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.

1. Resumes, Cover Letters
& Applying Online
brought to you by
Bruce A. Bennett
Career Coach Corner
September 18, 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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Lake County Resource
Job Center of Lake County

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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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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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MCWN Upcoming Events
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
Resumes, Cover Letters & Applying Online
Monday October 5, 2020 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Guide to a Winning Interview
Wednesday October 7, 2020 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
NTS Job Club – Effective Networking
Wednesday October 14, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm

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Other Upcoming Webinars
Using Social Media in Job Search
Thursday October 1, 2020 from 7:00pm
LinkedIn Basics and Best Practices
Tuesday October 6, 2020 from 7:00pm

77. 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