This presentation showcases resume styles and the elements that go into building your resume. Every job application requires unique skills, and this session will show you how to improve your resume to match the jobs to which you are applying. Additionally, we will discuss cover letters and learn about ideas to include. The presentation explains applicant tracking systems and how to recognize them.

1. Resumes, Cover Letters
& Applying Online
brought to you by
Bruce A. Bennett
Career Coach Corner
September 14, 2020

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Introduction & Notes for Workshop
 Introduction
 Professional Career in Media & Marketing Research
 MCWN Volunteer & Contractor
 Career Coach Corner Blogger, Podcaster & Presenter
 General Notes for Today
 My contact info is on last slide
 Presentation file available upon request
 Workshop is interactive, Q/A & Parking lot
 Red Arrows
 Social Media Revolution

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Outline for Workshop Today
 Resume
Different Formats
Components
General Points & Mistakes
 Cover Letters
Standard Format
Comparative Style
 Applying On-line
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Identify specific ATS vendors

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Goals for Workshop
Goals
 Identify core elements of resume and cover letter
 Restate job responsibilities into STARs
 Use of Job Boards and Employer ATS
 Know Thyself – Personal Intelligence

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Resources Available On-line
http://www.illinoisworknet.com/

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Resources Available On-line
Online Safety Tips for Job Seekers

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Resources Available On-line

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Not all Resumes are Created Equal
 Paradigm for job search changed radically
 Seven seconds - really??
 One resume does not work
 Customize resumes to fit job posting
 Keywords from description must be in
resume
 Detail work experience history by dates
 Self Awareness

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Not all Resumes are Created Equal
What do you want?
 Identify five job titles
 Determine target companies
 Research what skills are needed for those jobs
 Create a spreadsheet with 3 columns
 List your skills
 Discover which skills are required
 Ascertain any shortfalls
 Decide on how to address issue
 Education?
 Training?
Catherine Breet Byers suggests 3 simple steps

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Resume Formats
 Chronological
 Details work experience history by dates
 Functional
 Highlights skills and expertise
 Blended
 Combo of the two
 Infographic
 Graphic, colorful, & creative
 Plain Text

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Resume Formats
Chronological Resume Format
Skills Resume Format
Infographic format
Plain Text Format
Plain Text Format File

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Resume Components
 Contact information
 Name
 Address (printed vs. digital)
 Phone number (only 1)
 Email
 LinkedIn URL
 Career or Professional Summary
 Elevator speech scripted out
 Skills, Keywords or Buzzwords and phrases
relevant to industry & skills
 Avoid clichés

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Resume Components
 Work Experience
 Company
 Job Title
 Dates (Month/Year)
 Description about company and/or URL
 Achievements, not duties or responsibilities
 Previous performance appraisals helpful
 More bullets for current position
 STARs or CARs
 Situation or Task, Action and Results
 Circumstance, Action and Results

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Resume Components
 Quantify or Recognize experience
 Maintained accounting records for AR and AP
 Managed 1,000+ AR & AP accounts working
directly with the CFO
 Answered the phone
 Resolved customer issues through inbound calling
system, averaging 60 calls a day
 Sold computers and printers to customers
 Practiced consultative sales techniques to provide
customers with their hardware & software needs
 Managed and supervised 10 staff members
 Coached and developed 22 direct reports into
supervisory role positions

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Resume Components
 Accomplishments
 Education
 College, Seminars, Workshops, Special training
 Military Experience
 Rank, Duties, Responsibilities, Relevant Experiences
 Technical or Computer Skills
 Community Activities
 Volunteer Experience

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General Points
 White space
 Applying on line, stick around to the end
 Two pages maximum
 Font type consistency is important
 Printed white paper 20#
Recruiter Relates Resume Tips
John Marty Offers More Resume Advice

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Typical Resume Mistakes
 Typos
 Objective
 References available upon request
 ABC’s of references
 Providing a Home and Cell phone number
 25+ years of experience
 Putting a 3 page resume on 2 pages
 Distracting formats and/or fonts
 Overused stale
 Responsible for….
 Duties include

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Fine Tune Your Resume
Chrome extension - Grammarly

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Fine Tune Your Resume
Microsoft addin - Grammarly

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Fine Tune Your Resume
 These websites refine your resume
 Match your key skills with job description
 Empower you to get past ATS robots
 www.jobscan.co
 https://theprofessional.me
 https://skillsyncer.com/
This is How Job Scan Works

