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Career Prep Workshop

“The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi

www.aaa-institute.com | 818-386-2109 1

Agenda

www.aaa-institute.com | 818-386-2109

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}  Welcome & Introduction }  Resume and primary purpose }  Cover Letters }  Job Search }  Social Media }  Interview Tips/Questions }  Thank You Letter }  Key Takeaways }  AAA Institute Contacts

Primary Purpose


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}  The resume’s main purpose is to get you an interview! }  It is usually the first time a potential employer sees about

you and therefore is very important. It shows }  Attitude }  Abilities }  Knowledge }  Understanding }  Accomplishments }  Professionalism

}  It is a marketing piece that presents you in the best possible light….It’s not an application

A well-designed resume does a number of things:


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} Paints a positive and factual picture of

Y O U } Sets a positive tone for the interview. } Guides the interviewer in what to ask. }  Influences others who approve the hiring.

Resume Format

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}  Make your name stand out with a bold, larger font size

}  Use standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier

}  Type Size: 10 - 12 Point

}  For hard copies, white, beige, or light gray quality bond paper

}  Use a laser printer for best finish

}  Limit entry level resume to one typed page

}  Be consistent with tabs, dates and other formatting features

}  No errors- proof read!

}  Neutral colors; avoid graphics

}  Use BOLD to emphasize only the most important features of your resume.

Ten Steps to a Good Resume


}  Choose a job target ( also called a “job objective”). An actual job title works best.

}  Find out what skills, knowledge, and experience are needed to do that target job.

}  Make a list of your 3 or 4 strongest skills, abilities, knowledge that make you a good candidate for that target job.

}  For each key skill, think of several accomplishments from your past work history that illustrate that skill.

}  Describe each accomplishment in a simple action statement that emphasizes results.

Step continued


}  Make a list of the primary jobs you’ve held in chronological order. Include unpaid work that fills a gap.

}  Make a list of your training and education that is related to the new job you want.

}  Choose a resume format that fits your situation ---either chronological or functional.

}  Arrange your action statement on your resume according to the format you chose.

}  Summarize your key points at or near the top of your resume in about five short lines.

Step 1: Choose a job target


FOCUS }  The people who have the hardest time finding a job are

often the ones who insist on writing a “generic” resume that lists everything they ever did. They HOPE some employers will figure out what job will fit them…but employers won’t do that; they’re looking for people who know what they want.

Step 2: Find out what skills and experience are needed


}  Find that information in job ads, in employer’s job description, or from someone working in that field.

}  Informational interviewing is one of the BEST ways to find out exactly what skills the job requires. Visit someone who does that kind of work and ask them to tell you about it.

Step 3: List your strongest skills


}  Examples taken from resumes: Target job: Customer Service representative Relevant skills : verbal skills

problem solving skills computer skills customer care skills

Target Job: Department Manager Relevant Skills: Personal Management

Budgeting/ Financial planning Supervision and Training

Step 4: Accomplishment


Examples taken from resumes Job objective: Electronic Sales Representative Direct Sales and Product Demonstration }  Set sales record for 3 consecutive months }  Exceeded quotas and increased sales in largest territory

Job Objective: Merchandising display Display }  Set up effective retail displays of beverages in supermarkets

and package stores }  Inventoried and recorded display materials

Step 5: Write action statements


}  Think about what problem existed in your workplace.

}  What action did you take to resolve the problem?

}  What were the beneficial results of your action?

Examples of accomplishments written as action statements


}  Increased account base by 50% at two locations. }  Developed friendly, supportive relations with coffee shop

customers, building a loyal base of repeat customers. }  Advised callers on how to make connections. }  Designed and presented hour-long weekly orientation

program; doubled membership }  Assembled materials and reports. }  Developed an efficient filing system that greatly improved

saving time }  Transformed a disorganized warehouse into a smooth

running organization; saved $250,000 in recovered stock.

Step 6: List past jobs


}  List your most recent job first, then your earlier jobs. }  Include ALL jobs IF you are young and have very little

work experience related to your job objective }  Include unpaid work if it helps to prove you have skills in

an experience or if it fills in a gap }  Omit jobs that were very brief UNLESS they are needed

to show how you developed your skills– or to fill in a skimpy work history

}  Round all employment dates to years.

Step 6 continued:


}  Eliminate the earliest jobs; go back only 10-15 years }  If you did roughly the same kind of odd job repeatedly,

you could create your own job title and call yourself self employed.

}  Examples: Household Repairman (self-employed) Atlanta,1994- present. Customer references available. Child Care (self employed) Dallas, 1991-present. Customer references available on request.

