copyright 2013 by arthur fricke resume advice and assignment tips why getting good examples is very...

Copyright 2013 by Arthur Fricke

Resumeadvice and assignment tips

Why getting GOOD EXAMPLES is very important Why getting GOOD HELP can be really important Some guidelines for making a great resume

This slideshow will help you if:

You could use some really clear guidelines for creating a resume that is professional, persuasive, and HELPFUL for the folks doing the hiring


Electronic or Hardcopy whatever the format, follow these

general guidelines

Make it EASY for folks to use the document

FOLLOW DIRECTIONS for submission Use VERY clear formatting that is easy for people to skim quickly

Keep CONTROL of the document

For a hardcopy, USE A LASERPRINTER so print won’t smudge For an electronic copy, use “.PDF” format so it will look the same

no matter who opens the file (and use a CLEAR filename!)

APPEAL to the audience

Tailor your resume to each specific opportunity Use a STRATEGY to appeal to the audience! Make your resume EASY TO USE!


really important use EXAMPLES ! use FACTS !

Follow good EXAMPLE RESUMES from your field Make the resume LOOK like what people in your field are used to seeing Organize the information in a recognizable way

Use FACTUAL information in your resume Connect the things you describe to MEASURABLE details If you can’t quantify something with numbers, then consider dropping it

DO NOT make a mere list of opinions (ex – “detail oriented”, “people person”, “dependable”, etc)


a great tip GET HELP !

Go to the Career Center

Located in Wiggins – just ~200 yards from here

They can help with general resume advice and editing

Go to the Writing Center

Located on the 1st floor of this building, open M-F 9-5

You’ve PAID for them, and they can help with basic editing

Drop by my office hours or talk to me in class

I can help you brainstorm, draft, and/or edit assignments

IF you get outside help,

TELL ME and attach edited draft work to what you submit


Now the basics:what is the goal of a resume?

Resumes do the following:

Save the people hiring time and effort Keep you in the running so you can get an

interview

The goal is NOT TO GET CUT

Getting a job is like “Survivor” – just make the last tribal council and you’ve got a shot


#1 TIPfind a good resume & learn from it !

Conventions vary from field to field, so you need to find examples of winning resumes IN YOUR FIELD

There ARE examples available at the career center, from your program profs and advisors, friends and relatives,

in BOOKS, and from complete strangers

GET THEM!


#2 TIPdon’t try to do it all at once

Give yourself TIME to write a resume

work on it a little bit at a time whenever you get the chance

EX: Brainstorming on scratch paper really helps, and you can do this anywhere


#3 TIPFOLLOW DIRECTIONS !!!!

If the folks doing the hiring asked you to do something specific, then there IS a reason for it

ignoring even seemingly little “nit-picky” things can often get your application tossed right out, and CLEARLY

shows that you are not “detail oriented”

remember that the goal is NOT TO GET CUT, so don’t give them an excuse to toss out your

application


now the strategies:STRATEGY # 1.0

Think like a Human Resources professional

Create a resume that makes their job EASY !

Winning resumes “stand out” by: Following directions EXACTLY Following professional conventions CLEARLY Showing that the person has EDITED very carefully Showing that the person has TAILORED the resume to

this specific opportunity Being EASY TO SCAN QUICKLY & USE EFFECTIVELY


DO NOTbe “creative” for no useful reason

Winning resumes DO NOT “stand out” by: Being formatted “distinctively” Using “creative” backgrounds or graphics Using “unique” language or organization

Remember that the people doing the hiring have A BIG stack of applications to plow through

They want applications that are EASY TO SCAN QUICKLY & USE EFFECTIVELY

You will “stand out” if you clearly show that you know HOW TO HELP THEM do their work easily


for example:

Great resumes are EASY to skim & evaluate

Eliminate block paragraphs (UNLESS standard in your field)

Choose a VERY CLEAR font and size Format your contact and other very important info

so it is EASY TO READ AND PHOTOCOPY

FOLLOW DIRECTIONS & include SOMETHING for EVERYTHING they specifically ask for


REMEMBER the overall GOAL

You’re just trying NOT TO GET CUT

Weakest (look weird, aren’t easy to skim, didn’t follow directions, etc) resumes are tossed firstRemaining resumes are then looked at more carefully

