Successful Resume Strategies

Learning Objectives:

After completing this workshop, the participants will be able to:

  • List the advantages of developing a resume and cover letter
  • Understand the reasons for having a resume and cover letter
  • Identify the key sections of a successful resume and cover letter
  • Identify skills, knowledge, and accomplishments to include on the resume and cover letter
  • Develop a draft resume and cover letter
  • Identify local resources to help with resumes and cover letters

Workshop Materials:

To deliver the workshop, you will need the following supplies:

  • Post-It Easel Flip chart with markers
  • A computer and projector with screen
  • Resume and Cover Letter PowerPoint (on CD)
  • 4x6 index cards
  • Handouts

Being Descriptive Worksheet

Resume Editing Checklist

Resume Packaging Checklist

Action Verbs

Focusing Your Resume and Cover Letter Worksheet

How to Decide Which Resume To Use

Resume Tips

Sample Resumes (Chronological and Functional)

Cover Letter Strategies

Cover Letter Outline

Lecture and Activity Suggestions

1. Welcome to Workshop (Slide 1)

This workshop offers in-depth advice and strategies for each of the most common resume sections: identifying information, objective or summary, education, experience and skills. This workshop lasts approximately 2 hours and allows participants a hands-on opportunity to draft, develop and revise portions of their resume.

This presentation is designed to help individuals understand more fully the expectations readers (employers) have when reading a resume. The PowerPoint presentation is designed to aid the facilitator in a more interactive presentation of resumes. This presentation is ideal for any individual.

Like Beauty, A perfect resume is in the eye of the beholder. However, there are many pitfalls that can easily send a good candidate’s resume straight to the proverbial circular file. What the participant will learn during this workshop will arm them with the knowledge and skills to avoid these pitfalls and put them on their way to creating a resume that works.

By the end of the workshop, participants should have learned some strategies and begun to apply them.

2. What is resume?(Slide 2)

The facilitator should stress that the resume is highly personalized. There is no one correct way to organize a resume, and writers should never simply copy a resume format. Job applicants should think about what makes them qualified for the position they are seeking, and they should stress these qualifications throughout. SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS

What a resume is NOT:

  • An interview – put only enough information to entice an employer to find out more about the individual
  • A biography – it is not your entire life’s story
  • A replacement for an employer’s employment application – never substitute your resume for an application
  • A catch-all tool that works for every perspective employer – tailor your resume to each employer

What a Resume IS: An advertisement. Talk about a car ads, mentioning that ads don’t tell you everything about the car, just the things that the advertiser thinks will entice the consumer to come into the show room to learn more. A resume works that same way, provide enough information to arouse the interest the reader who will then ask you in for an interview.

3. Purpose of a Resume (Slide 3)

Discussion point: Imagine you are a human resource manager or on a hiring committee. You have an enormous stack of resumes to go though in a short time. What information would you most want to see? What questions would have about each applicant’s resume?

4. The importance of preliminary research(Slide 4)

Key Concept: Doing preliminary research helps a writer to tailor their resume for the job they are applying for, and writers should do as much preliminary research as possible about the companies to which they are writing and the jobs for which they are applying. Applicants should conduct research whenever possible, especially for top choices.

Job applicants should look at the vocabulary of job ads, especially the vocabulary of the ad to which they are responding. There are many job bank sites on the World Wide Web and browsing through some of the postings at these sites will help applicants understand how to discuss their experiences and skills on their resume.

Some directories researchers might consult for career related information are Barron’s, Ward’s, and Thomas’ Register.

Resumes that are targeted to specific industries, employers, and job announcements are the most effective. In targeting your resume and cover letter to a particular company and job opening, your format and language need to be tailored to match what the employer is looking for. Employers will be more likely to call you for an interview if your resume has language that is familiar to them and lists the qualifications for which they are looking. You can ensure this by paying close attention to adjective and phrases (buzz words) used in your research materials, especially job postings and advertisements

Preliminary Research Activity (if time and resources permit)

To browse job bank sites on the internet, job applicants can enter “jobs” as the key word in a search request. This will produce thousands of potential sites to look through, some of which will not be at all relevant to the researcher’s job search. You can also provide them with a list of job websites that you know to be particularly useful. Stress using:

5. Identifying Information (Slide 5)

Discussion question: What is the single most important piece of information on a resume? Your name is the most important feature on a resume because without it your resume would be useless. Since readers will look for the applicant’s name first and last name, you should consider placing it in a lager font size and bold for easy reference (14 point).

