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The Resumé

Career Development Centre

2014 - 2015

Learning Objectives

• Understand the purpose of, and what makes an effective resumé

• Understand how to target a resumé

• Become aware of the resumé resources and services available through the Career Centre

Your resumé is your

marketing tool – and you are the feature product!

Remember Your Audience

Your resumé is your advertisement

3 Parts of an Effective Resumé

Part I

Part II

Part III

Appearance

Appearance: - How does it look? - Do I want to read further? - Is it Professional?

Structure

Organization and Selection: - Can I find what I need quickly? - Is the necessary information included?

Content

Wording: Does the information sound RELEVANT and TARGETED?

Effective Resumé

Your

Relevant

Skills

Experience

Education

Activities

Primary Goal of Your Resumé

To

demonstrate your FIT for

the job Employer

Requirements

Will the employer read your resume?

First

Impression 5 Seconds

Second Look 15 seconds

Content Review

30+ seconds

1. Appearance

2. Organization

3. Content

For How long?

3 steps to screening and

making an impression

Don’t let this happen to you!

Target your resumé!

Use information obtained from the job posting and your research

to target the content of your resumé

www.wordle.net

Part I: Appearance

Key Appearance Components

Needs to be

attractive and

appealing, and fit

company/ industry

style

Key Appearance Components

Have a prominent

header with clear contact

information

Key Appearance Components

Should be easy to

read, not crowded, and with

consistent font,

size/style

Key Appearance Components

Be sure that your

sub-section titles stand out and are

easy to locate

Key Appearance Components

Be sure it is modern and professional;

explore layouts to suit you & your target

industry

Key Appearance Components

Be error free!

Remember I’m Wilfrid not Wilfred!

Part II: Organization

Part II – Organization

Choices of structure, order and layout impact the

effectiveness of your resumé.

Targeted Organization

Objective

Profile

Education

Relevant Experience

Additional Experience

Interests

Organize Sections to Target the Resumé

Education Information

Reverse chronology Degree name in full, i.e., Bachelor of Arts, not BA Include name of school, city and province What about high school? What about listing courses? What about the GPA? What about listing awards?

Education

Weighing in on Experience

Less Detail

More Detail

Focus on

transferable

skills and

achievements,

not specific

tasks/duties

Organizing Experience

Personal Details?

• Date of birth • Marital/Family Status • Disability information • Country of Origin/Citizenship • Ethnic background • Languages spoken • Religion • Gender Check out the Career Resource Centre for: The Global Resumé and CV Guide, and Best Resumés and CVs for International Jobs: Your Passport to the Global Job Market

Interests – Are They Interesting?

• Enthusiastic about helping youth increase their fitness level; former soccer coach and lifeguard

• A useful collection of over 1,000 photographs of Canadian heritage sites and geographic landscapes

• Active member of neighborhood association; co-created Canada Day bike parade event for 30 children

• Competitive swimmer currently training for first triathlon

Write more than a word and explain the extent of your involvement and interests so that they

distinguish you from other candidates.

Additional Training & Professional Development

• Focus on relevant training and professional development i.e., Certified Human Resource Professional · Career Development Certificate

• Include seminars/lectures you attended which were not part of course work

• May include presentations or publications (if several, create a separate section)

This section can be listed either in a separate section or in the

Education section.

Part III: Content

Content

What you say and how you say it impacts the message you are sending the potential employer There are 3 main areas that need targeting:

1. Use your Objective to focus the resumé 2. Use your Profile to provide a big picture or snap-

shot summary of your qualifications 3. Evaluate how you describe your Experiences

(paid and unpaid) to support your candidacy

The Objective

Should you add an objective? • There is no agreement • Be sure it is not generic! • Consider using the following formula:

Identify yourself, indicate the role for which you are applying,

select relevant experience/skills/knowledge you can offer,

and point out how you will contribute to the goals of the position/organization.

Targeted Objective

To obtain a health-related position with a reputable organization Resourceful and collaborative psychology graduate seeking to secure the position of Women’s Health Promotion Co-ordinator in order to leverage skills in marketing to strengthen community awareness of health programming.

Generic

Targeted

Is a big picture statement • Keep bullets at a highlight

level • Be sure to ‘back up’ your

claim to a skill and discuss it dynamically

• Entice your reader to view the rest of your resumé

If you have 15 seconds to tell your employer about yourself, what do you want them to know?

