1. Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Searching
Career Prep 101:
Resumes, Cover Letters and
Job Searching
Emily Vees, MBA
Associate Director, Career Center

2. Opening the Door What is the purpose of a resume? Did you know….
Most recruiters only spend about 6-10 seconds looking at a resume?!
Skimming to find an indication that you meet their needs
Stand out from the crowd
RESUME
1 page, clean format, easy to read, no typos

3. Resume Format Chronological v. Functional Organizing the Resume
Chronological – job experience arranged listing most recent first
Functional – work experience arranged according to skills
Students and Recent grads = chronological
Organizing the Resume
Objective – optional
Education - college only, GPA
Relevant Coursework
Internship Experience
Work Experience
Campus/Community Involvement
Leadership Experience
Awards/Recognition
Research – Senior honors thesis, work done with Faculty (not just a class)
References – separate page; ask permission before listing

4. Education Section Examples
Include:
University, location, degree, graduation date, major/minor, GPA
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Business Administration Expected: May 2015
Major: Marketing Management GPA: 3.1
The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
EDUCATION
The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science GPA: 3.5 Expected: May 2014
Minor: Economics

5. Experience Section Examples

6. Technical Resume Tips DID YOU KNOW?
Most firms will do Boolean searches?
A type of search allowing users to combine keywords with operators such as AND, NOT and OR to further produce more relevant results
This means they are scanning your resume for keywords!
Keywords can be found in the job description.

7. Professional Summary Section
Summary about your skills and experiences that would make you appealing to an employer.
Should include keywords from job description.
SAMPLE:
Business and technology student with experience in IT project leadership including planning and implementation management, development and analysis. Product knowledge spans software, hardware, and related computer services. Completed internships in software and development, skilled at learning new tasks quickly with the ability to analyze and solve problems.

8. Technical Summary/Skills Section
List all buzzwords, including platforms, languages, operating systems, frameworks, what are you familiar with?
SAMPLE:
Languages: HTML, Java, C#, Visual Basic, SQL
Platforms: Windows XP, Citrix, Mac OS
Software: Microsoft Office Suite, Project, Visio, Adobe

9. Resume Reminders Avoid using fill in templates Use Action Verbs
Administered, Created, Developed, Executed, Facilitated, Planned, Managed, etc.
Avoid Wordiness – use phrases instead of sentences, eliminate the pronoun “I”
Recruiters like numbers!
Example “Supervised 6 staff members”
Tailor to the job for which you are applying
Use the job description to your advantage
address – is it professional?
Do not include graphics or photographs
PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD

10. Cover Letters
Introduces you, establishes your interest in the position, explains why you are submitting your resume
Typically 3 brief paragraphs:
The first explains why you are writing and the position you are seeking
The second explains how your skills relate to the specific job, why you are qualified for the position and how you can benefit the organization
The third reiterates your interest and requests a follow up; either a reply or an interview
Do not discuss salary requirements
Do not repeat your resume, highlight the appropriate skills
Should be tailored for each job/internship you apply for

11. Job Searching Utilize your resources!
Career Center jobs database and resume referral
Upcoming Career Fairs:
March 4th – Science and Engineering Fair
March 5th – All-Campus Career Fair
Faculty advisor/Computer Science jobs page
Online job boards:

12. Interviewing Aspects
Do’s, Don’ts and Dress

13. Interviewing Tips Do: Don’t: Turn off your cell phone
Have a firm handshake
Be familiar with the organization and position
Ask questions
Dress professionally
Send a thank you note
Ask about next steps
Be Late
Fail to practice beforehand
Dress inappropriately
Overlook body language
Speak negatively about yourself or others
Lie
Fail to ask questions

14. What to wear? Business Casual means:
NO jeans, shorts, t-shirts, sundresses, flip-flops or tennis shoes
Nothing wrinkled, frayed or worn-out
Acceptable attire includes:
Khakis or dress pants
Any type of collared shirt: polo, long or short sleeve dress shirts such as oxfords or blouses
Suit jackets are not necessary
Women can wear skirts, but must be appropriate length
Avoid anything sleeveless

