Résumés and Cover Letters. Killer Résumés Top Secret Résumés Slam-Dunk Résumés Trash-proof Résumés Goof-proof Résumés Wow! Résumés Dynamite Résumés High-Impact.

Résumés and

Cover Letters

Killer Résumés Top Secret Résumés

Slam-Dunk RésumésTrash-proof Résumés Goof-proof Résumés Wow! Résumés

Dynamite Résumés High-Impact Résumés Wow! Résumés

Résumés! Résumés! Résumés!

What Employers Most Want to See

Not historical summary

But probablefuture performance

Which Is to Say . . .

Keep yourdocumentsreader

centered

Résumé Format/Design• Usually 1-2 pages

• Longer résumé (“cv”)—used in medicine, law, education, jobs overseas

• Simple fonts, such as Times Roman (serif) or Arial (sans serif)

not like this — Arial Black OR LIKE THIS — Brush Script

Résumé Format/Design . . .

• Make key information stand out – Larger type– All caps– Bold and italic type– Alignment / Order

•Don’t overemphasize dates, minor details

•Avoid abbreviations, periods, ampersands (&)

Résumé Format (Cont.)• Chronological

format: preferred by most job recruiters

• Functional format: good if you have little experience or “negatives” to hide

• Combination format: increasingly popular

The average Fortune 500

company receives hundreds

of résumés every week

Scanning Résumés

Computer-friendly Format

• Avoid italics, shading, borders, double columns

• Put your name at the top of every page

• Don’t worry about page count and redundancy

• Proofread carefully• Mail your résumé flat• Create a “Keywords”

section

E-mailing Résumés

• Pay attention to format requirements: plain text (.txt) or rich text (.rtf) file? PDF?

• Consider sending in body of e-mail message—not in an attachment (an “in-line” résumé)

• Use relevant keywords• Include a cover letter• Follow up with recipient

An Objective Statement ?

Objectives

• Avoid using generic statements of purpose:

“Motivated individual seeks challenging position with opportunity for advancement”

• Compare:

“A Financial Management position in the consumer goods industry”

Objectives (Cont.)

• Tell what you will give to the employer—not what you will get.

• Compare:“A position as a computer systems analyst with an innovative and growing company”

“To develop software systems that provide efficient control of inventory, ordering, and billing for a web-based business”

Alternatives to Objectives

• Summary of Qualifications• Career Interest• Areas of Expertise• Profile

“Commercial lending professional with extensive experience in structuring innovative and traditional business loans”

Education• List academic degrees first

if you are a recent grad.

• GPA listed should be cumulative unless you indicate otherwise. (3.0 typical cut-off)

• If space is available: list relevant coursework, training, portion of costs you covered

If Your GPA Isn’t Great

Major GPA: 3.3

GPA 2.8 (Worked 30 hours per week during academic year)

GPA 2.8 (3.2 since leaving electrical engineering program)

Experience

• List jobs in reverse chronological order.

• Consider subdividing your information

• Beware of “puffing” your accomplishments.

Résumé Fraud

• 25-30% contain false info

• Common problems: fake academic degrees , fudged dates, exaggerated titles and skills, falsified references

• Credentials verification—a growing industry

fakedegrees.com

Résumé Hall of Shame

Kenneth Lonchar, CFO, Veritas Software

Fired

Ronald Zarrella, CEO, Bausch and Lomb

Forfeited $1 millionbonus

Résumé Hall of Shame

George O’Leary, Notre Dame football coach Resigned

Larry Lawrence, U. S. Ambassador to Switzerland

Disinterred

Marilee Jones

Experience (Cont.)

• Be specific and quantify wherever possible. Highlight results.

• Compare:

“Raised level of sales above previous year”

“Reversed negative sales trend; sales up 41% over prior year”

Experience (Cont.)

• Compare:“Started new employee programs that lowered turnover”

“Created and implemented two new employee relations programs (flex time and job posting), resulting in 33% reduction in turnover”

Play the Numbers Game

Phone lines answered

Forms processed

People supervised

$$ amounts handled

Emphasize

ResultsResponsibilities

PerformanceQualities

Compare--Parks department crew leaderSupervised crew of five workers to

implement physical improvements in city parks

General clerical tasksEstablished new system for organizing

medical records

Sold shoes at the mallInitiated more than 300 sales and handled

customer services at a retail outlet

Experience (Cont.)

• Describe an employer that is not well known.--RSG, Inc. (Financial services firm)

• Distinguish yourself from coworkers.--Asked to work full time after one month--Earned end-of-year bonus

Experience (Cont.)• Use STRONG verbs:

Weak: began, worked on, dealt with

Strong: created, produced, instituted, increased,

upgraded, pioneered

• Use verb tenses appropriately

What If You Have Little “Relevant” Job Experience?

• Emphasize knowledge gained in employment.

• E.g., For job as grocery stocker: “Learned to see consumer marketing from the perspective of both the manufacturer and the retailer.”

• Emphasize community work, professional affiliations

Awards and Honors• Explain awards/honors with

adequate detail.

• Compare: --2nd place in Debate 2005 --Awarded 2nd place out 64 entrants in National Collegiate Debate Finals

--Bertram Young Scholarship

--Bertram Young Scholarship ($5,000 award for students in top 5% of high school class)

ActivitiesInclude benefits and outcomes of

involvement--President, Marketing Club, 2004-

present (doubled club membership by presenting guest speakers and special events)

--Social Chairman, Phi Delta Fraternity, 2005 (raised $10,000 for American Cancer Society through “Jail or Bail” event)

Things to Leave Out

• Salary needs• Reasons for leaving other jobs• Marital status• Race, age, health• Religious/political affiliation• “References Available Upon

Request”

Exception: International jobs

Questions Your Cover Letter Should Answer

• Why do you want to work for ___ instead of someone else?

• How do your knowledge and experience connect with what’s happening in this company?

• How will you contribute to the success of this organization?

Cover Letter Conventions

• Avoid abbreviations. (State postal abbreviations in addresses are OK.)

• When possible--personalize • Use a colon, not a comma, after the

salutation.• Most formal: full-block format

Less formal: modified block format

Cover Letter Strategies (Cont.)

• Watch out for repetitive phrasings/syntax (e.g., too many sentences starting with “I”)

• State negatives in a positive way. Compare:

“Unfortunately, I have little experience in the publishing industry.”

“ I am eager to apply my marketing skills

in the field of publishing.”

And Watch Your Tone

After noticing the Finance Training Program at American Express, I realized that I am willing to provide my strong quantitative and analytical skills to you this summer.