The document provides an outline for a workshop on resumes, cover letters, and applying online. The workshop covers different resume formats, components, and tips. It discusses cover letter formats and styles. It also identifies common applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by employers and provides tips for optimizing resumes for ATS. The goals of the workshop are to help attendees customize their resumes and cover letters for online applications.

1. Resumes, Cover Letters &
Applying Online
brought to you by
Bruce A. Bennett
Career Coach Corner
April 5, 2023

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 is on SlideShare
Workshop is interactive, Q/A & Parking lot
Follow up email will include link to deck and survey
Social Media Revolution

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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

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Goals for Workshop
Identify core elements of resume and cover letter
Restate job responsibilities into STARs
Utilize resume job description scanning websites to
customize resume
Identify the various Employer Applicant Tracking
Systems (ATS)

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

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Resources Available On-line

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Not all Resumes are Created Equal
Paradigm for job search changed radically
One resume does not work
Customize resumes to fit job posting
Key skills from job ad must be in your resume
Self Awareness

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Not all Resumes are Created Equal

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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 three columns
List your skills and which skills are required
Ascertain any shortfalls
Decide on how to address issue
Education, Volunteer or Training?
Catherine Breet Byers suggests 3 simple steps

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

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Resume Formats
Chronological Resume Format
Functional Resume Format
Infographic Format
Plain Text Format
Plain Text Format File

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

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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 and Dates (Month/Year)
Description about company and/or URL if not easily recognized
Achievements, not duties or responsibilities
Previous performance appraisals helpful
More bullets for current position
STARs or CARs

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Work Bullets - Experience Metrics
Maintained accounting records for AR and AP
Managed 1,000+ AR & AP accounts working directly with 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

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Resume Components
Bullet points should have an action verb
Use the right action verb to make a difference
Use MS Word Thesaurus, highlight word and press Shift F7
Bloom's Taxonomy Action Verbs

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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
Technical or Computer Skills
Community Activities
Volunteer Experience

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General Points
White space needed and two pages maximum
Consistent sans serif font type
Header font size 15, rest of resume font size 11
Print resume on 20# or 32-36# paper
Save resume with name and job title
BABennett Manager.docx or BABennett LinkedIn Trainer.docx
Amanda Augustine Suggests Resume Advice
Andrew LaCivita - 3 Steps to a Perfect Resume

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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 terms
Responsible for or Duties include

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Fine Tune Your Resume
Chrome extension – www.grammarly.com

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Fine Tune Your Resume
Grammarly as Microsoft addin

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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

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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 – ATS Tips

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JobScan.co – ATS Tips

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JobScan.co – ATS Tips

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JobScan.co – ATS Tips

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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theprofessional.me
https://theprofessional.me/ - Unlimited scans per month

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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
https://skillsyncer.com/ - One scan per week
Earn additional scans by inviting friends, family, etc.

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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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SkillSyncer

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Cultivated Culture
https://cultivatedculture.com/ - Ten scans per month

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Cultivated Culture

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Cultivated Culture

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Cultivated Culture

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Cultivated Culture

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Cultivated Culture

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Cover Letters
Cover letters beg the question - to include or not to include?

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Cover Letters
Cover letters beg the question - to include or not to include?

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Cover Letters
A 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%

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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

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Cover Letters
Provides additional means of communication
Identify existing employee for a referral
Why Company or position interests you
Relevant experience or industry knowledge
Gaps in employment, e.g. care for elderly parents
Bullet points to highlight skills
No more than a few paragraphs

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Cover Letters
Types of Cover Letters
Traditional format
Comparative format
Pain Letter by Liz Ryan
4 Sentence Cover Letter by Andrew LaCivita

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Traditional Cover Letter Example
Header information matches resume

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Traditional Cover Letter Example
Bullets and closing statement

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Traditional Cover Letter Example

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Comparative Cover Letter Example
Comparative Cover Letter