15. Is that Appropriate?!

16. Business Casual - Men NO
YES

17. Business Casual - WomenNo
Yes

18. What to wear? Business Professional means: A SUIT! For Men: For Women:
A dark suit with a dress shirt
A coordinating tie
Dark socks and dress shoes
Avoid wearing bright colored shirts and loud ties
For Women:
Dark coordinated suits, properly fitted (not provocative), with matching dress blouse (no plunging neckline)
Skirt length no more than one inch above the knee
Polished matching dress shoes with moderate heel (no open toe/heeled shoes or platforms)
Neutral colored hose (no runs)

19. Business Professional WomenNo
Yes

20. Business Professional MenNo
Yes

21. Image Breakers Heavy cologne/perfume Visible tattoos or body piercings
Noisy, clunky or distracting jewelry
Unnatural hair color, messy hair style and/or unkempt facial hair
Loose or missing buttons
Clothing that is wrinkled, too tight, or too big
Scuffed shoes; open-toe shoes
Poor posture (stand and sit up straight)
Lack of a firm handshake
Overstuffed briefcase, bag, or pockets
Sweaty palms
Chewing gum
Smoking prior to the interview
Something stuck in your teeth

22. Behavioral Based Interviewing
Tell me about a time when….

23. Behavioral Based Interviewing
What is a behavioral based interview?
– An interviewing method that encourages you to talk about how you’ve dealt with past experiences
– Allows for a conversation, not an interrogation
– Looks for lessons learned from past experiences
– Effectively probes beyond the facts to reveal abilities

24. Comparison of Questions
Traditional Style:
“Tell me about one of your group projects”
Behavioral Style:
“Describe a time when you tried to get a group of people to cooperate and work together as a team so that an objective could be accomplished”
“Tell me about a challenge you have faced”
Behavioral Style :
“What types of problems have you had to identify and solve in your academic career? Describe in detail one of the most significant of these problems and the solution you developed”

25. Behavioral Interview Technique

26. S/T Situation/Task Describe the situation, task, or problem.
Be as specific as possible and provide details
Be concise, yet detailed.
Assume the interviewer knows nothing about the situation – provide relevant background.
S/T

27. Action
Describe the specific action(s) you took that had an effect on the situation.
Don't describe how you would behave or what the team did. Describe how you did actually behave.
If you later decided you should have behaved differently, explain this. The employer will see that you learned something from experience A

28. R Result Describe the positive result(s) or outcome(s)
Be ready to articulate what you learned as a result of the situation (particularly if using a negative example). What happened? (grade, project, benefits, etc.)
If possible, quantify your results and make sure to connect accomplishments to the position for which you are interviewing. R

29. The interviewer will probe further for more depth or detail if needed.
Getting a STAR
The interviewer will probe further for more depth or detail if needed.
What were you thinking at that point?”
“Tell me more about your meeting with that person.”
“Lead me through your decision-making process.”
Note: If the interviewer has to probe too often, this could be a sign that you aren’t listening well.

30. Derailers “What I would do…” “What I usually do…”
Extensive need to probe for details
Rambling / Tangents
Long-winded – be concise
Failure to listen - You can ask the interviewer to repeat the question, BUT not every time!
Providing a negative example without telling what you learned from it: “I handled an angry customer. He was rude to me. He ended up dropping our insurance.”

31. You are allowed to think about your response.
And remember…
Silence is OK!!
You are allowed to think about your response.

32. Practice Makes Perfect
Applying what you have learned

33. Sources of Experience Group Projects Campus/Professional Organizations
Leadership Positions
Previous Work Experience
Summer/ Part-time Jobs
Internships
Hobbies and Interests
Awards and Recognition
Volunteer Work

34. Think of some “stories”
Times where you saved/made money for an employer
A crisis or two and how you responded/recovered
A time where you were part of a team and what your contribution was
A time when you dealt with stress
A time where you provided successful leadership
Failures you faced and how you overcame them
Events that caused you to change direction and how that worked out

35. What else does the Career Center offer?
Individualized career advising
Internships/co-ops/
full-time employment
Resume/cover letter critiques
Job search strategies
Interviewing skills and mock interviews
Business etiquette and networking techniques
Career Fairs
Career workshops and programs

36. THE CAREER CENTER Visit us for more tips!
Your One Stop Shop For Everything Career Related!
DISCOVER MORE AT:
Student Union, Room 211
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm