In a pastel Victorian house nestled in Uptown, a woman is changing college students’ lives.
Her name is Lauren Hasson, but she is better known as The Résumé Girl. She dishes out advice on all things career – and internship – search-related to help college students and recent graduates land their first jobs or internships. Searching for a job can be a daunting task, but Hasson breaks the process down into fun and easy steps that help her clients snag the job of their dreams. But how does she do it? One student at SMU witnessed this miracle worker in action.
As Britney Schaeffer walked up the rickety steps to The Résumé Girl’s office for her consultation, she wondered if all the good things she had heard about Hasson were true. Schaeffer was there for her free initial consultation, a service Hasson offers to ensure that her clients are confident they will get everything they want out of working with her. During a consultation, Hasson reviews the client’s current résumé and talks about career goals and credentials. If it makes sense to move forward, the client can schedule a first appointment and get started on the path to landing that dream job.
Schaeffer stepped into a chicly furnished room that once served as the home’s attic. A woman with short brown hair greeted her. One thing caught Schaeffer’s attention – she was young. Hasson’s age might make some people question her qualifications to be a career counselor. In fact, she doesn’t give out her age. She simply says that she is “young enough to be your older sister, but old enough to give you good career advice.” Although she’s young, she is qualified. Hasson graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from Duke University with a triple major in electrical engineering, computer science and economics. Not too shabby. After graduation, she landed two jobs at top investment banking firms with no experience in finance. Her friends took notice of this and started asking her for advice. What started as helping friends on the side has grown into a full-time job for this Austin, Texas native.
Hasson greeted Schaeffer and asked her to take a seat in one of the two chairs in front of her desk.
“So, tell me about yourself,” Hasson said. This is the conversation starter she uses at the beginning of each consultation. Schaeffer said she is a junior corporate communications and public affairs major from Dallas, Texas and is looking for a summer internship in public relations. Hasson immediately started typing away on her green MacBook – the color of which exactly matches the walls of her quaint office.
Schaeffer pulled out a list of the top firms she wants to apply to, with Ketchum at the top. Although Ketchum has stopped accepting applications for summer interns, The Résumé Girl then suggested to Schaeffer that it would be a good idea to send her résumé anyway so that the agency will keep her in mind for the future. Hasson then told Schaeffer about one of her experiences as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Hasson frequently ties her personal experiences into her consultations. This is something that sets her apart from other career counselors.
Shelley Smith, a journalism student at SMU and client of The Résumé Girl, feels that Hasson’s approachability makes her the perfect person to work with college students.
“You don’t want someone looking down on you and making you feel nervous,” Smith said. “Lauren is very encouraging and makes you feel good about yourself.”
Smith is living proof that Hasson’s approach works. In the fall of 2009, she applied to three internship programs and was offered a position at each one – three for three. “Lauren is a lifesaver. She is on top of it when it comes to getting your professional life together,” Smith said. “Her writing is unbelievable and [she] knows how to construct the perfect résumé that is tailored to what you want to do.”
Hasson quickly read over the résumé and rattled off things that stuck out to her. “Oh, you were awarded a Presidential Scholarship,” she said as she jotted down notes.
“Tell me about something you would want to reveal to employers that’s not on here,” Hasson said. “I don’t see anything about your coursework, which is something you’ve spent a lot of time doing.”
Schaeffer listed some of the pertinent classes that she has taken and explained the projects she did for them, one of which required her to compile a complete media kit for a nonprofit organization. “That’s why employers look at coursework,” Hasson said. “They want to see the hands-on work you’ve done.”
“Now that I know a little bit about your background and qualifications, I’d like to point out some things that will make your résumé more aesthetically pleasing,” Hasson said. First, she pointed out that the margins should be wider. “You want to give employers room to write good things about you so that if they pass your résumé along, other employees will be able to read them.” She then suggested that Schaeffer should put her name in the upper left hand corner, rather than in the middle. “This allows employers to easily see your name when they flip through résumés,” Hasson said.
Hasson then said the first thing that should be on a résumé is an “objective statement” that tells employers exactly what position candidates are looking for. She used her red pen – which she carries with her at all times – and jotted down: Junior at SMU seeks summer public relations internship at Ketchum. Hasson suggested that customizing a résumé to a specific company lets it know that you are interested in that firm.
The next section The Résumé Girl suggested to list was a “Summary of Qualifications.” This is where you should list three to five reasons you should be hired or what makes you a top candidate for the position. “It might seem a little redundant to the information in your cover letter, but it’s important to list it on your résumé because not all human resource managers read cover letters,” Hasson said.
Next, Hasson broke down Schaeffer’s qualifications into several categories: education, experience, leadership and community involvement. Hasson suggested listing each activity under these categories as bullet points for easy readability.
At the end of the session The Résumé Girl handed Schaeffer her card and explained the packages she offers to clients. Résumés start at $300 and packages start at $400. Packages include cover letters, personal networking cards and interview coaching.
Sold! And another college student has taken her first step toward landing the job of her dreams – all thanks to The Résumé Girl.
