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Learn how to tailor your resume to increase your chances of landing interviews. Discover effective strategies and tools to navigate the modern hiring process.
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Structuring Tailored Resumes To Maximize Odds of Landing Interviews 03/30/2019 William J. Purpura Dargondev@sbcglobal.net (714) 504-7658
William J. Purpura Summary Biography William J. Purpura, Licensed Mechanical Professional Engineer (PE), Project Management Professional (PMP), & Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Dargon Development: Managing Partner of 35 year old Eureka Investment Fund Retired Boeing Senior Systems/Project Engineer: Next generation Net-Enabled Systems & Cyber Architectures, New business/proposal generation, patent creation, technology development/roadmaps, & Small Business Innovative research grant expert E-mail: dargondev@sbcglobal.net Cell Phone: (714) 504-7658 • Currently Managing Partner of Dargon Development (Financial /Engineering consulting & hedge fund management • Prior Boeing Senior Systems/Project Engineer (P-6 level), one of only a handful of Boeing Engineers certified at Advanced level in both Project & System Engineering capabilities ,Designated Boeing Technical Lead Engineer (TLE) • 43+ years of experience (last 31+ at The Boeing Company ) working on projects & programs ranging from leading edge technology & Intellectual Property development to Billion dollar major DoD development Proposals/Contracts • Awarded 20 US Patents (1 more under USPO/ European PO review) & 2 Boeing trade secrets • Boeing Expert for Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) & Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) • Profiled in Project Management Institute’s professional Journal “Imagination” Aug 2012 • 2010 Boeing Supplier Management SAGE Award & 2004 Innovative Engineer Award for all Boeing Defense • Creator of proprietary industry leading stock & Index Option risk, profitability, & performance reporting software • Awarded BSE, MSE, MBA, & 4 certificates in S/W Eng (CSUF), Post graduate work in Project Management (UCI) • Invited speaker at both Boeing Enterprise wide as well as National level Conference & workshops including: • 7 National & 5 Boeing Industry Workshops/Conferences presentations, scores of enterprise presentations • 13 papers at Boeing Technical Excellence Conferences (BTECs) & 2 article published in technical journals • Served 5 years as Boeing’s liaison to CSUF Schools of Engineering & Computer Science and Mihaylo school of Business • Serving second term on CSUF Alumni Board of Directors (BoD), Member of CSUF Entrepreneurship RoundTable • Assistant Coach for CSUF Archery Club (USA Archery certified Level 2 Archery coach & Certified Tournament Judge)
Web Based Research Key to Successful Job Acquisition • Research firm to determine if you consider applying to their job posting: • Target company websites plus professional sites like LinkedIn • Glassdoor.com excellent source on firms culture & pay scales • Feedback from other Job sites on with forums for target firm • Public reputation per trade journals, blogs, & news sources • Contact within target firm as well as competitors • Past and current Professors, managers, mentors, & peers • Research Job posting to ID key job requirements including: • Detailed understanding overall job description • Critical & Desired qualifications and skills needed for this position • Source for identifying Requisition Keywords, which COULD be used by firms HR organization for preliminary candidate resume screening • Must treat search for posted Job Requisition like that for Request for Proposal (RFP) & your resume is written proposal in response to it! First determine if you want to work there & THEN if qualified!
Successful Resume Creation VERY Challenging Today • No more standard resumes, each job requires tailored resume! • Critical to identify key qualification & prove you meet them • Draw from core capability/experience to reduce creation time • Getting hired today much harder & process changing rapidly, most firms have changed hiring processes & resume submittals rules • Many dealing with 100 to 500 applicants per requisition • Using sophisticated Job Posting/resume submittal S/W • For legal reasons stopping applicants from routing resumes via insiders to gain advantages/or bypass HR regulations • Closing dates NOT in concrete, they can close at any time • Number of web sites with job postings sites continue to grow • Critical to find those tailored to your search needs • Web littered with scam sites & those saturated with malware • Best site are those that enable you to research posting firms All efforts must focus on crafting resume that earns you an interview!
