Career development coach offers advice

On Monday, Nov. 10, students gathered in Simons G10 to hear from SJU alumnus Paul Binkley, a career development professional.

Hosted by the Political Science Club, Binkley gave a talk titled “Best Practices for Securing an Internship.”

The talk was followed by several mini professional development workshops.

In addition to his degree from CSB+SJU, Binkley has two graduate degrees, 20+ years in career services and global living experience.

But on Monday, his priority was CSB+SJU students.

“I want to talk about what you want to talk about. What do you need help with?” Binkley said.

The students present gave a list of topics they needed help with, including tailoring resumes and help with job applications, interview tips and AI use in the application process.

Binkley outlined the steps students should take when applying for jobs, beginning with how to think about the application process.

“If you put yourself in the shoes of the person who is doing the recruiting for whatever you’re applying for, you need to think about what they want to see. What do they necessary to succeed in the workforce. You’ve done all these things. You have these skills. You just need to tell them how they relate to their position,” Binkley said.

Liz Harvieux, coordinator for the Political Science, Global Health, Sociology and Anthropology departments, offered words of wisdom on this topic.

“You are the only person who will advocate for you on your resume. You are selling yourself. Don’t sell yourself short,” Harvieux said.

Binkley encouraged students to use the STAR method when rounding out their resumes.

The STAR method refers to Skills, Tasks, Actions and Results.

Each bullet point should start with a skill word.

The skill words should be followed by the tasks you were asked to complete, and what actions you took to ensure they were completed.

Finally, the bullet points should end with a results section.

“The results section is the most important part,” Binkley said. “What value did this bring? What happened after you did all of the work? How did that impact people?”

Binkley also shared stories about students who faced challenging career setbacks, and explained how he was able to create actionable steps for them to leverage to make their experiences look more valuable.

Matt Lindstrom, CSB+SJU Political Science professor, added on to Binkley’s advice.

“You need to include names numbers and outcomes on your resume. Names being brand names, software names or job titles. Numbers are retail numbers, numbers of employees, how many hours you worked in a week or dollar amounts. Outcomes are the most important part: what happened because of the work you did?” Lindstrom said.

The conversation shifted to cover how students can best prepare for interviews.

Binkley highlighted the importance of doing mock interviews — both in person and virtual — as well as coming up with answers to what he called the “big three” questions.

“There are three questions you will always be asked in an interview: tell me about yourself, why do you want this job, what are your strengths and weaknesses,” Binkley said.

Binkley emphasized that employers want interviewees to do well.

“They don’t want to trick you or mess you up. Understanding it from that perspective can really help it feel less nerve-wracking,” Binkley said.

As Binkley wrapped up his talk, students got one-on-one resume reviews, headshots taken and business cards made.

Binkley left the group with parting words highlighting the importance of confidence throughout the internship and job application process.

“Think about your experiences as being impressive, because they are. And if you don’t, nobody else will,” Binkley said.