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resumes_cover_letters_and_searches_1.pptx

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Resumes, Cover Letters and Searches

Chapter 18 -

Finding the Ideal Opportunity in Today’s Job Market

Finding and landing the ideal job opportunity can be a complex process, with lots of stress and frustration along the way. The good news is that it is all about communication, so the skills you’re developing in this course will give you a competitive advantage. This section offers a general job-search strategy with advice that applies to just about any career path you might want to pursue.

Internet Research

Classmates

Workplace

contacts

Online sources

Student

organizations

Trade shows

Volunteering

Build Your Network

A resume does not get you a job… A resume does get you an interview. And, putting time and consideration into your resume is one of the best ways to prepare for your interviews!

Your passions

Your skills

Your abilities

Your experiences

Your objectives

Write Your Story

What to Include on Your Resume?

Personal Information (i.e., name, home address, email address, telephone number)

Objective

Education

Experience

Language Skills

Computer Skills

Leadership Opportunities

Awards / Honors

Areas of Concern

Many people have career issues that could be a concern for employers. Here are some common issues and suggestions for handling them in a résumé:

Frequent job changes. If you’ve had a number of short-term jobs of a similar type, such as independent contracting and temporary assignments, try to group them under a single heading. Also, if past job positions were eliminated as a result of layoffs or mergers, find a subtle way to convey that information (if not in your résumé, then in your cover letter). Reasonable employers understand that many professionals have been forced to “job hop” by circumstances beyond their control.

Gaps in work history. Mention relevant experience and education you gained during employment gaps, such as volunteer or community work.

Experience Level. If you are inexperienced, mention related volunteer work and membership in professional groups. List relevant course work and internships. To avoid being perceived as overqualified, tone down your résumé, focusing on experience and skills that relate to the position.

Areas of Concern

Long-term employment with one company. Itemize each position held at the firm to show “interior mobility” and increased responsibilities.

Job termination for cause. Be honest with interviewers. Show that you are a hard-working employee. Counter their concerns with recommendations and examples of completed projects.

Criminal record. Consider sending out a “broadcast letter” about your skills and experience, rather than a résumé and cover letter. Prepare answers to questions that interviewers will probably pose.

Example of Education Section

EDUCATION

George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia

Bachelor of Science in Marketing Expected Graduation May 2012

Relevant Courses:

Principles of Marketing, Sales Management, Consumer Behavior, Advertising

Management, and Marketing Research Techniques and Applications

Class Projects:

Performed market research for Netflix as Independent Study project. Developed and delivered PowerPoint presentation demonstrating research techniques and results to Marketing Research and Applications class.

As part of a five-member team, performed market research for small Internet start-up. Company used results to develop successful marketing plan.

Remember, experience can be:

Paid part-time/full-time positions

Internships

Volunteer work

Club/campus group involvement

Significant course projects

Some Do’s and Don’ts

Here is a sample resume created by Career Services. Please note how the entire page is used, rather than just the left side of the page.

Keep your resume out of the recycling bin.

Boastful tone.

The overconfident tone makes the reader wonder whether the applicant’s self-evaluation is realistic.

Uninformed; Too Generic.

The applicant failed to show how his or her qualifications match the needs of the specific job opening.

Gimmicky design; Amateurish.

The words, structure, paper, decoration, or material used in the resume depart so far from the usual as to make the resume ineffective.

Example: El Woods in Legally Blonde

Length issues; Too Long.

The resume is not concise, relevant, and to the point.

Too Short and Sketchy.

The resume does not give enough information for a proper evaluation of the applicant.

Hard to Read.

The resume lacks enough white space and devices such as indentations and boldfacing to make the reader’s job easier.

Wordy.

Descriptions are verbose, using numerous words to describe simple concepts.

Poorly written.

The resume includes the wrong information or presents it awkwardly, which indicates that the applicant has little understanding of the business world or of a particular industry.

Unprofessional.

Lacks professionalism.

A Few Tips

Keep Your Resume Honest

Your resume can make or break your job search because it is the first impression you give to a potential employer.

When the stakes are high and there are many applicants, you may be tempted to enhance your resume by:

Listing job duties you did not perform or inflating titles

Stretching your responsibilities to include qualifications that you do not actually have

Inserting keywords from a job advertisement that do not apply to you so that you can “pass” the automated screening process.

Changing dates of education or employment

Padding your GPA

Avoid exaggerating on your resume!

