2. TODAY WE’LL COVER
Why do you need a résumé?
Anatomy of a résumé
Optimal Résumé
The basics
Common résumé sections
Grab their attention
Don’t include
3. WHY DO YOU NEED A RÉSUMÉ?
Introduces you to prospective
employers
Highlights your qualifications
(i.e., strengths, skills, accomplishme
nts, and knowledge) relevant to the
requirements of a job
Demonstrates your writing skills
Shows that you can present
information in an
organized, concise, and professional
manner
Opens the door for an interview
4. ANATOMY OF A RÉSUMÉ
http://www.
youtube.co
m/watch?v
=oMC_Xp8
i4Lo
6. THE BASICS
Font: 12 point Arial or
Times New Roman font
Layout: 1” – 1½ ”
margins, centered
Limit the use of
italics, underlines, bold
type face, and CAPS
List things in reverse
chronological order
Include plenty of white
space
7. THE BASICS…
Length: One page for
undergrads (unless they
have done
extensive, relevant work)
File name: Use a
professional name with
the type of doc it is, ex.
“DManente_AccountingRé
sumé.doc”
Paper: Heavy – quality
résumé paper, white or off
white
Edit like your life depends
on it
Have someone proofread
it then read it out loud
8. COMMON RÉSUMÉ SECTIONS
• Profile OR Summary of Qualifications?
• Education
• Relevant Coursework / Course Highlights
• Experience / Volunteer Work
• Extracurricular Activities / Associations
• Awards
• Other topics that you may want to consider…
9.
10. COMMON RESUME SECTIONS
• Need to show how you have
been productive
• Employer is interested in what
you have to offer them and
how you can make THEIR job
easier
11.
12. COMMON RESUME SECTIONS
Profile OR Summary of
Qualifications
• Three to five bullet points
• Use key points that qualify you for the
particular job
• What makes you SPECIAL
Example:
• Recent graduate who maintained a 3.8 GPA
while working full-time
• Recognized as Who’s Who Among College
Students, 2013
• Implemented a tracking system for accounts
payable/receivable while working as an intern
13. COMMON RESUME SECTIONS
Education
• Degrees you received and ones you expect to
receive (“Anticipated Graduation: May 2013”)
• Once you have a bachelor degree you can
omit references to associate degrees
Example:
Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting
Post University, Waterbury, CT
May 2013; GPA 3.8
14. COMMON RESUME SECTIONS
Relevant Coursework/Course
Highlights
ACCOUNTING COURSEWORK
Managerial Accounting
Accounting Information Systems
Business Law
International Financial Management
Cost Accounting
Federal Income Taxes
Analysis of Financial Statements
Corporate Finance
15. COMMON RESUME SECTIONS
Experience / Volunteer Work:
• Full-Time / Part-Time employment
• Internships / Volunteer work
• Winter / Summer employment
Example:
• Implemented a new tracking system for accounts
payable while working as an intern
• Managed a staff of seven while working as shift
supervisor at Dunkin Donuts during summer break
• Volunteered as a coordinator for the “Komen Race
for a Cure” for four seasons
16. COMMON RESUME SECTIONS
Extracurricular Activities /
Associations
• Organizations you have participated in
• Leadership / officer positions held
• Hobbies, sports, or other activities you have
participated in
• Competitive sports experiences
Awards
• Awards or Honors you received at each of your
educational institutes
• Awards you received while being a part of a team /
volunteer accomplishments / associations, etc.
17. COMMON RESUME SECTIONS
Other Topics To Consider
• Study abroad, include foreign travel
• Foreign languages that you speak fluently or with a very
high proficiency
• Military experience and achievements
Optimal Résumé provides a variety of
customized resumes with section sets
designed by the APM’s of every major.
19. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
KNOW YOURSELF
Skills and Accomplishments
Mission or Vision
Values and Interests
Knowledge
Strengths and Weaknesses
Goals
What is your Action Plan?
20. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
BRAND YOURSELF
• What is your expertise?
• What are you about?
• What have you done in
relation to the job you are
interested in?
• What transferrable skills are
you expected to have
regarding this job or
career, and connect the ones
you have to the job you seek
21. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
Include the Skills and
Responsibilities that
you’ve gained at each
employment experience
by using examples.
22. 1. Take the job
description and
highlight or
circle the
requirements, s
kills, and
keywords that
are important.
2. Analyze the job
description and
think about how
you meet their
needs.
23. JOB REQUIREMENT/KEYWORDS
HOW DO I QUALIFY?
Fast-paced
Worked at McDonalds
Self-starter, work independently
Classes – required to work within deadlines and follow strict research
guidelines; GPA 3.7
Website development, branding, marketing
Internship – Kept company intranet updated and accurate. Logged
hundreds of hours researching marketing trends, branding techniques, and
topics related to website development then presented the findings to the
advertising staff - required to write weekly reports.
