MARKETING YOUR LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCEKeith Munson, Career SpecialistStrommen Career & Internship CenterLower Level Anderson Hallmunsonk@augsburg.edu

AGENDA

Why your leadership experience matters Highlighting leadership experience on your

resume Marketing your leadership experience in

cover letters Using strong leadership stories in

interviewing Other topics? Questions (and possibly answers)

IN A NATIONAL SURVEY OF EMPLOYERS THAT TYPICALLY HIRE NEW GRADUATES, THESE SKILLS WERE RANKED AS THE MOST DESIRED:

Communication Skills (written & verbal)

Honesty/Integrity Teamwork Skills Strong Work Ethic Analytical Skills Adaptability

Interpersonal Skills Motivation/Initiative Computer Skills Detail-orientation Organizational Skills Leadership Skills Self-Confidence

National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook Report, 2009

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS @ AUGSBURG Orientation Leaders are responsible for administering successful Orientation Programs. These

programs include SOAR I, SOAR II, SOAR III, SOAR IV, TRANSFER-mation, and Auggie Days. Orientation Leaders will work as a team to ensure that new first-year students have quality transitional experiences and are introduced to Augsburg College in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Through this experience, Orientation Leaders will:

Learn to work in a changing environment, demonstrate flexibility and problem solving skills

Develop a sense of responsibility and professionalism through work with new first-year students and being accountable for completion of work

Gain knowledge in setting and meeting personal and professional goals

Work independently and in a team to make progress towards set goals

Gain skills in areas as leadership, facilitation, presentation delivery, as well as conflict resolution

Train on topics such as cultural difference, anti-racism work, the LGBTQIA community, persons with disabilities, and other areas of human difference

Duties & Responsibilities

Attend CAO Student Leadership Summit

Attend and complete SOAR Training

Facilitate Auggie Days

Begin initial Homecoming Planning (4 OLs)

Facilitate TRANSFER-mation; Facilitate SOAR IV

Serve as Homecoming Student Committee (4 OLs)

Plan and Implement Student Homecoming Events (4 OLs)

Help recruit 2012 Orientation Leaders

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS @ AUGSBURG Orientation Leaders are responsible for administering successful Orientation Programs. These

programs include SOAR I, SOAR II, SOAR III, SOAR IV, TRANSFER-mation, and Auggie Days. Orientation

Leaders will work as a team to ensure that new first-year students have quality transitional

experiences and are introduced to Augsburg College in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Through this experience, Orientation Leaders will:

Learn to work in a changing environment, demonstrate flexibility and problem solving skills

Develop a sense of responsibility and professionalism through work with new first-year students and being accountable for completion of work

Gain knowledge in setting and meeting personal and professional goals

Work independently and in a team to make progress towards set goals

Gain skills in areas as leadership, facilitation, presentation delivery, as well as conflict resolution

Train on topics such as cultural difference, anti-racism work, the LGBTQIA community, persons with disabilities, and other areas of human difference

Duties & Responsibilities

Facilitate TRANSFER-mation; Facilitate SOAR IV

Serve as Homecoming Student Committee (4 OLs)

Plan and Implement Student Homecoming Events (4 OLs)

Help recruit 2012 Orientation Leaders

MARKETING YOUR LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE ON RESUMES

EMPLOYMENTAdmissions Office Assistant, September 20XX – Present

Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN Promoted the college to prospective students and their parents by providing helpful

information regarding college life at Augsburg. Conducted campus tours that highlighted the benefits of an Augsburg education. Followed-up thru written and phone correspondence with potential students. Answered all student and parent questions and referred them to appropriate resources

for additional assistance. 

Server, June 20XX – August 20XX Ciatti’s Restaurant, St. Paul, MN Provided excellent service to customers and promoted quality public relations. Resolved customer complaints in a professional manner. Selected as Employee of the Month for providing outstanding customer service.

 ACTIVITIES

Orientation Leader Member of International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Tutor of At-Risk Junior High Students Participant of Augsburg Intramural Volleyball and Broomball

RELATED EXPERIENCEAdmissions Office Assistant, September 20XX – Present

Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN Promoted the college to prospective students and their parents by providing helpful

information regarding college life at Augsburg. Conducted campus tours that highlighted the benefits of an Augsburg education. Followed-up thru written and phone correspondence with potential students. Answered all student and parent questions and referred them to appropriate resources

for additional assistance. 

Orientation Leader, August 20XX – December 20XXAugsburg College, Minneapolis, MN Planned and coordinated campus orientation events for incoming freshmen. Advised students on how to get involved on-campus and appropriate courses to take. Assisted faculty in teaching the Freshmen Augsburg Seminar. Researched and presented topic on developing effective study skills to students.

 Server, June 20XX – August 20XX Ciatti’s Restaurant, St. Paul, MN Provided excellent service to customers and promoted quality public relations. Resolved customer complaints in a professional manner. Selected as Employee of the Month for providing outstanding customer service.

