Building a Relevant resume

1. Building a Relevant resume Marketing yourself and your skills effectively in the 21st century BY Mrs. Leesa Peery

2. Are resumes and cover letters necessary? • An effective cover letter and resume combination can often make the difference between obtaining a job interview and having one’s job application be relegated to the famous “File 13,” also known as the employer’s trash can.

3. First, The Resume… • Resumes are used to make a favorable impact on a prospective employer. Your resume is often the first impression that a potential employer has of you, and for this reason it is often considered one of the most crucial elements of conducting a job search. • Your resume should showcase your experience, skills, and accomplishments. The information contained in a resume can be targeted toward your specific job, but the task of specifically tailoring your qualifications to a given job should be left to…

4. The cover letter! • A cover letter is as important as the resume. The cover letter allows you to target the job and the employer in a very specific way, leaving the resume to market your skills, qualities and experience as a part of the bigger picture.

5. Don’t sacrifice one for the other… … the resume and the cover letter are vital! • Remember your priorities when it comes to crafting your “attention-grabber.” For many, writing a unique cover letter is a great opportunity to show off individual talents and passions. However, you must also make sure that your resume will catch and hold your potential employers’ attention.

6. Make sure to craft a cover letter that makes an impact quickly. Consider using bullet points to highlight any accomplishments or experience that applies to the job opening. Note specific accomplishments and experience by using numbers, statistics, percentages, or specific time frames. In the end, focusing on what you can do for the company, rather than focusing on your own needs, will go a long ways towards helping you get hired!

7. SAMPLE1Chronological resume—criminal justice Hank Johnson 123 West 57th St., Apt. IG Anytown. TX 10010 hjhns@email.corn 555-555-1212 CAREER OBJECTIVE Law Enforcement Administrator SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS Highly motivated and capable law enforcement graduate with solid work ethic and professional goals. Obtained three years of experience in security operations and law enforcement management support while attending college full time. Bilingual, with an articulate fluency in both written and spoken Spanish and English. Excellent interpersonal skills dealing with co-workers and clients. Proven ability to work well in stressful situations while maintaining excellent organization, time-management, and problem resolution skills.

8. SAMPLE 1 (continued)Chronological resume—criminal justice EDUCATION June 2010 Graduated Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice, Huntsville, TX B.A., Criminal Justice Majors: Criminal Justice, Legal Studies GPA: 3.65/4.00 Important coursework: Communication Studies, Information Assurance, Psychology, Sociology

9. SAMPLE 1(continued)Chronological resume — criminal justice WORK EXPERIENCE • March 2010-Present 8.1. Incorporated Boulder, CO Junior Bilingual Case Specialist Work-Study • Assist in providing case management, field visitation, and supervision of immigration participants. Aid in the completion of assessments, monitored participation, verified residence and employment, perform home visits, and ensure participants' attendance at court appearances. Also provide case management services involving non-US citizens whose status is under review by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, • March 2009 Yale Enforcement Services Dallas, TX • February 2010 Armed Security Officer/Security Guard • Patrolled industrial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion. Ensured security of doors, window, and gates. Monitored and authorized entrance and departure of employees. visitors, and other persons. • Prepared written reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment and property damage. theft, presence of unauthorized persons. Interacted with police and fire departments in emergencies. Warned persons of rule infractions and evicted violators from premises.

10. BUT WAIT!!!!!! WHAT IF YOU ARE A HIGH SCHOOL CRIMINAL justice STUDENT WITH no COLLEGE DEGREE OR EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE? How do you create a resume THEN??? Let’s Find Out!

11. Research the skills A potential employer values in its personnel Since we began with Criminal Justice, let’s look at the top four skills that employers look for in criminal justice majors. • A strong sense of right and wrong, and the ability to apply those ethical standards to criminal justice issues. • Solid writing skills. • Ability to conduct research and report results. • Proficiency using multiple technologies.

12. Applying Ethical Standards to Criminal Justice Issues • A criminal justice professional will be on the front lines of maintaining and upholding the basic ethical standards of society. • Across a number of related fields—from policing to park rangering—legal as well as moral ethics are paramount for success. A criminal justice major should not just be well-versed in the details of the law, but should understand and embody the spirit of ethics as well, and display these qualities in all areas of their work. • A criminal justice major should have a sense of right versus wrong, even when those ethics are tested by difficult people or situations. Criminal justice professionals often end up in positions of power that demand public trust. Maintaining scrupulous ethics will help you to model standards throughout your department or office, as well as help to influence positive outcomes and consequences in your field of expertise.

13. Writing Skills • A big part of most criminal justice careers will involve writing. Strong written communication skills are essential to anyone who hopes to be successful in the field. • You may need to create reports to get approval for a warrant, or you may need to keep records of occurrences. Other reports and documents criminal justice majors might end up writing include policy papers, proposals for funding, and reports detailing findings or conclusions. In some cases, a well-written report could mean the difference between convicting a criminal or seeing them set free. Cases are often lost or not even tried because of badly written arrest reports. • A good criminal justice professional must effectively be able to communicate the details of the topic at hand in writing. • Whether the purpose is to apprehend a criminal, explain findings from research, or convey some other pertinent idea, a criminal justice professional will certainly be required to be a proficient writer.

14. Research Proficiency • A criminal justice major should be very skilled in the area of research, as well as in related topics like preparing research findings to be shared with colleagues and others. You need to be able to access resources, analyze crime data, be comfortable assessing models, create charts and graphs, utilize data visualization software, interpret social science research data, and create presentations. • You might be asked to analyze public policy that impacts criminal justice. For example, you might be called upon to study and analyze the impact of reforms on criminal justice systems on given topics in specific areas, in order to see how prior solutions or changes to certain policies have impacted cases or crime trends.

