Resumes Today Best Practices & Current Trends

1. Resumes TodayBest Practices & Current Trends

2. Agenda • Welcome & Administrative Notes • Your Expectations • Resume Prelude • Resume Musts, Myths, Do’s & Don’ts • Resume Writing, Strategy, and Formats • Cover Letters and Thank-you Notes • Marketing Yourself

3. Welcome & Administrative Notes A&FRC Marketing Breaks Smoking Areas Cell phones SIP

4. Pre-Assessment • Please complete the Pre-Assessment. At the end of the briefing you will complete the Post Assessment and the correct responses will be provided. • The A&FRC uses this Pre & Post Assessment to ensure you have met the learning objectives we have outlined to be covered during today’s presentations. • The additional questions at the end of the Post Assessment are used for the purpose of meeting your needs and customer services demographics. • Thank You for your assistance in improving our programs and services.

5. Your Expectations • What are your expectations of this workshop? • What have you learned about resumes, cover letters, thank-you notes? • What have you learned about networking? • What are your fears in the job search? • What assumptions do you have?

6. Resume Prelude Before we proceed any further with writing a resume, you will need to begin by defining your career objective or job objectives-specifically, the types of positions, companies, and industries in which you are interested. This is critical, because otherwise you will produce a mediocre resume and have more difficulty in your job search.

7. Resume Musts • Identify who you are and your value to the employer • Be easy to skim and easy to read • Be well-written and error-free • Be the foundation for online profiles, interview messages, networking, cover letters…everything else involved in career transition and career management

8. Resume Myths • “Must be” 1 page. • “Must be” 2 pages. • “Must have” an objective. • “Should never have” and objective. • “Must be” chronological. • “Should always be” functional for career changers/return-to-work/new grads.

9. There are no rules in resume writing. The answer to every question: “It depends.” Best decisions are based upon unique circumstances. The ultimate purpose of a resume is to make you appear to be the ideal candidate for your dream job. It is not a biography or a career obituary…it is a candidate marketing document.

10. Resume Do’s • Make your resume “Scan-able” • List Quantifiable Achievements • Use Standard Headings

11. Resume Do’s Cont’d • Speak in Problem Action Result (PAR) terms. • Use Strong Verbs. • Use Industry Keywords. • Marketing Keywords • Brand Management • Brand Marketing • Budgets • Business Writing • Case Studies • Copyediting • Copywriting • Communication • Community Relations • Consensus Building • Consumer Products • Corporate Communications • Crisis Management • Customer Sensitivity • Demographics • Direct Mail • Direct Marketing • E-Marketing • Event Management • Global Marketing Plans • Innovation • Integrated Marketing • Internet Publishing • Market Research Responsible for

12. Resume Do’s Cont’d • Try To Make A One - Two Page Resume. • Use Page Numbers. • Be Unique. • Show Personality.

13. Resume Don’ts • Use “dead” words. • Develop a strange Resume. • Ramble on your Resume. Responsible for Experiencedin Excellent written communication skills Team Player Detail Oriented Successful Goal driven Flexible Motivated Strong work ethic Reliable Multi-tasker Independent Self motivated

14. Resume Don’ts • Use “dead” words. • Develop a strange Resume. • Ramble on your Resume. Brad Cronkite

15. Resume Don’ts • Use “dead” words. • Develop a strange Resume. • Ramble on your Resume. • Responsible for making and taking and raking and baking while snaking and breaking to fit some of the work and … • Or • Bullet 1 • Bullet 2 • Bullet 3 • . • . • . • Bullet 19

16. Resume Don’ts • Leave out accomplishments. • List selfish 0bjective. • Develop a generic Resume. I would like a job where I can work and be employed and get some money and use my skills and be able to watch my kids and is close to home.

17. Resume Don’ts • List wrong dates and titles. • Spill your guts. • List too much personal information. • Rely on Spell Check. I was fired! I like long walks on the beach Eye can knot seam two spell very whale!

