The Resumé - Laurier Navigator - Home new website... · Marketer Camp Counsellor 2011, 2012...
Transcript of The Resumé - Laurier Navigator - Home new website... · Marketer Camp Counsellor 2011, 2012...
The Resumé
Career Development Centre
2014 - 2015
Learning Objectives
• Understand the purpose of, and what makes an effective resumé
• Understand how to target a resumé
• Become aware of the resumé resources and services available through the Career Centre
Your resumé is your
marketing tool – and you are the feature product!
Remember Your Audience
Your resumé is your advertisement
3 Parts of an Effective Resumé
Part I
Part II
Part III
Appearance
Appearance: - How does it look? - Do I want to read further? - Is it Professional?
Structure
Organization and Selection: - Can I find what I need quickly? - Is the necessary information included?
Content
Wording: Does the information sound RELEVANT and TARGETED?
Effective Resumé
Your
Relevant
Skills
Experience
Education
Activities
Primary Goal of Your Resumé
To
demonstrate your FIT for
the job Employer
Requirements
Will the employer read your resume?
First
Impression 5 Seconds
Second Look 15 seconds
Content Review
30+ seconds
1. Appearance
2. Organization
3. Content
For How long?
3 steps to screening and
making an impression
Don’t let this happen to you!
Target your resumé!
Use information obtained from the job posting and your research
to target the content of your resumé
www.wordle.net
Part I: Appearance
Key Appearance Components
Needs to be
attractive and
appealing, and fit
company/ industry
style
Key Appearance Components
Have a prominent
header with clear contact
information
Key Appearance Components
Should be easy to
read, not crowded, and with
consistent font,
size/style
Key Appearance Components
Be sure that your
sub-section titles stand out and are
easy to locate
Key Appearance Components
Be sure it is modern and professional;
explore layouts to suit you & your target
industry
Key Appearance Components
Be error free!
Remember I’m Wilfrid not Wilfred!
Part II: Organization
Part II – Organization
Choices of structure, order and layout impact the
effectiveness of your resumé.
Targeted Organization
Objective
Profile
Education
Relevant Experience
Additional Experience
Interests
Organize Sections to Target the Resumé
Education Information
Reverse chronology Degree name in full, i.e., Bachelor of Arts, not BA Include name of school, city and province What about high school? What about listing courses? What about the GPA? What about listing awards?
Education
Weighing in on Experience
Less Detail
More Detail
Focus on
transferable
skills and
achievements,
not specific
tasks/duties
Organizing Experience
Personal Details?
• Date of birth • Marital/Family Status • Disability information • Country of Origin/Citizenship • Ethnic background • Languages spoken • Religion • Gender Check out the Career Resource Centre for: The Global Resumé and CV Guide, and Best Resumés and CVs for International Jobs: Your Passport to the Global Job Market
Interests – Are They Interesting?
• Enthusiastic about helping youth increase their fitness level; former soccer coach and lifeguard
• A useful collection of over 1,000 photographs of Canadian heritage sites and geographic landscapes
• Active member of neighborhood association; co-created Canada Day bike parade event for 30 children
• Competitive swimmer currently training for first triathlon
Write more than a word and explain the extent of your involvement and interests so that they
distinguish you from other candidates.
Additional Training & Professional Development
• Focus on relevant training and professional development i.e., Certified Human Resource Professional · Career Development Certificate
• Include seminars/lectures you attended which were not part of course work
• May include presentations or publications (if several, create a separate section)
This section can be listed either in a separate section or in the
Education section.
Part III: Content
Content
What you say and how you say it impacts the message you are sending the potential employer There are 3 main areas that need targeting:
1. Use your Objective to focus the resumé 2. Use your Profile to provide a big picture or snap-
shot summary of your qualifications 3. Evaluate how you describe your Experiences
(paid and unpaid) to support your candidacy
The Objective
Should you add an objective? • There is no agreement • Be sure it is not generic! • Consider using the following formula:
Identify yourself, indicate the role for which you are applying,
select relevant experience/skills/knowledge you can offer,
and point out how you will contribute to the goals of the position/organization.
Targeted Objective
To obtain a health-related position with a reputable organization Resourceful and collaborative psychology graduate seeking to secure the position of Women’s Health Promotion Co-ordinator in order to leverage skills in marketing to strengthen community awareness of health programming.
Generic
Targeted
Is a big picture statement • Keep bullets at a highlight
level • Be sure to ‘back up’ your
claim to a skill and discuss it dynamically
• Entice your reader to view the rest of your resumé
If you have 15 seconds to tell your employer about yourself, what do you want them to know?
