BA 623 Human Resource Issues

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Successful resumes sell. They place you over and
above the competition, and they create a sense of
urgency for the reader to pick up the phone and
call (or email) you to arrange and interview.
- Alesia Benedict, Executive
Director (GetInterviews.com)
Chapter 5 YOUR PASSPORT (Resume Cover Letter)
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Your Passport(Learning Objectives)

• Craft a Strong, Professional Resume
• Objectives and Importance
• 2 Major TypesChronological and Functional
• Essential Componentswith Specific Tips
• Fundamental Principles
• Develop a Tailored Cover Letter
• Objectives and Importance
• Essential Componentswith Specific Tips

Of the two documents, the resume is the most
important, but dont ignore the value of a
well-written cover letter. (p. 51)
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Your Passport (Resume - Objectives)

• An object (8.5 by 11 inch piece of paper) that is
  used to convince people we have never met to
  invest thousands of dollars in us, by hiring us
  for a job we have not yet specifically
  identified. (Michael Bryant)

• Resume Sales Document
• Objective Get Interview

Quoted in Richard N. Bolles, What Color is Your
Parachute? (2001 Edition) Berkeley, CATen Speed
Press.
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Your Passport (Resume Types Fundamentals)

• 2 Main Types of Resumes
• Chronological (most common)
• Functional (marketable areas of expertise)
• How Companies Process Resumes
• Elimination (the look feel, poorly written, key
  word match)
• Content (clearly articulates skills and
  accomplishments)
• Misfits (poor match between applicant and
  position)
• Resume Fundamentals
• Be accurate (in both spelling and factual
  content)
• Lead with your strengths
• Be specific and emphasize results/accomplishments
• Be visually appealing
• Contain essential sections

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Your Passport (Resumes Essential Components)

• Contact Information
• Name (make it stand outbut dont go overboard)
• Address relevant phone numbers and professional
  e-mail
• Objective
• Specific or not at all (avoid vague statements)
• Tailored to position, company, and industry
• What will you do for that company?
• Skills/Strengths or Summary of Qualifications
• Areas of Expertise
• Language, Computer, Occupation-specific Skills
• Track Record of Major Accomplishments
• 2-3 Qualities that Differentiate You from Others

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Your Passport (Resumes Essential Components)

• Education
• Degrees earned or in progress (list current or
  most recent program first)
• Highlight any academic accomplishments
• Should GPA be included? Should courses taken be
  listed?
• Work Experience
• List current or most recent first
• Indicate job title, name of organization,
  location (city and state), and dates of
  employment
• Briefly mention major activities/responsibilities
  but showcase key accomplishments and measurable
  results
• Volunteer Experience (or Extracurricular
  Activities)
• Shows diversity of interests and community (or
  organizational) involvement

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Your Passport (Resumes Specific Tips)

• Know your degree (B.S. or B.A.?)
• Commit to flawless spelling/grammar
• Format headings with all-caps (e.g., EDUCATION)
• Indicate your unique skills (remember Brand YOU)
• Use bold instead of underline or italics
• Format headings with all-caps (e.g., EDUCATION)
• Beware of the 2,500-word writing requirement
• Do not have gaps in time
• Focus more on results/accomplishments
• Do not write in paragraphs
• Tailor for specific job
• No I or me or my in Resume
• Align your dates and other repetitive fields
• Indicate relevant coursework (when lacking work
  experience)
• Name on page 2 (if you have a page 2)
• Be careful with dates and e-mail addresses
• No personal photos
• No personal references
• Update resume at least every 6 months

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Resume Tips contd

• Use bullets or asterisks for lists
• Appearance counts
• Name on page 2 (no more than 2 pages)
• NEVER use colored paper
• Be accurate and factual NEVER, EVER FABRICATE
  ANYTHING ON YOUR RESUME
• Lead with your strengths (avrg resume is examined
  for only 15 to 60 seconds
• Personalize your resume as much as possible

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Resume tips Contd

• OBJECTIVE
• To obtain a position in a dynamic, challenging
  and growth oriented company with emphasis in the
  Marking areaHuman Resource area, etc
• SKILLS brand you
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Highly motivated
• Etc
• EDUCATION
• Bachelor of Science Degree in Business
  Administration
• California State University San Marcos
• Emphasis in Marketing, Management, etc
• Deans List etc etc
• If you went to a community college and got an AA
  degree, put it down
• NO high school data

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Resume tips Contd

• Name/ address/contact information
• Objective
• Strengths/ Skills
• Education
• Work Experience
• Computer skills
• Interests

