Fostering Your Professional Development

1
Fostering Your Professional Development

• Building an effective résumé
• Dr. Marie Paretti
• mparetti_at_vt.edu

2
What are employers looking for?

• Professional skills
• Communication
• Teamwork
• Interpersonal skills
• Work ethic
• Integrity
• Creativity
• Motivation initiative
• Commitment to service
• Reliability
• Problem-solving analytical skills
• Technical skills

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What is a résumé?

• A 1-page presentation of your most desirable (to
  an employer) skills and experiences
• A primary screening tool for job interviews
• A way to demonstrate what makes you unique

Strategy Identify your strengths
(self-analysis), then describe your experiences
in ways that illustrate them in concrete terms
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What goes on a résumé?

• Education
• Experience
• Skills
• Activities
• Honors Awards

• Rule 1 Do NOT use the Microsoft Word résumé
  templates
• Visit www.careerservices.vt.edu for examples of
  effective résumé designs and organizations

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Building Your Education Profile

• Goal Demonstrate a comprehensive educational
  background
• The basics Degree, Major, (expected) Grad.
  DateUniversity, Location
• Additional information
• Minor(s) and/or program options
• Financial contributions to your education
• Study abroad/International experiences
• Related coursework
• Learning communities
• Significant course projects (may also appear in
  Experience)
• Undergraduate research (may also appear in
  Experience)

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Sample Educational Information

• Education
• B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, expected
  May 2009
• Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
• Minor History
• Hypatia Learning Community Resident
  participated in Virginia Techs learning
  community for women engineers
• Related Coursework MSE Engineering
  Communications Program
• Study Abroad Spring 2007 Semester in Italy
• Financing 40 of college education
• Assistive Technologies Competition, Spring 2006
  Worked with a team of 6 students to design and
  build an all-terrain wheel barrow for use in Thai
  farming communities. Responsibilities included
  developing CAD drawings, coordinating meetings,
  obtaining supplies.

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Building Your Experience Profile

• Goal Provide concrete evidence of your ability
  to perform in the workplace
• Organize to highlight most relevant details
• Related Experience vs. Other Experience
• Work Experience vs. Volunteer Experience
• Categories e.g. Leadership Experience, Research
  Experience, Organizational Experience
• Use reverse chronology, listing most recent
  experiences first

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Building Your Experience Profile Information to
Include

• Potential experiences
• Paid employment
• Significant projects (if not in education)
• Volunteer experiences
• Leadership experiences (e.g. campus
  organizations, professional societies,
  extracurricular clubs)
• Undergraduate research positions

• Details to include
• Position Title, Organization, Location, Dates
• Your responsibilities
• Significant accomplishments, outcomes, or
  achievements
• Strategy Use action verbs to highlight what
  youve done
• Connect experiences to desirable skills
• Provide concrete details

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Sample Experience Profile

• Undergraduate Researcher, Materials Response
  GroupVirginia Tech, Summer 2004
• Conducted research on strengths of composite
  materials
• Performed tensile testing of sample composites
• Presented findings in weekly lab group meetings
• Pool Manager, Linwood Valley PoolsSmallville,
  Virginia, Summers 2003-2005
• Supervised 7 lifeguards for community pool
  serving 300 families
• Scheduled employees and monitored performance
• Performed all pool water testing and maintained
  accurate records for monthly health department
  review
• Promoted from lifeguard to manager based on
  organizational skills, reliability, and
  leadership
• Events Coordinator, Residential Leadership
  ProgramVirginia Tech, 2004-05
• Led 5-person event planning team for program
  serving 135 students
• Identified appropriate professional development
  activities for the program
• Contacted providers and scheduled activities
• Coordinated volunteers
• Conducted surveys to evaluate student responses
  to programs

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Building Your Skills Profile

• Goal Demonstrate competence in relevant areas
• Potential Skills
• Languages (reading knowledge, fluent,
  conversational)
• Computer skills software packages, programming
• Laboratory techniques
• Equipment operation

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Sample Skills Profile

• Languages reading knowledge of French, fluent in
  Spanish
• Computer Skills
• Software Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, MatLab
• Programming C
• Laboratory Techniques Tensile testing, Rockwell
  hardness testing
• Equipment Forklift, backhoe, industrial farming
  equipment

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Building Your Activities Profile

• Goal Demonstrate the breadth of your experience
  and involvement
• Format List organization/activity, role if other
  than member, and dates
• Potential activities
• Professional Societies
• Campus Organizations
• Sports Teams
• Volunteer activities

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Sample Activities Profile

• Activities and Professional Affiliations
• Materials Engineering Professional Society,
  2004-Present
• Epsilon Delta, 2003-Present
• Social Chair, 2004-05
• Academic Chair, 2005-Present
• Intramural Soccer, 2003-2005
• First Baptist Church Choir, 2003-present
• Campus Democrats, 2004-present

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Building Your Honors/Awards Profile

• Goal Demonstrate your ability to excel
• Format
• List honors and awards
• Spell out acronyms
• Explain relevant background not evident from the
  title
• Potential honors and awards
• Deans List (keep your grades up)
• Scholarship from the College (check
  www.eng.vt.edu)
• Scholarships and awards from professional
  organizations
• Awards based on involvement in activities, clubs,
  campus groups

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Building your résumé

• Keep your résumé up to date add information as
  it happens.
• Identify your strengths and interests, then seek
  activities to highlight them.
• Track your role in group projects.
• Selectively take opportunities to lead, organize,
  manage, coordinate events.
• Do NOT simply join everything to pad your résumé
  it shows.
• Active participation in a few organizations/activi
  ties is more impressive than passive membership
  in many.