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Effective Resume Writing
The document provides guidance on how to target a resume to employers' shortlists. It discusses resume contents, formats and layouts, and templates. It emphasizes that resumes should be targeted to specific employers and jobs, factual and concise, and an effective marketing tool. The document also reviews cover letters, references, and tips for an effective resume such as using action verbs and quantifying accomplishments.
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Effective Resume Writing
- 1. HOW TO TARGETYOUR RESUME TO WIN YOUR WAY TO THE EMPLOYERS’ SHORTLIST Workshop
- 2. PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVERESUME WRITING RESUME CONTENTS/FORMATS/ LAYOUTS OVERVIEW OF RESUME TEMPLATES AND SKILLS STATEMENTS COVER LETTER AND REFERENCES
- 3. Learn about thepurpose, structure and content of the Resume Learn basic principles of effective resume writing Be able to create a targeted resume , a cover letter and reference list
- 4. RESUME DRAFT’S CRITIQUE GUIDED COMPLETION OF A SUPPORT WITH JOB LEADS/POSTINGS SUPPORT WITH FOLLOW UP CALLS, COLD CALLING, JOB APPLICATIONS
- 5. RESUME JOB SEARCH COVER LETTER NETWORKING INTERVIEW PREPARATIO N LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION PORTFOLIO CAREER EXPLORATION
- 6. HIRING AN HIRING FROM UNKNOWN WHO EMPLOYER WITHIN BRINGS PROOF (PROMOTION) OF ABILITY FRIEND/ AGENCY ONLINE/NEWSPAP BUSINESS • RECRUITERS ER ADVERTISEMENTS CONTACT • SEARCH • REFERRAL FIRMS • JOB FAIR RESUME YOU
- 7. TARGETED TO A SPECIFIC EMPLOYER AND/OR JOB POSITION FACTUAL AND TO THE POINT – YOUR BEST MARKETING WEAPON – EASY-TO-READ AND PROFESSIONAL IN APPEARANCE
- 8. NAME AND PROFILE/ RELEVANT CAREER CONTACT PERSONAL QUALIFICATION OBJECTIVE INFORMATION SUMMARY S RELEVANT EDUCATION TRAINING PROFESSIONAL WORK MEMBERSHIP EXPERIENCE TAGLINE – AWARDS AND VOLUNTEER INTERESTS REFERENCES ACHIEVEMEN EXPERIENCE (OPTIONAL) AVAILABLE TS (OPTIONAL) (OPTIONAL)
- 9. KIMBERLY ANN HURST 2222 Dixie Rd #112 Mississauga, ON (905) 336-4432 k.hurst@gmail.com Put your name, permanent address, phone /voicemail numbers, and email address
- 10. The number of years experience in the field Any important certifications Any programs or technical equipment Any other languages Any relevant personal qualities
- 11. State your experiences and achievements (in reverse order ) Show the positive results of your actions, the benefits to the company Quantify your accomplishments
- 12. DUTY SKILL RESULT DESCRIBE WITH WHAT VALUE HOW DID YOU DO AN ACTION WAS ADDED BY IT? WORD YOUR ACTION USING CREATED NEW BETTER COMPUTER INTERNAL INVENTORY ACCOUNTING/TIM AUDITING CONTROL/REDUC E MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ED LOSS SKILLS
- 13. presents your strictlyby date, with the most recent first (reverse order) When to use: To show lateral or vertical career growth To emphasize previous job titles or companies . Your current or most recent position is one you are proud of and enjoy.
