Prepare for Your Professional Future

Cyndi Freeman, Director 

Josh Matos, Career Development Specialist

Nancy Smith, Career Development Assistant

Franklin University offerings top-notch career development services that meet the demands of our students and Alumni. Contact us at 614-947-6015 or careerdev@vaftizo.com.

The most frequent question the center gets is, “What do you think about my resume?” And at the core, it is not what someone thinks about your resume, but is your resume serving you well in the advancement of your career and/or your strategic job search? A resume is a summary of your work history, skills, and education. A resume should be crafted and edited for each specific position for which you apply and it should be just one or two pages long. Also, your resume really isn’t about you - your resume is about how you can fulfill the needs of the employer.

Your resume should include

• Contact info including your name, city, state, zip code, phone number, professional email, and a personalized URL to your LinkedIn Profile.  
• The professional summary headline should be the title of the role, to which you're applying.  If you're applying for the position of Customer Service Manager, that should be the headline of your professional summary.
• The skills, competency, or proficiency section needs to align with the knowledge, skills, and abilities for the role you are applying to.  If the job posting says they need someone who is 'obsessed with customers', then you need to note you are 'obsessed with customers'.  Your resume needs to make it through an Applicant Tracking System into the hands of a person, and you will need to match via keywords with great significance so it's not tossed out automatically upon receipt.  
• Professional experience that shares your accomplishments.  Don't tell an employer what you did every day (tasks and responsibilities)... tell an employer what you could do for their organization.  What impact could you make?  Why do they need to meet you, for an interview?
• And we say this often, but you absolutely must tailor your resume to each and every position you apply for.  Your resume will travel through an Applicant Tracking System, first.  The system will look for keywords, phrases, and specific information identified by the Hiring Manager as important.  Once it has survived the electronic cut, it could arrive in the hands of a person.  From that moment, you have 8 seconds or the top 1/3 to gain their attention.  Work smarter, not harder to catch the eye of a potential employer.  

Chronological Resume Template

Additional resume templates can be found in MyCareer.

It's important to note that these resume templates are designed to help your resume survive the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and get into the hands of the hiring manager. 

For more information on the ATS, please refer to the Prep Talk Article here.

Interested in having your resume reviewed, please email 1) a little bit about yourself, 2) what you're looking for, 3) a link to a few sample job descriptions, and 4) your resume to careerdev@vaftizo.com 

At Franklin University we believe that your education doesn’t just take place in the classroom, it takes place in the world around you as well. Helping you become more knowledgeable about your career development is just one of the ways Franklin makes it personal. The Center for Career Development offers students a Workforce Ready Toolbox to assist you in making your next career move. 

The Center for Career Development offers a robust series of training and workshops.  

OnDemand Videos and Workshops can be found on MyCareer.

Upcoming training and workshops can be found on the University Events Calendar.  

Need some ideas for careers you might like?

Whether you are just starting out, or wondering if another career would suit you better, self-assessments can help you consider different options and confirm types of careers that might be right for you.

What can a self-assessment help you do?

• Learn about occupations that are a good match for you
• Decide where you need more training or experience
• Identify the skills you bring to a job
• Write more personal, detailed resumes and cover letters
• Consider careers you may not have thought about before

Explore careers and complete an interest, skills, and/or work values self assessments here.

For more information on Apprenticeships, visit here.  

Adjunct Teaching FAQS for Franklin Graduates

I loved my experience at Franklin. Can I get my graduate degree at Franklin and teach at Franklin thereafter? 

Thank you so much for thinking of teaching at Franklin. At the same time, keep in mind that Franklin can only hire so many Franklin graduates to teach in the classroom. It’s important for an academic program to have faculty teaching from diverse backgrounds, educational experiences, and varying professional credentials. Franklin works diligently to maintain balance. In order to do that, Franklin must limit the number of Franklin graduates hired as adjuncts. Similarly, Franklin must limit the number of graduates from other institutions as well. We wouldn’t want all teaching faculty to come from the same institution, Franklin or otherwise.

The same thing holds true for an institution like Columbus State. They can only have so many Franklin graduates on their teaching roster – as they are looking for a diverse experience for their students. 

Consider institutions that might not have a number of Franklin grads on the roster. You want to network, network, and network. 

I could teach a number of different courses based on my professional experience, but which ones could I teach at Franklin?

Per accreditation guidelines, an adjunct faculty member must have completed 18 graduate credit hours in a specific field/discipline to teach at the undergraduate level. There are exceptions, specifically with industry-related alternative criteria. Consider if Bill Gates wanted to teach Microsoft Excel. We share this to offer perspective and set reasonable expectations. 

Is your company/organization interested in recruiting Franklin University students or alumni for employment, learn more here.

International students interested in Experiential Learning opportunities such as CPT click here to review the process.

International students interested in experiences post graduation can connect with the Office of International Students and Programs click here.

Visit the Center for Career Development Playlist to view OnDemand Videos and Workshops.

Available videos include (and are not limited to), 

MyCareer, powered by GradLeaders

From the Student Dashboard, students will see

To arrive at the Workforce Ready Toolbox Resources

Students are encouraged to craft a resume with the knowledge that a resume is a living document that requires tailoring for each position they apply to as well as adding new skills, knowledge, and education.

Students can submit their resume for review by sending it to resumereview@vaftizo.com.  

In that email, please share

1. A little about yourself
2. How far along are you in your degree program and/or are you an alumni
3. What kind of jobs are you looking for (including a link to a job that interests you is a huge help)
4. Anything else we might need to know, to be helpful

Resumes will be reviewed by someone in The Center for Career Development and returned with comments and recommendations, in 3-4 days. Students are encouraged to return the next draft for another look. At that time, students will receive instruction on how to tailor their resume for a particular position and to work in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). 

Students will have access to examples and encouraged to draft their cover letters to compliment their resume and to highlight his/her/their alignment with the position description.

Students will learn how to

1. Create a stationary
2. Select a format that is functional
3. Highlight alignment with an employer's 'pain points'
4. Submit a cover letter and resume as one document for review

Students will be able to learning techniques on how to conduct a strategic job search utilizing available resources.

Students will learn how to:

1. Plan a strategic job search, staying on point and organized
2. Select the right job search engines
3. Create the right materials for each search engine
4. How to incorporate networking into a job search

Students will be encouraged to create a professional and effective LinkedIn profile for networking, as well as job search.

Students will learn, how to:

1. Create a polished and professional profile
2. Take a high quality profile photo
3. Use keywords in profile headline
4. Identify skill sets
5. Craft an about you section/career story
6. Include accomplishments in the experience section
7. Cultivate recommendations that matter
8. Customize profile URL
9. Understand professional positioning and how that can help a potential employer

Students will have access to resources and opportunities to provide for a range of interviews.

Students will learn, how to:

1. Understand the most common types of interviews
2. Prepare for interviews
3. Understand behavioral questions
4. Practice for an interview
5. As the right questions to ask following the interview
6. Deliver appropriate follow up