18. Top Strategies for an Effective Resume 1.Who Are You and How Do You Want to be Perceived? (Identify your career interests, goals and objectives.) • Who are you: • How do you want to be perceived:

19. Resume Strategy #2: Sell It to Me…Don’t Tell It to Me 2. Sell It to Me…Don’t Tell It to Me • If you “tell it,” you are simply stating facts. • If you “sell it,” you promote it, advertise it, and draw attention to it. Tell It Strategy: Managed start-up of a new employee call center. Sell It Strategy: Directed team of 12 in successful start-up, staffing, policy/procedure development, budgeting, and operations design for new $1.4M call center.

20. Resume Strategy #2 Cont’d: Sell It to Me…Don’t Tell It to Me Tell It Strategy: Coordinated all secretarial, clerical, and Administrative functions for large commodities export company. Sell It Strategy: Implemented a series of process improvements that reduced staffing requirements 20%, increased daily productivity 30%, and reduced billing errors 4% for large commodities export company. Full responsibility for all secretarial, clerical, and administrative functions.

21. Resume Strategy #3: Use Keywords 3. Use Keywords: • Use keywords in your resume, in your cover letter and during an interview to communicate a specific message. • Keywords can be found in duties, experience and qualification sections of job announcements. • Keywords are a major component of the resume scanning process. • Incorporate keywords naturally into text within appropriate sections of resume.

22. Resume Strategy #4: Use the “Big” and Save the “Little” • “Use the “Big” and Save the “Little” • Focus on the “big” things – new programs, special projects, cost savings, and productivity. • Give a good, broad-based picture of what you were responsible for and how well you did it. • Save the “little” stuff – the details - for the interview.

23. Resume Strategy #5: Make Your Resume “Interviewable” 5. Make Your Resume “Interviewable” • Make sure your resume leads the reader where you want to go and presents just the right organization, content, and appearance to stimulate a productive discussion. • Make good use of Strategy #4 (Use the “Big” and Save the “Little’) to invite further discussion about experiences. • Feature “selling point” prominently and not bury within resume. • Make sure resume is highly readable – plenty white space, adequate font size, and logical flow.

24. Strategy #6: Eliminate Confusion With Structure and Context 6. Be Consistent: Put job titles, company names, and dates in the same place for each position. Make information easy to findby clearly defining different sections of your resume with large, highly visible headings.

25. Resume Strategy #7: Use Function to Demonstrate Achievement 7. When you write a resume that focuses only on your job functions, it can be dry and uninteresting, and it will say very little about your unique activities and contributions. BEFORE: Responsible for all aspects of consumer lending at the branch level. AFTER: Processed and approved more than $30M in secured and unsecured consumer loans for Wachovia’s largest branch operation in Memphis, Tennessee. Achieved and maintained a less-than 2% write off for unrecoverable loans (18% less than the industry average).

26. Resume Strategy #8: Remain in the Realm of Reality We have already established that resume writing is sales. In this market it is imperative that you stay within the realm of reality. Do not push your skills outside the bounds of what is truthful. You do not want to be in a position where you have to defend something that you’ve written on your resume.

27. Resume Strategy #9: Be Confident You are unique – there is only one individual with the specific combination of employment experience, qualifications, achievements, education and special skills that you have. To succeed, you must prepare a resume that is written to sell you and highlight your qualifications and your successes as they relate to your goals.

28. Content Standards • Content is the text that goes into your resume. • Content standards cover: • The writing style you should use, • Items you should be sure to include, • Items you should avoid including, and • The order and format in which you list your qualifications.

29. Content Standards Writing Style: Always write in the first person, dropping the word “I”. First Person Supervise operation, installation, inspections, testing, and repair of $2M of equipment. Third Person Mr. Davis supervises operation, installation, inspections, testing, and repair of $2M of equipment.