Alphabetical Listing of Top Job Posting Sites Above summarized from an article found at: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/topjobsdb/tp/top-10-job-sites-2015.htm
Overview of Todays Typical Hiring Process • Today's internet hiring process can take from 1 week to 2 months to hire new employees & typical progresses through following stages • Job requisition posted for limited time (how & where discussed later) • Resumes collected specialized S/W used weed out submittals that fail to meet key criteria (MUCH more on this later) • Those passing S/W review then read by humans to ID interview candidates (typically 6 – 8, out of 100 + submittals) • Do NOT expect any notifications or feedback on why not selected! • Those selected brought in for structured interviews before large & diverse panel. Asked same interview questions in same order • Interviewed candidates with acceptable score then ranked ordered • Offer extended to top candidate (other candidates kept on hold) • If primary declines firms offer it is then extended to next in line until position finally filled by acceptable candidate • Once position filled other candidates informed they were not chosen Not all firms follow this structure but most large companies do!
Today’s Most Effective Resume Structure • Header: • Full legal name followed by any pertinent certifications if held • e-mail address, City/State, plus PRIMARY phone number • LinkedIn ID but NOT Facebook, Twitter, or general social media • Reference Position Title & Id for applied for from Req: • Summary Of Qualifications • MOST IMPORTANT Section, maybe only one read, IMMEDIATELY, CLEARLY & QUICKLY outlines to reviewer that you meet ALL most key job requirements • You only get 15-20 seconds of reviewers time before they make up their mind to trash your resume or actually read it all the way through! • Replaces Objective Statement, just reference Requisition ID on top • Key features of Summary of Qualifications • What you can do for firm, rather than what they can do for you! • Written as either short, but compressive, paragraph or bulleted list of qualifications aligned to key capabilities called out in job requisition. • Factual statements, MUST be backed up latter in experience section. • Proves you understand what they are looking for to fill this position & you have all necessary experience & capabilities to meet them. Start with Summary of Qualifications, NOT Objective Statement!
Today’s Typical Resume Structure (cont.) • Chronological List of Applicable Experience • Must provide credible support for ALL claims made in Summary of Qualifications • Make sure each line of experience is listed in same order as the claim it supports • Highlight experience aligning with specific capabilities called out in requisition • Include both paid and volunteer positions in this section, experience is experience! • Focus on describing/emphasizing experiences in most relevant way to position • Use their terminology as called out in requisition, don’t confuse them • Use action phrases to avoid being too brief and/or understating actual qualifications. • Specialized Skills • Specialized Technical & computer skills acquired from classes • foreign language skills • Specialized skills resulting from military service. • Be specific in describing these special skills & how long skills have been practiced • Provide enough description to make their value apparent • List all certifications received and/or levels of capability attained • Activities and Honors • Specific impact to employer and/or prove exceptional levels of experiences or skills • Education • List only colleges or universities where you will receive or have received a degree/credential/certificate by title, school, & year awarded • Include specialized training and Certificate programs • Only list GPA if 3.5+, unless specifically requested to be provided Quality of content & alignment to Job Req key to landing interviews!
Creating Effective Experience Content • Analyze what you accomplished in each experience: • Paid Internships/positions where you gained relevant capabilities • Unpaid internships & formal project teams • Include any other relevant research, volunteer, leadership and work experience, no matter where gained or how • Describe what you did, what you accomplished, and how/why it is relevant to posted requisition requirements (The “So What”) • Use bullet points, not full paragraphs see example below: Southern California Edison May 2016 - present Mechanical Engineering Intern • Conducted performance tests on boilers, pumps and tribunes • Designed fluid system for plant service water treatment, improved operational performance by 7% • Updated testing procedures to reflect existing equipment/test H/W • Senior Design Projects also count, treat like an internship & showcase relevance of skills developed like: • Team leader of 4, researched, designed and tested conversion of a 1971 Fiat 850 Coupe originally powered by gasoline engine to a 96V electric DC Motor, took 2nd place in colligate competition Show Performance Metrics when possible to provide “So What”
Methods for Gaining Key Capabilities/Experience • 1. Get internships in your field ASAP, preferably PAID ones! • 2. Submit abstracts to for formal presentations to as many technical conferences in your field, both on and off campus • 3. Join technical teams to compete on design competitions (valuable technical & team experience even if not paid) • 4. Join teams to compete on business competitions (provides valuable business experience students lack even if not paid) • 5. Join professional & social clubs at CSUF and become an officer (counts big time when evaluating leadership qualities) • 6. Join Professional organizations aligned with your chosen field to gain networking experiences & critical carreer contacts • 7.Set up a LinkedIn account & fully populate/maintain it with your accomplishment as well as areas of interest Remember Earned Experience/capabilities always relevant, paid or not!
