adding leadership to your resume
TRANSCRIPT
Adding Leadership to
Your ResumeDavid Petersen
Graduate AssistantNotre Dame College
Danielle RuegerCareer Services
InternNotre Dame College
Attributes employers are looking for
• The most important attribute employers want is Leadership
• 80.1% To be exact• How can we share your
experiences with employers?• What is the best way to word it?
Formal Leadership
• These will be seen in your work experiences, some examples are:• Holding offices in organizations, clubs, and teams• Managing• Training• Organizing Groups
Informal Leadership• These are skills that you possess, or other ways you have
demonstrated leadership abilities• Effective Communication Skills• Teamwork ability• Accountable• Organized• Commitment• Creativity• Competence• Can you think of any other possible skills?
Adapted from Flexjobs.com 2013
How do I include Leadership on my Resume?
• Formal Leadership experience• Informal Leadership experiences
Let’s Talk About Your Experience!
• Where do you practice leadership?• The importance of reflection!• Transferrable skills• How do I highlight these skills on my resume?
My example:
I worked at a summer camp.
What did I actually do?
• I watched out for my campers.• I made sure everybody had a good time.• I Made sure the girls did their chores and that we had a
clean cabin• I Let directors know if we had any concerns about
anyone in daily logs• I switched gears and came up with indoor activities when
the weather wasn’t cooperating
How to put Leadership on your Resume
• Remember to quantify your experiences where necessary• Include number of people, or increases in productivity
• Give specifics on a project you led and if it was successful
Examples of Leadership on a Resume
Bad• As manager I got the staff to sell a ton of products
Good• Managed a team of sales staff members
Better• Managed a team of six sales staff members who increased
store sales by 3 percent in the third quarter of 2015
Examples of Leadership on a Resume
Bad• Caught new hires up to speed on the company
Good• Trained all the new hires to the restaurant
Better• Trained over 15 employees on company standards and the
point of sale software during the New Hire Orientation
Examples of Leadership on a Resume
Bad• I made the plan for how the company advertises on the
internetGood
• Created a company plan with a group on how to advertise on social media
Better• Organized a company task force of seven individuals to
develop a new social media plan for 2015, that led to 26% increase in customer inquiries
Examples of Leadership on a Resume
Bad• Team Captain
Good• Elected team captain of the Women’s Basketball team
Better• Elected Team Captain of Women’s Basketball team for the
willingness to help other players develop skills and dedication to the team environment
What ended up on my resume from my camp experience:
• Supervised a cabin of 17 campers 23 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 weeks• Performed daily duties as assigned with enthusiasm and
a positive attitude• Maintained a safe and healthy living environment for
campers• Recorded daily activities as well as concerns in a daily
log and shared them with supervising staff in order to address issues together• Remained flexible in the face of challenges and created
valuable bonding experiences for campers
Behold, the Power of Reflection!
I worked at a summer
camp
• I watched out for my campers.
• I made sure everybody had a good time.
• I made sure the girls did their chores and that we had a clean cabin
• I let directors know if we had any concerns about anyone in daily logs
• I switched gears and came up with indoor activities when the weather wasn’t cooperating
• Supervised a cabin of 17 campers 23 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 weeks
• Performed daily duties as assigned with enthusiasm and a positive attitude
• Maintained a safe and healthy living environment for campers
• Recorded daily activities as well as concerns in a daily log and shared them with supervising staff in order to address issues together
• Remained flexible in the face of challenges and created valuable bonding experiences for campers
Short Activity
• Reflect on your own experiences! Write down something you’ve done and then work with a partner to reflect on what you actually did, and how you can word it to highlight your leadership experiences on your resume.
DID YOU KNOW????
• You can put conference experiences on your resume? • Here is how:
One Conference
• List in the “Activities and Involvement” Section
Multiple Conferences
• Create a “Conference” Section• This will go near you Activities Section
Things to remember
• DO NOT LIE – We are asking you to expand on your experience not exaggerate it
• If you can use numbers to prove your impact on the company• QUANTIFY
• Reference a specific situation when possible• ALWAYS have someone (Career Services) Proof-read you
resume before you send it out• Utilize the Career Services Center early, often, and in-between
Any Questions?