Consider the qualifications of the job as ‘The Question’ and your Profile section as ‘The Answer’

The Profile

Profile Components

4 - 6 point form summary statements emphasizing your most relevant qualifications: • Experience Summary – Relevant, targeted information about

your background that is connected to the position • Knowledge – Highlight your knowledge even where you lack

practical experience • Relevant Skills - Select skills that indicate your understanding

of job requirements and how you will/have used the skill • Key Achievements – Demonstrate the benefit of a relevant

skill/experience • Personal Qualities or Attributes – May choose to highlight

what type of candidate you are • Key Certification or a Bonus Highlight - Identify other

information that adds to your candidacy

Profile Samples

Experience Statements

• Strong customer service experience

• Progressive customer service experience gained within a consumer packaged goods company

• More than 2 years of experience

delivering high quality customer experiences within an internationally recognized technology retailer

Generic

Targeted

Targeted

Knowledge Statements

• Strong economic background

• Solid ability to comprehend complex and detailed information, including demographics and economic information for the purpose of developing recommendations and policies

• Strong familiarity with Canadian political

systems and international security issues

Generic

Targeted

Targeted

Skills Statements

• Excellent interpersonal skills

• Proven ability to establish co-operative, professional relationships with customers, staff and administration through effective communication and interpersonal competence

Distinguish yourself with unique statements!

Targeted

Generic

Sample Bonus Certification or Bonus Highlight (1 line)

Interest in and passion for social media Generic

Targeted Anticipate summer 2015 completion of Google Analytics Training Part 1

Strong knowledge of social media trends through education, personal research, marketing related volunteering and student club membership

Targeted

Critical Tips For

The Resumé

• Re-focus descriptions to target each job to which you are applying

• Draw greater attention to the relevant aspects of your experiences

• If minimal relevance, stress transferable skills

• Be sure to use result-oriented statements

Experience Section - Targeting

Targeting Job Descriptions

Job Goal:

Camp Counsellor

Previous job as a Camp

Counsellor

Camp Counsellor 2011 ,2012 (seasonal)

Kid’s Summer Camp Experience, Kitchener, ON

• Supervised children ages 8 – 16 at a summer camp

• Developed and lead activities including arts and crafts, nature exploration, swimming, water safety and canoeing

• Ensured inclusive summer experience for children with disabilities (seasonal)

Targeting Job Descriptions

Past job not

directly relevant?

Job Goal: Junior

Marketer

Camp Counsellor 2011, 2012 (Seasonal) Kid’s Summer Camp Experience, Kitchener, ON

• Co-ordinated and organized activities which involved preparing materials, creating schedules and managing multiple participants

• Liaised with the public to ensure exchange of information including negotiating special requests and answering concerns

• Collaborated with colleagues to plan and assign tasks and provided training and orientation to new employees

Make the job details transferable to the job

Accomplishment Statements

• Differentiate yourself by HOW you describe your experiences

• Discuss points dynamically, in relation to the position to which you are applying

• Ask yourself when you have:

– Initiated something

– Achieved a goal

– Exceeded expectations

– Solved a problem

− Demonstrated Leadership

− Been selected for added

responsibility/promotion

− Received praise/award

Writing Accomplishment Statements

Action Verb

Result (Impact, Purpose)

Task (& Tools)

(Relevant)

e.g., Designed client database using MS Access resulting in 50% increased retrieval rate

Accomplishment Statements BEFORE • Responsible for training new staff • Performed customer service and cashier duties as

required • Stocked supplies and cleaned cash area

AFTER • Selected by management to train 5 new staff

members to encourage consistent customer service • Interacted professionally to successfully build

customer relationships, resulting in repeat business • Maintained an organized, efficient area to ensure

brand standards were met

A Word About References

• Prepare on a separate page

• Only submit upon request

• Should have seen you within a related professional environment

Key members of your job search team! Keep them informed of your progress.

Professors Dean

Supervisors Colleagues

Directors Other Staff

Final Checklist

Concise Easy to read Organized Error free Attractive Professional Position-relevant Formatted (PDF) Appropriately named! Targeted

ALWAYS send a

targeted cover letter

with your resumé!

Career Resources

• Resumé and Employment Letters Guidebook wlu.ca/career

• Resumé & Cover Letter critiques – in-person, telephone, email or Skype

• Resumé & Cover Letter proofreading

service after a critique appointment

• For quick questions, visit our drop-in (Monday to Thursdays, 1 – 3 p.m.)

Connect with us!

519.884.0710 x4495 careercentre@wlu.ca wlu.ca/career facebook.com/lauriercareercentre lauriercareercentre.wordpress.com linkedin.com (Laurier Career Centre Network)

@WLUCareerCentre