Writing an Effective Resume

1. Writing an Effective Resume Writing Consultant Presentation INST205: Job Prep 1 Bellingham Technical College

2. Writing an Effective Resume • Why you are writing • Organization • Presentation

3. A resume gets you an interview The employer will: • Find out which applicants are suitable • Choose a small number of candidates to interview

4. Stand out from the crowd • Include interesting and unique information • Attempt best effort to make a first impression • No chance to explain if you do not get an interview • Reviewer spends 10 to 15 sec.per resume

5. Writing an Effective Resume • Why you are writing • Organization • Presentation

6. Summary of sections Name Address, telephone number, e-mail address Objective Education Experience Achievements and awards Skills Professional affiliations Publications or projects Optional

7. Objective • One or two sentences • Type of position (part time, full time, summer internship) • What position would you like to find? • Emphasize how you will use your skills, not what you want to gain

8. Use the objective to stand out Do not be needy:Objective: To obtain a position that will allow me to advance my potential while seeking new challenges.Objective: To obtain a position that will utilize my skills and let me continue to update my knowledge in the instrumentation field. Show what you will contribute: Objective: An entry-level position as an instrumentation technician, where strong work ethic, instrumentation knowledge, and good communication skills are needed. Objective: To add value, technical diversity and a positive energy to the workplace.

9. Education in reverse chronological order Include schools attended beyond high school List major and minor(s), supply interesting details For BTC, put the expected date in parentheses: Bellingham technical College AAS - Instrumentation and Control Technology(Anticipated graduation: June 2013) Include special or interesting aspects of your program

10. Experience also in reverse order Dates of employment (2003–present) Name and location of the company (Con Edison, Brooklyn) Add specific detail that shows your organization, cooperation, responsibility with action Calling this section Experience allows you to include jobs for which you were not paid. Include: • military service • internships • volunteer positions

11. Achievements and awards • Dean’s list • Scholarships • Grants • Prizes • Nominations • Professional societies • Significant accomplishments • Committees and leadership roles

12. Use the skills section • Software programs and proficiency (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, FrontPage, AutoCad …) • Programming languages (include Visual Basic, HTML, PHP, …) • Abilities (based on experience) • Languages and language ability

13. Instrumentation Skills Section (0) • Troubleshooting, repairing, calibrating, tuning and aligning controllers • Troubleshooting, calibrating and making field repairs to control valves • Troubleshooting, calibrating and making field repairs to positioners • Troubleshooting, calibrating and making field repairs to actuators • Troubleshooting and repairing level measurement equipment• Troubleshooting transducers

14. Instrumentation Skills Section (1) • Troubleshooting and repairing vibration measurement instrumentation • Understanding of proper application of pressure rated piping/tubing fittings • Troubleshooting, calibrating, configuring and repairing electronic transmitters • Troubleshooting, calibrating, configuring and repairing DCS systems • Overhauling, repairing and calibrating displacer level controls • Using pressure test equipment

15. The Skills Section • This is where you emphasize your technical skills • Fill some skills in as a class • 1. • 2. • 3. • 4. • 5. • 6.

16. The Projects Section • Each project should have at least two bullets (focus on outcomes)Fill some projects in as a class • 1. • 2. • 3. • 4. • 5. • 6.

17. Writing an Effective Resume • Why you are writing • Organization • Presentation

18. Create an effective layout Try to interest your reader visually A clean, professional format with a little style Extra white space makes it easy to read – set margins

19. Limit font to two choices For text: a serif font like Times For headings: Arial or Helvetica are good choices to add visual interest Don’t choose non-standard fonts like or Font size should be 11 or 12 point

20. Write concisely and vigorously • A focused, targeted resume is best: • Avoid the temptation to go more than one page • Delete obvious information in order to highlight your unique qualities • Find specific, dynamic verbs: • Use present (or past) imperatives • Include each verb only once • Consult online lists of “resume action words”

