resume and interview preparation

7/31/2019 Resume and Interview Preparation

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Resume and interview preparation

Marketing Your Self Effectively


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Why do organizations recruit?

To find the Right Fit for the Right Job


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The Cover or Job application letter

The covering letter shows the employerwhy they should consider your rsum.

It is the first impression you make onthe employer and shows how well youcommunicate in writing.


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When writing your cover letter (andresume), keep in mind that thereviewer is only interested in one thing;

the facts.Avoid negatives

Spend time thinking about the layout ofyour letter, and make sure that it iseasy on the eyes.


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A cover letter should be typed unlessthe employer specifically requests ahandwritten letter.

It should never be more than one pagelong.

Break the text into short paragraphsthat makes it easier to read.

The cover letter provides theopportunity to highlight how your skillsand ualifications will benefit the


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Cover Letter - Info to Include

Contact Info

The Job

The OrganizationYour Qualifications

Additional Skills

Conclusion

Sign-off


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Contact Info

This is the header of your cover letterand should show the employer how toreach you. It should include:

NameFull addressPhone number

Fax number (optional)E-mail address (optional)

Address It Right!


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Contact Info

The address should include:

Name and title of the person reviewingyour application - spelled correctly.

Full address of the organization.

Employers are always impressed when

a cover letter is addressed to themspecifically


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Example of Address Line

Gerald Linklater, Office ManagerGenTech Ltd.234 Parsons Road

Kingston 21


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The Job

This paragraph should indicate:

The position you're applying for

How you found out about the opening.If your information is from someone thehiring manager knows--for example, aperson inside the company--make sureyou say so

A brief statement about why you wouldfit the position.


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Example

I am pleased to respond to youradvertisement for a receptionist asadvertised in the Chronicle Herald on

May 7, 1996. My qualifications veryclosely meet the needs outlined in theadvertisement.


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The Organization

This paragraph should:

Show that you've researched theorganization, and understand its needs.

Demonstrate why you want to work forthe organization.


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Example

I have read about GenTech in our localnewspapers and am familiar with yourchemical-cleaning products and the

environmental services you offer tomanufacturers. I would be veryinterested in working for a company

that is helping the environment andalso has an excellent reputation as anemployer in our community.


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Your Qualifications

Show the employer why you're a goodmatch for the job and the organization.

This paragraph should include:

One or two of your most relevantqualifications/skills, and how they canbe of value to the employer

One or two accomplishments thatdemonstrate your experience

Be as specific as possible, and refer thereader to our resume for details.


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Example

As you will see in the attached resume,I have worked as a receptionist at RBEnterprises for five years where I

handled incoming calls, mail andcourier services. During that time, Ialso assisted with the selection of the

Signex 320 telephone system andtrained others in its use.


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Additional Skills

Show the employer that you have otherskills or abilities appropriate for the job.

This paragraph may not be necessary if

the 3rd paragraph is sufficient.


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Conclusion

This paragraph should include:

A request for an interview

Indication that you will follow up with aphone call. It is recommended tofollow-up within 2 weeks.


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Example

I would be pleased to review myqualifications in more detail during aninterview with you. If you have any

questions, please don't hesitate to callme.


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Sample Cover or Application Letter

September 22, 2000

Gerald Linklater, Office ManagerGenTech Ltd.234 Parsons RoadKingston 21

Dear Mr. Linklater:

I am pleased to respond to your advertisement for a receptionist as advertised in the Chronicle Herald on (date). My qualifications very closelymeet the needs outlined in the advertisement.

I have read about GenTech in our local newspapers and am familiar with your chemical-cleaning products and the environmental services you offer

to manufacturers. I would be very interested in working for a company that is helping the environment and also has an excellent reputation as anemployer in our community.

As you will see in the attached resume, I have worked as a receptionist at RB Enterprises for five years where I handled incoming calls, mail andcourier services. During that time, I also assisted with the selection of the Signex 320 telephone system and trained others in its use.

I am familiar with Windows-based systems and am proficient with Office 2000 and WordPerfect 8. I am also familiar with spreadsheet programssuch as Excel.

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Cover Letter - Do's and don'ts

Because your cover letter is the firsttime you "speak" to an employer, it hasto be "letter-perfect" and professional

in appearance.


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Dont.

Make the cover letter run longer thanone page;

Use a long word when a short one willdo. For example, use "try" rather than"endeavour";

Clutter the letter with too many facts orthose that are not relevant to the job.Employers are not interested in yourlife story;

Use coloured a er or coloured t e;

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Cover Letters - Employers Talk

A "Window" on You

"A cover letter is like a window thatenables you to view an applicant'scommunications skills, enthusiasm and,to a certain extent, style and personality.I look specifically for a professionally

written letter that has creativity as wellas basics such as accurate spelling,sentence structure and vocabulary."