15. Technology Skills • Jobs related to criminology and criminal justice related jobs are becoming increasingly dependent on technology, as the techniques and systems used to unlock traditional cases become more high-tech over time. Simultaneously, the field of cybercrime has opened up a whole world of new careers in criminal justice, focusing on crimes in the cyber world and dealing with cyber security. For cyber-specific roles, as well as for more traditional criminal justice roles that increasingly employ various technologies to solve problems, employers will look for technical acuity and proficiency in prospective employees.

16. Criminal Justice Major Skills List • Now it’s time to consider what skills YOU have that would make you appealing to an employer. In this example, the potential employer is in law enforcement and is looking for applicants to fill jobs like police officer, investigator, dispatcher, cybersecurity, cyberinvestigation, etc. • In your cover letters and resumes, highlight the skills you have acquired during your studies, internships, and jobs held during school. • See which skills on the following “Criminal Justice Major Skills List” apply to you.

17. Major Skills A - D • Accessing resources with crime data • Adapting to changing circumstances  • Analyzing public policies impacting criminal justice • Analyzing societal and economic factors contributing to crime • Applying ethical standards to criminal justice issues • Assessing models for correctional facilities • Collaborating • Composing criminal justice case analyses  • Constructing arguments based on fact • Creating charts and graphs • Critical thinking • Data visualization software • Debating • Decision making • Deductive reasoning • Detail orientation • Developing hypotheses for criminal justice research

18. Major Skills E - N • Evaluating the efforts of organizations to control crime • Evaluating the validity and reliability of criminal justice research studies • Facilitating group discussion • Interpreting social science research data • Interrogating • Interviewing witnesses • Investigating crimes • Leadership • Managing stress • Microsoft Excel • Microsoft Word • Multitasking • Note taking

19. Major Skills O - Q • Observational skills • Organizational skills • Physical conditioning  • Planning projects • PowerPoint  • Presentation  • Prioritizing Tasks • Problem Solving • Producing Presentation Slides • Quantitative analysis

20. Major Skills R - Z • Reading comprehension • Researching legal precedents • SAS • SPSS  • Statistical analysis • Teamwork • Time management • Utilizing research techniques for criminal justice • Writing essays supporting criminal justice perspectives • Writing research papers about criminal justice topics

21. Skills to Consider for Inclusion in Your Resume • Ability to identify and analyze social problems and develop solutions • Broad understanding of criminal law and the criminal justice system • Computer literacy • Considerations of gender & race • Critical thinking • Decision-making • Ethics and moral values • Interviewing skills • Knowledge of legal structures

22. More Skills to Consider for Your Resume • Patience • Quantitative skills • Research strategies • Skills in research and scientific methodology • Strong background in humanities, social science, & natural science • Supervision & management skills • Understanding nature of crimes • Understanding societies' reaction to crimes • Written & presentation skills

23. Remember… Since you are going for a skills-based (also known as functional) resume, it’s okay to use a conventional, one-line objective statement, but be sure that it is employer-focused. Even if the objective statement is shortly followed by your core competencies, it must be an offer statement, not a candidate-centered one. Do not write that you seek professional growth or wish to broaden your experience. Employers are not interested in what your personal goals are. They need to know what you bring to them!

24. Develop a collection of references • Along with your resume, create a separate document including a list of people who support you and who have agreed to speak to your prospective employers on your behalf. • Make sure that your reference page matches the same style and format as your resume. • Include the names of your references, as well as full contact information for each. (Contact information should include job title, employer, business address, email, and phone number.) The more information you give, the better that reference appears. • List a brief comment on how each person knows you, such as business colleague, long-time acquaintance, etc.

25. references Ms. Jane Doe, former teacher Business and Computer Technology Teacher Daubery County Public Schools 705 Thompson Drive Abingdon, VA 24222 Home: 276.456.3190 Work: 276.678.3214 Email: name@dcs.k12.va.us Mr. John Doe, current employer Plant Manager, Lighthouse Automotive 12345 Old Toms Road Abingdon, VA 24222 Home: 276.672.3311 Email: name@nextel.com Ms. Ethel Doe, former coworker Human Resources, Reynolds Automotive Rt. 1 Box 1234 Cedar Bluff, VA 24609 Home: 276.123.4563 Work: 276.765.0793 Email: name@yahoo.com

26. How many references should you have? • Ideally, you should have three to four references for an employer. If you are seeking a higher-level position, you may need seven to ten references. • List the BEST references only. Select only people who will speak highly of you, and who also have a higher position or educational title. • List your strongest reference first.

27. Reference relationships • Never "burn any bridges." You never know when that supervisor, manager or co-worker whom you could not stand to be around might come in handy. • Once you have selected your references, contact them and let them know that a telephone call might be coming from your potential employer. This way, they will be expecting the call and it will not come as a surprise. • If a week passes without a contact, this doesn’t mean that the employer has forgotten about you and moved on. Be sure to remind your references that a phone call might still be on its way, so that they will still be prepared.

28. Submitting references Unless the job application or the employer requests references up front, it is generally best practice to wait until further notice before submitting them.

29. Thanking your references • Your references are doing should follow up with a thank you. Good ways to follow up include” • Thank you cards • Phone Calls, and • Holiday Cards. • An email is not personal and I do not recommend it. Getting on the phone or sending an actual thank you card is far more effective today than a simple email or Facebook message. • A little effort goes a long way.