 ACTIVITIES

Member of International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Tutor of At-Risk Junior High Students Participant of Augsburg Intramural Volleyball and Broomball

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE Orientation Leader, August 20XX – December 20XXAugsburg College, Minneapolis, MN Planned and coordinated campus orientation events for incoming freshmen. Advised students on how to get involved on-campus and appropriate courses to take. Assisted faculty in teaching the Freshmen Augsburg Seminar. Researched and presented topic on developing effective study skills to students.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE Admissions Office Assistant, September 20XX – Present

Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN Promoted the college to prospective students and their parents by providing helpful

information regarding college life at Augsburg. Conducted campus tours that highlighted the benefits of an Augsburg education. Followed-up thru written and phone correspondence with potential students. Answered all student and parent questions and referred them to appropriate resources

for additional assistance.

Server, June 20XX – August 20XX Ciatti’s Restaurant, St. Paul, MN Provided excellent service to customers and promoted quality public relations. Resolved customer complaints in a professional manner. Selected as Employee of the Month for providing outstanding customer service.

 ACTIVITIES

Member of International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Tutor of At-Risk Junior High Students Participant of Augsburg Intramural Volleyball and Broomball

RESUME STATEMENTS

Fair:Planned campus orientation events

Better:Planned and coordinated campus orientation

events for incoming freshmen. Great:

Planned and coordinated small and large-group campus orientation events for incoming freshmen class of 200 students; Resulted in significantly improved student survey results on program evaluations.

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Three years experience serving in leadership positions on campus. Strong communication and teamwork abilities developed through leadership positions on

campus. Excellent teamwork ability developed through on-campus leadership positions.

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE Orientation Leader, August 20XX – December 20XXAugsburg College, Minneapolis, MN Planned and coordinated campus orientation events for incoming freshmen. Advised students on how to get involved on-campus and appropriate courses to take. Assisted faculty in teaching the Freshmen Augsburg Seminar. Researched and presented topic on developing effective study skills to students.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE Admissions Office Assistant, September 20XX – Present

Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN Promoted the college to prospective students and their parents by providing helpful

information regarding college life at Augsburg. Conducted campus tours that highlighted the benefits of an Augsburg education. Followed-up thru written and phone correspondence with potential students. Answered all student and parent questions and referred them to appropriate resources

for additional assistance. ACTIVITIES

Member of International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Tutor of At-Risk Junior High Students Participant of Augsburg Intramural Volleyball and Broomball

MARKETING LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE ON YOUR RESUME

Use section headings to highlight your experience

Place leadership experience in your “experience” section rather than in “activities”

Use strong resume statements to “sell” your experience: Results Numbers/context Transferable skills

Highlight leadership experience in a “professional summary”.

LEADERSHIP & COVER LETTERS

COVER LETTER BASICS

Additional marketing tool Highlights, not entire story Identify 3 aspects of skills/experience of

importance to the employer Encourages employer to read your resume

Typically 3 paragraphs Middle paragraph highlights what you have to offer Opportunity to market your leadership experience It is critical to support your claims with a specific

experience Market your leadership experience in addition

to other experience

LEADERSHIP IN COVER LETTERS I have excellent communication skills. As the vice president of the Augsburg Student Senate, I

consistently demonstrated excellent communication and conflict management skills. For instance, I led weekly meetings that involved over 30 on-campus leadership members which included setting the agenda, managing group discussions, and assisting fellow students in finding creative solutions to disagreements. In addition, I successfully found ways to communicate difficult topics to the student body and met regularly with campus administration in order to voice student concerns. Because of my communication skills, I was able to convince the administration to implement a new way of reporting and addressing crime in the residents halls, which led to a 25% decrease in incident reports during my senior year.

LEADERSHIP STORIES IN INTERVIEWS

Questions about your background Tell me about yourself Walk me through your resume

Questions about your education and goals Why Augsburg? Why your major? What do you hope to do?

Behavioral based questions Situations that demonstrate a trait of skill.

WHAT TO EXPECT...

PAST BEHAVIOR OR EVENTS

FUTURE BEHAVIOR

WHY BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWING?

SAMPLE BEHAVIOR BASED QUESTIONS

Tell me about a time you led a team toward a common goal.

Give me an example of time you had to resolve a conflict among team members.

What kind of leader are you? Can you give me an example of a situation that demonstrates your leadership style?

What role do you typically play on a team? Give me an example.

Just enough details to give the listener a picture of what you were doing or how you work

Concise enough to demonstrate your point includes important details excludes unimportant details

Not too short; not too long There’s a character that the listener needs to “see” in action Leave enough for the interviewer to ask follow up

questions…don’t start with the whole story

INTERVIEW STORY TELLING

S.T.A.R. technique is ONE tool:

Situation-What was happening?

Task (goal)-What were you trying to accomplish?

Action-What did you specifically do?

Result-What was the outcome? How did your work affect the organization or situation?

S.T.A.R. PREP

Start with writing if it helps Move to bullet points of most important

points Rehearse-over, over, over Ad lib story to different speakers Adjust story to answer several questions, but

make sure you answer the question! Practice out loud, not just in your head!

INTERVIEW TIPS FOR S.T.A.R.

ON CAMPUS LEADERSHIP IS IMPORTANT