Aissatou Boye
by Aissatou Boye, ’20
I am a sophomore at Ohio University, majoring in Sociology-Criminology and African American Studies, also pursuing a Certificate in Law, Justice and Culture.
In early April, I visited the Career and Leadership Development Center on the fifth floor of Baker University Center.
The CLDC is basically a resource that helps students with all things professional. Some of their services include resume help, mock interviews, and leadership development.
You can set up appointments or just go in for their drop-in coaching. They host events such as part-time and on-campus job fairs each spring, and a full-time and internship job fair twice a year. The CLDC even has a leadership certificate, and they hold various workshop times allowing students to easily attain one.
First Visit
Even though I have heard so much about the CLDC and what they offer, this was my first time visiting. When I walked in, the front desk signed me in and then handed me a career coaching note sheet that gave me spaces to fill out my priorities, action steps, and information about the career theory that drives their work.
I visited the CLDC during their coaching drop-in hours. During drop-in hours, they have 10-minute Career Coaching sessions where they help you work on whatever you are focused on at the moment.
This usually includes coaches looking over things like resumes and cover letters. Toward the end of the 10-minute session, you set action steps with your coach which are goals that you can reasonably accomplish in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Resume Help
I brought a copy of my resume thinking that it was pretty good, but I also knew that it could be improved. My drop-in session was with coach Dori Branch. She gave me tips on how to make my resume shorter, which was my main concern.
The main tip that I got out of this session was that resumes have no specific format like APA or MLA, so I was free to alter mine in any way. This included the margins, fonts, spacing, and the information I wanted to highlight. Dori also complimented me on things that she felt I had done well on in creating my resume, and we even spent a little bit of time talking about study abroad because she noticed it under my education section.
Goals
We ended our coaching session with some manageable action steps. My personal goals for the next 24 to 48 are to adjust my margins, font, and spacing.
The CLDC is an easily accessible resource.
I did not know what to expect but, in just the short 10 minutes I was there, it was extremely helpful to me. I have a cover letter due soon and will definitely go back to have them look over it.
I expect to take advantage of other services and resources offered by the Career and Leadership Development Center in the coming years.
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