The SkillPath Professional Development and Career Readiness Center

The SkillPath Professional Development and Career Readiness Center helps Graceland University students prepare for success after graduation by integrating career readiness across the academic curriculum. Since all first year students in the residential program complete both a primary major and a second major in Transformational Leadership, Graceland is in a unique position to ensure all students become career ready as part of their academic experience. This includes guiding students through milestones such as developing a résumé and LinkedIn profile, building a professional portfolio, attending networking events, and connecting with a professional mentor.

Graceland Student Resources

How to Talk about Your Transformational Leadership major.

• INTERVIEW: As part of the answer to the “Tell me about yourself question”
  • Alongside my ___________ major at Graceland, I also completed the Transformational Leadership major. Over four years, I didn’t just study leadership—I practiced it. The program was built into my classes and my campus involvement, giving me real opportunities to strengthen my self-leadership, work effectively in groups, lead organizations, and complete a capstone leadership experience with a mentor.
  • My Transformational Leadership major gave me the chance to step into campus leadership every year. I took on several roles, worked on group projects, and collaborated with others to solve problems and achieve goals.
  • At Graceland, every student completes the Transformational Leadership major, and it was a great complement to what I was learning in my _________ major. It helped me connect with alumni, build a professional portfolio, and get real experience leading teams, managing conflict, and driving positive change.
• COVER LETTER: Paragraph Example

  Through my Transformational Leadership major, I gained leadership experience that progressed from identifying my strengths to leading organizations and mentoring others. The program combined coursework with campus roles, service projects, and a capstone portfolio, giving me real experience leading teams, managing challenges, and strengthening organizational culture. I graduated with a strong academic foundation and practical leadership skills that prepare me to contribute to your team right away.

• HOW TO INCLUDE IN A RESUME: Example

  Bachelor of Arts Degree: Psychology & Transformational Leadership Graceland University, Lamoni, IA, GPA: 3.73/4.00 Anticipated 5/26

• HOW TO HIGHLIGHT A GROUP PROJECT IN A RESUME: Examples

  Transformational Leadership Highlights

  • Led a student team of 5 to help plan and execute a campus-wide homecoming event (Airband), engaging 250+ students and fostering community, inclusion, and meaningful connection.
  • Applied leadership models to resolve conflicts, delegate responsibilities, and achieve project goals.
  • Collaborated with classmates to develop and pitch a project in the Do Good for Graceland Challenge, an initiative that awards university funding for campus projects strengthening academic and social culture.
  • Coordinated community outreach for ENACTUS events, engaging hundreds of students and Lamoni residents in two key events. “Livin’ on Linden” and “Trunk or Treat” have become examples of strong partnership between the university and the people of Lamoni.
• GET FOUND ON LINKEDIN

  Profile Optimization Guide for Students

  Goal: Help recruiters and hiring managers find you through LinkedIn search—and want to connect.

   

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  How LinkedIn Search Works

  LinkedIn is a people search engine. Recruiters search by keywords, titles, skills, schools, and locations.
  The algorithm prioritizes: Exact keyword matches, profile completeness, recent activity, 2nd-degree connections.

   

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  The 6 Sections That Matter Most

  1. Headline (MOST IMPORTANT)
     You have 220 characters. This is your search hook—not your job title.Formula:
     Target Role | Skills + Tools | Industry or ImpactExamples:
     • Marketing Intern | Social Media Strategy, Canva, Analytics
     • Aspiring Data Analyst | Excel, SQL, Tableau🚫 Avoid: “Student at Graceland University”
  2. About Section (Your Value Pitch)Write in first person. Keep it short. Don’t write more than 5 lines of text without creating some kind of visual break. Write in very brief paragraphs. You can include bullets. You can include icons or design elementsInclude:
     • Who you are + roles you’re targeting
     • Skills, tools, and experiences (use keywords)
     • What opportunities you’re open to
  3. Experience (Yes, Class Projects Count)
     Recruiters care about skills used, not just job titles.Include internships, campus roles, part-time work, leadership, and class projects. This should NOT be a copy/paste of your resume. Introduce the role/project using a personal narrative and THEN pull out a few successes in a new “Highlights” section.Example:
     I was elected House President through a competitive peer election and university interview process, serving as the leader of an inclusive residential community of more than 40 undergraduate women on a campus ranked among the most diverse in Iowa. In this role, I managed residential programming, enforced university policies, oversaw budgets, resolved conflicts, and led a student leadership council.

     HIGHLIGHTS:

     PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Led team of 5 student leaders to plan, organize, and execute 2 campus events involving 120+ participants.

     POLICY ENFORCEMENT: Conduced weekly house meetings and one-on-one conferences to ensure residents were aware of alcohol and drug-free campus policies. Created incident documentation, wrote fines, and collaborated with Area Coordinator to conduct room searches.

  4. Skills (Keyword Engine)
     Add 30–40+ skills (up to 100 allowed and it is recommended to add as many as you can!).How to choose:
     • Pull skills from job descriptions you want
     • Match wording exactly
     • Ask ChatGPT what the top 100 keywords that lead a (your industry) recruiter to a LinkedIn profile (select only skills that are true for you!)
     • 📌 Pin your top 3 skills
  5. Education (Optimize It)
     Go beyond your degree.Add majors/minors, relevant coursework, honors, leadership programs, and certifications. Don’t forget you have TWO MAJORS!! Be sure to include Transformational Leadership.
  6. Activity (Visibility Booster)
     Weekly:
     • Like or comment on 2–3 industry posts
     • Share an internship, project, or article

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  Quick Profile Checklist

  ✔ Professional photo
  ✔ Keyword-rich headline
  ✔ About section completed
  ✔ Experience with bullet points
  ✔ 50+ skills listed
  ✔ Activity in last 30 days

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  Recruiter-Approved Tips

  • Customize your LinkedIn URL
  • Optimize before connecting
  • Triple check for spelling/grammar issues
  • Send short, specific connection messages. Don’t send the auto-invite message LinkedIn generates.

  Bottom line: Optimize your impact by using keywords and broadening your network. Write in a conversational narrative. Interact with others or post comments/content at least a couple times per week.