INDIANA COUNTY

Professional Portfolio

Review the basics of writing and improving cover letters,

resumes and thank you notes.

Formats and Variations

Cover Letters

Basic Elements

Additional Information

Strategies

Thank You Notes

General Tips

JOB SEARCH STEP 1

Resume Writing

COVER LETTERA SUCCESSFUL COVER LETTER…• creates a desire to read your resume and meet with you.• is your opportunity to personalize your resume and target your skills and /or education to a specific job posting or company.• does not duplicate information on the resume, but points to additional information on the resume.• uses the AIDA model: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.• introduces you to the hiring department and helps you stand out from other candidates sending resumes or applications.• is brief, no more than 4 paragraphs, less than one page (yes, even if you have 30 years experience and a doctorate degree).• is updated and changed, tailored to individual job descriptions or company profiles

•Attention: state the job title and where you found the information

•Give reason the employer should hire you, state a skill the job posting listed or give the name of the person who referred you to that company

Opening

•Include information about education, work experience and/or licensure as it applies to the job title you are seeking

•If one area is stronger than the other, list that one first

Paragraph 2

•Only use if you have more than one requirement stated in the job order

•Do not duplicate information from the 1st paragraph

Paragraph 3

COVER LETTERS

•End with a sentence (two at most)

•Make sure to thank the company representative and include your preferred method of contact

Closing

•Only experience/education as it applies to the job description

•Your unique skills/experience, not a duplicate of your resume, but an attention-getter

Highlights

•Personal information about your family or living conditions

•Anything negative

Do Not Include

COVER LETTERS

•Employer contacts you, found your resume or someone gave the employer your name

•Will have the name and title of a specific person and contact information

Invited

•Requires the most research about the company

•Try to communicate how you can help the company, solve an issue the company may have

Uninvited

•Personal referral (not the same as an invitation) or from an advertized job posting

•May not have the full contact information available

Referral

COVER LETTER FORMATS

COVER LETTER FORMATS•Make

sure you restate the reason for writing the cover letter, who contacted you (with that person’s professional title)

•Include something from the previous conversation

Invited

•Tone should be formal, as if introducing yourself to the CEO

•“Hi, my name is…” not a necessary introduction, be creative

Uninvited

•If you do not have the full name, title or contact information, use another form of address such as hiring department

•Must be highly customized to the particular job description

Referral

COVER LETTER SAMPLES

Look at the sample cover letters and evaluate, picking out at least

3 positive and/or negative aspects.

Effective – Gets You Noticed

Marketing a Product – YOU!

Unique – What Makes You Special

Skills-Based

Essential Information Only

Review of Qualifications

RESUME BUILDER

•Takes much preparation

•Is kept up-to-date

A Good Resume…

•Features your unique skills

•Matches the employer’s needs

Also…

•Points towards your goal

•Highlights your experience/education or skills

And finally…

RESUME WRITING

•Use action verbs

•Quantify skills/results

Language

•Avoid the use of “I” statements

•Not literary, full sentence not required

Statement Structure

•Brief and to the point

•Clearly relates information

Content

RESUME WRITING

12

BAD•I worked hard to plan a block party

for my neighborhood.

BETTER•Planned a neighborhood block

party.