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Resume Components
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• Name- stand out use bold larger font do not
  include middle name
• Contact info- current accurate
• Objective- s/b the first component in the body of
  the resume
• Skills/ Strengths- dont include too many
  (personalize)
• Education- list in reverse chronological order,
  bold the degree
• Work exper.- after education/ current first
• Computer/ Technical/ skills
• Length- 1 page preferred, not over 2 pages
• Stand out interests (personalize)
• No I
• Flawless grammar

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Principles and Concepts toRemember

• Building Effective Resumes and Cover Letters
• The resume and cover letter are sales documents.
  Period!
• The only purpose of the resume and cover letter
  is to get you an interview
• Keep your resume continuously updated throughout
  your career
• Build resume bullets with "hooks" that "grab" the
  readers' attention, pack a "punch," and "wow!"
  them
• Good resume bullets should be significant,
  detailed, factual, objective, quantitative,
  measurable, and "beefy"
• Good resume bullets should have both a feature
  and a benefit
• Good resume bullets cover significant
  achievements, commendable accomplishments,
  superior performance, and outstanding results
• Do not build resume bullets that mainly cover job
  descriptions, duties, and responsibilities

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Your Passport (Resumes Example)
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Your Passport (Cover Letter Objectives)

• Objectives
• Capture Interest and Attention
• Provide Evidence of Fit
• Obtain an Interview
• Three Types
• Advertised Opening interest in a position you
  found in_________
• Network Referral John Doe suggested that I
  contact you etc etc
• No Current Openings when there is no posted
  openings (passion)

TREK ADVICE Every (and I mean EVERY) point of
contact you have with a prospective employer has
the potential to either eliminate you from the
running or catapult you to the top of the list so
take the time needed to write a professional
cover letter. (p. 55-56)
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TM 5 Passport Traveling Party (Cover
Letters - Fundamentals)
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• Objectives
• Capture Interest and Attention
• Provide Evidence of Fit
• Land Interview

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Cover Letter Format
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• Cover letters are used to tailor your
  qualifications to the job opening.
• They are not a synopsis of your job history or a
  long self-description
• Your aim is to get the interview
• Paragraph 1
• Opening (Intro Purpose)
• do not send To Whom It May Concern
• should only be 2 to 3 sentences
• identifies the position for which you are
  applying, how you saw
• the ad or how you learned of the position.

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Your Passport (Cover Letter Essential
Components)

• Paragraph 2
• Fit/Sales Pitch (1-2 paragraphs)
• sell what you have to offer to the
  Company (POTENTIAL)
• demonstrate a fit with the company needs
  to your
• qualifications
• explains that you can perform the job a
  bridge that connects your resume with the
  position (BEST QUALITIES)
• include information that outlines
  accomplishments, similarities to your current job
  and why you believe you can do the job.
• compare their requirements to your
  qualification (RESEARCH THE ORGANIZATION)
• Final Paragraph
• Closing (Tone Follow-up)
• Be Positive and Appreciative THANK THE REVIEWER
• Indicate Follow-Up ONE WEEK
• SEE COVER LETER EXAMPLE IN BOOK

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Your Passport (Cover Letter Specific Tips)

• Address to a real person
• Use but dont overuse I
• Write a strong opening
• Hit the highlights
• Show research of the company
• Be concise, specific, and flawless in writing
• Dont duplicate your resume
• Keep the ball in your court
• End on a positive tone
• Dont forget to sign the letter
• One page only (except in rare cases)

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Your Passport (Cover Letter Example)
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Your Passport (Trek Activity)
TREK TASKS 12 13 UPDATE YOUR
PASSPORT Identify a posted job opening that is
appealing to you. Now refine (or create) a cover
letter and resume that are tailored to the
requirements of that job. Obtain feedback from
two seasoned professionals (your instructor will
hopefully be one of them) about these two
critical career documents.
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Your Passport(KTA Principle)

• These two documentsthe resume and the cover
  letterdemonstrate your professionalism, your
  potential fit with the organization, and your
  attention to detail.
• How well do they sell you to prospective
  employers?

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Your Passport (Summary)

• TREK LIST
• Professional Resume
• My resume follows the principles of effective
  resumes, looks professional, showcases my best
  strengths and accomplishments, and has ZERO
  spelling errors.
• Cover Letter
• I can create a tailored, one-page cover letter
  that markets me well both in content and
  appearance (and like the resume, has ZERO
  spelling errors).