Special Credit to Dramatically Improve your Odds! • System Engineering Introduction course: • Based on the INCOSE handbook & taught by several schools (unfortunately currently NOT CSUF) • Prepares you to take & pass INCOSE entry level ASEP Associate System Engineering Professional exam • WWW.incose.org/certification/CertWhichOne • Project Management (PM) Certificate course: • Based on PMI PMBOK & taught by CSUF’s Extended Education • Provides required 23 hours of PM education needed to qualify for PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam • CAPM first level of one of most respected certifications in business, both within US as well as international • www.pmi.org/certification/certified-associate-project-management-capm.aspx ASEP & CAPM on your resume will improve odds 25% with Tier 1 firms!
Engineering Job Requisitions Can Be Complex Position Description: Mid-level Product Data Management (PDM) Specialist will support the Information Sharing Environment (ISE) system development, serving the National Intelligence community by providing data to users at the right place and time. The PDM specialist defines, documents and interprets product requirements relevant to certification, configuration, data and data management and engineering processes. Develops, documents and implements plans and processes to ensure products meet technical, data, regulatory and company requirements and to maintain configuration control. Tracks and reports data to monitor adherence to regulatory, data configuration and contractual requirements; supports audits and reviews to ensure products meet requirements. Assists with development certification plans, integrated process architecture infrastructures, process models, product structure definitions and/or data requirements/data management processes. Works under general direction. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Candidate must have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and be able to work in a dynamic team environment, including strong interpersonal and presentation skills for interacting with team members and clients. In addition, experience with one or more of the following data management (DM) skill combinations is desired: DM Plansand their execution; DM toolevaluation, down-select, deployment/implementation, and maintenance (experience with TeamCenter preferred); demonstrated ability to implement DM plan; DM process streamlining/automation using combination of automated or manual procedures/scripts; maintenance and tracking of CDRL items, deviations, waivers and engineering changes; support toengineering review boards (ERB).Knowledge of hardwareCM/DM is highly desired. Strong personal computer and business solutions software skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Project, and Access) is desired. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Information Management is preferred, but not required. • Education and/or other Relavant Postion requirements • AA degree in related discipline and 3 to 5 years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. • U.S. Citizenship is required. Note: Words in BOLD are candidate résumé evaluation key words
Searching for Hidden Job Requirements • Competencies: General/Leadership • Adaptability: Understands changes in own and others' situations; may be asked to explain basis for change to less experienced employees; Treats changes and new situations as opportunities for learning or growth • Collaboration: Works effectively and cooperatively peers and occasionally external customers; establishes and maintains good working relationships. Offers to provide help and/or leadership to other teams and/or employees and occasionally external customers when they need assistance. • Work Standards: Establishes criteria and/or work procedures to achieve a high level of quality, productivity, or service. Accepts responsibility for work outcomes; admits mistakes and refocuses when appropriate. Provides encouragement and support to others; does not accept denial of responsibility without questioning. • Competencies:Technical • Analytical Skills: Skill and ability to: collect, organize, synthesize, and analyze data; summarize findings; develop conclusions and recommendations from appropriate data sources at the department level. • Document Management: Complete knowledge of infrastructure architecture used to account for and correctly archive documents. • Information Technology Fluency: Complete ability in use of computers to enter project info (ie. SOWs, resource identification and usage, task status, cost estimating and tracking). Complete knowledge of processes & tools to maintain, archive, and retrieve digital files as well as how to identify and gain approval of testing of applications to meet project requirements. Complete ability in constructing/building and providing reports and presentation material as needed for assigned projects. • Document Management System: Complete knowledge of the document management system to manage master documents ensuring the most current version is available through the appropriate delivery medium.
