M ARKETING Y OUR L EADERSHIP E XPERIENCE Keith Munson, Career Specialist Strommen Career & Internship Center Lower Level Anderson Hall

A GENDA 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)

I N 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

L EADERSHIP P A UGSBURG 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

L EADERSHIP P A UGSBURG 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

M ARKETING Y OUR L EADERSHIP E XPERIENCE ON R ESUMES

EMPLOYMENT 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 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 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. Orientation Leader, August 20XX – December 20XX Augsburg 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 20XX Augsburg 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

R ESUME S TATEMENTS 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 20XX Augsburg 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

M ARKETING L EADERSHIP E XPERIENCE ON Y OUR R ESUME 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”.

L EADERSHIP & C OVER L ETTERS

C OVER L ETTER B ASICS 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

L EADERSHIP IN C OVER L ETTERS 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.

L EADERSHIP S TORIES IN I NTERVIEWS

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. W HAT TO EXPECT...

PAST BEHAVIOR OR EVENTS FUTURE BEHAVIOR W HY BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWING ?

S AMPLE B EHAVIOR B ASED Q UESTIONS 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 I NTERVIEW STORY TELLING

S.T.A.R. technique is ONE tool: S ituation-What was happening? T ask (goal)-What were you trying to accomplish? A ction-What did you specifically do? R esult-What was the outcome? How did your work affect the organization or situation? S.T.A.R. P REP

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! I NTERVIEW T IPS FOR S.T.A.R.

O N C AMPUS L EADERSHIP IS I MPORTANT