Strong communication skills: writing, verbal
Internship - Wrote weekly reports and presented minutes at weekly
meetings
Time management skills - Can prioritize and is organized
McDonalds – Had to prioritize and be organized to survive working at
McDonalds
Computer skills
Accustomed to working with Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook
Leadership skills
Acted as shift leader and trainer at McDonalds
26. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
INSTEAD OF
REPLACE WITH
Helped
Facilitated
Worked
Produced
Acted as
Mediated
Responsible for
Managed
Entered
Categorized
27. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
By beginning each bulleted
accomplishment statement with a strong
action verb, this highlights your successes
and allows the reader to get a sense of
your skills.
It is a good idea to vary the action verbs on
your resume in order to demonstrate the
vocabulary of a college graduate.
28. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
Strong action verbs can bring your résumé
and cover letter to life by helping convey
the image of a successful “doer.”
Use these words to describe your
accomplishments and bring power to your
message.
29. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
Do not write about tasks or
menial duties. Write about
active accomplishments or
results.
Always QUALIFY yourself!!
30. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
In order to grab an
employer’s attention you
need to understand…
WHAT BENEFIT CAN
YOU PROVIDE IF THEY
HIRE YOU?
31. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
You need to use results and
accomplishments to qualify
yourself with ways you displayed
or grew your:
Communication skills
Inter-personal skills
Leadership skills
Dedication
32. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
You need to use results and
accomplishments to qualify
yourself with ways you displayed
or grew your:
Self-motivation
Self-confidence
The ability to handle high
pressure situations
Research skills and writing skills
33. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
According to a Spring 2013 study by National
Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), there
are certain skills employers want in the people they
hire.
They are:
• Decision making and problem solving
• Planning, organizing, and prioritizing with little
supervision
• Analytical
• Verbal communication
• Technical knowledge and computer proficiency
• Ability to write and edit reports accurately
• Ability to influence others and sell an idea
34. GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
• Analytical skills
• Verbal communication skills
• Technical knowledge and computer
proficiency
• Ability to write and edit reports
accurately
• Ability to influence others and sell an
idea
35. DON’T INCLUDE
“Objective”
High school information
Associate degrees if you’re completing a Bachelor
Don’t use pronouns
Anything that could discriminate you:
Age
Race
Religion
Children
Marital status
Graphics or pictures
References
36. REFERENCES
DON’T INCLUDE
These are people who can vouch for your professional
character and who know you well in regards to your
experience, abilities and work accomplishments
Have a separate sheet prepared and ready
Consider asking for letters of recommendation
Keep it short and simple – use three to five people
Always ask permission and know what people
would say about you before you use them
Have that discussion with them so you can talk
about it if asked, “What would people say about
you if I spoke with them?”
37. RECAP
Why do you need a résumé?
Start with Optimal Résumé
The basics
Common résumé sections
Grab their attention
Don’t include
38. WE CAN HELP
•Résumé writing
•Letter writing
•Effective interviewing
•Job search strategies should you want:
• Full-Time / Part-Time employment
• Internships
• Winter / Summer employment
Today we are going to talk about the impact of a resume, go over some simple basics and things that you need to know in order to make your resume work the best way it can so you have optimal results.
A résumé is a universally recognized job-hunting tool that is as unique as you are a person. It is marketing tool meant to attract the attention of its readers. It does not get you the job. However, it is a critical tool to help open the door for an interview.
People spend an average of 6.28 seconds looking at your resume and they only look at the top third part before they decide if they want to continue reading or throw it away. Therefore, this section needs to utilize the most out of the valuable real estate on the resume by grabbing the readers attention in the first few seconds and compel them to want to pick up the phone and call you for an interview. Talk about folding the resume in thirds and how most people never read past the top third part of a resume. Take the idea of writing, “A challenging and rewarding position as a public accountant.” Of course you want a challenging and rewarding career or else you wouldn’t be applying. Writing an “objective” goes without being said. In that case, you should not waste that valuable real estate space on your resume when you could be including something more relevant as to why the employer should hire you.
Whether you call this section Profile or Summary of Qualifications…it’s up to you, but don’t use both at the same time. Some people call it Profile of Qualifications, some call it Professional Summary…whatever you do decide to call it, just remember…it is NOT called both “Profile or Summary of Qualifications.” You need to chose one title but don’t use both at the same time. The only reason I am saying this is because….
Go to Optimal Resume and show customized templates.
Explain the 6.28 seconds and how people only look at the top third part of a resume. Therefore, this section needs to utilize the most out of the valuable real estate on the resume by grabbing the readers attention in the first few seconds and compel them to want to pick up the phone and call you for an interview. Talk about folding the resume in thirds and how most people never read past the top third part of a resume.
The way you are going to grab an employers attention is by the way you use action verbs to qualify yourself.
Use this slide as an activity. The REPLACE section should be wiped out and will appear after each click.
A recent study done by Yahoo Finance found that the most common criticism by employers and hiring personal when looking for a new employee is thatinterviewees don’t connect well what they could contribute to what it was the employer needed. It’s critical that you understand that by knowing and connecting the role you would play in the employer’s future is what will lead the employer to understand and envision why they should hire you. This is called qualifying yourself….it’s all about knowing what benefit you bring to the table…..what are your skills, what have you done and how can you make the employer’s life and job easier?