Creating Resumes for A successful Job Search

Kathleen M. Vranos, Associate ProfessorCo-Chair, Business & Information Technology

Greenfield Community CollegeJanuary, 2013

Agenda:

• Review contemporary recruitment practices• Discuss impact on resume preparation• Distribute – Resume Worksheet– Resume Samples– Resume Power Words

• Identify resume types• Identify and begin to draft resume sections• Move to Computer Labs for resume preparation

Role of the Resume:

• Effective resumes are designed to let employers know how YOU can meet THEIR needs.

• Effective resumes highlight the RESULTS you’ve delivered in other environments.

• Effective resumes DIFFERENTIATE you, leaving the reviewer with a sense of your unique abilities.

• Effective resumes GET YOU AN INTERVIEW, not a job.

http://www.asianjobportal.com/2010/09/job-interview-how-to-conduct-properly/

Image source: http://www.asianjobportal.com/2010/09/job-interview-how-to-conduct-properly/

Understanding Current Job Search Practices

• Millions of resumes and job openings are currently posted online.– Monster.com– Massachusetts Career Inform

ation System - Job Search - Online Searches

– Careerbuilder.com

Recruiters and employers post approximately 70% of their openings online!(Source: http://www.hrmreport.com/article/Evolution-of-the-Job-Search-From-Paper-Resume-to-Online-Career-Portfolio/)

Understanding Current Resume Screening Practices

• Advances in technology allow candidates to electronically submit documents to a company’s recruiting inbox.– Human Resources | How to apply

• Most HR departments receive far more resumes today than ever before.

• Screening is more difficult than ever.• Organizations developing explicit evaluation

criteria for job applicants.

Employer Expectations for Resumes

• Applicants will: – Customize resume to the job for which you are

applying– Research on organization and job to inform

customization– Include relevant keywords for the job within the

resume while demonstrating where and when the skills were used to achieve results in the past.

– Use perfect grammar, punctuation, and spelling

Source:Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3997604

Trend: Customized Applications for Each Job Opportunity

• Companies creating objective, standardized methodologies for evaluating candidates

• Applications seen as a more efficient and engaging task for applicants

• Applications constructed so that applicants who do not possess minimum qualifications do not proceed through the entire questionnaire

• Example: Kelloggs Careers - Professional Career

Two Resume Screening Practices

Human

• Two piles: “Reject” and “Maybe”• Screeners may decide in as little as

2.9 seconds (Locker) during first screen.

• “Maybe” then examined again, with 10-30 seconds given at this stage. (Locker)

• Final culling identified candidates to be invited for interviews.

Electronic• Scanned into a job-applicant

tracking system.• First cuts done by computer• Employer specifies keywords

(knowledge, skills, abilities, personal characteristics required)

• Employer receives resumes, arranged by most “hits” first.

• Then, employer decides on those to be interviewed.

Implication:Create Paper Resume• Make this attractive to the human eye• Print onto high quality, 81/2”x11” inch

paper with a laser printer.• Don’t use templates.• Play with layout and design to create an

attractive resume.• Consider creating a letterhead for

resume and cover letter.• Use white space to make resume easy to

read • Center name in 14-point type or larger.• Use 12-point headings, 11-point text.• Proofread for: spelling, parallelism,

consistency, dates, phone numbers, email addresses, links.

Create Scanable Resume• Use standard typefaces (Helvetica, Times

New Roman, Courier, etc.)• Use 12 or 14-point type• Use ragged right margin rather than full

justification• Don’t italicize or underline or boldface• Don’t use lines, boxes, script, leader dots or

borders• Don’t use 2-column format or indented or

centered text.• Put each phone number on a separate line• Use plenty of white space• Don’t fold, stable, or handwrite on resume• Send a laser copy. Stray marks defeat

scanners.• Put list of up to 60 keywords at top• Don’t worry about length

Action Step 1: Customization

• Screen desired job description for:– Minimum Qualifications– Preferred Qualifications– Related KeywordsJot these down in relevant sections within your

Resume Worksheet

Two Structures for Resumes:

Chronological– https://masscis.intocareers.or

g/materials/EdWorkHistory/Chronological%20Resume.pdf

Skills-based • https://masscis.intocareers.

org/materials/EdWorkHistory/Functional-Skills%20Resume.pdf

Action Step 2: Structure Decision

• Decision time – What’s best for you?– Chronological Resume– Functional/Skills-based Resume

Developing Resume Content

• Tell what you want to do, what level of responsibility you want to hold.

• Should sound like job description

• Using employer’s name is a nice touch.