Laura Sbrocchi, Client Support Assistant,

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Good Writing Counts!

"If a cover letter is carelessly written,then I think the person doesn't carehow he or she comes across andprobably won't care who they rent ourcars to."

Angela Sample, Human ResourcesManager, Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

"A well-written cover letter shows that

you're prepared to work to get a foot in


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Promote Yourself

"A cover letter is an opportunity to talkabout yourself and be a self-promoter.Don't be shy."

John Tompkins, Sales Staff Manager,London Life Insurance Co.

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What do you have to offer?

Resume Writing

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Rsum

Employers will scan a rsum for about30 seconds to decide whether toconsider an applicant. Some may use

an automated scan in order to short listrsums. Get your rsum in the forconsideration pile.

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Rsum

A rsum is a "snapshot" of you andneeds to be:

Written with the employers interests inmind

Professional in appearance

Targeted for a particular job ororganization

"Letter-perfect." Spelling and grammar

mistakes can mean an automatic trip to

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Target Your Rsum

Employers look for people who haveresearched the job and can explainclearly how their skill, knowledge and

abilities meet their needs. In today's job market, a generic, "one-

size-fits-all" rsum doesn't work.

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Hit the target!!

Its better to send 10 rsums and get5 interviews than send 100 and get 1.

Think of your rsum as a jigsaw puzzlewith different pieces. In each targetedrsum, you place the pieces in a newway to create a slightly different picture

of yourself.Consider your rsum as your

opportunity to stand out from the

crowd. It's the right place to take pride


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5/30/12Research the occupation toidentify:

Standard wording for duties,responsibilities, and requirements,emerging skill requirements.


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Before Writing Your Rsum

Make a list of your skills.

Sources of transferable workexperience

Part-time or Summer Work

Sports and Recreational Activities

Volunteer WorkEntrepreneurial Experiences

Academic Activities

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Styles

There are two different styles you canuse for your resume:

Chronological

Skills-Based

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Chronological Resumes

For someone with progressive workexperience in the same career field. Itshows the employer who you've

worked for and what you contributed ineach work setting.


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Rsum Sections

Contact Information

Career Objective

EducationWork Experience

Skills

Professional Qualifications

Awards / Achievements

Affiliations

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Contact Information

Ensure the employer can contact youeasily

Use a permanent address

Provide an alternate number if you areoften away from your phone and donthave an answering machine

Include an email address especially ifyou are submitting your resumeselectronically


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Skills-Based Resume

Knowing what other employers you haveworked for helps the employer assessthe kind of experience you have. In the

skills based resume you provide thefollowing information on previousemployers:

Job Title, Employer, EmployerLocation, and Type of organization(optional)


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P f i l Q lifi i


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Professional Qualifications

This section informs the employer of yourprofessional, trade certifications andlicenses to practice.

Include voluntary and mandatorycertifications.

Include information on the issuing body

for the certification

If your membership is not up to date,get it renewed before including it


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Skill


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Skills

Tell the employer your skill areas andaccomplishments

Describe skill areas

Start with broad skill categories. Undereach category provide detailed examples.

Use action words

Also include results achieved using theskills where appropriate

Use short statements


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FAQs


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FAQs

What if I've only worked for oneemployer?If you've had different positions within

the organization, then list the positionsseparately and explain yourresponsibilities and accomplishments ineach one.

If you've stayed in one position only,make sure that you list youraccomplishments for that position.

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FAQs


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FAQs

What if I have gaps in my workhistory?Under "Work Description" describe

what you were doing while out of thework force, especially if it provided youwith valuable experience. Use a Skills-based resume.

For example: "Travel and study" or"Family management".

I'm older and worried my age will


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Preparation

Preparation will make or break yourinterview

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Personal

Know your own qualifications and howthey relate to the position


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Visual Image

Dress appropriate for the positionyou're seeking. Your attire must fit wellwithin the office and be immaculate.

Your shoes should be polished;pants/skirts and shirts pressed.

Clean hair and fingernails are essential.

Avoid excessive cologne, jewellery ormake-up.


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The Interview

Do not rely on your application orresume to do the selling for you.Interviewers will want you to speak for

yourself. Your resume was most likelypre-screened by the HR department,and your interviewer hasnt even seenyour resume.

Sell yourself! When you are answeringthe interviewers questions, look theprospective employer in the eye while


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The interview


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The interview

Practice responses to interviewquestions - but don't try to memorizethem. Being yourself is essential to

interview success. Responses need tofeel and sound natural.

When you've thought through how you

can add value to a specific employer,you'll be able to easily add examples ofhow in the answers you provide.

To give a top-notch interview, you need


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What do I have to offer?


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What do I have to offer?

