Maximizing Your Potential: A Guide to UCLA Resume Review Services

Your resume is a powerful marketing tool to land an interview. Writing a stand out resume requires the perfect combination of formatting and content. UCLA offers comprehensive resume review services to help students and alumni craft compelling resumes that highlight their unique skills and experiences. These services are tailored to different academic disciplines and career goals, ensuring that every Bruin has the opportunity to present themselves in the best possible light to prospective employers.

The Importance of a Strong Resume

In today's competitive job market, a well-crafted resume is essential. Applying for jobs online has become the norm. Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan resume submissions for keywords. Your resume is often the first impression you make on a potential employer, and it needs to be both visually appealing and informative. A strong resume should:

Show measurable results to an employer: Quantifying and qualifying your accomplishments gives prospective employers a sense of how you went about an assignment or project and the bottom-line results of your performance. Numbers speak volumes to people who make hiring decisions. Qualifying your results is also important so prospective employers can see the impact of your services.
Highlight relevant skills and experiences: Most relevant skills and experiences should be in the first 1/3 of the resume.
Be tailored to the specific position: For a specific position, include the title and company name. Review the job description. Read the specific skills and qualifications: underline words/phrases that match your background. Read the job responsibilities: underline words/phrases that match your background.
Demonstrate your unique qualities: Make a list of special qualities that set you apart from other applicants. Think of specific examples of where and how each skill or attribute led to a tangible result or achievement. Include work experience, internships, volunteer activities, clubs and organizations, research projects, sports, etc. Consider the following as you get started. Trained another person? Tutored anyone?

Key Elements of an Effective Resume

Creating an impactful resume involves careful attention to both structure and content. Here are some key elements to consider:

Formatting and Style

Layout: Include white space between the sections of your resume. May include a bottom border line.
Font: Use any font that is easily legible (i.e., Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Helvetica, Times).
Color: Black is preferred.
Dates: You may format dates as numbers (09/20xx), words (September 20xx), or abbreviate (Sept. 20xx).
Length: Aim for one page for undergraduate students and recent grads.
Contact Information: At top of resume, centered or justified to left or right.

Content and Structure

Education: List highest degree first. Include study abroad. May be listed separately or as a subsection under “Education”.
Skills: Categorize the relevant, concrete skills you possess. List only the skills you can perform with little or no supervision. List course titles (not numbers) of relevant courses, in order of relevance.
Experience: There is a formula for creating detailed, compelling bullet points. Elaborate with details: How often? How many? What was the purpose? Who else was involved? What were the results?: What did you accomplish or improve? Did you meet or exceed a goal? Did you create something new?
Publications: Cite publications using the correct format for your discipline (MLA, APA, etc.). Identify if still in submitted status.
Categories: Include only those categories that best represent your qualifications for the position.

Tailoring Your Resume

Job Description Alignment: Review the job description. Read the specific skills and qualifications: underline words/phrases that match your background. Read the job responsibilities: underline words/phrases that match your background.
Skills Highlighting: Brief snapshot of your most relevant skills and work experience. Most relevant skills and experiences should be in the first 1/3 of the resume.

Information to Avoid

Unnecessary Information: Unabridged list of publications, presentations, conferences attended, courses taught.

UCLA Career Center Resources

The UCLA Career Center offers a variety of resources to assist students and alumni with their resume development:

Appointments

1:1 Appointments: Schedule a 30-minute appointment through Handshake. 1:1 appointments may be conducted in-person or on Zoom. New appointments are available each Friday and are posted no more than 2 weeks in advance. Please attach your resume to your appointment in CareerHub.
Drop-in Sessions: Have a quick question? Stop by for a Drop-in session (in-person or virtual). 15-minute Drop-in Sessions are available in-person and virtually. In-person sessions are held at the Career Center (Strathmore Building, 2nd Floor) or the virtual drop-in room. Sessions can cover resume/cover letter development and review, help with job/internship search, or interview preparation.

Online Tools

SMART Resume Editor: Use the SMART Resume Editor to build a resume from scratch, or to edit a resume after receiving feedback. Focus on the feedback, not the score your resume is given.
Handshake: UCLA Handshake is UCLA’s campus-wide platform that connects Bruins with internships, jobs and career opportunities.
CareerHub: Luskin CareerHubCareerHub is Luskin’s career management system.
BruinLearn: Luskin graduate students and alumni can access our resource page through BruinLearn.

Workshops and Events

Internship Lab: Optimize your internship or job search by learning how to set up and best use Handshake, and hearing about additional tips and resources.
Career Workshops On Demand: Watch Career Workshops On Demand.
Quarterly Calendar: Download the printed Career Center Quarterly Calendar. Each quarter we print a calendar that includes all Career Center events, workshops, and fairs.
Culturally Responsive Career Development Workshops: We partner with D3 initiative to offer culturally responsive career development workshops.

