College Seniors Take Resumes To New Level

The weeks before you graduate college can be a stressful time, not knowing what you are going to do or even having a job lined up. Now a new way of preparing your resume is also helping students land a job.  For college seniors, getting ready to head out into the "real" world, it's no longer all about how you look on paper.

"We also suggest that their resume be different from everybody else resume so designing it or having it be a digital one or having a online presence or something like that," Augustana College Assistant Marketing Professor Jaciel Keltgen said.

Some students are taking their online presence seriously, which has paid off in the end.

"I think that's what is going to make you stand out from the rest of the pack is to have something that will just stand out," Augustana senior Sawyer Vanden Heuvel said.

But both Sawyer and many teachers agree there is a certain rule you should stick too.

"I tell students all the time, make sure whatever you put on Facebook is something you think your grandmother would like to read.  If not, make sure it's gone," Keltgen said.

While having an online presence can really show prospective employers your skills and personality, Keltgen says it's a catch-22.

"It's a good thing and a bad thing, you are absolutely right, because I think as more students rely on technology they kind of forget what it means to have a conversation face-to-face," Keltgen said.

Vanden Heuvel says making sure what you post is still the same as what you would say in a person-to-person conversation will help keep those lines clear.  But when online, sticking with another key rule is important.

"Be who you are out there posting things that are relevant, use good grammar and kind of like think before you tweet that sort of thing," Vanden Heuvel said.

Having this website and various social media sites really paid off for Sawyer because while he is getting ready to graduate in the coming weeks, he's also celebrating the acceptance of his first job.