This presentation showcases resume styles and the elements that go into building your resume. Every job application requires unique skills, and this session will show you how to improve your resume to match the jobs to which you are applying. Additionally, we will discuss cover letters and learn about ideas to include. Every job application requires unique skills so learn ways to give you the best chance of success when applying for a new position. Learn how to take advantage of all the features when uploading a job application to a company’s applicant tracking system.

1. Resumes, Cover Letters
& Applying Online
brought to you by
Bruce A. Bennett
Career Coach Corner
October 6, 2021

2. 2
Introduction & Notes for Workshop
Introduction
MCWN Volunteer since 2010 & Contractor from 2018
Career Coach Corner Blogger & Presenter
B² Discuss LinkedIn Podcaster
General Notes for Today
My contact info is on last slide
Presentation file available on SlideShare
Workshop is interactive, Q/A & Parking lot
Red Arrows
Social Media Revolution 2019

3. 3
Outline for Workshop Today
Resume
Different Formats
Components
General Points & Mistakes
Fine Tuning Your Resume
Cover Letters
Standard Format
Comparative Style
Applying On-line
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Identify specific ATS vendors

4. 4
Goals for Workshop
Goals
Identify core elements of resume and cover letter
Restate job responsibilities into STARs
Use of Job Boards and Employer ATS
Know Thyself – Personal Intelligence

5. 5
Resources Available On-line
http://www.illinoisworknet.com/

6. 6
Resources Available On-line
Online Safety Tips for Job Seekers

7. 7
Resources Available On-line

8. 8
Not all Resumes are Created Equal
Paradigm for job search changed radically
Seven seconds - really??
One resume does not work
Customize resumes to fit job posting
Keywords from description must be in
resume
Detail work experience history by dates
Self Awareness

9. 9
Not all Resumes are Created Equal
What do you want?
Identify five job titles
Determine target companies
Research what skills are needed for those jobs
Create a spreadsheet with 3 columns
List your skills
Discover which skills are required
Ascertain any shortfalls
Decide on how to address issue
Education?
Training?
Catherine Breet Byers suggests 3 simple steps

10. 10
Resume Formats
Chronological
Details work experience history by dates
Most common & widely accepted
Functional
Highlights skills and expertise
Blended
Combo of the two
Infographic
Graphic, colorful, & creative
Marketing, graphics designer & graduates
Main drawback is not ATS friendly format
Plain Text

11. 11
Resume Formats
Chronological Resume Format
Skills Resume Format
Infographic Format
Plain Text Format
Plain Text Format File

12. 12
Resume Components
Contact information
Name
Address (printed vs. digital)
Phone number
Provide only one phone number
It does not need to be labeled
Use format 234-567-9876
Email
Update email from AOL or Yahoo
Provide a gmail address to be more “current”
LinkedIn URL

13. 13
Resume Components
Career or Professional Summary
Elevator speech scripted out
Skills, Keywords or Buzzwords and phrases
relevant to industry & skills
Work Experience
Company
Job Title
Dates (Month/Year)
Description about company and/or URL
Achievements, not duties or responsibilities
Previous performance appraisals helpful
More bullets for current position
STARs or CARs

14. 14
Resume Components
Quantify or Recognize experience
Maintained accounting records for AR and AP
Managed 1,000+ AR & AP accounts working
directly with the CFO
Answered the phone
Resolved customer issues through inbound calling
system, averaging 60 calls a day
Sold computers and printers to customers
Practiced consultative sales techniques to provide
customers with their hardware & software needs
Managed and supervised 10 staff members
Coached and developed 22 direct reports into
supervisory role positions

15. 15
Resume Components
Begin bullet points with an action verb
Use the right action verb to make a difference
Bloom's Taxonomy Action Verbs

16. 16
Resume Components
Education
College Degree, Activities, or GPA if recent grad
Acceptable to omit year from education
Continuing Education
Seminars, Workshops, Special training
Military Experience
Rank, Duties, Responsibilities, Relevant Experiences
Accomplishments
Technical or Computer Skills
Community Activities
Volunteer Experience

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General Points
White space
Two pages maximum
Font type consistency is important
Printed white paper 20#
Recruiter Relates Resume Tips
John Marty Offers More Resume Advice

18. 18
Typical Resume Mistakes
Typos
Objective
References available upon request
ABC’s of references
Providing a Home and Cell phone number
25+ years of experience
Putting a 3 page resume on 2 pages
Distracting formats and/or fonts
Overused stale
Responsible for….
Duties include

19. 19
Fine Tune Your Resume
Chrome extension - Grammarly

20. 20
Fine Tune Your Resume
Microsoft addin - Grammarly

21. 21
Fine Tune Your Resume
These websites help refine your resume
Match your key skills with job description
Empower you to get past ATS robots
www.jobscan.co
https://theprofessional.me
https://skillsyncer.com/
https://cultivatedculture.com/resume-
scanner/
This is How Job Scan Works

22. 22
JobScan.co
 www.jobscan.co - Five scans per month

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

27. 27
JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co
An upgraded JobScan version does exist

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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theprofessional.me

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theprofessional.me

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theprofessional.me

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theprofessional.me

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theprofessional.me

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SkillSyncer

38. 38
SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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Cultivated Culture

44. 44
Cultivated Culture

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Cultivated Culture

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Cultivated Culture

47. 47
Cover Letters
To Include or Not to Include

48. 48
Cover Letters
Donna Salvi, Avid Careerist, Talks Cover Letters

49. 49
Cover Letters
A recent Ladders article stressed several
changes in hiring practices post Covid-19
Recruiters say if you don’t do this, you may as
well not apply for the job
Survey by TopResume revealed these findings
A cover letter is more likely to be read - 48%
Candidate’s thank you note is more significant - 68%
Employment gaps no longer have red flag - 87%