Luskin School of Public Affairs Career Services

UCLA Luskin Career Services offers programs and resources that are tailored to areas of interest within the fields of Public Policy, Social Welfare, and Urban Planning.

Senior Fellows Program: The kick-off to the Senior Fellows mentoring program- the premiere mentoring program connecting UCLA Luskin graduate students to executive-level professionals in the public affairs field. The Senior Fellows Program is the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs’ premier mentorship and networking program. Established in 1997, the Senior Fellows Program connects current graduate students in the Public Policy, Social Welfare, and Urban Planning masters programs to prominent community, government, and business leaders in the public service arena. Each fellow-mentee relationship is different, as each mentee’s needs differ. Discussing identity/community specific issues (e.g.
Los Angeles City Hall Visits: Since 2004, select Luskin graduate students visit Los Angeles City Hall every spring to meet with local government officials, nonprofit leaders, and business executives to explore careers in local government and discuss pressing policy issues affecting Los Angeles residents.
Alumni Career Panels: UCLA Luskin alumni often return to campus to share specialized skills or areas of expertise with current Luskin students. Topics of recent career panels include Careers in Transportation, Long Beach Management Training, Capital Fellows, Careers in Education Policy, Careers in Social Welfare, and Environmental Sustainability.
UCLA ONE: UCLA ONE (Opportunity, Network and Experience) is your ONE-stop-shop for your professional needs and to connect with UCLA. Created to engage UCLA alumni and students, UCLA ONE serves as a resource for opportunities, events and professional development for Bruins worldwide. Connect: Find Bruins you know or meet Bruins you should know in a trusted UCLA environment. Give back: Introduce, employ and offer to mentor current students and recent grads. Expand: Leverage your Bruin network to further your knowledge and career aspirations. Re-connect with old classmates: UCLA ONE allows you to find and re-connect with old classmates and expand your professional network. Build Community: This is your community, where Bruins help Bruins.
Business Cards: As Luskin graduate students, you can order UCLA branded business cards! You must display your relationship with UCLA on the business card for your card to be approved. For a dynamic business card, you can explore a service such as Blinq, which has free and paid options. You can personalize your own digital business cards with your headshot, your logo and design templates, while keeping your information instantly up to date. Another option is a one-time purchase of a dot.device, which transfers all of the information on your dot.Profile with a single tap onto someone else’s phone, with no app required.
Public Affairs Professional Associations: For a comprehensive list of professional associations grouped by industry, Luskin graduate students and alumni can access our resource page through BruinLearn.
Alumni Career Resources: Luskin Alumni are invited to continue using CareerHub to access our public affairs job postings. You can also continue to access our BruinLearn resource page for our career development library. Recent Luskin graduates have continued access to Luskin Career Services for three months after their last academic term. Recent Luskin Alumni may also attend the next career fair after graduation.
Holistic Approach: UCLA Luskin is committed to taking a holistic approach to career services. We understand that we must be culturally responsive in order to provide the best career preparation support possible to Luskin graduate students with myriad intersectional identities and experiences.

Career Outcomes for UCLA Luskin Graduates

The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs prepares its students to enter the workforce with a broad range of practical and professional skills. Luskin graduates are ready to take on leadership roles and effect change as practitioners, researchers, and policymakers in the public, private, and non-governmental sectors.

Public Policy

The survey results provide information and statistics regarding where our Class of 2024 Public Policy graduates work, the industry and position within the organization, location, modality of employment, and salary ranges. The data below is from the February 2025 survey, which is approximately seven months after they graduated.

Employment Rate: While this year’s response rate was lower, 89% of the respondents are currently employed full-time, and 11% are actively seeking employment. Among the cohort of 63 graduates, we found via our search that twenty-nine graduates have secured full-time employment within 9 months after graduation and four have secured part-time employment, one is in medical school, another one is in law school, two are working under contract, three are completing internships and seven are actively seeking employment.
Employment Sectors: Among employed respondents from the MPP Class of 2024, approximately 37% are employed by community-based organizations (CBOs), non-profits, or NGOs.
Geographic Distribution: 75% of employed graduates who responded to the survey work for a California employer. 33.3% of those employers are in Los Angeles, 16.6% in Palm Desert, CA; 16.6% in Riverside, CA; 16.6% in San Jose, CA; and 16.6% in West Sacramento, CA.
Work Modality: It’s fascinating that 45% of individuals opt for hybrid work arrangements, reflecting the increasing flexibility and adaptability within the modern workforce.
Salary Range: The gross salary ranged from $57,000 to $90,000.

