Presented by Bob Nealon, Career CoachNorth Campus Career Center

Developing a Winning Résumé

On average, how many résumés are received for every

job opening?

250 Résumés

for every job opening

Source: http://www.ere.net/2013/05/20/why-you-cant-get-a-job-recruiting-explained-by-the-numbers/

What do you hope your résumé does for you?

What is the goal?

Goal:

You are contacted for an interview for the position.

Remember:

Your résumé gets you the interview. A good interview moves you forward in the employer’s hiring process and ultimately gets you the job.

Purpose of Résumé1. It is your sales and marketing tool.

2. It is the answer to the question why an employer should hire you.

3. It is your initial introduction to process people (HR, Recruiters) and decision makers.

4. It is support documentation to pass on to your existing network of contacts (friends, family members, other connections).

5. It forces you to inventory your skills, background, educations, and accomplishments in a concise manner.

6. It helps you write your quality cover letters and prepare for your interview.

7. It validates who you are and what you have to offer to a prospective employer.8. It can serve as an attachment to your job application.9. It can assist your references in speaking out effectively on your behalf.

10. It is a reference tool to match job leads with your experience.11. It is a tool that can build your confidence.

12. It can help you make a favorable impression.13. It is a required tool for most online job boards/web sites.

14. It is a tool that can help you prepare your personal introduction and answer the “Tell me about yourself” question on an interview.

Résumé Versions Needed:

Version 1: Presentation Style• A well-formatted MS Word document and/or PDF

résumé for “people”. The résumé document is sent to a person through snail mail, e-mail, or delivered in person.Version 2: Text only

• A text-only résumé for online applications that do not allow you to upload your MS Word document or PDF into their system. The employer will provide a text editor for you to copy and paste the résumé into their system. This résumé is utilized exclusively for this purpose.

Version 3: Basic Word Document• An MS Word document with minimal formatting (i.e.

borderlines, bullets, italics, etc.). Many companies today utilize online applicant tracking systems to handle applicant date. These systems can be confused, and in some cases reject, résumés that it cannot interpret. This style will only be used when uploading your résumé into a computerized system.

Version 1:

Version 2:

Version 3:

Things to Know Before Beginning:

• Use no less than .5” margins. Ideally, use 1” margins (left, right, top, bottom)

• Balance white space and content.• Use an excellent printer to generate print outs for

interviews, in-person résumé delivery• Use commonly used font styles (i.e. Arial, Verdana,

etc.)• Font size between 10 and 12 point type size (body of

résumé)• When handing or mailing your résumé to a person,

put your résumé on good quality résumé paper.

Basic Résumé Writing Tips

1. Know your audience before you begin to prepare the document. Target the résumé to the job and employer.

2. Make sure your résumé is free of all spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors. Have someone else proofread your résumé.

3. Put your targeted job title following your name and contact information4. Develop a Summary Statement/Performance Profile that describes your

ability to do the targeted job.

5. Develop a Skills section with at least 8 keyword (“hard” skills).

6. Quantify your accomplishments – tell how much, how many, how often.

7. Don’t extend employment dates to fill in gaps.

8. Be sure your résumé is well organized and concise. One page résumé is all you need (unless you have more than 5 years of work experience).

9. Don’t overuse capitalizations, italics, or underlines. Have a strategy for using these formatting tools.10. Use present tense for current jobs and past tense for jobs in past.

11. Spell out terms versus using abbreviations or acronyms.

12. Avoid using the pronoun “I”.13. Do not include personal information – unless it is relevant to the job.

14. Always include a cover letter unless you are told differently by the employer.

15. Use www.oneonline.org for assistance with job descriptions and keywords.

Organizing Your RésuméContact Information• Name• Address• Telephone Number and E-Mail Address

Example:

Organizing Your RésuméTargeted Job Title• Add the targeted job title underneath your contact

information. This is the title of the job to which you are applying.

• Include your signature strengths – develop a “headline”Example:

Organizing Your RésuméSummary Statement/Performance Profile• Develop an add a short paragraph and place

underneath your targeted job title• This paragraph should summarize your ability to do

the targeted job

Example:

Organizing Your RésuméSkills/Core Strengths Section• Add “hard” skills/keywords that you possess that are

related to the targeted job.• This information can be organized into columns or

evenly spaced on a few lines.

Examples:

Organizing Your RésuméEducation• Add your Broward College education. This should be

listed first. If you possess your Broward College degree, there is no need to list your high school education.

• You might highlight some key coursework as well.Examples:

Organizing Your RésuméExperience• If you list multiple positions, each entry should have

a consistent look. Utilized bullets and highlight accomplishments

Examples:

Organizing Your RésuméOther Possible Sections• Awards and Special Recognition• Volunteer Efforts/Community Involvement• Internships (could also be detailed in Experience

section)• Professional Affiliations, Memberships• Technical Expertise/Computer Software Skills• Licenses, Certifications, Accreditations

Questions?

Reminder:

Broward College Resources• Your North Campus Career Center Staff

• Resume Writing, Interviewing, Job Search Strategy, and more

• Assessment Tools including Career Coach and FOCUS 2

• Internship EDGE

• Student job bank @ www.broward.edu/ccn

Contact me for an appointmentMy Contact Information:

Bob NealonCareer Coach Specialist

Broward College – North CampusBuilding 46, Room 238 (Career Center)

Phone: (954) 201-2270E-Mail: RNealon@broward.edu

Connect with me through LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/BobNealon

Thank you for attending!