. 

In the last two sections, I made sure to put details of what I did at the jobs and how long I worked there.

Gmail is your friend.

As LSU students, we all have our school email. While it may be tempting to put this on your resume, you shouldn’t. Your LSU account will expire after you graduate, and any potential employer who try to email you will be shooting their messages into the abyss. 

Gmail is the better choice. It’s not a work or school account that will expire after you finish. It’ll always be there, and it’s professional.

Times New Roman, 11- or 12-point font, is always best

Any other font is ugly or hard to read. That’s all there is to say.

Kathryn Craddock is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Patterson.