Resume Rescue

Career Advising &

Development Center

Staff

Tanya White-EarnestManager

Trident University International Career Advising and Development

Resume Rescue™

Changing the Fate of Your Resume

Presented by Tanya White-Earnest

Agenda

• Tips and Techniques

– What a Resume is NOT

– What is a Resume

– Common Resume Mistakes

– Do’s and Don’ts

• Resume Rescues

• How to Get Your Resume Rescued

In today’s Resume Rescue Webinar We’ll:

Your Resume Is

Not

• . . .a history lesson – nothing to do with your past

• . . . a chance to brag on yourself –unsubstantiated statements

• . . .focused on you – where’s the beef?

• . . .a place for excuses

• . . .meant to get you the job – it’s job is to get you the interview

Resume from Cory M. Archibald on her blog: Cory International

Your Resume

Is. . .

• Marketing Document

• You in Abstensia (my own word, admittedly)

• The professional “story” of you

• An hor dourve – meant to whet their appetite and leave them anticipating and wanting more

Common Resume

Mistakes

• No contact information on first or subsequent page

• Inappropriate email address

• Lack of focus – no real idea what you want to do

• No accomplishments, outcomes, results – doesn’t tell them how well you did what you did

• No evidence the person can do the job

• Personal pronouns (“I”, “We”, “Our”) - phrases

• “Responsible for. . .” “Duties included. . .”

• “References Available Upon Request”

• Listing References on the resume

Tips

• Never lie on your resume – tell the complete story and allow the facts to speak for themselves

• Don’t brag – unsubstantiated boasting is a turn-off

• Don’t fail to provide the details that show how well you have performed

• Don’t tell them what you think is important, tell them what is important to them

• Don’t focus on the tasks or on the past – focus on what they focus on – what you can do for them

Tips

• Get your resume in front of someone who can help you get the interview – network!

• Keep your resume up to date at all times

• Highlight what is important to the specific employer to which you are applying- no generic content for resumes used to apply

• Job fair? Do your research in advance and prepare targeted resumes for companies of interest

Tips

• Job description copied word for word (BofA)

• Use visual interest to help draw the eye to important areas

• Your resume is like luxury beach front property – highly valuable, don’t pitch a tent, build a house – don’t waste space

• Qualify and quantify as much as possible – tell how well ($/%/#)

Stuff To Know

• How do you know if you should apply? – READ the description thoroughly and identify if you

have in the past or currently done what is being asked of you.

• Volunteer work is work, internship is work, etc.

• Relevant experience is necessary – even if it is volunteer or internship – you have to show how well you performed and what

you accomplished. The skills and impact are what count

Stuff To Know

• If you haven’t held the title of manager, but you have managed projects, people or processes, tell them how well – what were the outcomes, results, impact, etc.

– Have you taken lead on a project?

– Have you initiated a projects?

– Have you managed volunteers?

– Have you supervised new employees?

How to Present Your Experience

• Context

• Action

• Results

• Effect/Evaluation

How to Present

Information

How to Present

Information

• Order of importance– Who

– What

– Where

– When

– Why

– How

• How we read

How to Present Your Experience

How to Present

Information

The Title of Your Position

Where You Held the Position (with Location)

Dates

Accomplishments

Director of Marketing Company Name/Address Dates

How to Present Your Experience

How to Present

Information

How to Present Your Experience

Top Secret – you can still C.A.R.E.I had an issue of national security where I was called upon to (identify, decode, analyze. . .)

Because I was able to identify. . . within a tight window [give time frame if possible] we were able to avert a security breech and ensure we maintained. . .

How to Present

Information

What About What You Can’t Talk About?

Resume Rescues

A Few Resumes To Be Rescued. . .

Handouts

You will receive:

• ATS Document

• Resume Rubric

• Do’s and Don’ts Sheet

• Feedback on your resume if you submitted

• Link for SlideShare and Recording of Program

• Invitation to participate in Resume Workshop

Thank You For Attending