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

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

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

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

Experience Section Examples www.onetonline.org

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.

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.

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

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 Email address – is it professional? Do not include graphics or photographs PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD

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

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: www.indeed.com www.linkedin.com www.internmatch.com

Interviewing Aspects Do’s, Don’ts and Dress

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

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

Is that Appropriate?!

Business Casual - Men NO YES

Business Casual - Women No Yes

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)

Business Professional Women No Yes

Business Professional Men No Yes

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

Behavioral Based Interviewing Tell me about a time when….

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

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”

Behavioral Interview Technique

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

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

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

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.

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.”

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

Practice Makes Perfect Applying what you have learned

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

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

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

THE CAREER CENTER Visit us for more tips! Your One Stop Shop For Everything Career Related! DISCOVER MORE AT: http://www.uakron.edu/career/ Student Union, Room 211 Monday-Friday 8am-5pm 330-972-7747