Rules for Preparing Resumes and-cover-letters

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Cherag Kalapesi

Career Development Officer

Career Service

Level 2 C8A

www.careers.mq.edu.au

Resumes & Cover letters

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Agenda

• Resumes

• Tailoring your resume

• Common Mistakes & Common Questions

• Cover Letters

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› Internships/ Work Experience

› Job applications (casual jobs and graduate jobs)

› Postgraduate study applications

› Scholarship application

› Networking, establishing contacts

Why use a resume?

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Different resume styles

• Traditional (reverse chronological)

• Skills-based

• Academic

• International variations

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/example_cvs.htm

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Resumes for internships and

job applications

Purpose of a resume

• To demonstrate your :

– Knowledge

– Qualifications

– Skills

– Experience

– Motivations

– Personal Qualities

• Show alignment with the stated selection criteria

• To get you an interview

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- What is my resume being used for?

Purpose

- Who will read my resume? Context

- What will they be looking for?

Relevance

GENERAL RESUME TAILORED RESUME

GENERAL RESUME v/s TAILORED RESUME

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TAILOR YOUR CONTENT

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How to tailor your application….

Step 1: Analyse job advertisements for selection criteria and tasks. Step 2: Research the employer Step 3: Link your own skills and experiences to the selection criteria Step 4: Determine the style and format of the resume and cover letter

Fit of

needs &

wants

Employer:

Which candidate(s) will add the most value in the job

Applicant:

Understand more about the job and company. Decide whether or not to apply

Two-way

decision

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At ANZ we are in an exciting period as we work towards becoming a super regional

bank. We are widening our presence in Asia and leveraging off our strong foundations in

Australia and New Zealand, to become the growth bank in the growth region. As an ANZ

intern you will have the opportunity to be a part of this journey as you add value from

your first day, delivering real work with real results.

Our internship program is designed to give students a real breadth of exposure across

the function they join. All of our interns are provided with exposure to a customer-facing

area, receive an in-depth induction and on-the-job training and experiences.

Who we look for

Whatever your degree discipline and career aspirations, we look for people who are:

- driven to perform and achieve excellence

- people who are innovative

- find creative solutions

- work collaboratively

- people who are accountable

- people who deliver for our customers.

You need to have completed/be completing your undergraduate or postgraduate

studies in 2010, 2011 or 2012 and have at least a credit (65%) average.

STEP 1: Analyzing the job advert

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STEP 2: Research Employer/ Role

The organisation:

– Customers, Products and Services

– Organisational culture & industry challenges

The role/program:

– Responsibilities & likely day-to-day tasks

– Interactions within teams and other teams

– Career progression

Research until you can answer the following:

– What does the employer really need/want?

– What skills & competencies do I possess that make me suitable?

– How can I add value, and how can I communicate my value?

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STEP 3: Linking skills/qualities to selection criteria

Skills/ Experience/Qualities Evidence

Deliver for customers

Work collaboratively

Finding creative solutions

Innovative

Driven to excel

Accountable

Developed customer service skills through a variety of

casual jobs.

Took part in the Deloitte Fast-tack program where our team

was responsible for creating an innovative business proposal.

Each team member was assigned a specific role and we

worked together to create, analyse and finally implement our

new initiative.

“An ability to smell fear is a quality I’ve never seen listed on a resume before….”

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Transferable skills

• Transferable skills are skills that can be taken with you and applied

to new situations.

• Include things like

- customer service

- communication

- team work

- problem solving

• Making the links between the skills from your prior and current

experiences and your desired job will demonstrate your suitability

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STEP 4: Compile your tailored resume

Key categories of information to include are:

– Contact Details

– Career Objective

– Academic Qualifications/ Courses Attended/ Relevant Training

– Skills & Attributes

– Relevant/ Other Work Experience

– Leadership

– Voluntary Experience

– Professional Memberships

– Extra-Curricular Activities/Interests

– Referees

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CAREER OBJECTIVES

•Should:

– Be meaningful

– Link your goals to attributes sought

– Be concise (2-3 lines)

• Create after you complete your research and resume

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Career Objective example

I am an accounting student and am looking to gain some relevant experience in the

working world. I wish to work for an organisation that will offer me a challenging

position and support me in my future development.

I am a penultimate year accounting student seeking an internship within the

institutional arm of a leading corporate bank, where I am able to utilise my strong

communication and analytical skills and work in a multi-disciplinary environment.

