a resume is first impression the employer has of you, your skills and strengths the impression determines which pile your resume goes into (interview or rejection) don’t want to make a bad impression here because it will hurt you.
a marketing piece (should not include every detail) highlight how you are a good candidate for the position you want to show that you have what the employer is looking for (in terms of culture and doing the job)
- Show you have what the employer is looking for.
REAL purpose.Very rare you will be hired without an interview
Studies show that hiring mangers spend less than 30 seconds on each resume when it is first received.[Give leaders sample resume to look at for 30 seconds to review for a job!] How far did you get in reviewing that resume? What information was interesting? What were you drawn to?Most significant part of the resume = top half of the page. Establish you’re a match in the top part of your resume.
You will land an interview if in the review process the manager sees a strong correlation with your skills and the position. Take time to understand what they are looking for in a candidate. Don’t send generic resume to every position Will land more interviews if you take time to customize and draw connections between your skills and the employer
What’s the employer looking for?!Ask LeadersJob description is the key to targeting your resumeFind the skill words (“key” words)Include skill words that match with your bg on your resume“Summary of Qualifications” section on resume – perfect for keywordsDon’t know skills/strengths? Do some reflection – what you do well, what makes you come alive?
Activity for Leaders to look at job description vs. resume and tailoring informationTargeted objective to position/employer (concise and focused in statement)Summary of Qualifications section: 4 specific statements speaking to how she matches to this internship. Include experiences to back up your statements. Can take time to do but worth it. Go into Career Center for help
Nee to tailoring resume for each position and make decisions on what info to include and how to organize that info. Decision making includes what categories/sections to include and what info in each section and what order?Good because it gives control over destiny.
CONTACT INFORMATIONHow to contact you to schedule an interview or get more info from you. At the top of your resume and easy to read. Name: bold and largerCorrect informationProfessional voicemail message and email addressThey might call out of nowhere so be professional or ask to call at a later timeOptional: LinkedIn, websites, blogs (as relevant)
OBJECTIVEOptional but in cover letter/email indicate so.Make sure they know that you aren’t sending same resume to everyone (but also be VERY CAREFUL to not send the wrong company name!)Don’t make it floweryEnsures company that you are attuned to their organization“seeking _____ position at ______”
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONSShow that you are an excellent match for the positionUse key words from the job descriptionExplicit list of the required/preferred qualifications that you haveGets resume off to a good start
EDUCATIONKey section – include at the top of the resume so employers know you are nearing graduationMajor – include all Certificate, course work, projectsGPA – optional.if higher in major, then make that clear, some companies really want to see it, if they do – include itEmphasis course titles/ outside of classroom information (student exchange, research, etc.)Also a place to include your projects (relevant projects)
EXPERIENCEUp to you how you want to interpret experience: PT/FT paid positions, involved in community service, campus activitiesCan bulk it all together “Recent Experience” [reverse chronological format]Or break it up and categorize “Relevant Experience” & “Additional Experience” “Employment”Employers think about: ‘how relevant is their experience’ ‘what did they develop from that?’ Use active voice: describe accomplishments, learning outcomes (% and #)Use bullets! Easy to seeAvoid I and we statements (do that in email/cover letters)Be truthful and accurate (don’t misrepresent yourself)
RELEVANT PROJECTS Not much experience but have been an active student in classes and outside Great way to let employers know that you are very qualified. Can be a paper or project or activity for a student org (presentation for st org you belong to) If relevant to position then include! Helps you look for opportunities in the future for you to include in resume
Optional sectionsSkills (directly related) – technical, event planning, languageVolunteering Honors & Awards – scholarships, Dean’s list or Employee of the Month Activities and Interest – marathon runner (perseverance and commitment) Prof Affiliations – related to occupation (American Marketing Association)
Most common, employers prefer itPast experiences listed with most recent firstWorks well if candidate has experiences in the same field
“skills resume” has emphasis on skills/strength relevant to the position good for a career change or if you don’t have much relevant work experience. look at the job description and figure out core strengths and in the experience section make subheadings for skills that you have from your experiences. A way to present self as a qualified individualExample: “communication” “leadership” “sales” then include supporting examples
- Lists headings as skill sets and then underneath list experiences in reverse chronological order.
If you can get all the important information (relevance to the job) in one page and have it looking good – then good! Never eliminate important information to get it on one page. Don’t squish it all up. If you go to 2 pages, most important information on the first page
Duh
Use 1-2 fonts (1 for headings and 1 for body)Typically use Serif fonts for headings and Sans Serif fonts for body since it’s easier to read.
Unable to use these
Be creative, use asterisks and dashes for bullets and double/triple space between sectionsCan always bring in a formatted paper copy for interview so don’t worry.Big companies ask you to do this so they can streamline the application process sometimes (a to sift through large number of applicants using key words – Boeing, Google, etc.
- Email in .pdf or .doc Ensure you have the RIGHT email or cover letter (attention to detail!) Name document with your name Don’t assume that your emails will go through (include text version of your resume in the email)- Email yourselves or to different types of emails
Follow directionsIf uploading (make sure to preview)If only one resume for multiple positions, then you can’t tailor (sucks) – then make comprehensive and generic resume.Common applications: Jobvite, TaleoWarning: can be time consuming to do it, take the time to do it.
In words, can explain why you are what the employer is looking for.
DO NOT HAVE A GENERIC COVER LETTER EVAAARR. You must write a new one for each one – no excuses. You can obviously recycle parts of what you have written in the past but this is your time to show that you KNOW the employer and the position you are looking for. Research is so important here.
Write well.
1st paragraphExplain purpose of your letter/resume and specific position applying forNote how you heard about the positionProvide general information related to your match 2ndEmphasize what you have to offer and how your skills/experiences relate specifically to this particular positionProvide context for your experiences on resume3rdRequest an interviewThank the employers for their consideration Address – WHY THEM (mission services, products, referral?) and be excited.
Located in Mary Gates Hall. Have wonderful workshops and drop in advising for looking at resumes. Use your resources!