Week 3 Student Interview with A

A is a 3rd year environmental design student and involved in residence life on campus. She is very knowledgeable when it comes to creating resumes and cover letters as she is very interested in the topic. She is not a typical student when it comes to studying practices (not a procrastinator) and good at creating resumes. However, she has never received formal training and it was very apparent when she was unaware that she needed to include results in her resume statements.

This is how she sized up to our hypotheses:

1. What are the specific pain points throughout the job application experience?

   1. Main hypotheses: Students want a step by step tutorial to create job applications – SHE Would use the step by step guide because there were elements she was unaware of. The other main point for her was it was a place to have her master resume and cover letter with all of her experiences. 

      1. Resume Pain Points:

         1. Accomplishment Statements- Proven

         2. Identifying the key qualifications and skills need- Proven

      2. Cover Letter:

         1. Students don’t know the correct elements to include in a cover letter – FALSE

         2. Students see cover letters as more important than resumes (positioning, priority, value, etc) – FALSE

         3. Students change the tone of their cover letter depending on the job they are applying for- TRUE

      3. Online Presence:

         1. Students update their resume and cover letter around the same frequency and time as their online tools. Why? – Thinking about it but not yet – thinks it is a good idea though

2. Why don’t Students use the solutions provided?

   1. Students don’t utilize the assistance that is provided to them because…

      1. Self-esteem / nervous – not comfortable going to talk to an advisor

      2. Inconvenient/unfamiliar – not (like their regular habits) a part of their daily routine/pattern

      3. Time- too long, job application ends too soon

      4. Accessibility

ALL FALSE ON HYPOTHESES 2 – For her she had a set method – talked to her inner circle, past employers, friends and family to gain knowledge – didn’t use the formal channels that most students do. Feels like she has a good grasp and these outlets wont help her.

See her notes here.