RESUMES THAT GET INTERVIEWS

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RESUMES THAT GET INTERVIEWS

• Connie Salmi BScN MEd
• Corporate and Community
• Training Solutions
• 2007

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WHY HAVE A RESUME

• Job search process is commercial
• Looking for a job is like selling a product
• YOU ARE SELLING YOURSELF
• Your resume is a marketing tool

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WHO NEEDS A RESUME?

• YOU AND EVERY OTHER JOB SEEKER

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RESUME FORMATS

• CHRONOLOGICAL
• FUNCTIONAL
• TARGETED

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CHRONOLOGICAL

• YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE IS PRESENTED IN A BY-DATE
  FORMAT
• LIST JOBS YOU HAVE HELD
• DESCRIBE THE ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF
  EACH JOB
• IDENTIFY YOUR MOST RECENT JOB FIRST

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FUNCTIONAL SKILL BASED

• HIGHLIGHTS SKILLS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS DEVELOPED
  THROUGH WORK, ACADEMIC AND COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES
• SKILLS AND POTENTIAL ARE STRESSED
• LACK OF EXPERIENCE OR GAPS IN WORK HISTORY ARE
  DE-EMPHASIZED

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TARGETED

• CAN BE EITHER CHRONOLOGICAL OR FUNCTIONAL
• FOCUSES ON A CLEAR JOB OBJECTIVE, CAREER
  OBJECTIVE OR CAREER GOAL
• EMPHASIZES YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS (WORK/LIFE)

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EXAMPLE OF A TARGETED RESUME

Resume (Click to view)
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LETS WRITE A RESUME
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STEP ONE

• FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON YOUR GOAL

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STEP TWO

• IDENTIFY THE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND
  EXPERIENCE NEEDED TO DO THE TARGETED JOB

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STEP THREE

• LIST YOUR STRONGEST SKILLS OR ABILITIES (SKILLS
  RELEVANT TO YOUR JOB TARGET)

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STEP FOUR

• THINK OF SEVERAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM YOUR
  WORK HISTORY TO ILLUSTRATE/SUPPORT EACH OF YOUR
  STRONGEST SKILLS

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SKILLS EXERCISE FOR TARGETED RESUMES 

• A targeted resume both highlights the skills you
  ENJOY using as well as the skills that are
  relevant to the position for which you are
  applying. Complete the following exercise to help
  you identify your skill preferences. 

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EXERCISE

• With a partner, describe an accomplishment that
  you enjoyed completing. Describe it in terms of
  the Task, Action, and Results (TAR) you achieved.

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• 2. Next, have your partner (or yourself) analyze
  and extract skills that were demonstrated.

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• 3. Which skills identified support your
  objective?
• Could you strengthen your resume by including
  more accomplishments (described with TAR
  statements) that illustrate the skills you enjoy
  using and that are relevant to the position for
  which you are applying ?

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• 4. Finally describe each accomplishment
• using an action statement
• (Action statements tell what you did and the
  results of your actions)

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STEP FIVE

• LIST YOUR PREVIOUS JOBS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

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STEP SIX

• LIST TRAINING AND EDUCATION
• RELEVANT TO JOB TARGET

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STEP SEVEN

• CHOOSE A RESUME FORMAT THAT FITS YOUR SITUATION

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HOW DO I CHOOSE?

• TARGETED CHRONOLOGICAL
• WORK EXPERIENCE IS ARRANGED IN ORDER OF
  DATES OF JOBS YOU HAVE HELD, PLACES EMPHASIS ON
  THE JOB TITLES AND EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
• TARGETED FUNCTIONAL
• WORK EXPERIENCE IS DESCRIBED BY EMPHASIZING
  SKILLS, PUTTING THE DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS INTO
  SKILL- GROUP PARAGRAPHS IN THE RELEVANT SKILLS
  SECTION OF YOUR RESUME.

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STEP EIGHT

• SUMMARIZE YOUR KEY POINTS AT TOP OF YOU RESUME
  JUST BELOW YOUR JOB TARGET

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GOOD SUMMARIES INCLUDE

• NUMBER OF YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
• YOUR EDUCATION
• AN ACCOMPLISHMENT/AN AWARD
• KEY SKILLS, SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE
• YOUR PERSONAL WORK STYLE OR ATTITUDE

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CHECK FOR GOOD SUMMARY STATEMENTS

• ARE ITEMS IN SUMMARY RELEVANT TO THE JOB TARGET?
• ARE THE SUMMARY STATEMENTS SUPPORTED IN THE BODY
  OF THE RESUME?
• WOULD YOU HIRE YOURSELF?