GREAT•Organized a neighborhood block

party of 50 homes, which helped reduce crime by 15 percent

RESUME WRITING

FORMATSCHRONOLOGICAL

Characteristic Advantage Disadvantage Use Don't Use If

Presents information in reverse order, most recent experience listed first

Offers concise picture of you as a potential employee

Easy to write Emphasizes

steady employment record

Format is familiar

Calls attention to employment gaps

Skills are difficult to spot unless they're listed in the most recent job

To emphasize past career growth and development

When continuing in the same career

When the name of former employer may be significant to prospective employer

There are gaps in your work history

Calling attention to your age could be a problem

You've changed jobs often

You're entering job market for first time or after a long absence

FORMATSFUNCTIONAL/SKILLS BASED

Characteristic Advantage Disadvantage Use Don't Use If

Focuses on specific strengths and skills important to employers

Brief and well-structured

Focus on skills, not history

De-emphasizes a spotty work history

No detailed work history

Content may appear to lack depth

When entering the job market or when reentering after a long absence

When work experience has been varied or unrelated

When changing careers

When primarily consulting or doing freelance work

You want to emphasize growth or development

Responsibilities and functions in recent jobs were limited

FORMATSCOMBINATION

Characteristic Advantage Disadvantage Use Don't Use If

All the flexibility and strength of the functional and chronological combined

Shows off a strong employment record with upward mobility

Showcases relevant skills and abilities and supportive employment record

Emphasizes transferable skills

Work history is often on the second page and employer may not read that far

When shorter functional format would be too sketchy

To offer a complete picture of abilities and work history

Experience is limited

There are wide gaps in work history

VARIATIONSKEYWORD

Characteristic Advantage Disadvantage Use Don't Use If

Allows for focused resumes that target specific skills for an industry, job title or company

Skills are listed briefly and at the beginning of the resume

Easy for employer to scan and find skills

May be redundant information to include keywords at the top of your resume

Still an unfamiliar format to many employers

For all scannable systems of job screening

For new graduates or those reentering the work place or changing careers

There is rarely a time you cannot use this variation. It can be used in combination with any or all of the other formats

VARIATIONSTARGETED

Characteristic Advantage Disadvantage Use Don't Use If

Highly focused document aimed at a particular job, company or industry

Brief and direct Easy to read

May focus too tightly on one particular job

Content may appear sparse

When job target, company or industry is specific

When you need separate resumes for different career paths

You aren't prepared to put the effort into writing an excellent resume

BASIC ELEMENTSNAME BLOCK

Don’t use abbreviations

Give a phone number you will answer and check

messages

Make your name stand out

Use a professional email address and check it often

BASIC ELEMENTSQUALIFICATIONS STATEMENT

Show you are qualified for the job

Highlight skills most pertinent to the job 3-4 lines or series of phrases

Use keywords from the job description

BASIC ELEMENTSEMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Show you are qualified for the job

Start with your most recent job

Last 3 jobs or last 10 years(whichever comes first)

BASIC ELEMENTSEDUCATION

Carefully consider including dates

List before work if skills and experience comes from

education

Add courses only if the job description includes specific

course requirements

List before work if a recent graduate

BASIC ELEMENTSMEMBERSHIPS

Avoid controversial topics

Related to job goal

Avoid religious / political unless it relates to the job

description or industry

BASIC ELEMENTSADDITIONAL SECTIONS

Professional Accomplishments

Activities/Interests

Skills

Key WordsLicenses/Certifications

Related ExperienceAwards or Achievements

Internships

Volunteer Experience

Special Projects or Fundraising

Military Experience/Leadership

ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONBody

•Summary of Qualifications for general purpose resume•Objective for targeted resume •Career Highlights is the same as accomplishments or can be used instead of Summary of Qualifications

Work History•Rule of 3 jobs or 10 years•List chronologically from most recent •If a skills based resume is used, no job description/responsibility is needed with each job•If chronological format is used, job description is listed after each employment title

Education/Awards•Chronological from most recent•If a targeted format, highlight education required for the job title, including course work and GPA•If general resume (not targeted), do not include course work or GPA •Include GPA only 3.0 and above unless otherwise required

STRATEGIES

•The cover letter and resume is only as good as the person using them.

•Results are most productive when used with networking.

Effectiveness

•Always send a targeted cover letter with the resume unless otherwise specified.

•Send your cover letter and resume to a person by name and title.

Distribution

•Use the same paper for the cover letter and resume in mailings or in person.

•Follow-up with a phone call to the employer.

Finishing Touches

•Get as much information about the company as possible.

•When networking, get the professional title and preferred method of address (Mr/Ms/Mrs., title or just name first).

Contacts

•Targeted cover letters and resumes are time intensive, but most effective.

•Use keywords from the job posting.

Content

•Change each cover letter to match the specific skills/education for individual job posting.

•Fonts and format should be professional.