Social Welfare

The following survey results provide information and statistics regarding where our Class of 2024 Social Welfare graduates work, the sector(s) and position within the organization, location, modality of employment, and salary ranges. The data below is from the February 2025 survey, which is 7 months after they graduated.

Employment Rate: According to the survey responses from the 2024 Social Welfare graduates, 84% of the respondents are currently employed full-time, 32 hours or more per week; 8% are employed part-time, 31 hours or less; and 8% are actively seeking employment. Among the graduating class of 109 students, we found via our Internet search that sixty-seven graduates have secured full-time employment, 32 hours or more, about two are working part-time, 31 hours or less, one is freelance, two are completing an internship, and two are actively seeking employment.
Employment Sectors: According to the survey responses from the Class of 2024 Social Welfare graduates, the distribution of employment sectors reveals a diverse range of career pathways. Notably, 31% work in educational roles, indicating involvement in teaching, counseling, or social work within academic settings. Another 23% of respondents are employed in Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Non-Profit organizations, or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), reflecting a commitment to social impact and advocacy.
Position Levels: The survey findings from the Class of 2024 Social Welfare graduates shed light on the distribution of position levels within their respective fields. A significant majority, 92% of respondents, reported holding positions at the analyst, coordinator, counselor, and social worker level, indicating that most graduates have entered into roles involving direct service provision, program coordination, or policy analysis within social welfare organizations.
Geographic Distribution: The survey results from the Class of 2024 Social Welfare graduates offer insights into the geographic distribution of their employers, with a predominant presence in California. Notably, 92% of respondents indicated having employers within California, underscoring the state’s significance as a hub for social welfare employment opportunities. Within California, Los Angeles emerges as the primary location for employers, with 58.33% of respondents reporting their employers being based there. Additionally, smaller percentages of respondents listed their employers in various other locations within California, including Anaheim, Oakland, Palmdale, and Van Nuys.
Work Modality: The survey responses from the Class of 2024 Social Welfare graduates provide valuable insights into their employment arrangements, with a notable distribution between in-person and hybrid work setups. Specifically, 50% of respondents reported having hybrid employment arrangements, suggesting a blend of both in-person and remote modalities. 38% of respondents reported having in-person employment, indicating a significant portion of graduates working in traditional office settings or on-site locations.
Salary Range: The survey responses from the Class of 2024 Social Welfare graduates provide insights into the salary distribution among respondents, showcasing a diverse range of earnings. The salary range spans from $25,000.00 to $98,000.00, with the lowest salary representing a half-time position of less than 32 hours per week. The average salary among respondents is calculated to be $70, 667.00 indicating the mean earnings within the cohort.

Urban Planning

The following survey results provide information and statistics regarding where our Class of 2024 Urban Planning graduates work, the sector(s) and position within the organization, location, work modality, and salary ranges. The data below is from the February 2025 survey, which is 7 months after they graduated.

Employment Rate: According to the survey responses from the 2024 Urban Planning graduates, 72% of the respondents are currently employed either full-time, 32 hours or more per week, about 17% are actively seeking employment, and 11% are pursuing further education. Among the graduating class of 82 students, we found via our Internet search that 64 graduates have secured full-time employment, 32 hours or more and 2 have secured part-time employment 9 months after graduation. 4 are completing internships, 4 are enrolled in a PhD program, 2 are completing a Postdoc, and 3 are actively seeking employment.
Employment Sectors: The survey responses from the Class of 2024 Urban Planning graduates offer insights into their employment distribution. Notably, 42% of respondents are employed in government positions, indicating a significant presence within public sector planning initiatives. Another 33% have found roles in the private sector, showcasing the demand for urban planning expertise in industries outside of government and nonprofit sectors. Additionally, 17% of graduates are contributing their skills to Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Non-Profit organizations, or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), underscoring a commitment to community development and social impact.
Position Levels: The responses from the Class of 2024 survey of employed respondents provide insights into the distribution of position levels within their respective fields. A majority, comprising 59% of respondents, reported holding positions at the analyst, coordinator, counselor, planner, or specialist level. This high percentage indicates that many graduates have entered mid-level roles, likely engaging in hands-on work and contributing directly to projects and initiatives.
Geographic Distribution: The survey responses from the Urban Planning Class of 2024 graduates shed light on the geographic distribution of their employers, with a notable concentration in California. Specifically, about 83% of respondents currently employed indicated that their employers are located within California, indicating the state’s prominence as a hub for urban planning opportunities. Within California, Los Angeles emerges as the primary location for employers, with 70% of respondents reporting their employers being based there.

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