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JobScan.co
 www.jobscan.co - Five scans per month

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co
An upgraded JobScan version does exist

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JobScan.co

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JobScan.co

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theprofessional.me

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theprofessional.me

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theprofessional.me

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theprofessional.me

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theprofessional.me

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SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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SkillSyncer

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Cover Letters
To Include or Not to Include

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Cover Letters
Donna Salvi, Avid Careerist, Talks Cover Letters

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Cover Letters
 What function does it serve?
 Introduce yourself to the recruiter
 State your interest in the position
 Relate why you are a good fit
 How to write a cover letter by ZipJob

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Cover Letters
 Provides additional means of communication
 Gaps in employment
 Why Company or position interests you
 Relevant experience or industry knowledge
 Bullet points to highlight skills
 No more than a few paragraphs
 4 Sentence Cover Letter by Andrew LaCivita
 Traditional format
 Comparative format
 Pain Letter by Liz Ryan

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Traditional Cover Letter Example
Header information matches resume

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Traditional Cover Letter Example
Bullets and closing statement

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Traditional Cover Letter Example
Dear Ms. Polerecky,
I found the Account Manager Associate position, Job ID3885, through a job search agent I
created on the Ebsco website. My background is a great match with your staffing needs.
The majority of my professional career has been at two companies: Nielsen Media Research and
Synovate. During 2010, I was engaged in civic duties with the Village of Johnsburg and
volunteering at the McHenry County Workforce Network, while continuing my career search.
Additionally, I started conducting training seminars on LinkedIn for networking groups and Harper
College in the latter half of 2010. I started at Lodestar Research in January 2011, but am seeking
full time employment with benefits.
When I started at Synovate, my role was initially defined as a liaison between a recent acquisition
and the parent company. While I was there, I became the brand manager for the Interactive
Opinion Network (ION). The ION product was the premier in-person data collection methodology
used for survey research. I coordinated the processes from working with the programmers to
fielding the studies. I am familiar with basic HTML code and rudimentary SQL queries. The ION
product used Microsoft Access which I have been using for over a decade. Additionally, I was
responsible for the quality assurance of the product.
More recently, I have been at Lodestar Research, a company that focuses on B2B publishing. I
use BPA Worldwide Brand Reports to evaluate B2B publishers as a prospective client. I have
extensive management, operations, client service and relationship building experience that would
benefit Hallmark Data Systems. My experience and skills include:
 Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida.
 Early adopter of new technology, software and social media.
 Ability to adapt to new challenges and responsibilities.
 In depth use of MSOffice 2007 products, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook &
Access to track, analyze and present data.
 Outstanding written, verbal, interpersonal, presentation and organizational skills.
If you are looking for a committed team member with strong client service skills and the ability to
multi-task in a fast paced environment, I am the candidate you are seeking to place with your
client. I look forward to discussing how my background is a match for this opportunity and will call
you on March 23 to follow up.

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Comparative Cover Letter Example
Good Afternoon,
Your advertisement for a Lead Expeditor caught my attention because it seemed an
ideal match to my background and experience in inventory control. Having looked at
your website, it is clear you present medical solutions that improve the lives of both
doctors and patients and I am very excited about the prospect of playing a part in that
role. Let me take this opportunity to present my background in comparison to the job
requirements you have described.
YOUR REQUIREMENTS MY BACKGROUND
 Bachelor’s Degree  Bachelors Degree in Science
 2+ yrs related experience with
leadership
 10+ yrs experience with 6+ yrs in a
leadership role
 Strong Excel/proficient math
 Utilized advanced excel functions
and math on a daily basis
 Superior attention to detail
 Maintained and monitored delivery
dates for 30K finished goods
 Exceptional
communication/adaptable/ strong
sense of urgency
 Established direct communication
in urgent situations to ensure
accurate and timely actions
Comparative Cover Letter

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Applicant Tracking Systems - ATS

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What is an ATS?
 Majority of major companies use an ATS for HR
 Human Resource Information System (HRIS)
 Software that enables the electronic handling of
HR documentation
 Cradle to grave capability
 Tracks hiring compliance for company
 Taking the human out of Human Resources