Customize

STRATEGIES

SAMPLESJohn Doe

555 Philly StIndiana, PA 15701(724) 1232-199Cell: (724)555-1998Email: fisterwife1@yahoo.com

OBJECTIVE

To support my wife and 3 children.HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

> Over eighteen years of experience in manufacturing and production> Over 17 months working in the NDT and NDE field > Dependable, hard worker; effective working independently and as a cooperative team player> Competent and committed to doing top quality work> Willing to work all shifts

EMPLOYMENT HISTORYABC Systems, Iniana,PA Augst 2009 – December 2010NDT/NDE, QA/QC Inspector•Certification for level II MT•1,157 hrs toward RT certification•243 hrs toward PT certification•Also currently working towards VT certification SECURITY SERVICES, Johnstown, PA Feb 2009 – May 2009Security Guard for Power Plant, PA WABCO testing PRODUCTS, Wilmerding, PA 2004 – August 2008Air Compressor Tester/CNC Lathe and Milling Machine Operator● Tested air compresers for railroad industry● Machined and fabricated CUSTOM WINDOWs INC, Delmont, PA March 2003 - March 2004Maintenance Technician

Repari and maintenance of vinyl extruders and other machinery including variable-speed drivesSeRepair MA, Pittsburgh, PA December 2001 – May 2002Installer● Responsible for converting manually-read water meters to radio frequency-read metersAIR CONDITIONING & HEATING, INC., North Huntingdon, PA May 2002 – December 2002Pipefitter/Sheet Metal Technician/Pipe Welder May 2001 – September 2001 ● Installed heating and air conditioning piping and ventilation in commercial and residential buildings; welded and silver soldered pipeCHELSEA BUILDING PRODUCTS, Oakmont, PA 1993 – August 1998Maintenance Technician● Repair and maintenance of vinyl extruders and other machinery, including variable speed drivesSPECIALTY TIRES, Indiana, PA July 1986 – January 1993Temporary Maintenance Leadman (1990 - 1993)Maintenance Technician (1986 - 1990)● Pipefitter, plumber, machinery repairman, electrician, pipe welder● Responsible for repair and maintenance of plant machinery

John Doe Page 2 of 2(724) 349-1529 Cell: (724)464-7873

MILITARY BACKGROUND

United States Navy - Repair Division – USS Concord (AFS-5) FPO New YorkActive Duty—January 1980 – April 1984•2nd Class Petty Officer•Certified in damage control procedures, equipment maintenance, Firefighting, NBC Defense, Gas welding, Manual ARC welding, Sheet metal fabrication and Pipefitting•Qualified on 7018 vertical overhead certified welds

RESUME SAMPLES

Look at the sample resumes and evaluate, picking out at least 3

positive and/or negative aspects.

Basics• Generally used as a follow-up to an interview• Hand written is best• Business letter format • Brief, one or two paragraphs at most, can be just a few lines • If the employer prefers email contact, send with the same business format

• Address to the person who interviewed you• Include the preferred method of address for each person at the interview • If more than one person was present, send each person a separate and distinct note

Addressing

THANK YOU NOTES

• Brief reminder of the date and position for which you interviewed • Anything was left out, such as additional experience, projects or samples of work • Restate how your unique skills can benefit the company

• Time is of the essence, send note within 24 hours of the interview• This serves as not just a reminder, but also shows your interest• May be the deciding factor between you and another candidate if you show determination and interest

Content Keep in Mind…

THANK YOU NOTES

• Brief reminder of the date and position for which you interviewed • Anything was left out, such as additional experience, projects or samples of work • Restate how your unique skills can benefit the company

• Time is of the essence, send note within 24 hours of the interview• This serves as not just a reminder, but also shows your interest• May be the deciding factor between you and another candidate if you show determination and interest

Content Keep in Mind…

THANK YOU NOTES

GENERAL TIPS Always…

• Keep all correspondence (including cover letter, resume and thank you note) professional • Proofread 3 times before sending • Ask a friend or family member to read everything for correctness and understandability

Avoid…

• Negativity • Drawing attention to anything personal that could be a point of discrimination • Illegal or unethical statements• Slang, cursing, abbreviations or jargon

TIPS

If you are an honorably discharged United States Military

Veteran, include that in your cover letter and resume.