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EDUCATION

Bachelor of Applied Finance

Macquarie University, Expected completion December 2012

GPA: 3.2 (out of 4.0)

Key subjects (list 3-5 that are relevant to job you are applying to)

ACST201 Financial Techniques, Instruments and Markets

AFIN328 Financial Risk Management

AFIN329 Security Pricing and Hedging

Major projects (optional)

Developed a greater understanding of derivative pricing methods through a group

project that required us to use empirical data to model a suitable price for a range of

exotic instruments.

Achievement:

Placed on the Dean’s Honours List in 2011 for strong academic performance

Was ranked third (in a class of 95 students) in AFIN 329: Financial Risk Management

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RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE

HR Administrator Apr 2010 - Mar 2011 (4 hours a week)

Jacob & Sons

J&S is a small privately owned business consultancy servicing the mining and

resources sector. My responsibilities included:

• Processing reference requests and employment history checks

• Assisting in the recruitment process

• Maintaining the HR database

• Providing administrative support in disciplinary and grievance processes

• Providing reception support

Achievement – negotiated advertising fees with seek.com and saved the company

20% on normal advertising cost.

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02/2010 – 09/2011 Target - Electronic Products Service Consultant

• Customer service

• Sales

Other Experience

Task-focussed

No insight into actual responsibilities

Not skills-focussed

No evidence of skill development

No evidence of achievement

Not relevant to jobs outside of retail

What is wrong with this description?

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Customer Service

Enhancing your content

• Developed strong verbal communication skills by

dealing with customers both over the phone and in

person on the shop floor.

• Ensured customer satisfaction by understanding

customer requirements, making appropriate

recommendations, and providing after-sales support.

• Educating myself about various products through

product literature and online product reviews

• Proactively promoting products to customers,

resulting in being awarded ‘Employee of the Month’

for April 2008.

Sales

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PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

• List any professional associations you are a member of

• Include level of membership (student, associate, professional)

Tips Get involved by attending events, training, conferences

Keep knowledge current by reading journals & research

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EXRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES/ INTERESTS

• Include any extra-curricular activities

eg clubs and societies on campus

• Include your interests and hobbies

eg sport, social, community, volunteer involvement

Tips Detail can vary depending on your level of activity

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Enhancing content

“Hobbies: Swimming, tennis, hockey, socializing” Basic

Member of the M.U Hockey Club (2010 - present)

“I enjoy participating in hockey as it provides me with an opportunity to expand my communication, teamwork and leadership skills. We recently

participated in Unigames defeating Sydney University 3-1.”

Advanced

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REFEREES

Prof John Davidson

Honours thesis supervisor

University of Sydney

Ph 02 9351 XXXX

[email protected]

Ms Jane Burrows

Manager

XXX BioTech Labs, West Ryde

Ph 02 9123 4567

M 0414 333 333

[email protected]

Tips 2-3 referees

Must be able to comment on your work & technical skills

Always ask their permission first, and keep them informed

‘Referees on request’ also permissible in certain circumstances

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WHAT DO YOU SEE….? What do you see?

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FORMATTING TIPS

› Easy to read

› Concise

› Positive

› Specific

› Well structured

› Consistent style & format

› No spelling errors

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REMEMBER

• Generally 2-3 pages in length

• Put your education and work details in reverse chronological order

(start with your most recent)

• Within each section, put the most relevant/interesting information first

• Highlight your achievements

• Keep it honest

• Name and page in footer, use your name/company name to save the

document

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COMMON MISTAKES

• Spelling and grammatical errors

• Unclear abbreviations or acronyms

• Font too small (or too large)

• Too wordy, too brief, poor wording

• Not tailored for the vacancy or organisation

• Not clear, leaves reader with questions

• Fancy gimmicks (borders, highlighting, many fonts and colours)

• ‘Fun’ email address, no voicemail

• Incorrect contact details

• Lack of detail about your studies

• Overstated claims, bluffing

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COVER LETTERS

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PURPOSE

Complements your resume

Introduces you to prospective employer

Way of showcasing relevant parts of

your education and experience

Chance for you to convince the

employer you want to work for them

Resume Resume +

Cover Letter

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CONTENTS

Includes your:

– Career goals/motivations

– Relevant knowledge, skills & experience

– Personal Qualities

Should:

– Be succinct, relevant & interesting (max. 1 page)

– Show originality

– DEMONSTRATE YOUR FIT TO ORGANISATION AND ROLE

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STRUCTURE

Paragraph 1 – Introduction

Paragraph 2 – Why Me

Paragraph 3 – Why Them

Paragraph 4 – The Hoped-For Result of Your Letter

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RULES

Adopt professional business letter conventions

Tailor each letter to each job/company

There will be some overlap between cover letter and resume

Don’t assume cover letter and resume will both be read

Spelling and grammar are critical

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