Example Supply Chain (SC) Job Requisition Procurement Agent - Entry level HAACN1 BOEING - Seal Beach, CA 90740, USA Strategic Commodity Contracts group is responsible for executing & managing Long Term Agreements in support of both in & out-of-production spare parts. Team places strategic long-term contracts for parts frequently ordered to reduce time & resources needed to fulfill customer orders. Team coordinates with BCA Production and other business units to maximize leverage opportunity. Team primarily supports contracting of Boeing Proprietary parts which like Sheet Metal, Machined Parts, Non-Metallic and Standards. Primary Responsibilities: • Assists with continuous review and analysis of demand and supply. • Conducts source selections, negotiates and documents purchase contracts and agreements within procurement commitment authority. • Assists gathering data to monitor supplier capability, capacity & business health • Assists with monitoring of supplier performance to contract. • Supports supplier performance evaluation and improvement opportunities. • Reviews data from multiple business systems. • Validates & adjusts qty, schedule, inventory balances, order policy & compliance. • Interfaces with customers and suppliers to resolve issues. • Transmits technical data and business communications. • Processes proprietary information agreements to ensure data protection. • Learns import and export policies and procedures to ensure compliance.
Example SC Job Requisition (cont.) • Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes and defense, space and security systems. We are engineers and technicians. Skilled scientists and thinkers. Bold innovators and dreamers. Join us, and you can build something better for yourself, for our customers and for the world. • This position must meet Export Control compliance requirements, therefore a “US Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 is required. “US Person” includes US Citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee. • Basic Qualifications (Required Skills/Experience): • • Bachelors degree in Business, Supply Chain or related discipline • • Ability to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship • Desired Qualifications (Preferred Skills/Experience): • • Experience or training in supply chain, procurement, negotiations or fabrication is highly desired • Travel: • Yes, 10 % of the Time
Actual Student’s Original Resume for SC Req • CSUF Mihaylo Student • XXX XXXX Rd. Diamond Bar, CA 91765 · TBD@gmail.com · (XXX) XXX-XXXX • Requisition Number: HAACN1 • Summary of Qualification: Over a year of experience in negotiation experience, most recently as the Product Manager of Powered by Awesome Inc. Have a strong academic background (Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree, Business Administration) supported by certification in Microsoft Office Suites. Can understand, read, and speak in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taiwanese at a fluent level. • Chronological Listing of Applicable Experience: • Powered by Awesome Inc. Product Manager (December 2016 – to date) • Analysis and review of demand and supply for product catalogue. • Responsible for source selections, negotiation on term and conditions • Leading a team of virtual assistants. • Monitor and adjusts quantity, schedule of delivery, inventory stock balances, and product conditions. • Expanded on list of new major suppliers for the company. • Maintain strong relationship with suppliers to resolve issues. • Maintain steady cash flow per month. • Analysis critical problem and executing solutions. • Coordinate deliveries from China and Canada to the United States • Additional responsibilities include product maintenance, sales forecast, and proposals. • Specialized Skills: • Certified in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) by Mt. San Antonio College May 2016. • Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and Taiwanese with the ability to understand, read, and speak • Activities and Honors: • Key member for 3 CSUF Business Consulting Projects. (January 2017 – June 2018) • President of Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society in Mt. San Antonio College (August 2015 – June 2016) • President’s Volunteer Service Award Gold Level (December 2015) • Education: • Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (BABS), Concentration: Entrepreneurship • California State University Fullerton, (August 2016 – May 2018) • Liberal Arts Associate in Arts: Business (AAB) • Mt. San Antonio College, (August 2012 – June 2016)