Discussion question: Where is the best place to put your contact information? The preference is top and centered.

Key Concept: It is very important that employers be able to reach the applicant at the address(es) and phone number(s) listed in the heading. If applicants are going through a time of transition and will be moving, they should make it clear on the resume where they will be on any given day. During transitional times, it is a good idea to include a permanent address where someone will always know the applicant’s whereabouts and can locate them.

Your email address should be conservative and professional

Your answering machine message should clearly identify you and be professional sounding. Talk about the use of cell phones.

6. Objective (Slide 6 and 7)

If you don’t choose an objective, the employer probably won’t choose you. Most resumes are improved with an objective statement, although it may be necessary to omit this section because of space requirements.

Most resume readers are busy and need to find desired information quickly. An objective statement located at the top of the page makes it easy for the reader to see the “big picture”

Objective statements need to be specific and tailored for each position you apply for. One sign of a weak objective statement is that it may be placed on anybody’s resume. An effective objective statement will answer these questions.

Focusing your Resume and Cover Letter Worksheet

Using the handout provided work on generating some possible objective statements. Participants should identify their strengths/skills/qualifications for their identified position. Keep them specific and focused. Remember, that they need to appeal to an employers’ expectations and needs. Ask for volunteers to share what they have written.

7. Work Experience (Slide 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17)

Employment Experience: This section of the resume can go by various names, depending on the writer’s specific experiences and the job for which the writer is tailoring the resume. Some names that writers use are: Work Experience, Employment History, Professional Experience, Qualifying Experience, and Related Experience. Some writers include both volunteer and paid positions in the work experience section; other writers divide these into two sections, such as Volunteer Experience and Employment History. Writers should customize this section to reflect their strengths and experiences.

Slide 9 is an example.

Slide 10 – this is an activity slide

Using 4x6 index cards have participants list each job on a separate card including the position title, company name, and dates.

Include:

Jobs

Volunteer positions

Internships

Slide 11 – Describing Experiences

Provide participants with the Action Verb list and the Skills lists. Ask the to skim through the lists, putting checkmarks next to all those words they feel apply to them. Then ask participants place a checkmark next to word they think employers in their field would want to see. Words with two checkmarks should definitely be worked into their resumes.

Slide 12 – journalistic questions

Slide 13 -

Can help with developing strong descriptions and use of action verbs.

Slide 14 - Guidelines

Slide 15 - Developing your descriptions

Discussion question: Why is the after example better?

The “after” is better because it gives the resume readers more information about the experience. The second sample also demonstrates that the applicant has a detail-oriented mind and took the specific tasks of the job seriously.

Slide 16 - Making your descriptions match

Discussion question: Ask participants to consider the following:

•What is the difference between the two columns?

•Which column description is better? Why?

Most would agree that column B is better because it is written in parallel fashion. It sets up a pattern and sticks with it. Applicants make a resume reader’s job easier when they structure words and phrases in a consistent manner.

For example, in Column B all descriptions begin with past tense verbs: readers can think about meaning with worrying about structure. In Column A, by contrast, readers have to figure out how each item relates to the others in the list, which takes time and may even prove frustrating.

You may begin each description with a present tense verb – as long as you are consistent. I also take about the over use of the words “Responsible for” and the need to be specific for what they did.

Slide 17 - Selling your Skills

Another common trouble spot with describing experiences may be called “selling oneself short.” Individuals often have to take jobs that are not directly related to their career goals. As a result, some resume writers think about job descriptions as sets of things they were forced to do to earn a living.

One way to boost descriptions of experiences is to think about how a professional would perceive each job task. Professionals generally se their work as satisfying to some greater organizational need.

Being Descriptive Worksheet

Consider the following example. Is it more impressive to say “swept the floor and cleaned tables” or “created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant”?

Have participants complete the worksheet “Being Descriptive” in pairs or groups and do a large group share. Below are some suggestions for improving each before statements. Reinforce any good suggestions that the participants have.

