1. Resume Development Workshop
Ready, Set… WORK!
Resume
Resume Development Workshop
Choctaw Nation Career Development

2. The Resume
The Resume is a marketing document that appropriately positions a person for the job he/she is seeking.
The resume highlights and summarizes the skills, achievements, education, training, experiences, etc. that qualify a person for a particular job.
The resume contains key words that are directly related to the requirements of the desired job.

3. Resume Essentials Professional format Relevance
Organized and focused on target job
Neat and easy to read/skim
Correct grammar, punctuation, & capitalization
Relevance
Skills, qualifications, and accomplishments that match target job
Key words (terminology) that tie individual to target job or profession
Accomplishments and performance from past jobs or projects
Education, certifications, & training
Professional experience

4. Tools for Effective Resume Development
Job description or list of requirements for career field
Description of education, training, & certifications/licenses earned with dates & locations
Work experience (not more than 10 years) with titles, dates, accomplishments/responsibilities, & locations
May be paid or volunteer experience

5. Tools for Effective Resume Development
List of skills related to the target job—
Soft Skills: dependability, professionalism, organization, time management, flexibility, initiative, leadership, etc.
Transferrable Skills: skills that you have used/learned in other jobs that may “transfer” to this position – customer service, computer skills, management skills, sales, etc.
Technical Skills: computer programs used, certifications, industry language, etc.

6. Tools for Effective Resume Development
Contact Information
Professional addresses
Cell phone service with fully paid account
Professional voice mail greeting
(Hello this is John Smith. I am sorry that I can’t take your call at this time. Please leave your name and number and a brief message and I will return your call as soon as possible.)

7. Other Items
A resume MAY include the following if it is relevant to the target job and adds value to the resume.
Educational courses
GPA (if 3.6 or above)
Equipment operated
Memberships in professional or community organizations
Military service
Extra-curricular school activities (leadership, event organization)
Personal – foreign languages, special talents

8. Effective Resume Formatting
Include a Qualifications Summary section
Objectives – not recommended
Dates – use the year only in the employment history and education sections
Length – generally 1 page, more pages may be used if you have extensive relevant experience
Font – use fonts that commonly available on most computers and that have high readability (Arial, Lucida, Verdana, Times New Roman, Tahoma, Garamond)
References – separate reference page; 3-5 professional references, accurate contact information
Always get a person’s approval before using as a reference

9. Using Key Words
Job Description:
Sales Representatives sought to join Specialty Healthcare Inc.'s successful sales team. Currently we are seeking a professional and dedicated Sales Representative with a background in respiratory services, durable medical equipment sales, home medical equipment, or pharmaceutical sales to help us grow our $600 million business. As part of our team you will be joining a group of dedicated professionals and the national leader in Respiratory Care and in-home patient care. As a Specialty sales professional, you will be responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with doctors, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, local professionals and other referral sources in the medical community. In addition you will be expected to meet or exceed your monthly sales quota, continually educate clients, and market our services, respiratory equipment, and medications to new prospects.
Job Requirements :
2 year college degree plus a minimum of two years related experience or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
Applicant must possess a valid driver license issued by the state in which they are employed
Motivated and self driven, with a proven history of success in sales
Strong team player
Relationship building people skills
Highly organized, strong presentation skills
Desire to work in an environment that rewards for top performance

10. Medical Sales | Respiratory Care Professional
Key Words in a Resume
Stephen D. James
1547 Circle Dr Cell
Hugo, OK Home   
Medical Sales | Respiratory Care Professional
Professional Qualifications
Successful sales/customer relations experience with Dallas-based multi-state company.
Effective relationship-builder who is personable, dedicated; aggressive in pursuit of new accounts.
Outgoing personality with strong presentation skills and commitment to developing and maintaining solid customer base.
Extensive experience-based knowledge of newest respiratory care equipment and related services.
Goal-oriented team player who is motivated, organized, and takes pride in a job well done.
Well-liked by others and known as a fast learner who works hard, is efficient, and believes in providing extraordinary customer service; competitive by nature.

11. Typical Resume Mistakes
Writing your resume to sound like a series of job descriptions.
Writing in the first person.
Including unrelated and personal information.
Using passive language or no action words.
Repetitiveness.

12. Typical Resume Mistakes
Poor formatting or formatting that is too flashy.
Sending a resume without a cover letter.
Sending an unfocused or generic resume.
Typos and other spelling or grammatical errors.
Sending your resume to a nameless, faceless person.

13. Up-loadable or On-line Resumes
Online Applications and Resume Uploads (.txt files)
1. Create a new file using Word’s “Save As” feature. Under “format” select “text only.”
2. Close the new file.
3. Reopen the file, and you’ll find that Word has automatically reformatted the resume into Courier font, removed all formatting, and left-justified the text.
4. Review the resume and fix any “glitches” such as odd characters that may have been inserted to take the place of “curly” quotes, dashes, accents, or other nonstandard symbols.
5. Remove any tabs and adjust spacing as necessary. You might add a few extra blank spaces or move text down to the next line.
6. If necessary, add extra blank lines to improve readability.
7. Consider adding horizontal dividers to break the resume into sections for improved skimmability. You can use any standard typewriter symbols such as *, -, (, ), =, +, ^, or #.
8. Don't worry about the length of the resume. When you save it as a text file, it will generally increase the length. Then, if you add in a few more blank lines, it will be even longer and that's fine. Don't be concerned.
Use this method for copying/pasting
resumes into on-line systems.

14. Resume Builders OKCIS – OK Career Information System
Click Individual School-Agency Login
UN: choctawcd PW: okcis699
Click Create “My Portfolio”
Set up your portfolio by entering your personal information (use correct capitalization & punctuation)
Click My Portfolio at top right corner of page
Click My Education and Work History (ResumeTool)
Enter your resume information and follow instructions for organizing & printing the resume
You may contact an Employment Specialist with the Choctaw Career Development program for assistance.

15. Resume Builders Career Ready 101/KeyTrain www.choctawcareers.com
Use the same username & password used for your pretests (see a Choctaw Career Development Counselor if you are now a client of the program)
Click on My Resume
Follow the steps to build, save, and print your resume
You may contact an Employment Specialist with the Choctaw Career Development program for assistance.

16. Resume Builders About.com – Microsoft Word Template
Resume-in-Word.htm
Free on-line source for resume development with tutorials and templates.
Resume Styles – Functional, Chronological, Combination
Templates are a guide, and can be re-arranged or changed to meet your needs and your style.

17. Finalizing the Resume Proofreading Save the resume
Have your resume proofread by at least 3 individuals
Save the resume
Save your resume with a file name that identifies the job the resume applies to and the date.
You may have a number of similar resumes that you have created for particular jobs, and you may need to be able to access them specifically by job in the future.

18. Submitting the Resume Printing Presentation of the Resume
Always print the resume on high quality bond paper
Professional colors: off-white or gray
Presentation of the Resume
Mailing – mail the resume in a matching, correctly addressed envelope
Personal delivery – present the resume inside a neat, professional presentation-type folder, possibly with a clear front cover
Resumes are usually submitted with a corresponding cover letter

19. Misc. Tools
Never “drop off” your resume or job application while wearing casual clothing
Save your resume on a jump drive so that you can access it from anywhere
Learn about the company before applying for employment
Be aware of personal information and photos placed on the internet
Google your name

20. Questions Rhonda Mize Academic & Employment Services Coordinator
Choctaw Nation Career Development
cell
office
fax