Building Your Resume from the Ground Up

1. Develop Your ResumeAnd some Career Fair adviceBob Foley’69Assistant DirectorExperiential Education Building Your Resume from the Ground Up

2. Career Center Website http://careercenter.tamu.edu

3. Purpose of a Resume A Marketing Tool: Convince an employer To schedule you for an interview You’ve got 10 seconds!!! Well, minimal time anyway. Think executive summary! Can you prioritize? Communicate in a precise and concise fashion?

4. Steps toBuildinga Resume • Laying the foundation. • Building the resume. • Polishing the resume.

5. Laying the FoundationWhat are your “match points?” Assess Yourself on Paper/Computer • What do I include? • How important is it to the opportunity I seek? • What are your Objectives? • What do you seek/when are you available? • What have you accomplished? • Work/Research Experience, Skills, Leadership, Activities • Match these with the employers’ needs • Identify “transferable skills”

6. Laying the Foundation Think EQ as well as IQ What Makes a Good Employee?? 1. Integrity • Ability to work with people • Responsibility • Judgment • Motivation to succeed • Work ethic • Intelligence • Creativity/enthusiasm • Communications skills 10. Technical competence

7. Building the Resume Tell the Employer…… The Mostest, The Fastest PRIORITIZE!!!

9. Building the Resume • Provide leading credentials, qualifications, experiences • Prioritize the resume and items within headings • You know what you did. Does your resume tell the reader the same? • What did you do? How did you do it? What were the results? • Make it easy for the recruiter

10. Building the Resume • Personal Data Section • Objective • Education Section • Work/Research Experience • Leadership/Activities • Skills – Technical, Spoken Language

11. Building the Resume • Present most marketable information first – Top heavy • Use brief, descriptive phrases – Be concise • No unnecessary words – a, the, an, • Use action verbs to describe experiences and accomplishments – Show results • Reader friendly • Be Positive - Be Accurate - Be Truthful • You Have the Right to Remain Silent

12. Polishing the Resume • Attention to detail • Avoiding common mistakes • Broad generalization statements • Spelling and grammatical errors • Formatting, fonts, length, paper quality • Translate “Aggie speak” to business English • Can’t explain every statement • No picture • Do Not Include References

13. Polishing the Resume • Tailor the resume • Use keywords or phrases directly from the job description • Include full keywords and abbreviated formats • Use non-decorative typefaces • Choose one typeface and stick to it • Consistent punctuation • Avoid italics, script, and underlined words • No horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading • Have the resume proofed • Update the resume as needed

14. Polishing the Resume • Resume Critique and Advice • Career Center Advisor APPOINTMENT 979-845-5139 ENGINEERING RESUME REMOTE Friday, Sep 2, 9A-12 Noon – CHEN Lobby WALK-IN SERVICE – Koldus 209 Monday – Friday, 8:30-11 & 1:30 to 4 RESUMANIA Monday, September 5, 9-5, MSC 2400 • Academic Advisor Employer • Mentor Aggie Network

15. Employer Comments When I evaluate a candidate, there are a couple of key questions I'd like to get answers to as much as possible: 1. The degree of relevancy between candidate's overall profile (candidate's GPA, class projects, external project experience, major/minor, curriculum, extra curriculum) and the job position 2. The candidate's short term and long term career goal 3. The candidate's personality, capability, potential and willingness to accomplish his/her career goal (past experience can demonstrate that)

16. Employer Comments 1. Stick to 1 page. We had several students give us 2 (and in one case 3) page resumes. After 8 years in the industry, I can still highlight all necessary and pertinent information on my resume in a single page. 2. Clearly state GPR. Several students played games with the GPR by giving us only their in-major GPR because the overall was significantly lower. Another presented only the last 2 years because the first two years were very bad. Some gave no GPR. It does not reflect well on students to manipulate their resumes in this fashion before we even interview them. Employers who went to A&M can very easily review an A&M transcript and see who is playing games.

17. Employer Comments • Several of the students had not updated their "Job Objective" knowing that the interview that our company conducted was for a sales position.   Examples were: A manufacturing career; Plant flow organization. • One person did not spell check the resume.   • Another, the formatting was off and not consistent.

18. Polishing the Resume You have a story to tell. Does your resume tell that story? Keep in mind that your resume is an advertisement, not a biography!

19. Career Fair Goals NETWORKING • Increase exposure to potential employers • Gain insight into a company, its employees, and culture • Differentiate yourself from the competition • Build relationships • Secure the interview

20. Do your Research • Utilize available resources • SEC website • Informationals; social events • Company websites • HireAggies.com • Career Center website: Vault/Career Insider • SEC Filings ANDhttp://finance.yahoo.com/ • Aggie Network • Fellow students – co-ops and interns • Professors and advisors

21. Why Should They Hire You? • What does the company do? • How can you support their efforts? • Determine your “match points” that fit the company’s needs? • Have these “match points” and questions written down. • Remember! Companies are shopping for the right fit – the BEST candidate not just qualified applicants.

22. Decisions! Decisions! Decide whom to visit beforehand Prioritize Use first visits to develop approach Do not overlook smaller firms Do your homework on the companies Outlook for industry Primary products and services Current events/projects http://finance.yahoo.com/

23. The Resume Game It is a big part of that “first impression” Be prepared to hand it to the employer BUT, do not automatically do so AND, some “cannot” take it DO, ask to leave it before you depart OPTIONS: Business Card? Flash Drive?

24. Employer Won’t Take Resume – Tells you to Send it Electronically • Demonstrates your continued interest • Remind Employer of your conversation and elaborate on your interest in the position • Employer has an example of your writing skills, follow-up, and attention to detail • Employer has a copy of your resume that can be moved immediately to hiring managers without waiting for a recruiting trip to end

25. Business Cards

26. Dress the Part Business Casual Business Suit Observe the Recruiters They are the face of the company - Hair - Facial Hair - Grooming - Piercings -Tatoos Appearances do matter!!!

27. The Booth Visit Expect to spend 2-10 minutes See and Be Seen Introduce yourself and have your resume ready Differentiate yourself “Elevator Speech” “Match Points” Questions – Notes – Contact Information Be prepared to answer the question: Why did you stop by our booth?

28. First Impressions Introduce yourself with confidence Listen for the recruiter’s name Good hand shake Match the recruiter’s grip Maintain eye contact Smile!!!

29. Introducing yourself SPEAK UP! Plan what you want to say and be concise Name – first and last Academics – major and graduation date Employment goal – co-op, internship, or full-time Insight – why you are interested Match points

30. Take Advantage • Arrive early!!! • Attend at non-peak hours. • If booth is crowded, come back later. • Rep can talk to several at the same time. • Listen to conversations between reps and students in front of you.

31. Remember Me? • Get a business card • No card. Get contact information • Make notes between encounters • Follow up with a thank you email

32. Be Forewarned • Sanitize your social media!!! • You are being evaluated with any contact!!!