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Building Your Career: Resumes and Cover Letters

Building Your Career: Resumes and Cover Letters. Career Center Student Services Center, Room 270 www.csuchico.edu/careers 530.898.5253. What is a resume?. It’s not a list of all your past experiences. It is a marketing tool. What to Include. Education. Your name and contact info.

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Building Your Career: Resumes and Cover Letters

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  1. Building Your Career: Resumes and Cover Letters Career Center Student Services Center, Room 270 www.csuchico.edu/careers 530.898.5253

  2. What is a resume? It’s not a list of all your past experiences. It is a marketing tool.

  3. What to Include Education Your name and contact info Community Involvement Leadership “Technical Skills” Awards or Recognition Experience - paid and unpaid

  4. What all Employers Want Teamwork Communication Skills Ability to Obtain and Process Information Analytical Skills Planning & Organizational Skills Technical Knowledge Decision-making & Problem-solving Ability

  5. Helpful Hints and Guidelines Only tell the reader what she/he needs to know First impressions matter so brand yourself quickly Use “proper” format Don’t leave information up for interpretation Create value – only use “technical” or transferable skills Use objective info; validate and quantify if you can

  6. Is your statement valuable and objective? Is it easily measurable or do you have proof? Would/could every person applying for the job say it? Does it mirror the “technical” skills or values the employer wants?

  7. A Resume Pet-Peeve Key Qualifications Excellent communicator Ability to analyze complex problems Honest and ethical team-player Ability to handle stress in an ever-changing workplace Exceptional and friendly customer service provider Multi-tasking abilities

  8. Measurable & Objective Key Qualifications Knowledge of medical terminology and standard medical office practices. Experience working with physicians in a busy medical environment. Proven sales professional; top-ranked sales person on a team of 11 for first three quarters in 2012. Gained cold-calling experience working as a fundraising intern for the United Way. Recognized for teamwork, earning “employee of the month” award six times in a two-year period among 14 associates. Quick-learner and easily trained; earned a 3.6 GPA in college.

  9. Resume Examples

  10. What is a cover letter? Demonstrates a match between the employer’s needs and what you offer Aligns your values with those of the organization Demonstrates your written communication skills Communicates your passion for the job/organization

  11. Focus on what the employer wants…research! Job announcement Organization website Former/current employees Google Wikipedia

  12. Helpful Hints and Guidelines Only tell the reader what she/he needs to know First impressions matter so brand yourself quickly Use “proper” format Don’t leave information up for interpretation Create value – only use “technical” or transferable skills Use objective info; validate and quantify if you can

  13. Validate! Weak: Please consider me for your sales position. When I read the job announcement, I felt like it was written for me. Strong: Please consider me for your sales position. I have proven sales experience, demonstrated by my two-year standing as the #1 sales rep for my current employer, XYZ company.

  14. Validate! Weak: I excel in customer service. Strong: I excel in customer service and was awarded a perfect score on 90% of the “secret shopper” surveys conducted on my performance at Ray’s Supermarket.

  15. Validate! Weak: I have excellent communication skills. Strong: My major in organizational communication has provided me with four years of public speaking experience and an extensive background in business writing.

  16. Validate! Weak: I am a dedicated and loyal employee. Strong: I am a dedicated and loyal employee as demonstrated by working for three years at Oakdale Hospital where I was employee-of-the-quarter four times.

  17. Validate! Weak: I am a fiscally responsible project manager. Strong: I am fiscally responsible project manager, staying on-time and on-budget for the six projects I managed while at Daughtery Manufacturing.

  18. Cover Letter Organization 1st Paragraph: what job you are applying for and the top 2-3 reasons why you are qualified. Middle Paragraphs: explain and support each of the reasons mentioned in the first paragraph. Last Paragraphs: 1-2 paragraphs communicating why you are specifically interested in the organization/job and a thank you paragraph/statement.

  19. Cover Letter Examples

  20. Thank you! Career Center Student Services Center, Room 270 www.csuchico.edu/careers 530.898.5253

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