Resume & Cover Letter Workshop

1. Press the F5 button to begin the presentation and press the right arrow key ( ) to hear the recorded webinar

2. Resume & Cover Letter Workshop

3. Resume : a marketing tool

4. Resume Purpose The goal of a resume is to provide prospective employers with a concise summary of your experiences and qualifications. This is the first impression of YOU that organizations and companies will see!

5. Common Resume Pitfalls • Grammatical Errors • Objective [not needed] • High School Information [not needed] • Exaggerations and broad statements • Formatting Inconsistencies • January 2009 – 7/2009 • font styles and sizes • Verb tense uniformity

6. Resume Essentials • Current Contact Information • Education • Experience • Leadership & Activities • Skills

7. Template Each activity/experience should be clearly identified in your resume Company /Organization [Bolded], City, State Month Year(sp)dash(sp)Month Year Position [Italicized] • Bullet • Bullet • Bullet Example XYZ Corporation, Miami Lakes, FL October 2008 - January 2009 Finance Intern, Cost Accounting Group • Assisted in the consolidation of world-wide financial statements • Collected and pre-verified documentation for Sarbanes Oxley testing • Created an Excel-based index for all financial reports published monthly • Assisted with CFO ad-hoc requests such as currency conversion impact on sales and net income

8. Bullets • Begin with strong action verbs • Analyzed, Presented, Prepared, Organized, Performed, Supervised, Managed • No punctuation is needed • Use descriptive bullets without being too wordy • Quantify your experience if possible • i.e. How big was the budget that you managed? How many people did you supervise? • Answer at least two questions in each position/experience • What did I do? • How did I do it ? • What were my results? • Examples • Tracked daily expenses for 40 ongoing projects and ensured compliance with budgets and financial plans • Analyzed financial statements and reported on company owned assets using CFROI and other company metrics • Created and analyzed monthly ‘Budget vs. Actual’ reports on plant spending and communicated key drivers to company controller

9. Current Contact Information • Necessary Components • Mobile number • Email address • College mailing address • Permanent mailing address is optional

10. Education • Necessary Components • Majors, minors • Expected graduation date • Study Abroad • GPA • Honors & Awards • Relevant Coursework (optional*)

11. Experience

12. Leadership & Activities

13. Skills • Necessary Components • Computer [MS Office Suite, Java, C++] • Languages [ Fluent, Proficient]

14. Resume Writing Tips • A resume is a marketing tool, not an autobiography • Formatting: one page, no typos, no high school experience • Concise, quantifiable, action-oriented summary of experiences, education and skill sets • Highlight leadership roles, clubs/organizations & unique achievements/awards • Tailor your resume for the job you want • Keep your resume current and available • Always carry a few copies to events where networking opportunities exist

15. Cover letter: a written introduction

16. 1st Paragraph • Answer the question as to why you are writing and the position to which you are applying • From your research, explain why you are interested in this position or organization • The goal is to make a connection - do this briefly and specifically or leave it out; sweeping statements will not work so make sure to tailor each cover letter for each job you apply for **http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/career/guides/cover_ltr.shtml

17. 2nd Paragraph • The first sentence should be a hard-hitting opener- a quick introduction, which is accomplishment-oriented and directed at the skills and qualifications needed for the job/industry • The body of the paragraph should provide evidence to back up what you've just claimed • Discuss why what you did is relevant to the employer- relate the facts to the job. Strong examples are important! • The final sentence is a summary of what you've discussed above **http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/career/guides/cover_ltr.shtml

18. Final Paragraph • You should refer to the enclosed resume and request an interview. It is vital that you thank the reader for his/her time and consideration. Sincerely, Your Signature Your Name Enclosure(s) **http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/career/guides/cover_ltr.shtml

19. Tips to Make your letter Professional • Research the company and the specifics about the position to tailor your letter to the position • Avoid using too many sentences that in the passive voice (ex. "This experience enabled me to..." or "Through my internship, I was responsible for..."); instead, make yourself the subject of each sentence and use active descriptions (ex., "In this internship, I demonstrated sound judgment and problem-solving skills on a daily basis.").

20. Tips (Cont.) • Do not use contractions (I'd, didn't, it's). • Spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes are out of the question! Cover letters are a reflection of your writing skills, so make each cover letter an example of your best work • Be sure to sign your letters (black ink is suggested) • Keep your letter short and simple • If sending via mail, use good quality paper that matches your resume paper and envelopes

21. Summary • Make sure there is uniformity and consistency • Use a bulleted format that begins with strong action verbs • Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors • Use matching verb tenses • Full sentences are not necessary • Do not put anything in your resume that you cannot explain clearly and precisely

22. QUESTIONS? careerprogram@gmail.com