Career Guidance Seminar

1. Career Guidance Seminar A presentation brought to you by the DOSA office at AUST. Compiled and Presented by The Office of the Dean of Students and Admissions American University of Science and Technology AUST Dean of students and Admissions

2. What is a resume? • A resume is a personal summary of your professional history and qualifications. It includes information about your career goals, education, work experience, activities, honors, and any special skills you might have. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

3. General Guidelines • Length: It is best to limit an entry-level resume to one typed page. Be as concise as possible in stating information in each section of your resume. • Font: Avoid fonts smaller than 10 point and larger than 12 point. • Paper: Use 8 1/2” x 11” 20 lb paper. Print your resume with a laser or high quality ink-jet printer. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

4. Identifying Information KIMBERLY ANN HURST 1305 Palmer Dr. #1276 West Lafayette, IN Boiler@purdue.edu (765) 555-1706 • Put your name, permanent and campus addresses, permanent and campus phone numbers, and email address prominently at the top of your resume. • Avoid using a nickname to identify yourself. • Consider including your URL address or fax number if you have one. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

5. Objective Statement • One to three sentence summary of your area of expertise and career interest. • Write as complete sentences or as descriptive phrases with minimal punctuation. • Relate your existing skills directly to the job you are seeking. Demonstrate what you can do for the company rather than what they can do for you. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

6. A good objective statement answers questions • What position(s) are you applying for? • What are your main qualifications? • What are your career goals? • What is your professional identity? AUST Dean of students and Admissions

7. Objective Statement Avoid overgeneralized statements: A position allowing me to utilize my knowledge and expertise in different areas. Avoid statements that focus only on what a company can do for you: A position where I gain experience in working on biological problems. Make the statement as specific as possible: A position which allows me to apply my background in engineering and high performance computing to biological problems. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

8. Education • This is an important section for recent college graduates or students seeking internships or summer jobs. • Beginning with the highest level of educational achievement, include information such as university attended, degrees earned, major, minors, grade point average, date of program completion, and so forth. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

9. Purposes: to inform and persuade • Give information about your schooling and training • Persuade employers your educational background is relevant to the job, providing evidence of your qualifications • Help your resume stand out from others in the stack AUST Dean of students and Admissions

10. Relevant Courses • List relevant courses that: • Help you stand out from the crowd • Have provided you with specific skills or knowledge • Consider including this information in the education section of the resume. • Spanish (4 semesters) • Computer Science • Business Writing • Business Law • Ethics • Only include courses taken in addition to your major or minor. • Refer to the course by name rather than by number. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

11. Education Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN Graduation May 2000 Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering GPA: 3.2/4.0 Major GPA: 3.5/4.0 • You do not have to include your GPA on the resume, but if it isn’t included, employers may assume that it is lower than it really is. • Always state the grade point scale your school is using. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

12. What else may be included? • Extra information about your degree (major, minor or selective GPAs, funding sources, honors, etc.)—usually listed or included in parentheses • Specializations and special projects—usually listed or described briefly • Other relevant skills and training (relevant coursework, computer skills, language proficiency, certifications, licenses, etc.)—may be subsections or separate sections AUST Dean of students and Admissions

13. Are we done now? B.A. in Professional Writing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, May 2001 (Funded 100% of Schooling) Concentration: Business and Technical Writing Select Coursework: Computer-aided Publishing, Writing for the Computer Industry, Business Writing, Technical Writing, Advanced Professional Writing Overall GPA: 3.4/4.0 Major GPA: 3.7/4.0 Education AUST Dean of students and Admissions

14. Employment Experience • Include positions you have held which are related, in some way, to the job you are seeking. These might be both paid and volunteer positions. • Be creative with this section of your resume by describing and emphasizing your experiences in the most relevant way possible. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

15. Informing to persuade • Provide information to help persuade prospective employers that your experiences make you qualified for the job • Help your resume stand out from others in the stack • Construct your professional identity AUST Dean of students and Admissions

16. Employment Experience Hospitality Intern (May 1999-August 1999) Mountain Jacks, Lafayette, IN Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant • Include information such as company name and location, job title, dates, and duties performed. • Make this section easy to read by using spacing and bullets. • Use action phrases to highlight the duties you have performed. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

17. Developing your descriptions • Use varied action words to describe experiences • Answer the journalistic questions: • Who?…With whom did you work? • What? …What duties did you perform? • Where? …Where did your job fit into the organization? • Why? …What goals were you trying to accomplish? • When? …What timelines were you working under? • How? …What procedures did you follow? AUST Dean of students and Admissions

18. Action Phrases Hospitality Intern (May 1999-August 1999) Mountain Jacks, Lafayette, IN • Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food • Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees • Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant • Action phrases will help you avoid being too brief and from understating your qualifications. • Think about your qualifications as a professional would. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

19. Parallel Phrases Hospitality Intern (May 1999-August 1999) Mountain Jacks, Lafayette, IN Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant • Make your descriptions easy to read through parallel structure. • Set up a pattern and stick with it. • In the example, all the verbs are parallel: “oversaw,” “assisted,” and “created” are all past tense verbs. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

