CV Writing by Tai Tran

Slide 1: To Write an Effective Resume For technical applicants Tai Tran www.taitran.com 11 May 2007

Slide 2: OVERVIEW

Slide 3: Agenda What should be in the resume   Hints  Resume process

Slide 4: Objectives To give a brief introduction to resume writing   To save time for you – as an applicant and save time for your potential employer’s recruitment executives in processing your application

Slide 5: RESUME

Slide 6: What is a resume Description of your objective, skills, education,  accomplishments, and experiences  A marketing piece  Purpose: to get you interviews

Slide 7: What is NOT a resume DO NOT  Include your relatives information  Write as a letter SHOULD NOT INCLUDE  Interests, hobbies NEED NOT INCLUDE  Age, Birthday

Slide 8: Types of resume Reversed-chronicle order 1. Skill-based 2.

Slide 9: Reversed-chronicle resume Contact: Full name, Email, Phone, Address  Objectives  Skills  Experience   Latest relevant job Your position, details of what you did  Second latest relevant job  …  First relevant job Summary of articles on the press, IT sites, portals  Education  References  Additional information 

Slide 10: Skill-based resume Contact: Full name, Email, Phone, Address  Objectives  Skills   Relevant skill 1 Job 1 that helped you improve skill 1  Job 2 for skill 1  Relevant skill 2  …  Relevant skill Summary of articles on the press, IT sites, portals  Education  References  Additional information 

Slide 11: WRITE the RESUME

Slide 12: Where to start Research your targets: business domain, market, technology  focus… Review all relevant skills and knowledge  List all abilities and skills you have developed through your  education, work experience, or community activities Make a second list of you major accomplishments, with personal  traits that helped you achieve them Consider the two lists. Decide which of the traits and abilities you  definitely want to use in your next job

Slide 13: Write the resume (1/3) Objective: short term – what position you want, long term – what  you plan to be in 3-5 year time Education section: degree, major(s), institution(s), dates of  attendance, minor(s), special projects, theses, dissertations and outstanding coursework Experience section: name of organization, location, start and end  dates, work experience, responsibilities and achievements Skills section: don’t limit in just programming  Reference: name, position, organization, email, phone 

Slide 14: Write the resume (2/3) Experience goes before Education  Interests, activities, organizations and hobbies should only be  included if relevant Most significant on the top  Include grade point if high  Use professional terminologies and popular keywords 

Slide 15: Write the resume (3/3) Start each phrase with a strong, action word  “Manage, Direct, Develop, Organize, Establish,  Supervise” Shorten the phrases if possible  Quantify when appropriate  Sell what the employer is looking for  Tell how your values would benefit the company  Be consistent with word form 

Slide 16: Example Objective   Short-term: To apply for the position of software engineer  Long-term: To become a Software Architect Education   Bachelor of Information Technology, University of Technology, 2001-2006 Did a thesis on Artificial Intelligence  Developed 2 client-server applications using J2EE and PHP  High school for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City  Experience   Built an e-commerce website for a flower shop, 2005  Consulted at Nguyen Hoang information systems for 8 months, 2006. Communicated with customers. Organized the warehouse

Slide 17: Example (cont) Skills   Programming: C#, Java, PHP, CGI, Perl  Software: RUP, SDLC, UML, Design  Database: SQLServer  Server: IIS, WebSphere, Apache  English: TOEFL 500 Reference   Mr. Duong Anh Duc, Dean of IT Department, University of Natural Sciences, <email>  Ms. Tran Thi A, Product Manager, FPT Elead, <email>

Slide 18: Presentation One-page resume is appropriate for fresh  graduates  Clearly separate sections and emphasize section titles  More bullet-points than lengthy paragraphs. No ending periods for bullets points

Slide 19: Pitfalls DON’T Include skills which you are not confident that you can handle  interview questions on the subject Use first-person words ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’  Put non-relevant information  Spelling, typo, grammar mistakes  Write sentences. Use phrases instead  Use colors and too fanciful decorators, unless you’re a designer  Use exquisite and flowery words  Refer to salary information 

Slide 20: Review your work Read through several times  Eliminate spelling, typo and grammar mistakes  Ensure consistency between sections  Have your mentor checked it  Look at your resume, assume that you are the employee,  see if you can immediately get what you expect in less than 15s

Slide 21: Advanced One page rule?  No if your experience has been enriched  Reflect your traits by using experience  Instead of “Have leadership potentials”, use “Lead many groups in Young Union to  complete charity projects” Use Action-Benefit statement  “Managed a group of 10 software engineers to complete 3 projects, increasing the  company’s reputation” Use synonyms  Are you recognized in the industry?  Can you be found on search-engines? 

Slide 22: Example 2 Fair Better Reason I can code Java and C++ Programming Skill: Java, - Avoid ‘I’ C++ - Should not write sentences Study at Aptech for 2 years Diploma in Information - Emphasize the qualification Technology, - Include the time FPT Aptech, 2004 I have organization skill and Organized 2 cultural fairs at - Clarify experience and the leading skill college. experience shows your skill Lead 3 software groups to - Use strong, action verbs: complete 5 projects organize, lead

Slide 23: MAKE YOUR RESUME WORK

Slide 24: Publish your resume Send directly to your targeted companies, even when  they don’t announce vacancies Employment portals like vietnamworks.com,  hrvietnam.com, ddth.com Your own site, blog 

Slide 25: How recruiters process resume HR executive scans your resume   One person may have to read through hundreds of resumes per day => make yours distinctive  Resume at a glance: 15 second rule  HR do reference check!

Slide 26: More than a resume Networking works!   A cover letter  A well-prepared job application  Knowledge on the job  Information on the company

Slide 27: A sample job application Cover Letter   Resume  Letters of reference from previous employers, academic coordinators  Transcript of grades  Technical certificates (MCSD, SCJP…)  Foreign language certificates  Health examination result  Should submit e-copy for their convenience

Slide 28: Bibliography Resume help  http://www.jobwerx.com/resources/ResumeHelp.html 10/23/2006 How to make a standard CV  http://www.bdjobs.com/career/resume1.htm 10/23/2006

Slide 29: Thank you & Good luck “Marketing is being honest about the best of the truth” Tai Tran www.taitran.com