Career Development Strategies

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Career Development Strategies

• Presented by Camille Franklin
• for AMIDEAST
• Fulbright Foreign Student Program
• March 2002

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Today youll learn about

• Self-Assessment
• Effective Resumes
• Interviewing Skills
• Job Search Tips

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Self-Assessment
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Who are you?

• Interests - What you like to do
• Skills - What you do well
• Values - What you care about
• Determine the right fit!

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Next Step

• Gathering information
• Setting goals
• Implementing an action plan

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Effective Resumes
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What is a resume?

• Personalized document
• Individualized marketing tool
• Targeted to your desired industry or field of
  work

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Resume Formats

• Chronological
• Functional
• Scannable

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Chronological

• Lists information in reverse chronological order
  (most recent experience first)
• Most conservative format
• Easiest to use

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Functional Resume

• Emphasizes specific groups of skills
• Highlights transferable skills
• Useful for people changing careers
• Useful for people with varied skills

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Scannable Resume

• Include keywords relevant to the industry
• Use times, helvetica, or courier fonts
• Do not use bullets or other graphical images
• Do not use italics or underlines
• Use bold or regular text

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General Rules for Designing a Resume

• Determine resume format
• Consider font selection
• Keep information to a maximum of 3 pages
• Use italics, underlining, and bullets for
  emphasis
• Consider type of paper and print quality

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More Rules

• Include contact information, education, and
  experience
• Tailor other headings
• Include all relevant experience, not just jobs
• Organize content in reverse chronological order
  of importance
• Avoid errors and grammatical mistakes
• Do not use personal pronouns

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Possible Headings

• Objective
• Education
• Experience
• Skills (computer and language)
• Awards Honors
• Activities

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Information Not Generally Included on Resume

• Age
• Marital status
• Race/ethnicity
• Health
• Gender

• Reference names
• Photo
• Salary requirements
• Religious affiliation
• Citizenship status

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A Word About the Curriculum Vitae or CV

• A special type of resume traditionally used
  within the academic community
• Emphasized academic training and expertise
• Include all publications, research papers,
  presentations detailed job descriptions
• Can include personal information
• Resumebrevity
• CVin depth information

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References

• Ask 3-5 people to serve as references
• Do not ask relatives
• Use a separate page to list your references
• Include with resume only if asked

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Before sending your resume

• If Emailing can attach, but body needs to be
  professional
• Proofread
• Always send cover letter with resume
• Do not include salary requirements
• Use high quality laser printer
• Use quality resume paper
• Proofread again!

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Interviewing
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The Typical Interview

• Four Stages of the interview
• Greeting
• Getting to know you
• Looking for a Fit
• Closing

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Types of interview questions

• Direct
• Behavior based
• Stress
• Case Analysis
• Practice, practice, practice!!

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Two Most Common Interview Questions (that people
mess up)

• Tell me a little bit about yourself...
• What are your weaknesses?

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Interviewing Tips

• The Interview is NOT the time to be bashful
• Know the company
• Do not bring up salary
• Ask questions

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Follow -up

• Always follow up after each interview with a
  thank you letter
• Let references know they may be contacted
• Never immediately accept a job always think
  about it
• Be ready to discuss salary

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The Top Ten

• Job Search Tips for the Current Economy

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1. Use Your Network

• Networking is the best way to get ahead
• Most job seekers learn about job openings before
  they are advertised!
• Tap into professionals in your field through
  professional associations, on-line listservs,
  web-sites
• Establish links with others from your country
  while here in the US

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2. Stay Organized

• A job search takes TIME in a good economy and
  even MORE TIME in a tough one
• Create a spreadsheet to track important
  information
• Keep copies of each resume and cover letter handy

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3. Highlight Your Accomplishments

• In your application package
• At the interview
• After the interview

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4. Stand out in a crowd (for the right reasons!)

• Your appearance
• Your voice mail, email, website
• Your resume
• Your etiquette

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5. Look beyond the obvious!

• Get to know people in the organization
• Get your foot in the door
• Think outside of the box

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6. Do your homework

• Know the company
• Know how much you are worth

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7. Follow Up!

• Stay in touch with your contacts
• Send your networking contacts thank you notes or
  emails every time you interact
• Call or email employers who do not respond to
  your application within two weeks

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8. Be Realistic About the Job Search!

• The job search will take time
• Jobs are in high demand

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9. Put together a portfolio

• Dont just tell them, SHOW them!
• Compile old and new examples of work

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10.  Take control

• No one is going to hand you a job
• Set goals and deadlines for job search tasks
• Take time off from the job search each week and
  relax

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The Job Search Method

• The Old Job Search Method
• Look in the newspaper
• Look on websites
• Send out lots of resumes

• The New Job Search Method
• Talk to people
• Tap into the hidden job market
• Send out targeted resumes

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Current Advice from Employers

• Experience counts
• Writing skills are paramount
• Employee Referrals
• Small companies
• Take a job, any job
• Motivation and initiative

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Some Helpful On-line Resources

• www.rileyguide.com
• www.jobhuntersbible.com
• www.bls.gov (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• www.overseasjobs.com
• www.international.monster.com (Global Gateway)
• ArabSites.com (job listings)