Take your resume from 0 to 100

UTRGV students having resume-building issues or limited job experience now have access to VMock, an AI-powered platform designed to help strengthen resumes for the job market, provided by the Career Center.

The program allows users to upload their resumes and receive instant feedback on formatting, content and structure.

“We wanted to give students an extra tool that’s accessible 24/7,” said Tony Leandro, assistant director for career education at UTRGV. “VMock can help them feel more confident in their resumes and be better prepared for the job market.”

According to Leandro, the service grades resumes on a scale from zero to 100 based on three categories: impact, presentation and competencies. 

”With impact, it will talk to you as far as how much action-oriented language you’re using, providing specifics regarding your roles,” he said. “With presentations, it will talk to you as far as the number of pages.”

Competencies assesses areas such as leadership, teamwork, communication, initiative and analytics, according to the assistant director.

Mass communication sophomore Itzamara Villarreal said she had challenges getting started on her resume in the past.

“Since I had never done one and I was doing one for school applications, I decided to go to the Career Center so they could help me, and I got some guidance,” Villarreal said. “But I also ended up using ChatGPT to kind of tell me if what I had was good or not.” 

She said for students with limited work experience, it can be difficult to decide what to include in the resume.

“Because it was my first year of college, I feel like I’m kind of behind on experience when it comes to applying for jobs or internships,” Villarreal said.

Aylin Beltran, an early care and early childhood studies sophomore, said she had similar issues for resume building.

“I would ask my friends,” said Beltran. “… And I would ask my dad or my boss to check if it needs some modifications, just some feedback. Like I said, I don’t have any experience, so it would be difficult for me.”

Leandro said VMock also offers tailored feedback based on a student’s field of study. 

“It has three different types of feedback based on industry, like, the majors that we have here at UTRGV,” he said. “So, it would be like arts and humanities, education and social work, and then business and economics, and then engineering, science, health and medicine.”

Students can access VMock through the Career Center website or directly at vmock.com/utrgv using their UTRGV credentials. There is a limit of 10 resume uploads, though more can be requested through the Career Center.

Despite VMock’s capabilities, Leandro said it is not a substitute for meeting with a career advisor.

“The career advisor is there to help you build [a resume] up,” he said.

For now, the platform only reviews resumes and interview-related activities. Students interested in getting feedback on cover letters or LinkedIn profiles can schedule an appointment with the Career Center.