Real talk with UP Manila faculty: Building an academic portfolio

“The CV (curriculum vitae) is your foot in the door, the talking (interview) is what keeps you in the room.”

This is what Associate Professor Chadwick Co Sy Su highlighted in his special lecture on Writing a CV and Hopeful Realism to the attendees composed of graduating students and young working professionals held at the VSU RDE Hall on November 14, 2023.

The invited guest is a faculty member and an accomplished researcher at the University of the Philippines Manila under the Organizational Communication and Philippine Arts, whose works on pilgrimage studies have been published by reputable organizations in Asia and Europe.

Aside from his training in communication studies, he is also into microeconomics, art, and creative writing, respectively. While his friends call him a polymath, his conceit is insufficient in that he prefers to be called a dilettante. His research interests revolve around communication studies, pilgrimage studies, tourism, and practical philosophy.

Prior to making the move to academia, Assoc. Prof. Co Sy Su held progressively responsible positions in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector giving him a rich industry perspective and deep knowledge of the academic sector. With this, the speaker understands what both the industry and academe look for when recruiting fresh graduates as potential candidates for employment.

His two-hour session with the 180-plus onsite participants and a hundred online viewers was devoid of usual seminar conventions as he gave the students a real talk about what to expect outside of the university including experience-based and very practical tips on how to navigate the early challenging stages of professional life. 

The speaker was so effective that he made the participants laugh occasionally while also allowing them to introspect and understand more about themselves in pursuit of meaningful future careers. 

He gave them fundamental tips in writing the curriculum vitae (CV) including securing necessary documents such as identification cards for first-time applicants.

“Piliin niyo ‘yung iku-kwento niyo [sa CV],” [Choose important facts to include in your CV.] Assoc. Prof. Co Sy Su emphasized during his discussion. He further reminded the audience to choose readability over creativity in making an impressive CV.

After talking about CVs, Assoc. Prof. Co Sy Su also shared advice on the realities after graduation and engaged with the students with a 30-minute open forum where they asked him practical and real-life questions that resonated particularly with the young working professionals who attended the event.

This free seminar was made possible because of the collaboration between the Office of Career and Job Placement Services (OCJPS) and the University of Integrated Media Center (IUMC), in partnership with VSU Development Communicators’ Society (DeCSo).

The speaker hopes to collaborate more with VSU in many areas of research and instruction specifically in the field of social sciences, as he soon prepares to transfer to a nearby institution come 2025.

You can replay this event by accessing this link.

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