50. 50
Cover Letters
What function does it serve?
Introduce yourself to the recruiter
State your interest in the position
Relate why you are a good fit
How to write a cover letter by ZipJob

51. 51
Cover Letters
Provides additional means of communication
Gaps in employment
Why Company or position interests you
Relevant experience or industry knowledge
Bullet points to highlight skills
No more than a few paragraphs
4 Sentence Cover Letter by Andrew LaCivita
Pain Letter by Liz Ryan
Traditional format
Comparative format

52. 52
Traditional Cover Letter Example
Header information matches resume

53. 53
Traditional Cover Letter Example
Bullets and closing statement

54. 54
Traditional Cover Letter Example

55. 55
Comparative Cover Letter Example
Comparative Cover Letter

56. 56
Applicant Tracking Systems - ATS

57. 57
What is an ATS?
Human Resource Information System (HRIS)
Vast majority of major companies use an ATS
Software that enables the electronic handling of
HR documentation
Cradle to grave capability
Tracks hiring compliance for company
Taking the human out of Human Resources

58. 58
How Does an ATS Work
Scans resumes to qualify candidates
Parses your resume into the system
Performs data mining and collecting
Matches keywords in job description
Ranks candidates by resumes & responses
Can manage many tasks
Identify top candidates/Reject unqualified
Send applicant emails
Schedule interviews
Onboarding process
Tracks reviews, promotions, terminations

59. 59
ATS Pitfalls
Many ATS cannot read a PDF, unless
specifically directed to submit a PDF, submit doc
Word Doc not Docx format
Resume templates
Cannot read tables or multiple columns
Cannot read wording in header & footer
Misspelled words are not recognized

60. 60
ATS Pitfalls
Single column format
Avoid lines and borders
Avoid underline usage
Left justification
Serif fonts are not accurately read
Times New Roman
Sans Serif fonts are better
Arial, Helvetica, Futura, Gotham, Circular,
Franklin Gothic, Tahoma, Verdana, etc.
Size does matter - 11 or 12 pt font is better
Margins of 1” preferred, .75” at the maximum

61. 61
ATS Resume Friendly Tips
Use standard terminology for section titles
Work Experience not Career Achievements
Education not Professional Training
Keyword matches found in job description
Name document for relevant position
BruceBennettManager.doc, not resume.doc
Use full name instead of acronym
Interactive Opinion Network, not ION

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Applicant Tracking Systems

63. 63
Applicant Tracking Systems

64. 64
McHenry County Employer ATS

65. 65
McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

67. 67
McHenry County Employer ATS

68. 68
McHenry County Employer ATS

69. 69
McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

72. 72
Upload Your Resume On-line
Glassdoor - https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm
Indeed - https://www.indeed.com/
ZipRecruiter - https://www.ziprecruiter.com
Careerbuilder - https://www.careerbuilder.com
Monster - https://www.monster.com
Dice - https://www.dice.com/
Mashable - http://jobs.mashable.com/
Slideshare - https://www.slideshare.net/
JobServe - https://www.jobserve.com
O*NET Online - https://www.onetonline.org/
Stella - https://www.stella.ai/welcome
University Career Centers

73. 73
Find Jobs On-line
See Previous Slide
Corporate Website
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
And many, many others!
Ladders.com
Nexxt.com
Resume-now.com

74. 74
Wordle.net
A visual representation of your industry or career

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Video & Blog Links
Catherine Breet Byers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8od1iolitg&feature=related
Kimberly Bishop - Recruiter Give Resume Tips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQaLX343Js
Socialnomics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4znQDyz038
ATS Do’s and Don’ts
https://www.resumetoreferral.com/ats-resumes/
Pain Letters
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/11/26/how-to-use-pain-
letters-in-your-job-search/#310855967b44

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Success Stories
Elena B. – Manufacturing
Attended Resume workshop and worked 1 on 1
Rafael R. – Accounting
Attended workshops and one on one LinkedIn Critique
Liz F. – Graphics Designer
Attended workshops, incorporated concepts and was hired
Tom W. – Customer Service Professional
Attended workshops and was hired after three interviews
Michael B. – Marketing
Incorporated my recommendations from workshops
I want to add your name to the list!!

77. 77
McHenry County Workforce Network
October Calendar of Events & Services
Personalized Job Search Assistance Services
To sign up, request the professional directly by email
Resume Critique
30-45 minute sessions
Dean Eitel
October 11 & 25
10:00 - 12:00
Email: deitel@depaul.edu
Resume Critique
30-45 minute sessions
Kathy Hayhurst
October 14
8:30 - 11:15
Email: : mcwnkmh@gmail.com

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Upcoming Webinar Events
Guide to a Winning Interview
Monday October 11, 2021 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Network to Success Job Club
Building Confidence
Wednesday October 13, 2021 at 1:00pm to 3:00pm
LinkedIn for Your Job Search
Monday October 18, 2021 at 10:00am to 12:00pm
LinkedIn Strategic Guidelines
Wednesday October 20, 2021 at 10:00am to 12:00pm

79. Questions?
Feel free to follow up or
connect with me on LinkedIn
Bruce A. Bennett
Mobile: 815-302-9552
Email: BABennett73@gmail.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bruceabennett
Career Coach Corner Blog: http://bruce73.wordpress.com/
https://bruce73.wordpress.com/upcoming-presentations/
Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/b-squared-linkedin