Additional Things Applicants May Not Know • Cover letters, an endangered species! • Today’s web based submittal systems do not need cover letters submitted along with your resume submittals and so they have mostly died off. • However, some firms (like Blizzard) request cover letters even when web submitting your resume. THIS IS ACTUALLY A SNEAKY TEST! Your cover letter is your ELEVATOR SPEECH, 20 second to convince someone to actually read your resume. If you don’t write a killer elevator speech disguised as a cover letter you have zero chance of having your resume considered by such firms! • Social media & personal web sites • What can I say, clean them up or take them down if possible because todays’ employers will often demand to read your Facebook page or other social media entries. • Same for posting on other sites or personal blogs, employers DUE care what you do on your own time and/or views posed on the net on how you REALLY feel about something. • Also, NOTHING gets erased from the Internet, depending on position you are applying for some firms can do VERY deep searches on your background to avoid surprises later. • One shot to submit your resume • Bad news, you posted the wrong resume for the job perfect for you & one you will be most qualified for. The system will NOT let you change your submittal once you press the send button no matter how much you beg (S/W application are VERY hard of hearing) • Finally, NEVER LIE on your resume, cover letter, or interview EVER!! • If discovered while evaluating your resume they will block you from ever applying again, if during your interview you will be walked out the door and blocked, and if found out after being employed you will be fired on the spot and could face public humiliation
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International Students Face Employment Challenges • International students #1 challenge to USA Employment • Acquiring work Visa to allow employment in USA • Now become very volatile issue, will require legal guidance • Takes TIME (as much as 18 months) & expensive ($5k+) • Need to be working this issue well before graduation • Best path: internship at US firm one year BEFORE graduation • Many have pre-approved Visas that can be used quickly • Firms have staff to handle paperwork & pay Fees • They ONLY do this fore exceptionally performing interns • International students have some advantage depending on job • Of particular value to muti-nationals looking for liaisons • Passing TOEFL English Fluency Exam critical in most cases • Must show relevance of Experience earned back home to job • Provide Additional data about employing firm to will help an American employer who unfamiliar with its purpose, reputation, or equivalent technical maturity/products • "one of top marketing companies in Sweden“ • "second-largest automotive company in Germany"
Final Barrier: Taleo Applicant Screening S/W! • Past Web based applicant resume submittal systems used by most firms for years came in varying degrees of sophistication • Most basic system have applicant fill in their identification details & attached resume in MS word format to submit it • Next level systems have applicant fill in their ID and then paste their resume (using unformatted text) to formally submit it (this allows them to easily search it for key words) • Top level takes this further by automatically performing key word searches on each resumes, those with largest number of hits are read by a human for interview potential (low counts NOT read!) • All has changed due to rapid acceptance of Oracle’s Taleo Applicant screening S/W by numerous mid to huge size firms • BEFORE formally submitting resume presented questions they MUST answer in detail before they can proceed. • Range from “Do you have a SECRET Clearance?” to an unprepared for mini-interview whose answers an evaluator will use to decide if the submitted resume will EVER be read! • See next chart for an actual example of a Taleo submittal
Example Taleo Resume Pre-Submittal Questions 1. Please describe your event management experience as it relates to a convention center or similar type venue. Please include where and when you received this experience. NOTE: all info will be verified with your application. 2. Please list three events where you have been the primary event manager and provide a short overview of the event & attendance. Please include where & when you received this experience. NOTE: all info will be verified with your application. 3. What type of event diagram programs have you worked with? Please include where and when you received this experience. NOTE: all information will be verified with your application. 4. What type of computer programs do you have experience using? Please include where and when you received this experience. NOTE: all information will be verified with your application. 5. You may be required to work extended hours to include irregular hours, early mornings, evenings, nights, weekends and or holidays. Do you have any restrictions in terms of scheduling?
Summary of Résumé Do’s & Don‘ts Do’s: Don’ts : Use “I” statements when describing experience Provide salary info in resume Include phrase: “references available upon requests” Highlight problems experienced with past employees/employers Include head shot photographs Disclose personal information (age, gender, religion, weight, marital status, test scores, etc.) Use jargon of industry/firm you are applying to join in resume Hide ANY issues important to firms considering hiring you! • You must tailor your résumé to EACH Job Requisition! • Make sure your ALL contact information is current • Be honest about everything (remember last chart!) • Have someone else proof read/edit your resume, you can never catch all errors yourself • Continuously update your resume as conditions change • If an International student start working Visa issues NOW!