Building Your Resume as a STEM Undergrad
Being at the train station when the opportunity train arrives.
Opportunities knocking! What does that phrase really mean? The well-used idiom commonly refers to when someone gets an opportunity to do what she or he wants to do.
Below is a short biography I wrote for an LAHC alumnus.
Nicole Arcos is a Los Angeles Harbor College Class of 2018 alumna. With support from the STEM Office, she applied for and received an internship with the Port of Los Angeles. Her POLA internship lasted for three consecutive summers, June 2017-August 2019. She worked in the Air Quality Division. Nicole transferred to the University of Southern California, where she graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. She has received a position as an Environmental Health and Safety Specialist with NV5/Alta Environmental Company in Long Beach.
Biographies and resumes do not tell the whole story of a person’s academic or professional life. They do not cover how the person decided their major and obtained their first job.
Who did they work with during their application process?
How many companies did they apply to before they were hired?
Did they have any connections that helped create an opportunity for an interview?
SUCCESS - There isn't one universally "best" definition of success, as it's a deeply personal concept.
Nicole Arcos is a great example of someone who made her own success. She visited my office without an appointment in the spring of 2016. She heard from the grapevine that there was a STEM office on the second floor of the Science Building. She had an idea about which science major she wanted, but decided to go ahead and seek out advice just to be sure.
CROSSROADS - a place of intersection between two or more roads.
I had been advising students about different STEM majors for 20 years before I met Nicole. My well-oiled interviewing techniques were like a catcher’s baseball glove. Students pitched questions to me, I caught them, and sent them back with a response.
Nicole had it in her to achieve the goal of graduating with a STEM degree. Now it was a question of which one. After an hour of discussing the difference between an environmental science degree and an environmental engineering degree, which included looking at the curricula at different universities and salaries after graduating, she made up her mind.
She left my office clear-eyed of the road ahead. There are stark differences between environmental science and environmental engineering, including the amount of math and physics required: three semesters of calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra and three semesters of calculus-based physics. The rigors of the course requirements for an environmental engineering degree did not deter or discourage Nicole.
ACHIEVEMENT - a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill.
Notice there are three parts to the definition of achievement.
Effort: Nicole took the time to study the major that was the best fit for her career and life goals. Once she decided to be an environmental engineering major, she did what it took to pass her courses with high marks.
Courage: It took a lot of courage to study a STEM degree. It also took courage to apply for internships. Nicole did not hesitate to apply to USC and other highly competitive universities, knowing her chances of acceptance were between 20% to 30%.
Skill: As an undergraduate, you are developing knowledge, skills, and abilities inside and outside of the classroom. Nicole applied for STEM internships to improve her skill set in her chosen field. She applied for and received an internship with the Port of Los Angeles. Having three consecutive summer internships was critical for Nicole. It was resume-building as an undergraduate. This is often overlooked by undergrads to their detriment. Most universities have a career center that will provide support with applying for internships. Graduating with experiences gained during an internship will help propel you to your first career job.
CONCLUSION - You have to make success for yourself. You can’t be at the airport when your train arrives at the station.
Knowledge, skills, and abilities are key. If you take all of the necessary steps to develop and build a strong resume, your chances are very good that you will have job offers after graduating. Attending classes and getting good grades are important and helpful, of course. But they alone are not what current employers are looking for. The new hiring rules include having 21St Century skills: being flexible, technically savvy, self-motivated, creative, entrepreneurial, and able to work collaboratively.
Your STEM goals and dreams are attainable. The stepping stones you lay out for yourself will get you where you want to go in the same way Nicole achieved her dream of becoming an environmental engineer.