Mission College – Santa Clara, CA 2/28/12

1. Mission College – Santa Clara, CA2/28/12

2. AGENDA 6:00PM – 6:30PM: Resume Building 6:30PM – 6:50PM: How to maximize your use of LinkedIn 6:50PM – 7:05PM: NetworkingBreak 7:10PM – 7:20PM: Introduction to Phone Screens and In-Person Interviews 7:20PM – 7:50PM: Group Breakout – Mock Interviews 7:50PM – 8:00PM: Q&A

3. RESUME BUILDING Formatting and Substance

4. RESUME BUILDING - FORMATTING • The first important factor in building a quality resume is proper formatting. • Proper formatting shows professionalism, attention to detail, and allows for managers to easily digest content. • Remember managers only spend 1-2 minutes looking at a resume, so get your point across quickly! • FORMATTING TIPS • Choose a simple font like Arial for the entire document. • The font size should be 10 or 11 for the body under each heading. • Stick to black or dark blue for your text. • Headings, Titles, and Body Text should all have the same style throughout the resume. (Bold, Italics, Underline, etc.) • Keep charts and tables out of it!

5. RESUME BUILDING – FORMATTING • The second popular topic with regards to formatting is organization. • You should organize your resume in a way that is easy to follow, consistent, and chronological. • Remember we have 2 minutes to get the manager picturing you in that job! • Organization Tips • Professional Summary - What is your “bread and butter” • Technical Summary (Hands on experience only) - Sub Headings • Professional Experience - Company Name, City, State - Month/Year - Title - Detailed Experience • Education • Certifications and Training

6. RESUME BUILDING - CONTENT • The content included under each professional engagement should be detailed and only included projects/daily duties that you were directly involved in. • Make sure to include key factors like languages, tools, applications, technical environment and be specific about what you did with them. • Example • Setup Windows 7 migration imaging process for new desktop and laptop hardware. (Configured FOG imaging). • Setup MAC OSX Snow Leopard / Lion imaging (Deploy Studio). • Implemented new Helpdesk system (Spiceworks) • Build MSI packages and batch files to push out through Group Policy.

7. LinkedIn Best Practices

8. LinkedIn – Best Practices • LinkedIn is one of the fastest growing recruiting tools for both internal and 3rd party recruiters. • This is a PROFESSIONAL social networking site. • Don’t underestimate the power of LinkedIn for interview preparation. • Key Points • Live copy of your resume • Recommendations • Groups • Job Searching • Interview Prep • Things to avoid • My LinkedIn Profile

9. Interviews Preparation

10. Interviews - Preparation • Have 5printed copies of your resume available to pass out. • Have at least 5 questions written down to ask the interviewer about the position, environment, team, goals and expectations. • Make sure to use specific examples from your experience when answering questions about your background.  • Bring a pad or notebook with you so you can take notes. • Look the interviewers up in LinkedIn. Learn the manager’s background and figure out if you have any connections in common. • Always write a thank you letter following your interview. Try to refer to specific points the interviewer made.

11. Interviews Tips for phone screens and in-person

12. Interviews – Phone Screens • Phone screens should be given as much prep time as in-person interviews. • This is a great opportunity to show verbal communication skills. • Key Tips • Have your resume in front of you and a notebook/pen to jot down notes • Have 5 questions prepared to ask about the job/team/environment • Give specific examples and go into detail with your answers. i.e., do not answer with yes or no, but give an explanation • This is a phone screen so ensure you’re in a quiet area without any distractions and do speak clearly and enthusiastically.  • Make sure to go over the job description. Be honest when telling them about your background, but if you are lacking a skill know what you have used that is comparable.  • Use positive vocabulary (i.e., “I’m very interested in this opportunity”) to show your interest and that you’re excited for the next step in the interview

13. Interviews – In-Person • Always show up 15 minutes early. • Bring relevant work samples. • Make sure you research what appropriate attire is. (just ask) • TIPS • A STRONG HANDSHAKE is important; this is your first impression. • SMILE!  The manager will respond to the positive and friendly approach.  This also displays confidence. • EYE CONTACT is paramount throughout the interview.  This is a great way to show your confidence, particularly important as this is a lead role.   • STRONG COMMUNICATION – Speak up, articulate, annunciate. • Highlight your PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE that closely matches the position. • Use POSITIVE VOCABULARY to show your interest. Examples include: “I am very interested” and “I am eager to join the team” are often very effective. • ASK FOR THE JOB: If you really want it, ask for it!  “This sounds like a great company and I would gladly accept this position if it were offered to me.”  • Ask the manager what the NEXT STEPS would be and thank him/her and team for their time.

14. Interviews Phone Screen & In-Person Mock Interviews

15. Questions?