BUILDING STRONG RESUMES: GU’S STUDENT SENATORS HONE SKILLS THAT EMPLOYERS WANT IN 2025
Published: February 18, 2025
Problem solving? Check. Teamwork? Check. Initiative, communication skills, and strong work ethic? Check, check, and check.
Student senators at Greenville University may not know it, but their work meeting the needs of their peers across campus gives them experience that today’s employers desire.
Some of the challenges they take on are small, like making lids available for drinks in the student union, having shower curtains installed in dorm bathrooms, and bringing music to the dining commons. Others, like those involving university policy, are more complex.
“We were able to get a change in policy for seniors who live in on-campus houses,” said Clark Kent, executive vice president for the Greenville Student Government Association (GSGA). In the past, the University required nearly all students to be on GU’s meal plan.
“After the change in policy,” said Kent, “seniors who live in houses can also get off of the meal plan and cook their own meals.”
PROFESSIONAL AND THOROUGH
Kent is most proud of the work student senators did last year to address open dorm hours. Previously, open dorm hours varied depending on where a student lived. The policy confused a lot of students.
Student senators initiated meetings with different departments, collected feedback from their peers, analyzed data, developed a detailed action plan, and presented the plan to decision makers.
“The senators were professional and thorough throughout this whole process,” said Kent. He called their approach a “perfect example” of the senate affecting change.
Kent’s leadership role gives him plenty of opportunities to observe his colleagues in action. Often, he sees them exercise qualities he admires, like humility, leading with love, wisdom, creative thinking, and discretion.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT: A PROVING GROUND FOR WORKPLACE SKILLS
“Job Outlook 2025,” published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), reports that over 70 percent of employers surveyed say they search graduates’ resumes for:
- problem-solving skills,
- the ability to work in teams,
- written communication skills,
- initiative,
- a strong work ethic, and
- technical skills.
Nearly 70 percent desire strong verbal communication skills, adaptability, and analytical skills.
This semester’s 17 student senators exercise many of these skills at their weekly Tuesday night meetings and the work that flows from them.
Surprises sometimes emerge, like the discovery that full-blown policy rewrites aren’t always the answer. Simple conversations with persons in offices and departments across campus can bring solutions.
Building relationships is key, says Kent: “Senators are the hands and feet of the student body. As such, they need to be able to listen to what the ‘body’ is telling them.”
Not surprisingly, 63 percent of employers surveyed for the “Jobs Outlook 2025” named interpersonal skills as important.
GU, WHERE STUDENTS ARE SEEN, KNOWN, AND INSPIRED
The learning community at Greenville University strives to see people for their unique talents and potential, know them deeply, and inspire them to make a lasting impact on the world.
Senior marketing major Clark Kent hails from Hermann, Missouri. In addition to working closely with GU’s Student Senate, he plays Panther tennis and serves on the GSGA Executive Cabinet. He plans events and helps his colleagues find ways to increase student involvement.