30. Phrases to Stay Away From • Try Not to Use : • “Responsible for” • “Duties included” (These words create a passive tone and style. Use verbs to describe what you did.) BEFORE: Responsible for all marketing and special events for the store, including direct mailing, in-store fashion shows, and new-product introductions and promotions. AFTER: Orchestrated a series of marketing and special-event programs for Macy’s Reston, one of the company’s largest and most profitable operating locations. Managed direct-mail campaigns, in-store fashions, and new-product introductions and promotions.

31. Resume Style • Chronological: Lists your work in reverse chronological order (starting with your current or most recent position). • Functional: Deemphasizes the “where” and “when” of your career and instead groups similar experience, talents, and qualifications regardless of when they occurred. • Combination/Hybrid: Lists both skills and chronology

32. Resume Format: Paragraph Business Manager 2000 to 2010 Smith Ag Production Company, Garnerville, Arkansas Purchased run-down, debt-ridden farming operation and transformed it into a near showplace, honored as one of the best commercial Angus operations in southern Arkansas. Developed a far-reaching network throughout the agricultural industry and with leaders with state government, banking, and commercial lending. Hired, trained and supervised all employees. Managed budgets of $750K annually and more than $2M in operating lines of credit. Directed the sale/purchase of all commodities to support business operations. Advantages: Requires least amount of space on page. Brief, succinct, and to the point. Disadvantages: Achievements get lost in text of paragraph. They are not visually distinctive, nor do they stand alone to draw attention.

33. Resume Format: Bulleted Business Manager 2000 to 2010 Smith Ag Production Company, Garnerville, Arkansas • Purchased run-down, debt-ridden farming operation and transformed it into a near showplace, honored as one of the best commercial Angus operations in southern Arkansas. • Developed a far-reaching network throughout the agricultural industry and with leaders with state government, banking, and commercial lending. • Hired, trained and supervised all employees. • Managed budgets of $750K annually and more than $2M in operating lines of credit. • Directed the sale/purchase of all commodities to support business operations. Advantages: Quick and easy to peruse Disadvantages: Responsibilities are lumped together, with everything given equal value. The achievements get lost and are not immediately recognizable.

34. Resume Format: Combination Business Manager 2000 to 2010 Smith Ag Production Company, Garnerville, Arkansas Hired, trained, and supervised all employees. Managed budgets of $750K annually and more than $2M in operating lines of credit. Directed the sale/purchase of all commodities to support business operations. • Purchased run-down, debt-ridden farming operation and transformed it into a near showplace, honored as one of the best commercial Angus operations in southern Arkansas. • Developed a far-reaching network throughout the agricultural industry and with leaders with state government, banking, and commercial lending. Advantages: Clearly presents overall responsibilities in introductory paragraph and then accentuates each achievement as a separate bullet. Disadvantages: May shine a glaring light on positions where accomplishments are less notable.

35. Presentation Standards Presentation focuses on the way your resume looks. Typestyle Type Size Type Enhancements Page Length Paper Color Graphics Color White Space

36. Choose a Commonly Acceptable Typestyle/Font Arial Arial Narrow Book AntiquaBookman Garamond Georgia Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet Verdana Additionally, for headlines/emphasis Arial Black Impact Increasingly coming into use – now default on newer Windows PCs Calibri Cambria

37. Type Size Very readable in 9-point Verdana: Won the 2009 “Employee of the Year” award at Chrysler’s Indianapolis plant. Honored for innovative contributions to the design and manufacturability of the Zodiac product line. Difficult to read in too-small 9-point Gill Sans MT: Won the 2009 “Employee of the Year” award at Chrysler’s Indianapolis plant. Honored for innovative contributions to the design and manufacturability of the Zodiac product line. Concise and readable in 12-point Times New Roman: Training & Development consultant specializing in the design, development, and presentation of multimedia training programs for hourly workers, skilled labor, and craftsmen. A bit overwhelming in too-large 12-point Bookman Old Style: Training & Development consultant specializing in the design, development, and presentation of multimedia training programs for hourly workers, skilled labor, and craftsmen.