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EXAMPLE OF A SUMMARY

• SUMMARY
• Twenty years experience in purchasing and
  scheduling
• Outstanding customer relations
• Excellent working relations with the public and
  co-workers

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SUGGESTED FORMAT FOR YOUR RESUME

• 
  
  

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Lets Build A Resume
Personal Information Targeted Objective Qualificat
ions Skills Experience Education Training
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Personal Information
Name Address Phone, email, cell phone
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Targeted Objective
Entry Level Position in Sales/Marketing
HINT Changes every time to match
position sought.
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Summary of Qualifications

• Developed client confidence talent for relating
  to all
• types of people.
• Ambitious, goal and profit orientated organized
  and
• resourceful.
• Familiar with industry analysis, including
  profitability,
• growth, and market share.

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Skills Experience

• 2005(Summer) Marketing Intern
  Johnson Brothers, Toronto, ON
• Assisted sales staff in expanding client
  base-contacted potential clients through
  extensive cold calling
• consistently ranked in the top 10 for creating
  new client relationships
• developed record keeping system for tracking
  outgoing calls
• Developed good working knowledge of marketing
  approach through
• observation and intern training.
• 2004(Summer) Sales Associate New
  Homes, Oakville. ON
• Successfully sold windows and doors on a
  commission basis
• -provided customer with technical
  specifications about merchandise

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Education Training

• Diploma Business and Marketing, 2006 MOHAWK
  COLLEGE
• Relevant
  Courses
• Strategic Marketing Management, Market Research,
  Finance,
• Principles of Retailing, Advertising, Consumer
  Behavior

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IS IT READY TO SEND?
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SEND ONLY IF 1 Appearance

• pleasing to the eye (font, white space, bold)
• is reader friendly
• looks like a professional document
• is in a format that highlights your selling
  point
• is free of spelling and grammatical errors

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2. Personal Information

• is at the top of page
• includes current address
• includes telephone numbers (day and evening)
• includes current email address
• does not include date of birth or SIN
• includes your web site (if site is appropriate
  for employer to view)

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3. Targeted Objective

• includes type of job or industry you seek
• emphasizes your strongest and most relevant skills

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4. Education / Training

• lists most recent degree/diploma date or
  anticipated date of graduation
• lists relevant courses (only if appropriate to
  objective)
• includes name and location of university, college

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5. Skills/Accomplishments

• are consistent with targeted objective
• matches job requirements
• are supported by experience/education
• highlight your best attributes
• include results

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6. Experience

• include title, organization name, city, province
  and/or country
• include dates position held
• described with action verbs
• highlights skills, relevant accomplishments and
  benefits you offer
• includes related paid, volunteer, intern, or
  co-op experience
• is quantified where possible

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Suggested Ways to have your Resume Evaluated

• Exercise 1
• Find a want ad for the targeted job you are
  looking for. Does your resume fulfill the
  requirements of the job ad?
• HINT To find help wanted ads check newspapers,
  job boards, the internet, job counselors

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• Exercise 2
• Locate 5 people who are employed in a
  position that matches your targeted job
  objective. Have them review your resume. Does it
  clearly support your targeted job objective?
• HINT Ask friends, faculty, co-op advisor,
  employment counselors, people who are employed to
  give you personal referrals

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• Exercise 3
• Identify 5 companies/businesses that employ
  persons with your skills and targeted work
  objective. Speak with a Human Resources person
  or the person who reviews resumes. Let them
  know you are not presently looking for
  employment. You would like them to
  review/evaluate your resume and let you know if
  this is a resume that will get an interview. If
  not, what advice would they give you to improve
  it.
• HINT Go to the library/career resource
  centre and ask a librarian about resources that
  will help you to locate companies/ businesses
  that employ persons with your skills.

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Suggested Web Sites

• JobERA www.jobera.com
• information guide to different types of resumes
• with templates (click on Resume or CV? in
  left
• column)
• Job Star www.jobstar.org
• tips writing a resume with samples
• Monster.ca Career Centre
• http//resume.monster.ca/section1975.asp
• on-line resume resource centre
• nextSteps.org www.nextsteps.org
• tips for resume writing, career planning etc
  

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• QuintCareerswww.quintcareers.com/resres.html
• career resource toolkit and articles
• Resume Templates www.resumetemplates.org
• offers resume and cover letter templates to
  download
• The Damn Good Resume www.damngood.com
• all kinds of tips and advice, along with
  samples
• WetFeet www.wetfeet.com/Article20types/resumes.a
  spx
• resume and cover letter help

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• Workopolis Career Resources www.workopolis.com
• how to tutorial for resume writing
• Resume Writing Tips www.how-to-write-a-resume.org
  
• how to write a resume
• Career and Job Hunting Resources
  http//brainlinks.mohawkcollege.ca

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• Created by Connie Salmi BScN MEd
• Corporate and Community Training Solutions,
• Mohawk College,
• (2007)