CV/Resume & Cover Letter Writing for Non-Academic Careers

1. CV/Resume & Cover Letter Writingfor Non-Academic Careers Brian Rybarczyk, Ph.D.brybar@unc.eduDirector, Academic & Professional Development The Graduate School UNC Chapel Hill

2. Career Development • LinkedIn Lab – Oct 14, 3:30-5pm • Teaching Statement – Oct 22, noon-1:30pm • Interviewing for Academic Positions – Oct 28, 3:30-5pm • Career Symposium – Sat. November 1 • Masters/PhD Career Fair – Nov 20 • Etiquette Luncheon – January 2015

3. Goals • Learn about structures and conventions of application materials • Compare resumes and CVs • Analyze job ads to help structure cover letters • Increase your confidence in applying for non-academic positions - transferable skills • Tailor your own CV and cover letter

4. Career Trajectory: Master’s Source: Wendler, C. et al. (2012) Pathways Through Graduate School into Careers. Educational Testing Service.

5. Career Trajectory: Doctorate Source: Wendler, C. et al. (2012) Pathways Through Graduate School into Careers. Educational Testing Service.

6. Job Position Cover Letter CV/resume Other Application Materials References/letters

7. How long do prospective employers look at your CV/resume and cover letter? A) 30 seconds B) 2-3 minutes C) 20 minutes D) throughout the hiring process

8. What Are “They” REALLY Looking For? • Communication Skills • Experience • Productivity • Specific skill set based on position • Other qualifications specified in job ad

9. Academic Non-Academic Critical thinking Team work/collaboration Communication skills Business acumen Project management Application to new situations Experience Creativity Organization • Area of research/scholarship • Productivity: pubs & presentations • Teaching • Grant writing • Fit with potential colleagues

10. Strategy Development Process to Achieve Competitive Advantage Distinctive Competencies – Differentiation Advantage Or Cost Advantage Resources Value Creation Strategy Capabilities What do you have to offer that they want? Activity 1: What’s your Differentiation Advantage? http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/competitive-advantage/

11. EXPERIENCE You can translate the experience you have to the job you’re applying to Either you have it OR

12. Skills? What Skills? Supervision Skills: • Scheduling and monitoring groups • Managing conflict • Train, coach, coordinate events • Develop new ideas, solutions

13. Skills! Interpersonal and Communications: • Public speaking, professional presentations, lectures • Writing, editing • Performance feedback to students • Mediation, counseling, collaboration

14. And more Skills! Research and Planning skills: • Creating new ideas • Problem-solving • Identifying resources, synthesizing information • Analysis, program development, outcome evaluation • Documentation • Research

15. What Can You Do? • Who and what you know – connect with others working outside of academia • Networking is crucial, most jobs found through contacts, not blanketing job ads • Reframe education (transferable skills) • Convince expert (hiring manager) and nonexpert (HR person) to move your application along • Keywords, targeting works

16. What if… • I don’t have a lot of publications? • Explain type of research/project • Describe progress of the project • I don’t have the right skills to match job? • Seek out opportunities to gain experience • Think about projects differently • May not be the right job for you • I have experience in other areas… • Highlight transferable skills • Management skills, project development, teaching, organization

17. Cover Letter Advice Action Message Know your audience Detailed and organized Can do all that is required Non selective, may not be able to fulfill responsibilities Not serious about THIS position • Address properly • Match materials to correct position • Address all aspects of the job description • Stretch your fit for the position • Missing/Generic letter

18. Non-Academic Jobs • May require a resume instead of CV • Determine the position’s priorities – reorder CV/resume • Translate skills learned to position (in cover letter) • Reframe research and teaching to match industry you’re entering…strong communication skills, complex problem solving

19. RESUME • Selective entries • Related experience • Work experience • Skills • Outcome based (results) • Quantify • Publications & presentations to highlight communication skills (selective) • Summary – highlights of experience pertaining to job description, not necessarily goals. CV • Lists everything • All academic experience • Research/teaching • Skills • Task/descriptive based • Pubs & presentations to highlight scholarly productivity (comprehensive)

20. Education Ph.D. English & Comparative Literature – A.B.D., expected 2015 Large Research University, City, State Dissertation title: Advisor: B.A. English Literature, minor Art History – Cornell University 2010

21. Teaching Experience Instructor, ENG250 – Spring 2014 Instructor, ENG322 – Fall 2013 TA for English 101 – Spring 2013

22. Teaching Experience Large Public University, City, State, Graduate Instructor, 2013- present ENGL 102 – Grammar and Structure ENGL 101 – Essentials of Language Teaching Experience Instructor, Large Public University, City, State Grammar and Structure (undergraduates, Spring 2014)Essentials of Language (undergraduates, Fall 2013) Teaching Assistant, Small School, City, State Introductory Writing (undergraduates, Fall 2012)

23. PUBLICATIONS Your name, author 2, author 3. Year. Title. Journal, Issue. GRANTS Title of grant, funding agency, duration, amount (role: PI) Exploration of North Carolina’s Water Quality, Environmental Protection Agency, 2010-2013, $10,000 (role: Director, PI: Dr. Smith)

24. RESUMESkills & Outcomes Research Experience Pubs, grants, presentations Teaching Experience Work Experience EXPERIENCE

25. Resume Experience Experience Research Assistant, UNC Chapel Hill, 2010-present • Directed two research projects focused on the development of new technology to enhance drug delivery to cancer tissue • Supervised five undergraduate students, each with unique projects, over three years • Published three papers in top science journals • Awarded $30,000 in research funding from American Cancer Society What would your Experience entry look like?

26. General Guidance • Know your audience – need to tailor documents for position and place • Describe experiences to illustrate marketable skills • Highlight results and accomplishments – not just tasks • Quantify and qualify • Break up long sentences • Be consistent – dates, formatting, etc • Absolutely no mistakes allowed – Proofread! • Importance is shown by order (top to bottom, left to right) reverse chronological order • Use text formatting to make information easy to find (i.e. bold, underlines, bullets), and headings but do not overdo it

27. DON’TS • Forget to seek assistance • Length • CV’s 3-5 for early career, 15-20 for senior scholars • Resume 1-2 pages • Include unnecessary information - i.e. interests, hobbies, martial status, age, race, and religious affiliations, astrological sign, kids names, etc. • Be humorous or cute • Be careful of CV advice from UK websites • Pad

28. Social Media • Ensure consistency • Dangers of what is public – think about transition from grad student/trainee to professional • Blogs, Facebook • LinkedIn – (more resume like than CV) • Summary important – who, what, why unique http://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelesterline show that you’re connected, you know field

29. Resources The Chronicle’s CV Doctor http://chronicle.com/article/The-CV-Doctor-Is-Back-/49086/

30. REFLECTION • Write down and commit to at least TWO follow-up action steps you will take in the next 2 weeks related to developing your resume, cover letter, job search, career development

31. Resources • Versatile PhD – Premium Content – Hiring Success Stories – samples • University Career Services - http://careers.unc.edu • Beyond Academe - http://www.beyondacademe.com/ • LinkedIn advice http://tarheelsintransit.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/writing-an-effective-linkedin-summary/ • http://www.chrisbrogan.com/write-your-linkedin-profile-for-your-future/ • Faculty and other students/postdocs in your depts • Resumes • http://careerdevelopment.brown.edu/phd/resumes_cover_letters