Resumé 101

Branding Employment Skills Training ConferenceMarch 5, 2016

Jenny McLean, Learning Commons Assistant, NSCC (Akerley Campus)Kay Balite, International Student Advisor, MSVU

Who are you?

Your academic and job decisions in black and white

One size does not fit all Design matters

Styles of Resume

Allows employers quick assessment of experience

80% of employers prefer this format

Appropriate for those with consistent work record

PROSBecause most common, may not stand out

Can reveal gaps in employment/educational history or frequent job changes

Can limit effective marketing of relevant skills/abilities.

CONS

Chronological…Lists all education and experience in REVERSE chronological order

Styles of Resume

Functional…Focuses on major skills and accomplishments from all areas - not limited to work history

PROS

• Can highlight relevant skills acquired through a variety of experiences

• De-emphasizes unrelated positions and duties

• Downplays lengthy employment gaps

• Useful for individuals with few practical experiences in chosen field

CONS

• Can be confusing for employers to assess quantifiable work background

• Not recommended for conservative employers (e.g. banks, government)

Styles of Resume

Combination…Highlights relevant skills and accomplishments while also outlining work history

PROS

Effective marketing of key job-related skills and accomplishments while maintaining a traditional structure

Offers flexibility to emphasize skills drawn from a range of experiences – for example, via coop, volunteer experience, cultural exchanges or academic research projects

CONS

Inclusion of chronological data can reveal gaps or inconsistencies in work history

Your name…

• Social Media

• Discrimination

• Objectivity about what is most personal

• How to distinguish yourself without being dishonest

How to start??

So many options to choose from. Pick one, do not include ALL.

Objective

Professional Profile

Skills Summary- technical, administrative, design, databases etc.

Summary of Qualifications -hard skill + soft skill +concrete accomplishment

Example:

• Years of experience in event planning and promotion; totaling over 15 events

• Exceptional inter-personal communication skills, organization, and time management

• Organized one of the biggest student events on-campus; over 400 people in attendance

Employment…

What have you done lately?

What is most relevant to the job you are applying for?

If your work experiences are not directly related to the job, consider a functional resume

Education…

What have you learned lately?

Is it relevant to the job you are applying for?

Education can include certificates and seminar you have attended.

Work experience…

How to describe your “daily duties” but do not include this term on your resume

Write directly what you did, what you learned, and what you accomplished

Use relevant words from the current job posting when describing your work experience

Accomplishment statements…

What is an accomplishment?

Any action that you took that had a positive impact on your organization, customers or coworkers.

Accomplishments can be qualitative (e.g., improved staff morale) OR quantitative (increased event participation by 50%)

Possible questions to ask yourself...

What did I create or build?

What projects/assignments/presentations did I work on?

What was unique about them?

Did I receive awards or recommendations because of my work?

Show employers that you can bring value to the organization Accomplishments are not restricted to paid work experiences

Examples of work description…

Server, The Great Wall Restaurant

Advised customers of potential allergies and addressed other food concerns they may have

Increased knowledge in food safety, and overall health and safety standards in the work place

Developed a system on how to best work efficiently during busy hours

Enhanced communication and translation skills –English and Mandarin/Cantonese

Examples of academic work description…

Increased knowledge on hotel and tourism industry through case studies analyses

Assessed and provided recommendations for hotel improvements through on-site inspection, research, and theory applications

Received 85% average on written reports; enhanced research skills and written communication skills

Developed restaurant management skills through hands on practice -working in a mock restaurant as a cook, server, and manager

Course Projects, Tourism and Hospitality

Examples of volunteer work description…

Revamped society constitution to address changing student needs and resource availability

Raised $2,000 for Cancer Research and increased student engagement through multiple fundraising activities –Relay for Life, Shave your Head and Wax for Cancer, and Silent Auction

Developed event planning management skills and Adobe photoshop skills for promotional materials of student organized events

Increased cultural awareness on-campus by organizing a Multicultural Night event; over 300 people in attendance –Mount students, faculty, staff and Halifax community

International Student Society, MSVU

Extra Stuff…

Bring attention to somethingORIt just doesn't fit nicely anywhere else

Appropriate resumé format…

Use combination format to highlight skills and unfitting work/volunteer/awards

Welcomed international students by helping plan the orientation schedule and volunteering for the 3-day international orientation, and the 7-day orientation hosted by Students’ Union

Represented the university in the annual Uniterra Leadership Meeting held in Ottawa (2015).

Coordinated, promoted, and executed at least 10 activities per year to facilitate the integration of international students within the Mount and Halifax community

Volunteered in the Mount’s Early Advising and Registration, and Open Campus Day events

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES:

Awards…

Generations in the workplace…

Get to know all the generations and their values and needs

You’ll be working with them,• Hiring them… Firing them… Needing them…

Generation Year Characteristics

Traditionalist Before 1946 Loyalty, traditions, and discipline

Baby Boomers 1947-1960 Workaholics with expectations of success

Gen-X 1961-1979 Anti-hierarchy, skeptical, and entrepreneur

Gen-Y After 1980 Individualists, highly technical

Resumé musts…

1. PROOFREAD –have more than 1 person look at it

2. FORMATTING: easy to read with enough white spaces (not too little, not too much)

Use bullet points where appropriate and make use of bold, underline, and italics

3. Consistency –cover letter, resume, and interview

4. Start with action verbs –accomplishment statements

5. Include numbers when quantifying experience or accomplishments (85%, over 300, $2,000)

6. Relevant and tailored to the job –use words from the job posting

7. Be creative! Reflect your resume and incorporate your skills when building it

8. Contact information –email, phone, home address

9. References available upon request

10. Include name, position and organization, and date when saving resume –if possible combine cover letter and resume. Always cover letter first!

Example: Kay Balite’s Cover Letter and Resume_International Student Advisor MSVU_March 2016

Questions??

THANK YOU!