Writing Alliance Volunteers Host a Resume and Cover Letter Workshop

By San Boromeichan

On December 12, the Writing Alliance volunteer group at the University of Cambodia (UC) hosted a “Resume and Cover Letter Workshop” for 50 students. The workshop covered how to write an effective resume, cover letter, and thank you letter. Eight students worked collaboratively to research the topics and deliver the workshop; they were: Chhay Daroth, Chrin Visal, Nguon Setha, No Sophearith, San Boromeichan, Sok Lak, Tim Vutha, and Yon Phanith. The students worked under the guidance of Seng-Dao Keo, Director of the Office of the President, who also provided the students intensive training in the topic.

Students in the Writing Alliance volunteer group trained their peers on how to write more effective resumes, cover letters, and thank you letters.

The Writing Alliance students presented on how to write an effective resume, cover letter, and thank you letter. Workshop participants also received the “UC Guide to Resumes,” which contained information from the presentation and included samples of resumes and letters (a PDF version of the guide will be available for download on the UC Library website shortly). After the presentation, there was a short question and answer session.

No Sophearith, a Term VII student majoring in International Relations and one of the presenters, expressed his excitement about being a part of this workshop. He said that he learned how to create a smooth and effective presentation, and gained experience working on a team because the members and advisor worked together to create a successful workshop. In addition, he continued, the participants learned about topics not directly covered in coursework, but that are important for university students to master as they transition into the workforce: accurately summarizing their qualifications, skills, and experiences; and differentiating themselves from other candidates seeking similar educational or employment opportunities.

Sam Sovorleak, a Term VIII student majoring in Economics and one of the workshop participants, said, “I learned some useful concepts on how to write an effective resume [and more] importantly, how to internationalize my resume to fit with the standards and requirements of international firms.”

She also offered some constructive feedback to improve the workshop in the future, such as improving time management and increasing the time for questions. Nonetheless, she said she was quite impressed with the workshop and appreciated the new knowledge she gained.

The Writing Alliance volunteers plan to host this workshop throughout the year and will create other similar job-related writing workshops that will be useful for university students. Please come and join our workshops.

Source : UC Bulletin December 2011, Page 29