Feasibility of a Virtual Resume Course for Undergraduate Students

Abstract

One of the most difficult aspects of the employment process is creating a job application that stands out among the applicant's competitors. The resume serves as a personal advertisement for the job-search process. Many college students are unaware of how to create a quality resume that would appeal to companies and other organizations. The purpose of this research was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of two asynchronous, virtual courses to improve college students’ knowledge about resume writing. Participants were randomly assigned to the Resume Workshop Group (experimental group; n = 7) which was an active learning approach or to the Lecture Only Group (control group; n = 10) which was a passive learning approach. The courses were self-paced and consisted of lecture videos, self-assessments, worksheets (experimental group only), and quizzes (experimental group only). The course was feasible and both courses improved knowledge of resume writing for most participants. Universities should consider offering similar courses as a cost-effective strategy to prepare students for the workforce.