Step 6 continued:


}  If you’ve worked with a lot of staffing services, here’s how to handle that gracefully. List the agency as the employer and pick one job title that covers most of the temporary work. Then list the specific assignments, accomplishments, and the experience gained.

Administrative Assistant/Secretary, Staffing Solutions, Marietta, 1995-2000 }  Typed business correspondence and routed calls for 6 busy offices }  Cleaned up a backlog of past due accounts receivable for Martinson Dry

Cleaning }  Conducted accurate year-end inventory for Design Studio

Step 6 continued: GET INVOLVED!


}  If you are CURRENTLY unemployed, it would help a LOT to find an immediate short-term opportunity to get some unpaid volunteer work experience, preferably in your line of work, and put that on your resume now. This will look better than being unemployed. Don’t use the word “volunteer.” Rename the category “Work History.”

“The heart that gives gathers.”

- Tao Te Ching

Step 6 continued:


}  If you have gaps in your work experience, explain what you WERE doing as gracefully as possible rather than leave a gap.

}  Examples: 1993-95 Full-time parent 1992-94 Maternity leave and family management 1995-97 Full time student

Step 7 List training and education


}  Omit high school if you have academic credentials from college

}  Mention your college work even if you don’t plan to get a degree

}  Examples: Accounting Major, Chattahoochee Technical College,1998-99

Business classes, 1997, Chattahoochee Technical College

Step 7 continued


}  Omit this section IF you have no training, no college experience, and no courses to list that are in any way related to your new job goal.

}  If you completed a training class, list the certificate you earned.

}  If you only completed part of the training, list every course you took that is directly related to you current job target.

Step 8: Choose a format


}  Choose chronological if you’re staying in the same field and you have an unbroken employment history

}  Chronological means your work experience is arrange in order by dates of the jobs you’ve held with the most recent first. This one places more emphasis on your JOB TITLES

Step 8 continued


}  Functional means your work experience is described by emphasizing the SKILLS involved. Put the descriptive details into skill-group paragraphs.

}  Example: RELEVANT SKILL#1 -something I did using that skill -something I did using that skill RELEVANT SKILL#2 -something I did using that skill -something I did using that skill Job Title, Company, City, State, dates

Step 9: Arrange you action statements


}  If you choose a chronological format, place each action statement under the appropriate job title where the action happened.

}  If you choose a functional format, place each action statement under a skill category

Step 10: Summarize your key points at the top


}  Keep each summary statement to one line. Include key points that a new employer will need to know and those that will make you look attractive and qualified for the new job.

}  Examples: -How much experience in this line of work -Training or education in this line of work -A special accomplishment or recognition -Your key skills, talents, special knowledge -Something about your attitude or work ethic

Standard Resume Formats


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}  Chronological

}  Functional

Chronological Resume


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}  Focuses on your work experience

}  List most current job first and then go back in time chronologically.

}  Highlights steady employment and progression in job responsibility.

Chronological Resumes


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Functional Resume


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}  Concentrates on general and specialized skills and abilities, rather than lengthy descriptions of each individual job.

}  Can hide gaps between jobs (dates can often be deleted) }  Job candidates who are entering new fields or have

experience unrelated to their career goals can benefit from this format.

Functional Resumes


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Resume Content


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}  Articulate results-oriented/proven experience }  Indicate accomplishments }  QUANTIFY: Show statistics and numbers }  Category headings }  List volunteer experience, language skills, awards, and

internships }  Research the company }  Write your own resume }  Do not include salary information }  Do not include references; use a separate reference sheet

Resume Sections


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}  Header- How to contact you }  Summary- in what way your background will help the

employer }  Employment History- where and when you worked }  Education and Training- credentials }  Optional Sections- Special Skills, Memberships/

Honors/Awards, Volunteer Experience

Summary Statement


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}  Purpose: }  To show your best at a glance }  A headliner to lure them into reading further

}  Tailored to each employment position you are applying for

}  Includes: }  Overall work experience }  Areas of expertise }  Accomplishments }  Outstanding traits and characteristics

}  Concise, no more than 4 lines

Education and Training


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}  Most recent degree or current study first }  List degree before college

}  MS Electrical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

}  List options, minors, and certificates }  Spell out college name }  AA or AS drops off when you get a bachelor’s degree }  No High School }  List graduation with honors or high GPA

Resume Do’s


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}  Be accurate }  Use action verbs }  Place strongest statements first }  Use jargon of the profession, particularly to ensure that

the key words may be picked up if the resume is scanned }  Use margins and white space effectively }  Customize your resume for each specific position }  Include accomplishments that apply to the target position }  Work on the summary to reflect the current opportunity

Resume Don’ts


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}  Don’t mention age, sex, marital status, etc., }  Don’t mention religious or political groups (unless specific

to the position you are applying for) }  Don’t include why you left your last position }  Don’t include a picture }  Don’t list references or put “References available upon

request” }  Have a separate sheet of paper prepared with your references

on it to give in the interview

Special Skills


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}  Skills are in a separate section that highlights special areas such as: }  Language skills }  Computer skills }  Specific software skills

Be Truthful


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}  Never include false information on your resume. }  With the technology that is available to day, employers

can easily check on your background.

