Resume Writing & Interview Skills

1. Resume Writing & Interview Skills English III Ms. Binette

2. Start with the basics… • Do not reinvent the wheel (unless you want to). There are MANY resume templates out there – use one • Your resume has 30 seconds to impress an employer • Resumes should be ONE page • It will NOT matter how good you are if your resume is bad!!! • Your resume gets you the interview, not the job • First Impressions are critical. Make sure you always make a good, lasting impression!

3. Career ObjectiveThis section isn’t on your high school resume example but is usually on professional resumes as the first heading • KEEP IT SIMPLE • Be specific – this is like the thesis statement of your resume! • Target it to the position • Name the position you are applying for • Remember the employer’s needs • Avoid clichés • Examples: • Seeking position as Assistant Account Manager for John Hancock in the New York office • Seeking entry-level social work position utilizing counseling and organizational skills

4. Education • State your degree and your declared major/minor • Include your GPA if OVER 3.0 • Include honors/awards • List related courses or class projects

5. Experience • Don’t leave the employer guessing • Use bullets to list duties and accomplishments • ACTION WORDS: use present tense for current jobs and past tense for previous jobs • Use figures whenever possible • Examples: • Provide information and customer service • Investigate cases of child abuse or neglect in seven counties • Generated sales and increased quarterly profits by 10% • Analyzed data and conducted psychological research • Trained staff of 18

6. Your Resume… SHOULD SHOULD NOT • Be on professional paper • Include correct contact information and email address • List ALL skills • Use bullets • Everything MUST be uniform and consistent • Be familiar with information on resume • Use flashy paper or fonts • Give personal information • Include your picture • Be written in 1st Person • Be written in paragraph form • Include references on the same page • Use relatives as references

7. Before the interview you should… • RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!!! • Prepare responses to commonly asked questions • Prepare questions of your own • Decide what to wear ahead of time • Remember how important a first impression is so • Be on time • Sell yourself – tell them why you are the one to hire!

8. Writing Resumes For Fictional Characters Your character’s resume would tell a potential employer why the character is right for a particular job in a one-page document. The character’s resumes should include these sections: • Character Name • Contact Info • Job Objective or Career Goal • Character Skills & Qualifications • Character’s Education • Honors/Awards • Character’s Work Experience • Extracurricular Activities/Volunteer Work

9. P&P character Resume • Pick a character you are interested in! • Make sure you have all the elements on your resume from the checklist/rubric • Prove how well you know this character – use details from the book – we’ve talked a lot about how Austen develops her characters • Have fun with this! This is a place in your portfolio where you can be entertaining and creative! • But, stick with your character! Do not include random details that wouldn’t support the character Austen presents to the reader! • Type your resume! Use a template if you like but it must be formatted like a professional resume – this is good practice for you! • Drafts due: March 12/13 (Final draft due with portfolio!)