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Simple Cover Letter Template
Hallmark Data Systems
Attn: Julie Jones, HR Manager
Phone: 847-999-9999
Web: http://www.halldata.com/
Dear Ms. Jones,
LinkedIn alerted me to the Senior Client Relationship Manager position, Job ID#
53635 which is a great match with my experience. I have extensive management,
operations, client service, and relationship building experience that would benefit
Hallmark Data Systems. My work at Lodestar Research utilized BPA Worldwide
Brand Reports to evaluate B2B publishers as prospective clients. I look forward to
discussing how my background is a match for this opportunity.
Regards,
Bruce

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Applicant Tracking Systems - ATS

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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

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How Does an ATS Work
Scans resumes to qualify candidates
Parses your resume data into the database
Performs data mining and collecting
Matches keywords in job description
Analyzes responses to screener questions
Identifies and ranks candidates

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How Does an ATS Work
Can manage many tasks
Identify top candidates/Reject unqualified
Send applicant emails
Schedule interviews
Onboarding process
Tracks reviews, promotions, terminations

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ATS Pitfalls
Not all ATS can read PDF, unless specifically
directed to submit PDF, submit a docx
Word Docx not Doc format
Resume templates
Cannot read tables or multiple columns
Cannot read wording in header & footer
Misspelled words are not recognized

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ATS Pitfalls
Single column format using left justification
Avoid borders, lines and underline usage
Serif fonts are not accurately read
Times New Roman
Sans Serif fonts are better
Arial, Helvetica, Cambria, Gotham, Trebuchet MS, etc.
Size does matter - 11 or 12 pt font is better
Margins of 1” preferred, .75” at the maximum

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ATS Resume Friendly Tips
Use standard terminology for section titles
Work Experience not Career Achievements
Education not Professional Training
Name document for relevant position
BruceBennettManager.docx, not resume.docx
Use full name instead of acronym ION
Interactive Opinion Network, then (ION)

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Applicant Tracking Systems

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Applicant Tracking Systems

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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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 & College Career Centers

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

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Word Cloud
A visual representation of your industry or career

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Video & Blog Links
Social Media Revolution - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k_G_h41ZaQ
Catherine Breet Byers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8od1iolitg&feature=related
Amanda Augustine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP-S9rvAYYo
Andy LaCivita - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwEsfXS6y8
Donna Svei, Avid Careerist - https://www.avidcareerist.com/2015/06/08/does-resume-need-cover-letter/
Zip Recruiter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHg0b7Nai6c
Pain Letters - https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/11/26/how-to-use-pain-letters-in-your-job-
search/#310855967b44 –
Andy LaCivita - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfmVSFg_zSI
ATS Do’s and Don’ts - https://www.resumetoreferral.com/ats-resumes/
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/do-employers-care-about-cover-letters
8 Resume writing tips - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/8-resume-writing-tips-2022-jessica-hernandez-
cpbs-cdbs/

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Success Stories
Patti P. – Executive Assistant
Attended workshops and was hired after three interviews
Jackie L. – Financial Industry
Attended workshops, one on one coaching and received job offer
Kenya B. – Financial Industry
Incorporated resume & job description scanning to get offered job
Steve F. – Financial Industry
Attended webinars, asked for help and offered a new role
Michael B. – Marketing
Incorporated my recommendations from the workshops
I want to add your name to the list!

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McHenry County Workforce Network
April Calendar of Events & Services
Free Personalized Job Search Assistance Services
To sign up, request the professional directly by email
Resume Critique
30-45 minute sessions
Dean Eitel
April 10 & 24
10:00 - 12:00
Email: deitel@depaul.edu
Resume Critique
30-45 minute sessions
Kathy Hayhurst
April
Contact to schedule
Email: mcwnkmh@gmail.com

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Upcoming Webinar Events
Guide to a Winning Interview
Monday April 10, 2023 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Network to Success Job Club
Job Search for Over 50
Wednesday April 12, 2023 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
LinkedIn for Your Job Search
Monday April 17, 2023 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
LinkedIn Strategic Guidelines
Wednesday April 19, 2023 at 10:00am to 12:00pm
Arlington Heights Memorial Library
Create Your Professional Portfolio
Thursday April 27, 2023 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm

82. Feel free to 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