Consider the qualifications of the job as ‘The Question’ and your Profile section as ‘The Answer’
The Profile
Profile Components
4 - 6 point form summary statements emphasizing your most relevant qualifications: • Experience Summary – Relevant, targeted information about
your background that is connected to the position • Knowledge – Highlight your knowledge even where you lack
practical experience • Relevant Skills - Select skills that indicate your understanding
of job requirements and how you will/have used the skill • Key Achievements – Demonstrate the benefit of a relevant
skill/experience • Personal Qualities or Attributes – May choose to highlight
what type of candidate you are • Key Certification or a Bonus Highlight - Identify other
information that adds to your candidacy
Profile Samples
Experience Statements
• Strong customer service experience
• Progressive customer service experience gained within a consumer packaged goods company
• More than 2 years of experience
delivering high quality customer experiences within an internationally recognized technology retailer
Generic
Targeted
Targeted
Knowledge Statements
• Strong economic background
• Solid ability to comprehend complex and detailed information, including demographics and economic information for the purpose of developing recommendations and policies
• Strong familiarity with Canadian political
systems and international security issues
Generic
Targeted
Targeted
Skills Statements
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to establish co-operative, professional relationships with customers, staff and administration through effective communication and interpersonal competence
Distinguish yourself with unique statements!
Targeted
Generic
Sample Bonus Certification or Bonus Highlight (1 line)
Interest in and passion for social media Generic
Targeted Anticipate summer 2015 completion of Google Analytics Training Part 1
Strong knowledge of social media trends through education, personal research, marketing related volunteering and student club membership
Targeted
Critical Tips For
The Resumé
• Re-focus descriptions to target each job to which you are applying
• Draw greater attention to the relevant aspects of your experiences
• If minimal relevance, stress transferable skills
• Be sure to use result-oriented statements
Experience Section - Targeting
Targeting Job Descriptions
Job Goal:
Camp Counsellor
Previous job as a Camp
Counsellor
Camp Counsellor 2011 ,2012 (seasonal)
Kid’s Summer Camp Experience, Kitchener, ON
• Supervised children ages 8 – 16 at a summer camp
• Developed and lead activities including arts and crafts, nature exploration, swimming, water safety and canoeing
• Ensured inclusive summer experience for children with disabilities (seasonal)
Targeting Job Descriptions
Past job not
directly relevant?
Job Goal: Junior
Marketer
Camp Counsellor 2011, 2012 (Seasonal) Kid’s Summer Camp Experience, Kitchener, ON
• Co-ordinated and organized activities which involved preparing materials, creating schedules and managing multiple participants
• Liaised with the public to ensure exchange of information including negotiating special requests and answering concerns
• Collaborated with colleagues to plan and assign tasks and provided training and orientation to new employees
Make the job details transferable to the job
Accomplishment Statements
• Differentiate yourself by HOW you describe your experiences
• Discuss points dynamically, in relation to the position to which you are applying
• Ask yourself when you have:
– Initiated something
– Achieved a goal
– Exceeded expectations
– Solved a problem
− Demonstrated Leadership
− Been selected for added
responsibility/promotion
− Received praise/award
Writing Accomplishment Statements
Action Verb
Result (Impact, Purpose)
Task (& Tools)
(Relevant)
e.g., Designed client database using MS Access resulting in 50% increased retrieval rate
Accomplishment Statements BEFORE • Responsible for training new staff • Performed customer service and cashier duties as
required • Stocked supplies and cleaned cash area
AFTER • Selected by management to train 5 new staff
members to encourage consistent customer service • Interacted professionally to successfully build
customer relationships, resulting in repeat business • Maintained an organized, efficient area to ensure
brand standards were met
A Word About References
• Prepare on a separate page
• Only submit upon request
• Should have seen you within a related professional environment
Key members of your job search team! Keep them informed of your progress.
Professors Dean
Supervisors Colleagues
Directors Other Staff
Final Checklist
Concise Easy to read Organized Error free Attractive Professional Position-relevant Formatted (PDF) Appropriately named! Targeted
ALWAYS send a
targeted cover letter
with your resumé!
Career Resources
• Resumé and Employment Letters Guidebook wlu.ca/career
• Resumé & Cover Letter critiques – in-person, telephone, email or Skype
• Resumé & Cover Letter proofreading
service after a critique appointment
• For quick questions, visit our drop-in (Monday to Thursdays, 1 – 3 p.m.)
Connect with us!
519.884.0710 x4495 [email protected] wlu.ca/career facebook.com/lauriercareercentre lauriercareercentre.wordpress.com linkedin.com (Laurier Career Centre Network)
@WLUCareerCentre