On the afternoon of May 14, the China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy (ICARE) of Huazhong University of Science and Technology held the 3rd lecture of its Job Hunting Training Camp, themed Resume Writing Decoded from an HR Perspective, in Room N309 of the Clean Energy Building. Xu Xiaolei, Global Campus Recruitment Manager of Smoore International, was invited as the keynote speaker to deliver a highly practical and informative career guidance lecture for postgraduate students of the institute.

With extensive experience in campus recruitment, Ms. Xu has an in-depth understanding of graduate recruitment markets and job-seeking trends, specializing in resume polishing, interview assessment and career planning coaching. From the perspective of enterprise HR, she explained the core principles of resume writing in straightforward terms, together with job-hunting strategies tailored to the AI era.

At the opening of the lecture, Xu Xiaolei briefly introduced Smoore International’s corporate background, business scope and talent demands. As an atomization technology enterprise established 18 years ago, Smoore International covers three major business segments and operates seven global R&D bases. Its annual R&D investment accounts for over 10% of revenue, and the company maintains steady demand for talents with science and engineering backgrounds.

Ms. Xu then delivered an in-depth presentation on resume writing. She pointed out that the essence of a resume is “presenting an authentic self to HR personnel, building credibility, and enabling recruiters to retrieve key information effortlessly”. She elaborated on core resume sections, the Iceberg Model adopted by HR for candidate screening, and the application of the STAR method in resume composition.

Regarding resume writing, Xu Xiaolei put forward the “Four Dos and Four Don’ts” principle. The four dos are: start sentences with action verbs, quantify achievements, align content with job requirements, and highlight personal differentiators. The four don’ts are: avoid merely listing job responsibilities, refrain from vague wording, keep resumes to one page maximum, and eliminate typos entirely. These practical tips greatly benefited all attending students.

In the segment covering job-hunting strategies for the AI era, Ms. Xu shared how AI technologies are currently deployed in corporate recruitment processes, including optimizing job descriptions, resume retrieval and screening, as well as assessment and interview sessions. She reminded the students: “While AI is a powerful tool, do not over-rely on it. The core purpose of a resume is to showcase the real you, and AI can only serve as an aid.” She advised students to leverage AI properly to polish their resumes, tailor content to job descriptions, and retain their unique personal traits, so as to prevent resumes from sounding overly generic and artificial due to excessive dependence on AI.

An interactive Q&A session was arranged at the end of the lecture. Ms. Xu offered pertinent advice on hot topics raised by students, including academic transcripts, the necessity of internships, and AI-powered interviews. She emphasized that “sincerely demonstrating your core competencies matters more than crafting flawless responses”, and encouraged students to present their authentic and positive selves during interviews.

As a key component of the Job Hunting Training Camp organized by ICARE, this lecture aimed to equip students with job-hunting skills to better tackle career challenges. ICARE will continue to launch such practical career development workshops to fully support students in their job search journey.