• Ex.: Recent college graduate with a Diploma in Engineering seeks an entry-level position in civil engineering

Career Objective:

Action Step 3: Career Objective

• Determine your Career Objective– Should let the employer know that you WANT the

job!– It’s OK to say, “Seeking growth opportunity…”

Developing Resume Content - Summary of Qualifications:

• Established THEMES for your superior ability to meet employer’s needs vs. other job applicants.

• Shows knowledge of specialized terminology in your field.

• Offers specific, quantifiable achievements.

• Weak: Strong presentation skills.• Better: Delivered 10 presentations

to CEO-level audiences with positive feedback on value.

• Weak: Strong work ethic.• Better: Achieved zero sick days in

four years, with recognition awards for superior contributions to department.

• Weak: Intelligent• Better: Earned merit-based honors

and scholarships throughout higher education experience, graduating with 3.8 GPA.

Action Step 4: Summary of Qualifications

• Based on the job description, develop 3-4 qualifications which separate you from other candidates.

Developing Resume Content

• Can be first major category if relevant to the job.– Can follow if not relevant to the job.

• Include degrees, certifications, and professional development.

• Include GPA if excellent.• List earned degree, field of study, date,

school, city, state.• Develop highlights

– Achievements in related courses, Honors and Awards, Activities,

– Ex: Lead student group in developing and presenting high-impact marketing plan for local business.

Education:

Education - Example

• A.S., Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA, May 2012Major: Computer ScienceOverall GPA 3.875; Honors each semesterInformation Technology Intern, Spring, 2012 semester– Successfully networked computers for Human Resources

Department of Greenfield Community College.

Action Step 5: Education

• Draft your Education section to demonstrate that you were PRESENT while earning your degree.

Chronological Resume–

• The traditional format• Use when you can demonstrate timeline for a clear career

progression leading to the job for which you are applying• Most recent jobs go first• Includes:

– Position or job title– Organization– City and state– Dates of employment– Full- or part-time status– Job duties – lead with power verbs– Achievements and/or results (use data)

Action Step 6: Professional Experience

• List jobs in chronological order, most recent first.

• Develop descriptions which highlight achievements.

• Use power words.

Skills-based Resume• Emphasizes skills you’ve used, rather than jobs

in which you’ve used them.• Use when:– You took an atypical route to the job to which you

are applying– You’re changing fields– You want to highlight skills gained from a

combination of experiences– You have gaps, job-hopping, or a demotion which

would stand out in chronological resume. Include:

Skills Based Resume (cont.):

• Include:– At least three headings designed to highlight skills

(hint: they should be “keywords” for job applications)

– Most important heading first– Jargon specific to the job for which you are applying,

i.e. logistics rather than planning for a technical job– Paid jobs under Employment History at the end of

the resume.• List only job title, employer, city, state, dates.

Accomplishment Resume

• https://masscis.intocareers.org/materials/EdWorkHistory/Accomplishment%20Resume.pdf

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=skills+based+resume+sample&id=79AF5A3A89D15FB06D7F98418449323E2C78B4EF&FORM=IQFRBA#view=detail&id=79AF5A3A89D15FB06D7F98418449323E2C78B4EF&selectedIndex=0

Action Step 6: Functional/Skills Highlights

• Draft description of skills which highlight achievements you’ve delivered for past employers.

• Skills should be related to position you seek.

In all cases, use Power Verbs:

• Attained• Applied• Developed• Installed• Implemented• Sold• Served• Reported• Achieved

• Enacted• Engineered• Integrated• Wrote• Progressed• Pioneered• Commanded• Led• Analyzed

Both resumes should have…

• Career Objective • Summary of Qualifications• Education• Honors• References - optional• Keyword Section with up to 60 related

keywords in small type – optional• Perfect Grammar

Understanding Your Online “Brand”

• There’s no debating it, your online reputation will impact your ability to get a job. The facts:

• 83 percent of hiring managers and recruiters research candidates online. [Execunet, 2007]

• 70 percent of recruiters have eliminated candidates based on information they found online. [Microsoft 2009 — US, UK, France, Germany]

• volume, relevance, purity and diversity — and ask yourself, “What perceptions would searchers form from reading my Google results?”

• http://blog.resumebear.com/changing-careers/job-seekers-getting-googled-volume-and-relevance/

Let’s Hit the Lab!!!!!!!!!!

• Avoid templates• Use attractive layout• White space is your friend• No pressure to stay on one-page if you have

SUBSTANTIVE content.• Remember criteria for resumes which will be

delivered electronically.