Employers want to know why theyshould hire you. To find out, they ask avariety of questions to help them find

out who you are and what you can do.To be prepared, review yourexperiences at work, at school and involunteer activities.

Keep a mental list of youraccomplishments.

Think about challenges you've faced andhow ou dealt with them.

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What else do I need to know?


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What else do I need to know?

One of the final questions you'll beasked in an interview is: "Is thereanything you would like to know about

the organization or the job?"Answering "No" sends the wrong

signals--that you're not really

interested in the organization, don'tknow what's important to you in anemployee/employer relationship, orlack confidence and assertiveness.

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Tell me about yourself.


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Tell me about yourself.

Purpose:To put you at ease.

To learn from you why they should or

should not hire you.

To find out if your mind is on what you canoffer an employer; or if it is on personal

concerns that may interfere with your workperformance.

To learn a little bit about your background.

To assess your ability to communicate

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with this type of work.

Purpose:To find out whether or not you can do thejob.

Suggestions: If you have done this work, state where

and give examples of your achievements.

If you have done related work, state yourtransferable skills. Show your interest inthe position and your willingness to learn.

If you have not done this work, mention


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strengths?

Purpose:To discover reasons for hiring you.

To find out how well you know yourself.

To find out if you believe in yourself; and ifyou are the right person for the position.

Suggestions:

Mention that besides the work skills,training and experience that you wouldoffer, you also offer job-related qualities

such as reliability, enthusiasm,

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What are your weaknesses?


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What are your weaknesses?

Purpose:To discover if you are wrong for the job as

a result of lack of experience or training,

poor people skills, refusal to follow orders,poor attitude laziness...

Suggestions:

Describe a positive attribute, then continuewith a statement of reassurance. Forexample, I feel that it is very important tomeet deadlines; satisfy the customer; ... I

have to really make myself be patient,


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Sit ti ti


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Situation questions

Situation questions provide you with ahypothetical situation and ask how youwould deal with it. Employers can

check your understanding of specificprocesses as well as your interpersonalor working with others skills.

How would you respond to a customer whoisn't happy with the product?

What would you do if a co-worker isn'tpulling their weight?


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B h i b d ti


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Behaviour based questions

When you get a question like this,answer it as if you were telling a storyand:

Identify the skill that your storydemonstrates.

Identify the situation in which you used the

skill.Describe your actions.

Describe the results of your actions.

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Prepare your references


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epa e you e e e ces

Select references who will commentfairly and positively.

Ask permission to use them as a

reference.Ask your reference what they would

say about you especially in regards to

such things such as interpersonal andteam work skills, reliability, and workhabits.

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The Day Before


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Organize: Put together the thingsyou'll need for the day: clothes, money,and interview information such as the

name of interviewer, address, anddirections on how to get there.

Give yourself time. Make sure you

give yourself extra time for last minuteproblems.

Documents. Make sure you have all

the papers you need such as:


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Perform well


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Listening, confidence, and quality ofpresentation are the keys to successfulinterviewing.

Employers want to see enthusiasm, alittle knowledge about the company,confidence, and an ability to work well

in their environment.The interview is also your opportunity

to assess the company. Do you want to

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Make your entrance


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Make your entrance

Before you say a word, the interviewerwill make a judgement about you-maybe the deciding one.

A smile, a firm handshake, confidentdemeanor, good eye contact, and afriendly enthusiastic manner will go a

long ways to making that importantfirst impression.

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Take notes - Listen carefully


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Take your time- a concise logicalanswer that covers relevant factors ismore effective than one that rambles.

Be certain you've heard andunderstood the question. Asking forclarification is acceptable.

Answer the question that's been asked-you don't have to give all the answersyou've practiced.

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Ending the interview


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Ask questionsAsk questions that show your

knowledge of the organization or its

market.Ask questions about the company:

direction, how the various departments

function together, trainingopportunities, challenges theorganization faces etc.

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Tips to Staying Motivated


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p y g

Most people find that their motivationcan have a "down" spell. Here are sometips to keep going and stay positive.


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Have a schedule:


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set aside a special time and space foryour self-study;

keep track of your progress consider

writing a journal about your learning;expect plateaus no one's learning

ability or motivation remains at one

level all the time;be flexible if you have to change

plans, re-organize yourself.

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Keep a balance in your life:


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ensure that your life has a variety ofactivities, not just self-study;

don't begrudge the time spent on your

family and work obligations;give yourself time for leisure and rest.

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Stay healthy:


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eat appropriately learning requires"fuel";

sleep well your brain needs its

"down" time;get exercise-many people say they

concentrate better if they've had

physical activity.

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Find support:


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share your goals/ambitions with familyand friends;

talk about your successes;

don't be afraid to discuss a setback orask for a pep talk.

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Be happy!!!


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Be happy!!!