20. Activities and Honors • Include relevant activities and honors that you could discuss with your prospective employer or that have given you valuable experience or skills. • Other names: Awards, Memberships, Volunteer Work, Hobbies AUST Dean of students and Admissions

21. Why bother? • Fill up white space • Provide additional evidence of your qualifications • Give employers a sense of who you are outside of school and work AUST Dean of students and Admissions

22. Specialized Skills • Include skills that make you unique, such as computer skills, foreign language skills, or military service. • Be specific in describing your special skills; name computer programs you know, how long you studied a foreign language, or your dates of military service. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

23. References • In general, do not include the names and addresses of your references on your resume. • It is enough to state that references are available upon request. • Choose professional references rather than character references. Employers and professors who know you and your work are the best references. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

24. Reference Sheet Dr. Mary Delinsky Heavilon Hall, Room 226 Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907 (765) 494-3723 Dr. Delinsky is my current academic advisor in the Creative Writing and Science Fiction Program. • Include the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your references. • Always ask permission before you include any information on your reference sheet. • Consider giving your references a copy of your resume so they will be prepared to talk to employers. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

25. Organizing Your Resume • Organize your resume to highlight your unique skills and strengths. • Use whatever combination of organizational styles you think best highlight your individual qualifications. • The most common resume styles are: • reverse chronological • functional • skills • imaginative AUST Dean of students and Admissions

26. Reverse Chronological Resume Style • Present your education and work experience in chronological order, beginning with your most recent experiences. • This style is best for people whose job experiences closely parallel the positions for which they are applying or for those who have not had periods of unemployment time between jobs. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

27. Reverse Chronological Resume Style Work Experience: 1997-Present U.S. Postal Service, Indianapolis. Worked as a Station Manager, delivering mail, overseeing retail sales, planning delivery to new routes 1994-1997 All Right Parking, Inc., Indianapolis. Worked as a Manager, handling customer relations, overseeing accounts, supervising twenty-five employees 1992-1994 Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis. Worked as a District Sales Manager recruiting and training new employees, managing crews of twenty-five carriers within nine counties, designing routes AUST Dean of students and Admissions

28. Functional Resume Style • Organize experience by type of function performed. Under each, give specific examples. • Highlight experiences that directly relate to the job you are seeking. • Ignore experiences that do not relate to the job for which you are applying. • Place things in order of importance rather than chronological order. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

29. Functional Resume Style Experience: Research Assistant (August 1998-August 1999)—Purdue U. Assisted Professor Robert Thompson in: * updating statistical tables and charts * answering research questions via the Internet, library, and by establishing resources to provide the needed information President, Sociology Club (January-May 2000) * Raised over $2,000 for club expenses and scholarships * Organized 10 activities for over 200 students * Designed and maintained club website AUST Dean of students and Admissions

30. Skills Resume Style • Emphasize what you can do rather than where you have worked. • Try to match your skills to the position for which you are applying. • This style is ideal for people who have gained valuable skills from a variety of unrelated experiences AUST Dean of students and Admissions

31. Skills Resume Style Skills: Communication Skills *Counseled teens in an anti-drug initiative at Jefferson High School *Received Employee of the Month Award for my work creating a positive environment at Wal-Mart while working as a cashier *Presented a semester-long project on choosing a major to a group of prospective students Training Skills *Trained new employees in cashier procedures at Wal-Mart *Served as assistant coach for a Jefferson High School basketball team AUST Dean of students and Admissions

32. What Is a Cover Letter? • A cover letter expresses your interest in and qualifications for a position to a prospective employer. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

33. What Should My Cover Letter Accomplish? • Your cover letter should introduce the main points of your resume. • It should also help you to “sell” your qualifications to the prospective employer. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

34. Header Emma Markley Human Resources Director St. Luke's Medical Center 729 S. Paulina Chicago, IL 60612 Dear Ms. Markley: • Address your letter to a specific person, ideally to the person who will interview you. • Look for the person’s name in company publications, or phone the organization and ask for the person’s name or for the personnel manager. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

35. Introductory Paragraph Your first paragraph should: • Get the reader’s attention, stimulate interest, and be appropriate for the job you are seeking. • Make your goal clear to readers. • Preview the rest of your letter. Highlight the qualifications you will discuss throughout the letter. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

36. Solicited Application Letters • Solicited application letters are letters written in response to an advertised job opening. • It is appropriate to mention where you learned of the opening in the first paragraph. I believe that my knowledge of public relations and my proven communication and leadership skills make me a strong candidate for the position of Media Relations Coordinator that was posted by the Delta Airlines Job Opportunities Program. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

37. Unsolicited Application Letters • Unsolicited application letters are written to companies that have not posted a job opening. • It is important to gain the reader’s attention and persuade them that you can contribute to the company’s goals. As a member of one of the fastest growing publishing houses in the world, do you have an opening in your acquisitions department for a recent college graduate with a major in English and publishing and editing experience? AUST Dean of students and Admissions