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How Does an ATS Work
 Parses your resume into the system
 Scans resumes to qualify candidates
 Matches keywords in job description
 Performs data mining and collecting
 Ranks candidates by resumes & responses
 Can manage many tasks
 Identify top candidates/Reject unqualified
 Send applicant emails
 Schedule interviews
 Onboarding process
 Tracks reviews, promotions, terminations

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ATS Pitfalls
 Many ATS cannot read a PDF, unless
specifically directed to submit a PDF, submit doc
 Word Doc not Docx format
 Resume templates
 Cannot read tables or multiple columns
 Cannot read wording in header & footer
 Misspelled words are not recognized

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ATS Pitfalls
 Single column format
 Avoid lines and borders
 Avoid underline usage
 Left justification
 Serif fonts are not accurately read
Times New Roman
 Sans Serif fonts are better
 Arial, Helvetica, Futura, Gotham, Circular,
 Franklin Gothic, Tahoma, Verdana, etc.
 Size does matter - 11 or 12 pt font is better
 Margins of 1” preferred, .75” at the maximum

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ATS Resume Friendly Tips
 Use standard terminology for section titles
 Work Experience not Career Achievements
 Education not Professional Training
 Keyword matches found in job description
 Name document for relevant position
 BruceBennettManager.doc, not resume.doc
 Use full name instead of acronym
 Interactive Opinion Network, not ION

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Applicant Tracking Systems

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Applicant Tracking Systems

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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McHenry County Employer ATS

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Upload Your Resume On-line
 Glassdoor - https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm
 Indeed - https://www.indeed.com/
 ZipRecruiter - https://www.ziprecruiter.com
 Careerbuilder - https://www.careerbuilder.com
 Monster - https://www.monster.com
 Dice - https://www.dice.com/
 Mashable - http://jobs.mashable.com/
 Slideshare - https://www.slideshare.net/
 JobServe - https://www.jobserve.com
 O*NET Online - https://www.onetonline.org/
 Stella - https://www.stella.ai/welcome
 University Career Centers

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Find Jobs On-line
 See Previous Slide
 Corporate Website
 Facebook
 Twitter
 LinkedIn
 And many, many others!
 Ladders.com
 Nexxt.com
 Resume-now.com

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Wordle.net
A visual representation of your industry or career

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Wordle.net
Create a visual representation of your resume

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Video & Blog Links
Catherine Breet Byers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8od1iolitg&feature=related
Kimberly Bishop - Recruiter Give Resume Tips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQaLX343Js
Socialnomics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4znQDyz038
ATS Do’s and Don’ts
https://www.resumetoreferral.com/ats-resumes/
Pain Letters
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/11/26/how-to-use-pain-
letters-in-your-job-search/#310855967b44

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Success Stories
Michele N. – Medical
Attended Resume & LinkedIn workshops and gained confidence
Mary M. – Educator
Changed her resume after Resume, CL & ATS workshop and got 9 interviews
Stefanie S. – Pharmacy Technician
Prepared effectively after Winning Interview workshop and was hired
Nick C. – Retail Loss Prevention
Attended all workshops and incorporated learnings to get hired
Val M. – Retail Supply Chain
Incorporated my recommendations from workshops & 1 on 1
I want to add your name to the list!!

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McHenry County Workforce Network
September Calendar of Events & Services
McHenry County Workforce Network
Personalized Job Search Assistance Services
To sign up, request the professional directly by email
Resume Critique
30-45 minute sessions
Dean Eitel
September 7 & 21
10:00 - 12:00
Email: deitel@depaul.edu
Resume Critique
30-45 minute sessions
Kathy Hayhurst
September
None Available
Email: mcwnkmh@gmail.com

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Upcoming Events
Resumes, Cover Letters & Applying Online
Monday September 14, 2020 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Guide to a Winning Interview
Wednesday September 16, 2020 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
LinkedIn for Your Job Search
Monday September 21 at 1:00pm to 3:00pm
LinkedIn Strategic Guidelines
Wednesday September 23 at 1:00pm to 3:00pm
NTS Job Club – Effective Networking
Wednesday October 14, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm

76. Questions?
Feel free to follow up or
connect with me on LinkedIn
Bruce A. Bennett
Mobile: 815-302-9552
Email: BABennett73@gmail.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bruceabennett
Career Coach Corner Blog: http://bruce73.wordpress.com/
https://bruce73.wordpress.com/upcoming-presentations/
Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/b-squared-linkedin