College Grads ~ Resume Review

Frank Alaniz

Missouri Workforce Regional Liaison

SLATE Missouri Career Centers

30 Second Resume Test

◦ Take your resume and fold the name/contact information towards the back of the document

◦ Fold the employment history section towards the back of the document

◦ Look at the remaining section of your resume. If I as an employer have only 30 seconds to determine what skills and accomplishments you are bringing to my organization does the remaining section of your resume reflect those skills?

Job Seekers Toolkit

Accomplishments Stories◦ Write five or six compelling stories about school or

work-related tasks that made you proud.

Positioning Statement.◦ Prepare and practice a “15-second commercial” about

who you are, what you’ve done in the past

(academically and professionally, if applicable), and the

particular strengths you can contribute to an

employer.

Toolkit

Professional Biography◦ Write a one-page narrative of your career in the

“third person” – as though someone else wrote it

about you

Target Company List◦ Make a “wish list” of adjectives that would describe

your ideal employer, such as size, location, industry,

culture, and environment. Then research specific

organizations that meet those criteria and put them

on a list of 35 to 50 “Target Companies.”

Toolkit

Contact List◦ Compile a list of all the people you know personally

and professionally, including their contact information.

Remember that approximately 80% of new

opportunities are secured through networking.

Professional/Academic References◦ List colleagues or professors who would “sing your

praises” if asked about you. Contact each of them,

and get approval to use their names on your list of

references.

Toolkit

Letters of Recommendation◦ Request letters from four or five respected business

colleagues or academic associates, which will be

printed on their professional letterhead.

Networking Agenda◦ Write out a full networking discussion or script so

you will know exactly what to say in the networking

discussion – how it flows, what to expect, how to

react to the other person’s comments, etc.

Toolkit

Tracking System◦ Keep a detailed record of your job search activities,

including phone calls, networking meetings, interviews, cover letters, etc. This is essential to keeping your process organized and productive.

Resume◦ It’s the last on the list, but still indispensable. And,

it has to be GREAT. Be sure your final resume is carefully edited and succinct (no more than two pages) with a layout that is easy for the eye to follow.

Ford R. Myers, a nationally-known Career Coach – www.careerspecialreport.com

Typical College Resume

Tracy Q. Graduate

123 Main Street

Anytown, MO 12345

777-888-9999

tracygraduate@hotmail.com

OBJECTIVE: Human resources representative position in the Cleveland area.

SUMMARY: • Human resources internship with JP Morgan Chase.

• Magna Cum Laude graduate with BBA in Human Resources.

• Proficient with MS Office, Lotus Notes, Windows XP and the Internet.

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources, 5/2011

Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

Graduated Magna Cum Laude with a GPA of 3.6 on a 4.0 scale

Courses taken included:

Human Resources Management Labor Relations

Personnel Law I & II Corporate Communications

Management Theory Human Relations

Industrial Psychology Union-Management Relations

EXPERIENCE: Human Resources Internship, May 2007 to August 2007

JP Morgan Chase, Columbus, Ohio

Resume Guide

Summary Statement

Accomplishments

Skills

Experience

Education

Cover Letter

Information

Skills

Recap

Internships

Internships

http://www.quintcareers.com/grad_internships.html

Overcoming Lack of Experience Before you revamp your resume, research your target job on Monster/Career Builder and

review the job descriptions. What skills, abilities and credentials are listed as desirable? Doyou offer competencies, personal attributes or unpaid experience that compensate foryour lack of work history? How would the employer benefit if you were hired?

Weave Your Unique Credentials into Your Resume Whether you've chosen afunctional or combination resume, you need compelling content to convince hiringmanagers to give you a chance. Consider these areas when developing your resume:

Experience: Part-time positions, temporary employment, volunteer work and relatedhobbies are all valid forms of experience. Focus on your achievements and contributionsto show you are a results-oriented worker.

Key Skills and Abilities: Incorporate the skills that would be valuable to employers,such as foreign languages, technical capabilities, organizational ability, interpersonal andwritten communication aptitude, creative problem solving, research ability, customerrelations, the ability to rapidly master new concepts, the ability to work independently oras part of a team and leadership potential.

Students and New Graduates: Describe courses, school projects, internships andextracurricular activities that are relevant to your career goal.

Experience

If you lack work experience related to your goal, include your internships and practicum in your experience section. Give examples of actual assignments, challenges you faced, your contribution, and the results and benefits to the employer.

When describing unrelated jobs, keep the descriptions to a minimum. For example, if you waited tables to help pay for college but your goal is software engineering, you don't need to provide a description of your day-to-day food service responsibilities. Just include your employer's name, location, job title and dates. You can briefly include any extra responsibilities you were given as a result of your performance or special recognition (such as Employee of the Month) to help demonstrate your strong work ethic.

Networking

Facebook ~ #1 Job Search Portal

LinkedIn ~ #1 Recruiting Portal

Twitter ~ Over1,600,000 jobs tweeted in

the last 60 days

Google+ ~ Next Social Media Giant?

Job Searching with Social Media

LinkedIn for Students

LinkedIn for Students A better job search experience for students and graduates

While anyone can search and view job listings on the public Student Job Portal, Linkedin

members with a completed profile and connections have a much richer job search

experience:

We recommend jobs: Based on your education and interests, we’ll recommend jobs

specifically targeted to you – right on your home page or with optional email alerts.

Put your network to work: Each connection you make expands your network, adding

people who can provide insights into opportunities, or who can even help you land a job.

Connect to fellow students and see where they’ve found jobs, reach out to alumni whose

companies are hiring, and leverage the networks of your parents, family friends or

mentors.

You can research companies: LinkedIn’s Company Pages provide rich insights to help

you explore where you want to work. Learn who companies hire, what products and

services they sell, what professionals are saying about them, and who you know who

works there.

Companies find you: At the end of the day, it’s also a great opportunity to be found by

leading companies. Companies continually comb LinkedIn’s member profiles for the best

candidates. The more complete your profile, the better your chances of being found.

Find opportunities worldwide: The Student Job Portal is available in all languages

currently supported on the site – and you’ll find jobs from top employers in locations

around the world.

Questions