Behavioral Interview


}  Behavioral are not questions, but are statement for your response.

}  Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses at work that tested your coping skills. What did you do.?

}  Give an example of a time when you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.

}  Describe the most creative work-related project you have completed.

Types of Interviews – Part 1


Find out ahead of time what type of interview you will have, who will interview you, and the jobs of those interviewing you. }  Telephone (Screening) Interview }  Try to arrange this on your time schedule so you can

prepare.

}  One-on-one face-to-face Interview }  This is the type we most typically prepare for.

Types of Interviews – Part 2


Stress Interview The goal is to see how you handle stressful situations.

Behavioral Interview Your past performance and behaviors are important. Sample question: “Give me an example of a time when you had to make a quick decision.”

Sequential Interview A number of interviews held on the same day at which you meet with different interviewers.

The Interview Process Preparation The Interview Itself


}  Employer Research }  Practice Questions }  Rehearse Presentation }  Plan ahead }  What to wear }  What to bring

}  The First Impression }  Information Exchange }  Closing the interview }  Interview Follow-up

Employer Research


}  Q: What is the biggest mistake you can make in a job interview, according to recruiters? }  A: Knowing little to nothing about the company with which you are interviewing! Check out these resources for employer research: }  Employer website }  www.hoovers.com }  www.rileyguide.com/employer.html }  JFK Library

Practice Questions/Prepare Answers


}  Some frequently-asked interview questions }  “Tell me about yourself.” (The interviewer is looking

for communication skills and clear thinking about your recent history, not your childhood).

}  “What is your biggest strength?” (Know your top 2 or 3 strengths and be prepared to discuss each with an example).

}  “How do you handle stress on the job?” (Provide a good example of how you have dealt with stress in the past. It’s possible that stress can actually help some people perform better!)

More Practice Questions


Some frequently-asked interview questions }  Describe your most significant accomplishment.

(Relate the situation, the obstacle and the outcome. Tell what qualities were needed to achieve this. You don’t have to confine your discussion to work-related accomplishments: you could mention a life experience that illustrates your best attributes ).

}  What do you see yourself doing in five years? }  (You should assure the employer that you’re worth the

investment in time and training, and that you plan to be around for awhile – learning and contributing more along the way).

Rehearse Presentation and Plan Ahead


The Counseling and Career Center provide services such as, }  Mock Interviews }  “Perfect Interview” Be sure to: }  Make a trial run to the interview site to gauge how long it will

take you to get there. }  Get proper rest the night before. }  Avoid caffeine and spicy goods on the day of the interview. }  Arrive early and use this time to freshen up. }  Chat with the receptionist.

What to Bring


}  Professional-looking portfolio/briefcase }  Several copies of your resume }  (Copies of your cover letter and list of references }  Nice not cheap-looking) pen and paper for note-taking }  Information that may be needed in case you are asked to

complete a job application }  Copy of job posting }  Personal calendar }  Brush/comb }  Breath freshener

Create a Good First Impression


Recruiters will size you up in the first 30 seconds of your interview. Make sure that you create a good first impression by being aware of the following: }  Good eye contact }  Smile }  Strong, dry handshake }  Clear introduction

In addition, }  Show confidence and

poise }  Maintain good posture }  Repeat recruiter’s name }  Be aware of vocal tone

and volume

Information Exchange


}  Listen carefully } Take time with your answers } Respond positively }  Focus answers on the needs of the employer } Ask insightful questions, showing your

knowledge of the employer } Give examples and provide details: tell stories

that illustrate your achievements

Closing the Interview


1. Mention anything relevant that you feel is important. Repeat your “sales pitch” as you show enthusiasm for the job.

2. Take the employer’s business card and thank him/her.

3. Ask what the next step is in the hiring process.

Interview Follow-Up


} Send a prompt thank you letter or email.

} Follow up if you have not heard from the employer in the time period earlier specified.

Interview Don’ts


}  No bad manners or rudeness (treat all office staff nicely) }  DON’T speak poorly of past employers. }  DON’T appear needy and desperate for a job. }  DON’T whine or complain about others or about your ‘bad

luck.’ }  DON’T flirt with the interviewer. }  DON’T be a know-it-all. }  DON’T try to be funny (but a genuine sense of humor is a

good thing). }  DON’T discuss salary or benefits until you have been offered a

job.