38. Type Enhancements Bold, italics, underlining, and CAPITALIZATION are ideal to highlight certain words, phrases, achievements, projects, numbers, and other information to which you want to draw special attention. NOTE: Resumes intended for electronic transmission and computer scanning have specific restrictions on typestyle, type size and type enhancements.

39. Reasons for More Than Two Pages • Extensive list of technical qualifications that are relevant to the position you are applying for. • Extensive educational training and numerous credentials/certifications, all of which are important to include. • Extensive list of special projects, task forces, and committees to include that are important to career objective. • Extensive list of professional honors, awards and commendations.

40. Presentation Standards Cont’d • Paper Color: white, ivory, and light gray • Graphics: Attractive and relevant • Color: Tasteful and does not interfere with readability. • White Space: Readability is everything!

41. Accuracy and Perfection The very final step, and the most critical, is the proofreading stage. • Must be well-written; visually pleasing; and free of errors. • Proofread a minimum of three times and have two other people proofread.

42. The Beginning at the END… Your resume is a marketing tool written to sell YOU for your next opportunity! Now, let’s get to work.

43. Parts of the Resume • Contact Information (Name, Address, Telephone Number(s), Email Address • Career Summary • Professional Experience • Education, Credentials, and Certifications • The “Extras”

44. Your Name Lynn T. Cowles (Mr.) (Ms.) Quinn Hill Tzirina (Irene) Kahn Ndege “Nick” Vernon Rose M. Hill 618-256-8668 * rose.hill@gmail.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/rosehill sexypants@email.com

45. Career Summary Various Titles: Career Summary Management Profile Career Achievements Professional Qualifications Career Highlights Professional Summary Career Synopsis Profile Executive Profile Summary Expertise Summary of Achievements Highlights of Experience Summary of Qualifications

46. Career Summary Formats Headline Format: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL Telecommunications Products, Solutions & technologies MBA, Executive Management, Harvard University Cornell University Executive Sales Leadership Paragraph Format: CAREER SUMMARY TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL with proven expertise in the design and implementation of cost-effective staff training, e-learning, customer service, sales, management, and marketing programs. Recognized for innovation and creativity in designing real-world training programs that focus on development of core skills and competencies.

47. Professional Experience Various Titles: PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE SUMMARY EMPLOYMENT HISTORY RELEVANT EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE

48. Professional Experience Formats Challenge, Action and Results (CAR) Format: EXPERIENCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS Corporate Sales Manager 2006 to Present DOLINVEST CORPORATION Chicago, Illinois Challenge: Plan and execute a complete turnaround, revitalization, and return to profitability of nonperforming Chicago metro region for $20M specialty gifts manufacturer. Action: Revitalized relationships with more than 300 accounts, negotiated credit line to support corporate cash requirements, recruited talented staff and management teams, and launched a massive cost-reduction initiative. Results: * Achieved/surpassed all turnaround objectives and returned operations to profitability in first year. * Won the company’s 2008 Leadership Achievement Award * Eliminated more than $2.8M in excess spending and reduced annual contractor fees by more than 30%.

49. Education, Credentials, and Certifications Academic Credentials Format: EDUCATION M.S., Counseling Psychology, University of Akron, 2001 B.S., Psychology, University of Miami, 1999 Highlights of Continuing Professional Education: • Organizational Management & Leadership, Ohio Leadership Association, 2008 • Industrial Relations, Purdue University, 2007 Licensed Clinical Psychologist, State of Ohio, 2001 to Present Licensed Recreational Therapist

50. Education, Credentials, and Certifications Executive Education Format: EDUCATION Executive Leadership Program……………………………………………….STANFORD UNIVERSITY Executive Development Program……………………………………..NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Master of Business Administration (MBA)…………HARVARD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Bachelor of Science………………………………..…………………..UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA