MPH Resume Preparation Amy Rothenberg, Director Office of Career Services

1. MPH ResumePreparation Amy Rothenberg, Director Office of Career Services

2. A Great Resume…. • Markets you to potential employers • Offers a great first impression of you! • Provides concise and well-written information about you as a job candidate • Convinces the employer that you “have what it takes” (to be successful in the job and the company) • Catches the reader’s attention/interest • Lands you an interview!

3. Your Resume… • Is a reflection of you as a professional in terms of its content – and its preparation! (take time to do it right!) • Highlights your: • Skills • Knowledge • Abilities • Traits related to profession/job • Your professional accomplishments

4. Skills of the 21st Century • Communication skills-written & oral; appropriate business communications and tone • Ability to analyze and synthesize data • Ability to work with diverse populations and use awareness of diversity to contribute to organizations’ bottom line • Problem-solving skills and an ability to create appropriate solutions • Initiative • Flexible and adaptable to change

5. Public Health • The field of public health is highly varied and encompasses many academic disciplines. However, public health is mainly composed of the following core areas: • Behavioral Science/Health Education • · Biostatistics • · Emergency Medical Services • · Environmental Health • · Epidemiology • · Health Services Administration/Management • · International/Global Health • · Maternal and Child Health • · Nutrition • · Public Health Laboratory Practice • · Public Health Policy • Public Health Practice

6. Research and Self-Reflection • Knowledge • Skills • Tools and Technology • Abilities • Work Activities • Work context • Work values

7. Resume Components • Professional Heading (name, address, phone number(s); e-mail address) • Professional Summary (if experience warrants it: several sentences detailing your knowledge, skills and qualifications, industries • Education (may include honors &/or advanced coursework) • Licenses and Certifications • Experience (could be one heading or broken out into sub-categories: “Related” and , “Additional”; both can include volunteer experience) • Skills (computer and/or language) • Association Memberships • Extracurricular Activities & Leadership

8. Guidelines for Listing Experience • Name of employer, city, state, title, dates: XYX Company, Brooklyn, NY 6/2009-2/2010 Health Training Intern • Reverse chronological order, most recent first • Most relevant information at top • Separate into categories relevant to employers • Include work experience, internships, volunteer experience • Bullet points-not too many • Lead with Action Verbs! • Details! P-A-R

9. Before University of North Carolina 9/08 - 5/2010 Intern • Interviewed senior citizens • Performed analysis of information • Produced reports If you were an employer receiving this description on a resume, what would you think about this? What questions would you have about this candidate’s experience? What revisions would you suggest?

10. After! • University of North Caroline, Chapel Hill, NC • School of Public Health • Community Health Intern 2008-2009 • ● Completed a comprehensive assessment of strengths and needs of • senior citizens in Rockingham County • ● Worked in collaborative student teams to conduct 10 focus groups and 20 • one-on-one key informant interviews to gather and access current needs • ● Reviewed, coded and analyzed qualitative data to identify themes • relevant to the community • ● Facilitated small group discussion using adult education techniques to • develop community owned action steps • ● Formulated results and made recommendations in a report distributed • to community members for continued use. • Adapted from, University of North Caroline, School of Public Health • Healthhttp://www.sph.unc.edu/student_affairs/revamp_your_resume_and_cv_3312_7829.html

11. Resume Basics • Make sure you include the degree you are pursuing at LIU prior to other schools attended -include Expected • Be consistent in formatting-font usage/size/aligned headings – placement, caps/lowercase • Avoid typos, grammatical errors, etc. • Maintain balance of details and brevity-Paint a picture • Avoid TMI – ask ‘what do I want employer to know • about this (experience, etc.)?’, ‘is this information going to identify me as a strong candidate?’ ‘What questions would employer have about this ?’ • Do not include personal information

12. Resume Basics • Most relevant information on the top • People read from the top down and left to right • Heading include address, telephone, email • Objective (optional) not to vague • Make sure to include transferable skills – research the skills needed in the positions • Heading – include address/conservative email address • Vary action verbs • Check for verb tense (past positions/past tense)

13. Describing Your Experience • Focus on: Skills, Knowledge, Abilities you possess • Target it toward the positions you are applying to • Use language this is customary in the industry • Describe your experiences using appropriate Action Verbs-What are some examples? • Provide scope of role/organization • Where possible use results statements and be specific Problem  Action  Results (Accomplishments) • Be truthful!

14. Take just a minute to sign up and it will save you hours in the job search later! MyCareerKey • Online Job Database • Sign up and you will be able to: • Search for jobs employers post specifically for LIU students • Allow employers search and look at your resume • Receive e-newsletters about employment opportunities & upcoming employer and career information events • And much more! • Create a profile at: https://mycareerkey.brooklyn.liu.edu/liu-brooklyn/student

15. Some Helpful Websites • Association of School s of Public Health • http://asph.org/ • What is Public Health • http://whatispublichealth.org/careers • American Public Health Associations • http://apha.org • http:// www.publichealthjob.net • CDC Training and Fellowship opportunities • http://www.cdc.gov/phtrain/public_health_training.html • NIH – Public Health Program Specialist position • http://www.jobs.nih.gov/positions/admin/publichealthprogramspec.htm • http://www.publichealthjobs.net

16. Come to Career Services! • Pratt 510 - 718.488.1042 • Visit our Website (through Campus Home Page) • Register for MyCareerKey • https://mycareerkey.brooklyn.liu.edu/liu-brooklyn/student

17. What can I answer for you?