38. Goals of the Body Paragraphs • Highlight your strongest qualifications for the position for which you are applying. • Demonstrate how these qualifications will benefit the employer. • Refer employers to your enclosed resume. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

39. Detailing Your Experience • Show (don’t tell) employers your qualifications • Include specific, credible examples of your qualifications for the position. • Use numbers, names of equipment you've used, or features of a project that may apply to the job you want. As a banking representative at Bank One, I provided quality customer service while promoting the sale of products to customers. I also handled upwards of $20,000 a day and was responsible for balancing the bank’s ATM machine. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

40. Using Active Language—Don’ts • Don’t be vague in your descriptions. • Don’t use weak verbs such as endeavored, tried, hoped, and attempted. • Don’t use sexist language such as chairman and manpower. Vague: I worked as a ramp agent at Comair. Weak: I attempted to attract customers. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

41. Using Active Language—Do’s • Use concrete words to describe your experience. • Use present tense to discuss current activities and past tense for previous job duties or accomplishments. • Be as specific as possible in descriptions; list dollar amounts and figures when you can. Vague: I worked as a ramp agent for COMAIR. Specific: As a ramp agent, I assisted in loading baggage, oversaw fueling the aircraft, and stocked commissary items on the aircraft. Weak: I attempted to attract customers. Strong: I initiated a program to attract customers to Pizza Hut, which resulted in a 5% increase in sales for the month of June. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

42. Organizing Your Letter • In general, cover letters should be no longer than one typed page. • Organize your body paragraphs to emphasize your strongest and most relevant qualifications. Only include the two or three strongest qualifications from your resume. • Make it easy for readers to scan your letter by beginning each paragraph with a topic sentence. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

43. Concluding Your Letter I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these and other qualifications with you. If you are interested, please contact me at (317) 555- 0118 any morning before 11:00 a.m., or feel free to leave a message. • Conclude by asking for a personal interview. • Be flexible regarding a date and time for the interview. • Be specific about how the interviewer should contact you. • Include a thank you. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

44. Key Points to Remember • Appeal to company values, attitudes, goals, projects, etc. • Elaborate on the information in your resume. • Provide evidence of your qualifications. • Proofread carefully for grammatical and typographical errors. The letter should be error-free. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

45. How to Guarantee a Successful Interview AUST Dean of students and Admissions

46. Guaranteeing A Successful Interview • View the interview as a Test • The Interview: An opportunity to persuade Six questions before starting the persuasion process: • What do I want? • What does the other person want? • What is the least I will expect? • What are possible problems that my rise? • How will I handle these problems (and even convert some to my advantage)? • How will I bring this situation to a successful conclusion? Mirroring the interviewer is another proven persuasion technique. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

47. The Five P’s Preparation: • Research the company • Know your qualifications • Always remember that you’ll be hired because an employer needs you. Too many applicants with a strong sense of entitlement focus too much on themselves and not enough on the interviewer, failing to realize this simple truth. • Prepare the day before by carefully selecting the material you will bring with you to the interview. You must bring: - Several resumes (the interviewer may pass yours to other people or may have misplaced it). - A pad of paper and two pens for taking notes. - Name and telephone numbers of references (or letter of reference) - Any evidence of your accomplishments. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

48. The Five P’s Practice: Practice answering questions that you expect will be asked, as well as those you don’t expect, so that you are not startled by a question out of the blue. Positive thinking You must be well versed on the industry, company, and job; knowing how your qualifications fit the job; and explaining articulately why you fit. - Use techniques of visualization and affirmation to help you. Visualize yourself walking in and smiling at the interviewer, answering questions well, and being offered the job at a great salary. - Use affirmation like “I’m going to do well in this interview” Take several deep breathes before your interview. Feeling anxiety and doubts drain from you body. Sit up straight, shoulders back, and notice how you seem more confident. Feel calm, at peace, and centered not scattered. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

49. The Five P’s Punctuality Arriving out of breath, flustered and mumbling apologies is not a good way to start an interview. But if it happens, call before you arrive, cite a good reason, apologize, and then drop the subject. Don't let the situation affect your whole interview. Politeness Be polite to everyone you encounter in the company where you are interviewing. It is only polite to send a thank you note to everyone who interviews you. Send the notes within a day or two after the meeting; memories fade, and many candidates are often interviewed for each opening. AUST Dean of students and Admissions

50. Questions You Must Be Prepared For “Tell me about yourself” or “How would you describe yourself”? Summarize background and accomplishments to demonstrate why you are a good fit for the job. What are your greatest strengths? Offer traits that employers like – initiative, reliability, or problem-solving skills-and back them up with examples. What is your greatest weakness? Try to turn a positive trait into a weakness-For example, being goal-oriented to the point of being driven to being a perfectionist. What are your most important accomplishments? Note whether you were part of a team. Why should I hire you? Give reasons, based on past job performance, why you can make a contribution to this job. Do you have any questions? You sure do. Don’t just sit there; ask informed, intelligent questions. This is not the time to ask about salary or benefits- wait until the job offer. AUST Dean of students and Admissions