Before: Answered the phone and related messages

After: Took orders and verified their correctness with customers

Acted as a liaison between clients and legal staff

Before: Planned activities

After: Planned arts and crafts activities for preschool aged children

Before: Made change

After: Handled large sums of money, balanced the cash drawer

Before: Talked to customers

After: Provide quality customer service while promoting the sale of

products.

Before: Developed a plan for a new warehousing system

After: Developed and implemented warehousing system that saved

company more than $500,000

8. Education and Training Section (Slide 18 and 19)

Education and Training: The education section highlights the applicant’s relevant education and training. This section may be placed before or after the work experience section of the resume, depending on the amount and quality of an applicant’s work experience. The writer should list the strongest of the education or work experience. Applicants with substantial work experience may include a relatively brief education and training section.

Some other information applicants might include in the education section of the resume is it is relevant are:

  • Academic honors
  • Emphases or concentrations within the major
  • Special projects completed
  • Certifications
  • Special training completed
  • Funding
  • Relevant coursework – List classes that support claims of strong skills in a specific area or that are related to the position being sought

9. Skills and Abilities (Slide 20)

Specialized Skills: This section should be included if the applicant has some significant skills in addition to those mentioned in other parts of the resume. If an applicant has a special skill, they can use this section to stand out from other applicants.

The bottom line is that with a little work and attention, your resume make over can help you go from just another candidate to the candidate at the top of the pack.

10. General Resume Guidelines (Slide 21 and 22)

Most employers will spend less than 35 seconds scanning a resume to determine whether to schedule an interview or discard a resume. These general guidelines will help employers locate information quickly and easily on the resume.

Writers should try to keep their resumes to one page, but should not fill that page completely with information. If a two page resume is needed, be sure to include the most important and relevant information on the first page. Using a 10 to 12 point font, adequate spacing, and 1 inch margins will ensure that employers can read the resume

11. Electronic Resumes (Slides 23)

Briefly touch upon this, however, this is beyond the scope of this particular workshop.

12. References(Slide 24)

It is a good idea for applicants to compile a separate reference sheet that they can send out along with their resume if references are requested.

Applicants should not assume that someone is willing to serve as a reference for them, and they should definitely contact their references before including them on the reference sheet. It is also helpful for applicants to briefly describe how they know a reference on the reference sheet, so that the employer will know the kind of information a given reference can provide.

Talk about who is a good reference.

13. Cover letters(Slides 25– 38)

Cover letters are highly personalized. There is no one correct way to write a cover letter, and writers should never simply copy another cover letter. Job applicants should think about what makes them qualified for the position they are seeking, and they should stress these qualifications throughout their letters. The cover letter should give the employer a sense of what makes an applicant unique and how their experiences and skills have prepared them for the job they are seeking. Applicants should demonstrate their knowledge of the company in the cover letter, and they should write persuasively, using solid facts and figures to support their claims.

Every resume should be accompanied by a cover letter that is tailored to the specific job and company. Don’t make people guess as to why you have sent them your resume. Make it clear right up front. Give the reader a clear idea of who you are and encourage them to stay tuned for more information.

Experts say it takes just 7 seconds to make a first impression. Make the most of your 7 seconds with a winning cover letter.

The key is to get the cover letter into the correct person’s hand with as few extra steps as possible. Sending the cover letter and resume to the person who is actually interviewing and/or hiring for a specific position will reduce the possibility of the letter “falling through the cracks” and being misplaced or lost.

If an applicant does not know to whom they should address their letter, then they probably have not done enough research on the company to which they are applying. Visiting a company’s web page is the most minimal amount of research that an applicant should expect to do, and this research should yield the name of the person who should be addressed. In some cases, companies will post “blind ads” and will not reveal the name of the person interviewing. In this case it is acceptable to address the “Personnel Manager” or the title listed in the job ad. Be careful to be gender neutral – don’t use phrases like “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”

It is important for applicants to write persuasively opening paragraphs. Writers can capture their reader’s attention best by demonstrating their knowledge of the job or the company. If the job was advertised, applicant tell where they learned of the opening. If applicants are writing to find out if a job is available, they might mention a product or project on which they are interested in working. In either case, applicants should work to tie their qualifications in with the job they are seeking.