21. Make lists parallel • Was responsible for staff of ten • Present reports to consultants • New reporting system was developed • Leader of monthly staff meeting • Coordinate monthly review

22. Make lists parallel • Managed staff of ten • Presented reports to consultants • Developed new reporting system • Led monthly staff meeting • Coordinated monthly review

23. Use brief style like presentations • Omit articles (a/an, the) • Use more lists than sentences • Arrange information in columns

24. Keywords(1)

25. Keywords – Student Derived Class participation, Instrumentation key words.1.2.3.4.5.6.

26. Resume Formats - Chronological • Highlight your work experience in reverse chronological order • Be sure to not leave gaps • The most widely used format for working professionals Cut off

27. Resume Formats - Functional • Highlight specific skills for which the market has high demand • Seldom used by new graduates • Frequently used to change jobs or careers Again, cut off

28. Resume Formats - Combinational • Highlight specific work experience • Highlight marketable skills • Use reverse chronological order • The best resume style for most college students I would prefer bullets

29. M Bryson This is Meagan Bryson’ssuggested layout

30. Standard Resume Sections Move toward bottom • Header • Objective • Education • Honors/Activities • Work Experience • Relevant Courses • Skills • Projects The order can be switched

31. Supporting Documentation – Cover Letter (1) • Why do I need to write a cover letter? • Use the cover letter to focus attention on elements of your background that are particularly relevant to the company • Letter acts as your verbal introduction to the employer • Send it to a person, not a place • Avoid “To Whom It May Concern,” • Worst case “Dear Recruiter:” • First sentence should tell why you are writing • “I am writing in regard to your posting listed on …” • “Dr. Wagner at UW – Eau Claire suggested that I …” • “As you may recall, I spoke with you briefly at …” • If unsolicited, indicate why you are interested in the company

32. Supporting Documentation – Cover Letter (2) • Highlight your skills • Use two to three paragraphs to given in-depth description of your selling points • Each paragraph should be stand alone (could be moved to different location in text) • Close with a promise of action • If possible, indicating that you will be contacting them in the near future to set up a mutually acceptable meeting time or to further discuss your qualifications • Nice if you can say “during my Winter Break, between December 28 and January 12, I will be in Minneapolis. I will contact your office when I arrive to arrange a possible meeting time”

33. Supporting Documentation – Cover Letter (3)

34. Supporting Documentation – References • Prepare a separate reference sheet • Use same paper as the resume itself • Bring reference sheet (and resume) with you to any interviews, job fairs, career breakfasts, … • Do not mail reference sheet with resume and cover letter • Reference sheet is a stand-alone document • Should include your Header from the resume • Try to arrange contact information in pleasing fashion • Use professional references only • Pick individuals that think highly of you • Pick individuals that are familiar with your work • Always ask your references before using their names • Be prepared to give supporting materials – courses, projects, … • Ask again if it has been a while

35. Scannable Resumes • Most large employers will scan your resume into a central database • Tips to assist the scanning process • Don’t use italics, underlining, or graphics • Use bold only for headers • Use “scanner-friendly” fonts (Serif or Sans Serif fonts) • Times New Roman, Courier, Helvetica, or Arial are good examples • Font sizes of between 9 and 12 • Use black ink on white background • Tips to assist the retrieval process • Most lookup is keyword-based • Samples: Unix, C++, Java, hardware, networking, trouble-shooting, testing, security, data mining, …

36. Tips on Delivery of Your Resume • Posting Online • “rules” are still emerging • Common mistake – formatting that doesn’t make the trip • Convert to text only • Use PDF if allowed • Proofread carefully after conversion • If they ask about salary, leave it empty • If they force salary, be honest but don’t shoot for the moon • Emailing your resume • Attach resume as a PDF document (or Word document) • 75 – 80% of companies are running Windows • Also include text version in the email message • Attachments can get dropped or filtered • Test before deploy • Send to at least three friends, ask them to print it and send it back to you

37. Miscellaneous Tips (1) • Act like a professional • Avoid cutesy or inappropriate graphics, images, formats, … • One page only • You are a fresh graduate, don’t assume that the one-page rule doesn’t apply to you! • Stick to the truth • Don’t sprinkle buzzwords in that you really don’t understand • It speaks volumes about your character when you can’t explain your own resume • Focus on achievements and results • Laundry lists of duties are not impressive

38. Miscellaneous Tips (2) • Use easy-to-read language • Winston Churchill - “Use short, old words.” • Get the words and punctuation correct • Errors and “broken English” are the kiss of death • Follow the instructions • If the company asks for specific information, then give it to them • Follow up • If you said you would call, then call • Maintain a consistent writing style • Avoid “To apply …” then “Applying …” • Avoid the use of “I” or “my”

39. Miscellaneous Tilts • Focus on you and your needs • Employers have better things to do than hear about you • They want to know “what can you do for me” • Use templates to construct your resume • Give cookie-cutter look • Lacks flexibility to your “silver bullet” • Use superlatives to emphasis your work • Great performance as … • Stick to the facts and figures – not an evaluation of yourself • Use long flowing sentences • Short and to the point • Sentence fragments are fine if they are understandable – BUT NOT IN THE COVER LETTER!!!!!

40. Don’t Make These Famous Mistakes • “Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting” • “Personal: Married, 1992 Chevrolet” • “Proven ability to track down and correct erors.” • “Disposed of $2.5 billion in assets” • “Accomplishments: Oversight of entire department” • Cover Letter: “Thank you for your consideration. I hope to hear from you shorty!”

41. Good Examples (1)

42. Good Examples (2)

43. Final thoughts … • Choose the correct tense and use it consistently • Do not ask for a particular salary • Be accurate and honest • Print it out! Do not attempt to proofread on screen

44. Writing an Effective Resume • Why you are writing • Organization • Presentation

45. Writing an Effective Resume Mahalo, Jeanne Young

46. On-Line Resources • www.collegerecruiter.com • www.developercareers.com • www.writinglettersandresumes.com • www.professional-resumes.com • www.1stresumes.com • www.a1resumes.net • http://www.localjobnetwork.com/radio/play?rp_id=191Title: Minding Your P's and Q's - The 1-Page Job Proposal • Featured Guests: Joanna Riley Weidenmiller & Tim Muma (20 minutes) • www.10minuteresume.com • www.crsresume.com • www.resumeservice.com Free Not Free

47. Another perspective On the key sections:

48. The Header Section • The first line should be your name • Larger than the largest font used in body • Avoid using decorative fonts • Don’t use black or gray shaded backgrounds • Exclude titles Mr., Mrs., Ms., … • Include contact address • Permanent address • Current address • Include your email address • Use your UWEC email address • Don’t use “BIGBOY@HOT_MAIL.COM” • Include your phone number • Change the message machine to be appropriate

49. The Objective Section • Considered optional but I strongly suggest including it • Make statement clear, concise, and to the point • Bad: “I want to get a job” • Weak: “To attain an internship in the computer industry.” • Good: “To attain an internship in the computer industry working with database or network security.” • Avoid being overly specific to single company • “To attain a position at 3M Pharmaceuticals working on …” • I prefer objectives from the company’s perspective • “To attain a web application programming position where knowledge of Java and the Struts framework will add value the overall development process.”

50. The Honors/Activities Section This section should scream “I am a leader” • Should only contain honors and awards earned during your time in college • You can include academic or extracurricular items • I prefer only academic or service-related items • Include a brief description if not self-evident from title • “Award given to top performer on the capstone exam” • Don’t include hobbies or activities not related to the job or your story • Good to include leadership positions in Instrumentation organizations • Good to list membership in Instrumentation organizations • Don’t include volunteer work unless there is a direct and positive link with the job or your story