Resume Rescue

Photo provided by EOC Tech

Starting from scratch or need some help revamping your resume? During the month of February, EOC Tech’s Iguana Bus is scheduled to stop at multiple locations throughout the Choctaw/Nicoma Park, Harrah, Jones and Luther communities for free resume workshops, in preparation for EOC Tech’s Job Fair on Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

The Iguana Bus had its first community appearance of the month Thursday, Feb. 9 at the Choctaw Wal-Mart parking lot. Job seekers used OKCareerGuide to build their resumes and were encouraged to bring information with them such as employment history, educational history, skills and abilities, and contact information, as well as a list of references. EOC Tech Faculty and Staff sat down with them and helped them enter all their information and build their resumes on the tablets that were set up at each station.

“There was one person there who had paid for a resume service in previous years and it was a monthly subscription,” EOC Tech Explore Program Coordinator Milissa Ellefson, said. “Once he was no longer paying for that, he couldn’t go back and get access to his resumes, so this was a great opportunity for him to be able to re-build his resume for free and it’s something that he will always have access to.”

OKCareerGuide is a very helpful tool as far as layout, but those in attendance also received help with how to professionally and effectively market themselves.

“The qualifications of an effective resume have really changed over the years,” Ellefson said. “Sometimes it’s hard to think of all that you do at your job and capture that objectively, so it’s nice to have someone sit down with you and help you word things in a way that is going to capture you in the best light.”

At EOC Tech’s Job Fair last year, there were quite a few attendees that did not have resumes ready to give to employers and through this series of community outreach events, EOC Tech hopes to better prepare those who are seeking employment.

“If anyone wants to add anything to their resume, all they have to do is log on to OKCareerGuide and change it,” Tracie Spencer, EOC Tech Business and Accounting Instructor, said. “But some people may not have access to a computer or printer at home so at the Job Fair, we will have printers and paper available to those who need to print off their resumes, or make more copies to hand to employers.”

EOC Tech holds mock interviews every year for their students but saw the need for community members who are seeking employment to receive assistance.

“We host these workshops on the bus because it’s a way for us to come to the community, instead of the community having to come to our facility for help,” Ellefson said. “This is just one of many ways we can reach out to our community and it’s a great feeling to help people in the community who we don’t easily have access to, like we do our current students.”

The Iguana Bus is scheduled to host its next Resume Assistance Workshop from 6:00-9:00 pm Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017 at the Nicoma Park Community Center. The deadline for participants to receive resume assistance is 8:30 pm.

Following Nicoma Park is Country Boy in Harrah on Feb. 21, Luther High School on Feb. 23 and the Jones Library on Feb. 28.