What does this mean for you? a SIMPLE mistake (like your resume looks “weird”) shows you

don’t know the rules of the game, and you get cut a SIMPLE mistake (like you didn’t follow directions) shows you’re

not careful or you don’t care, and you get cut I’ve put some CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS in the assignment

directions to test you on this


STRATEGY # 2.0give the HARD FACTS they WANT

Try to connect A CONCRETE QUANTIFIABLE FACT to EVERY need you know they have

This is where background research on the company/organization is critical


STRATEGY # 2.1show, don’t tell

Never just tell the employer what you’re like

SHOW them with SPECIFIC examples and QUANTIFIABLE details, and let the

achievements you describe speak for you


Show, Don’t Tellexample one

Hardworking with great organizational skills Sure, who isn’t – I’ve already read this line a hundred times in the past week,

and I DON’T BELIEVE YOU!

Served as budget committee chair Managed 50+ member accounts and a yearly budget

of $32,000 HOLY COW! You must be really hard working with great organizational skills!


Show, Don’t Tell example two

Responsible student good at time managementSure, but I’ve seen your GPA and I DON’T BELIEVE YOU !

Self-financed all college tuition and expenses Averaged 17 credit hours per semester Worked 30+ hours a week each semester Maintained an overall 2.95 GPA

HOLY COW! You must be a really responsible student and good at time management !


Show, don’t tell example three

Strong leadership skillsSure, whatever.

Managed a 12 person sales force that achieved highest commission rate for three consecutive years

Wow, great leader !

Getting the idea yet?Don’t tell it – PROVE IT !


You may have noticed . . .

A lot of the previous examples USE NUMBERS

Numbers JUMP out of the page, so use this to your advantage

Numbers QUANTIFY the information you present – they define things like HOW BIG, HOW MUCH, HOW LONG, etc


Use QUANTIFIABLE detailsto show GENERAL skills

Entry-level folks are often short on job experience (that’s why it’s ENTRY-level)

Use classroom, volunteer, unrelated job, or other CONCRETE experiences to show that you have the general skills they’re looking for.

Didn’t you WORK HARD, meet LOTS OF DEADLINES, manage GROUP WORK, and DEFINE PROJECTS in at least some of your schoolwork?

Aren’t these general skills that ANY employer would want? You can list things like classes just like you’d list jobs


Show, don’t tell (BAD) example

Relevant Coursework: Eng2311 Technical Writing Eng2388 Intro to Film Studies Eng3323 Early Medieval Literature Eng3365 Professional Report Writing

What’s “relevant” here?

If you don’t TELL them what’s relevant with details, then it’s just a random list & does nothing.


Show, don’t tell (slightly better) example

Relevant Coursework:Technical Writing, Spring 2013, writing intensive english class

Wrote a lot of memos and reports Met a lot of deadlines Worked in a group Figured out complicated assignments Worked hard to get a good grade Created a portfolio blog

BETTER, but some numbers would really help.


Show, don’t tell (GOOD) example

Relevant Coursework:Technical Writing, Spring 2013, writing intensive english class

Wrote and edited more than 60 pages of memos, reports, and other technical documents

Met 17 separate assignment deadlines in one 16-week class Worked in a four-person group do define, research, write, edit, and deliver a 15-page

formal report based on a local real-world problem Worked independently to define three different course projects on my own based on

open-ended and flexible project directions Earned an “A” course grade by staying organized, working ahead, and using

comments and feedback

Wow! This person must be really organized, able to handle a lot of deadlines, able to work independently, and also able to work really well in groups !


STRATEGY # 3.0Use Action Verbs

Designed Supervised Created Staffed

Tested Studied Earned Saved

Gained Programmed Sold Used

Use STRONG words to describe what you’ve done


DO NOT use passive language

KILL all “was responsible for” phrasespassive language hides ACTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS,

takes up space, and sounds WEAK

NO: Was responsible for the supervision of 12 video clerks

YES: Supervised 12 video clerks


Strategy # 3.1Use Parallelism

DEFINITION: “Parallelism is a writing technique that puts equally important things into an identical grammatical form.”

