Resume Workshop September 13th, 2012

Introduction Why today?  Internship Fair, Sept 19, 10am – 2pm  Career Fair, Sept 26, 10am – 3pm The objective of this workshop Special thanks to Inroads Please ask questions!

The Resume You on a piece of paper Differentiates you from other internship/job candidates Informs the employer about who you are, where you have been, and what you can do for them

Resume Checklist Is it one page? Is your objective clearly written? Have you reviewed each section to be sure that you have effectively conveyed the skills, qualifications, abilities, and accomplishments? If you were a recruiter, would you refer your resume to a hiring manager?

Targeted Resumes Personalized to company/position Shows research Written specifically to employer’s needs Provides employers with easily identifiable skill areas and an idea on experience history.

Resume “Do’s” Support all accomplishments with specific results Draw attention to what the market is buying Check spelling an grammar Proofread the final copy Utilize the space on the paper, get creative with the margins Use active words

Resume “Don'ts” Don’t include anything that will raise doubts about your skills and/or cause you to be screened out. Do not list references. Reserve them for the interview Do not exaggerate or misrepresent yourself Do anything you think looks cute

Resume Tips Use business appropriate address Make sure the resume is easy to read and visually appealing Avoid using “I” statements Use key words that are appropriate for the job you are seeking Do not use abbreviations

Resume Tips Do not use overly fancy style or font (“Resume” paper doesn’t impress anyone) Devote more space to recent job and work experiences Do not use decals, fancy artwork, etc. Use short sentences, avoid paragraphs Keep the target in mind, “Would I interview this person?”

Inroads Resume Format Combines chronological and functional/skill formats Highlights most relevant skills and accomplishments Minimizes drawbacks such as employment gaps and absence of directly related experience

Sample Resume At first look, looks “Full” with good use of space Clearly identified sections Easy-to-identify discriminators

Sample Resume, Underclassmen Non-Engineering Experience Okay Highlight High School activities You’re young, they don’t expect you to have much

The Header Clearly identifies  Your Name  Your contact information is workplace appropriate Address inclusion optional

The Objective Clearly states what you hope to gain from the internship/job Personalized to the company and/or position  Planning on talking to 10 companies this week? You better have 10 different Resumes Shows effort and research Should only be one sentence

Education Avoid abbreviations (UCF, BS, AE, etc) Round GPA’s to nearest tenth Don’t include GPA if under 3.0 Emphasize the positive (Major GPA if applicable) Include expected graduation date

Relevant Courses Your potential employer doesn’t know what you’ve learned/studied Informs the company about your educational background Don’t include general education classes

Experience Clearly identifies employer, position, and time period. Highlights your accomplishments and contributions

Experience, Non-Engineering Better than no experience Highlights responsibility and workplace professionalism

Research & Publications Include them! Just as valid as industry-experience Dealer’s choice on whether you want to make separate sections or include them in “Experience” or whatever [If Jose had done any research, it would be shown here]

Projects/Hobbies Can help supplement/substitute a lack of Relevant-Job Experience Shows initiative and enthusiasm Freshman/Sophomores – include your Intro To Engineering projects Participated in an AIAA project? Include it on there also.

Leadership Get involved with student organizations! Shows that you care about being a special-butterfly Styled the same way as Experience

Awards Demonstrates excellence Highlights academic achievements

Resume Skill List Great way to showcase knowledge of industry relevant programs and skills Non-technical skills can help enhance your personality Don’t get too creative (“Leadership, salesmanship, awesomeness, etc”)

Resume Check List Is it one page? Contact info correct? Have you had some proofread it? Is it properly formatted? Does it look “full”? Does everything look credible/legit? Have you spelled out all acronyms? Have you used proper tenses? Is it easy to read?

Resume Check List Is each section in reverse chronological order? Are all your courses relevant to the company? Is this a targeted resume or a one-resume-thinks-it-can-get- hired-by-all one? Action verb usage Have you shamelessly copied Jose’s resume?

Career/Internship Fair Tips Look professional Schedule yourself plenty of time to attend Try to leave bookbag behind, invest in a portfolio Make sure you know what companies you want to talk to beforehand Have your 90-second commercial ready Recruiters can smell fear

90-Second Commercial “Tell me about yourself” Let them know what you can offer the organization Let them know why you want to work for them Provides a vivid and clear picture of exactly who you are and what you can offer an employer