Summary of Important Points


}  Research the employer and the industry

}  Prepare and practice interviewing; it gets easier the more you do it.

}  Be aware that you are in control of creating a good first impression, and know what makes a good first impression

}  Make sure your interview attire is clean, polished, pressed and appropriate

}  Be confident and positive!!

Cover Letter


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THE COVER LETTER GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO

JUSTIFY, CLARIFY, AND IDENTIFY

HOW YOUR QUALIFICATIONS MEET THE EMPLOYER’S

REQUIREMENTS

Cover Letter Details


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}  Must be tailored to the employer and the job opening for which you are applying.

}  The employer may view this letter as a writing sample, so your grammar, spelling, punctuation and style must be perfect.

}  Typically 3 paragraphs long: }  1st- Tell them why you are writing }  2nd - Tell how you would be the right fit for the job in question

and how you would add value to the company. Be enthusiastic and sell yourself.

}  3rd- Sum yourself up, thank the reader and let them know you will contact them directly if you don’t hear anything within a prescribed time period.

T Format Letter


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}  Make the second paragraph of your cover letter a table of requirements vs. qualifications

}  Help the HR screener to match your qualifications to their requirements

}  In email this format can be difficult so just list it: }  Requirement: Develop operating manuals and training materials }  Qualification: Wrote seven manuals and supporting materials

Sample Cover Letter


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Profiles on Job Sites


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}  www.CareerBuilder.com }  www.Indeed.com }  www.Monster.com }  www.Bright.com }  www.pmi.org }  www.LinkedIn.com }  www.Dice.com }  www.SimplyHired.com }  Industry-specific sites

Networking


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“Opportunities don't happen, you create them.” -Chris Grosser

}  Develop a plan to know how to market yourself. Have your “elevator pitch” ready

}  Don’t ask for a job, just gain information, and create an acquaintance that you can follow up with later

}  Be open minded, don’t overlook any networking source, make a new contact every day

}  YOU are the product AND the sales person }  Always be appreciative and reciprocate whenever

possible

Use Social Media


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Common Interview Questions


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} Tell me about yourself } What are your strengths/weaknesses? } Why should we hire you? } What did you like least about your last job? } What do you know about our company? } Do you have any questions for me? } Tell me about a time where you had to deal

with conflict on the job.

Phone Interview Tips


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}  Be Prepared: }  Have a copy of your resume, and the job description in front of you during the

interview }  Keep a log of companies and jobs applied for, in case you are called unexpectedly

}  Practice, practice, practice.

}  Be Professional: }  Record a professional message for your answering machine or voicemail

}  Turn off music or the TV during the interview }  Don’t eat, drink, or chew gum during the interview

}  Don’t type on your computer during the interview.

}  Don’t put an interviewer on hold to take call waiting. }  Be Personable: }  Be enthusiastic – smile and let the excitement come through your voice

}  Thank you interviewer for his or her time.

Don’t Forget the THANK YOU EMAIL


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Post Interview Packet


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}  Page 1: Value Proposition- This is a one-page “re-hash” of issues discussed during the interview that were important to the hiring manager. Unlike the Biography it is written in first person.

}  Page 2: Copy of Biography and Resume- include these even though the hiring manager may already have them.

}  Page 3: Management Endorsements- This is a one-page listing of four or five statements (endorsements) from former bosses that were praiseworthy of your performance. Put these statements in quotation marks and include the title, position, and the company of the manager who made the statement. Since the endorsements could be from any time in your career, DO NOT INCLUDE DATES! Note: Management Endorsements are NOT the same as references.

}  Page 4: Education and Certifications- Photocopies of degrees(s) & any certificates of training that are relevant to the job you’re interviewing for.

}  Page 5: References- 2-3 professional references, 1 personal.

Key Takeaways


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}  Keep your resume succinct, detailed, and mistake free. }  Use keywords and bolding to draw attention to important

parts of your resume. }  Your cover letter should justify, clarify and identify how

your qualifications meet the employer’s requirements. }  Use social media and career sites to find jobs. }  Network, network, network. }  Send a thank you letter and post interview packet after

your interview. }  Use AAA Institute to help you!

Questions/Comments


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} AAA Institute } [email protected] } www.aaa-institute.com } 818-386-2109

Thank You!


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References


}  Parker, Yana Damn Good Resume Guide, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA

}  Parker, Yana The Resume Catalog: 200 Damn Good Examples, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley CA

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