You want to use parallelism in lists, especially if they begin with bullets

Parallelism makes lists easy to scan quickly and remember easily, which is THE GOAL of a resume


DO NOTlist things like this

Today’s presentation will take the following format:

examine the current dress codereasons for changing the dress codenew dress code explanationsummary

Non-parallel lists are hard to skim quickly and hard to remember easily


insteadUSE PARALLELISM

Today’s presentation will:

examine the current dress codegive reasons for changing the codeexplain a new proposed code summarize the main points


Where to look forparallelism mistakes in resumes?

Look carefully at THE FIRST WORD in each line or list, especially under job experienceEach statement should start with an ACTION VERB

(a first-person active-tense verb)

Not Action: Was responsible for selling

Action: Sold


Parallelism Practice – FIX IT

Worked on resolving discrepancies in shipments/receipts and in-transit accounts.

Trained hourly employees in proper material handling procedures.

Was responsible for many employees’ work.


STRATEGY # 4.0Use Visual Hierarchy

Using Visual Hierarchy means ORGANIZING information using different fonts, text effects, and layouts so the resume is EASY to scan

This is where finding EXAMPLES specific to your field will really help

Knowing background info about the organization and specific person you’re writing to will also help VERY much

You want to make it EASY FOR THEM to find important info quickly and easily


Examples of Visual Hierarchy

In each example, what info is most important?

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NYB.S. in Materials Science and Engineering

B.S. in Materials Science and EngineeringRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY


STRATEGY # 4.1Use White Space EFFECTIVELY

White space attracts the eyeUse it to add EMPHASIS and create a Visual

Hierarchy

White space helps people to make notesUse it to make your resume more USEFUL

White space organizes informationUse it to make information EASIER TO FIND


Which example is easier to skim?

Supervised the monthly inventory Managed three sales clerks Sold $5,000+ worth of widgets weekly

In this position, I managed three sales clerks, supervised the monthly inventory, and sold $5,000 worth of widgets weekly.


resume writingStep 0 – Collect Info

Hopefully you’ve been updating a resume from the beginning of your professional career – college is part of that career.

If not, don’t panic. Just take notes on your achievements and KEEP them in a file. This will make producing a strong resume easier in the future.


resume writingStep 1– Brainstorm

Get blank sheets of paper and make resume categories education, experience, leadership, skills . . .

List EVERYTHING you can think of that fits each category ChE degree, writing, teaching, organization . . .

Connect DETAILS to everything on the list

EX: 2.95 gpa, produced 12 business proposals, taught 26 technical writing classes, organized a 250-person conference . . .


resume writingStep 2 – Add Details

Look through your brainstorming notes and pick out things that best SHOW your strengths

Go through your files to find details relevant to the organization you’re applying to

Then brainstorm again to add MORE details

EX: Senior design project in pollution prevention, $2.7 million funded software development proposal, 632 students in eight semesters, 40 speaker multidisciplinary conference


Advice: finding details

Ask questions like: How many people? How much money? How many hours? How many people did I supervise or report to? How much money or effort did I save? How can I PUT A NUMBER to it?

Dump all this into a rough 2-3 page resume that covers everything you could POSSIBLY describe

Then edit this document down to the one page of strong information and examples SPECIFIC to the job ad


resume writingStep 3 – edit it CAREFULLY !

Do a “final” draft for the specific job you’re seeking

Let it sit for 24 hours

Look at it again and REVISE (repeat as necessary)

DO NOT send people a resume with typos, misspellings, grammar, or formatting mistakes !


resume writingStep 4 – GET HELP !

Have at least one other person look it over

Take it to my office hours, the Writing Center, the Career Center, show it to your friends, roommate, parents . . .

Realize that not everyone will agree

Think about everyone’s comments, then take the advice you think is best


“Professional Job Application”final advice

DO NOT simply hand in whatever resume you might already have

Your resume must match a clear strategy specific to THE SPECIFIC opportunity you’re using for the project

Your resume must respond to the grading checklist

DO get some help The Career Center is an ok resource, my office hours

are an even better option TELL ME if you get assignment help by attaching the

marked up draft work with a handwritten note describing who helped you and how

copyright 2013 by arthur fricke resume advice and assignment tips why getting good examples is very...

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