Keep Your Resume Honest

Blatant exaggerations –

As an Accounting major, Perry attended several of the Accounting Club’s workshops and seminars but never joined the club. When he updated his resume this senior year, he decided to list membership in the club as an extracurricular activity. He also listed his favorite professor (who served as the club advisor) as a reference. When employers called the professor both the professor and employer learned Perry misrepresented his membership.

Content copied from other people’s resumes –

Sarah researched several resume templates, asked friends for copies of their resumes, and downloaded online resume samples to create a resume that communicated her professional brand. She was particularly impressed with 6-bullet items on a friend’s resume. Sarah cut and pasted the section to her resume, not realizing she and the friend might be applying for the same internship. Two employers complained to career services about the plagiarism and both students were denied further access to the career center’s services.

Avoid exaggerating on your resume!

Workplace

references

Employment

history

Criminal

records

Interview

questions

Keep Your Resume Honest

Somehow, the idea that "everybody lies on their résumés" has crept into popular consciousness, and dishonesty in the job search process has reached epidemic proportions. A recent study uncovered lies about work history in over 40 percent of the résumés tested.

If you are tempted to stretch the truth, bear in mind that professional recruiters have seen every trick in the book, and employers who are fed up with the dishonesty are getting more aggressive at uncovering the truth. Nearly all employers do some form of background checking, such as contacting references, verifying employment, checking criminal records, and sending résumés through verification services. Furthermore, employers are beginning to use interview questions specifically intended to uncover dishonest résumé entries.

Over 90 percent of companies that find lies on résumés refuse to hire the offending applicants. Even if you get past these filters with fraudulent information, you'll probably be exposed on the job when you can't live up to your own résumé. Given the networked nature of today’s job market, lying on a résumé could haunt you for years.

A cover letter does not get you a job… A cover letter does get you an interview. And, putting time and consideration into your cover letter is one of the best ways to prepare for your interviews!

Cover Letter: Purpose

Serves as an introduction to you

Shows your interests & qualifications for a specific position

Explains how you would fit with the company

Serves as a writing sample

Traditional cover letter will be 3-4 paragraphs (about one page)

Your letter should:

Be addressed to specific person(s) if possible

Be proofread numerous times and then proofread again!

This first paragraph can be concise: 3-4 sentences is appropriate.

Overlooking résumé and cover letter errors

Misspelling the hiring manager’s name

Arriving late for an interview

Tweeting something unprofessional

Completing application forms incorrectly

Not doing your own research

Some Cover Letter Advice

Avoiding Mistakes

Resume and Cover Letter Ethics

Yahoo's CEO never earned the computer science degree he claims he got

On Scott Thompson's resume, he had degrees in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College.

When Thompson, the former president of PayPal, was named as Yahoo's CEO in January 2012, Daniel S. Loeb, the founder of hedge fund Third Point and a shareholder of Yahoo, investigated into Thompson's background and uncovered that the new chief executive only had a degree in accounting, not computer science.

Loeb wrote:

“If Mr. Thompson embellished his academic credentials we think that it 1) undermines his credibility as a technology expert and 2) reflects poorly on the character of the C.E.O. who has been tasked with leading Yahoo! at this critical juncture. Now more than ever Yahoo investors need a trustworthy C.E.O.”

Resume and Cover Letter Ethics

Celebrity chef Robert Irvine lied about designing Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake

In 2008, British chef Robert Irving was fired from his own show on the Food Network's Dinner Impossible when it was uncovered that he didn't actually design the royal couple's wedding cake, but that he only attended the school where it was made and contributed by picking fruit for the cake. Read more: http:// www.businessinsider.com/9-people-who-were-publicly-shamed-for-lying-on-their-resumes-2012-5?op=1#ixzz3DFtaLblI

Resume and Cover Letter Ethics

BONUS: Former Harvard student

fabricated SAT scores, letters of

recommendations and transcripts

to gain admissions and received $40,000 in grants

Adam B. Wheeler lied about his entire academic background in order to get into Harvard University — even telling the school that he was transferring in from MIT with perfect grades. He was actually a former student at Bowdoin College, but was suspended for academic dishonesty.

Once admitted into Harvard, Wheeler plagiarized essays and research proposals that would eventually earn him more than $40,000 in grants and prizes.

His background was revealed when Wheeler attempted to apply for the Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships in his senior year.

Wheeler eventually pleaded guilty to 20 misdemeanor and felony counts of larceny, identity fraud, falsifying an endorsement or approval, and pretending to hold a degree. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation and ordered to pay a restitution of $45,806 to Harvard University. Read more: http:// www.businessinsider.com/9-people-who-were-publicly-shamed-for-lying-on-their-resumes-2012-5?op=1#ixzz3DFtaLblI