- 14. contains that is organized by education, experience, and skills. When to use: or very little work experience Re-entering the job market / /job hopping De-emphasize
- 15. A mix ofthe best of the chronological and functional resume formats When to use: Highlight a or company name Relevant skills obtained from other, non-paid work experiences
- 16. PAGE MARGINS • CONSISTENT , EQUAL ON EVERY SIDE • BETWEEN 1 INCH TO 1.25 INCH FONTS • COMMON, EASY-TO-READ EX. : ARIAL, TAHOMA, FRANKLIN GOTHIC • E-MAIL IN PDF FORMAT, TO AVOID ANY CONFLICT IN MS WORD • SIZE IS APPROPRIATE TO FONT AND PAGE SPACE
- 17. PARAGRAPHS AND BULLETS DO NOT OVERUSE THEM USE EXTRA SPACE IN BETWEEN TEXT ENHANCEMENTS BOLD IS PREFERRABLE TO ITALICS UNDERLINES COULD BE CONFUSING UPPERCASE SHOULD ONLY BE USED FOR SHORT PHRASES AND SINGLE WORDS
- 18. TYPES OF GRAPHICS • SHOULD BE SUBTLE AND SUPPORT, NOT OVERPOWER THE OVERALL MESSAGE OF THE RESUME • CAN BE USED AS • A BACKGROUND OR WATERMARK • COMPARE THE IMPACT OF THE GRAPHIC ON SCREEN AND IN PRINT
- 20. Avoid vague wording such as "a few months." Leave out the "I's,' as in "I directed..." Leave out the negatives or any irrelevant information. Avoid jargons, acronyms or unusual abbreviations. Don't write a meaningless job objective. Do not rely on the spell-check programs
- 21. Use lots of Use Use the correct buzzwords / Emphasize the positive Focus on
- 22. Words that keep popping up in Company key values from its posted on a web-site. Scan to identify key trends in your industry.
- 23. Introduction to the employer Summarize who you are, why you want to work for this employer and what you can do It communicates: - your writing skills - professional approach - knowledge of the field
- 24. 1 page, typed Broken into short paragraphs (introductory, body, closing) Highlights how your skills and qualifications will benefit the employer Attached to your resume Direct and concise
- 25. Former managers/supervisors Current or former teachers, coaches, and club leaders Volunteer coordinators/supervisors A respected member of the community (doctor, lawyer, social worker, and police officer) Family members that you have worked for Your career counsellor
- 26. (don’t assume!) Choose references that can speak about your
- 27. LET YOUR RESUMEREFLECT THAT EXCELLENCE!
Editor's Notes
- #3 The resume workshop is comprised of two parts, delivered in 2 days – On the First day, currently each Friday, our participants will learn: purpose and principles of effective resume writing. They will get basic knowledge of resume contents/formats/layouts. Develop practical skills in creating targeted skills statements.At the end of the first day we will provide clients with various resume templates, skill statements set and Job Search websites’ database (both electronic and printed versions) –therefore, USB keys will be required for every participant . These materials will help our participants in preparation of their resume drafts and other JS activities.
- #4 Get knowledge of resume purpose, format styles and contentsBe able to create a targeted resume, cover letter and reference list , using provided templates and aid materialGet familiar with the facilitative approaches to the workshop
- #5 During the resume clinic , the role of a facilitator is to provide guidance and support with the completion of the targeted resume from the rough draft,for example:Finalizing choices over different formats and layouts of resume, help participants to emphasize their strengths vs. weak points;coach clients how to tailor resume – HOW TO find LMI on the selected job title on the Working in Canada or the NOC web-sites; use approaches (D-S-R) specific vs. generic: brainstorm technical and transferrable skills, use templates for generic soft skills.Participants will be encouraged to send their resume to a prospective employer right after the activity both via fax and e-mail. It will drastically increase sense of accomplishment and will be motivational incentive for our participants. Especially, if some of them will get response(an invitation for an interview) during the same week! The section of EC will be reserved for resume clinic workshop each day from11 am to 12 pm; clients will be scheduled under divisional schedulerParticipants, who are unable to finish their resume in 2 days, can continuously work on their resume. The second part of the resume workshop will be available to enter for the participants who previously have finished our first resume workshop and/or already have their draft resume. In fact, on monthly basis we will held an open resume clinic sessions for any clients. These monthly events will be attached to the up-coming city of Toronto job fair events.
- #6 From the starting point of the workshop it is important to convey the thought that Resume alone does not guarantee you a job! There are many other factors or STEPS that need to be taken into consideration, such as: (Distribute handouts of the JS steps). … We will be able to cover some of these steps during our workshop, however interview preparation, LMI and Job Search are big enough topics to organize another workshop .What we want to show to our workshop participants, that there are several keys to successful employment. And resume alone is not going to get them a dream job.
- #7 We will also try to put our participants in their prospective employers’ frame of mind. We will show how many shortcuts to the employer exist if you get a little creative with the ways to contact him/her. and same with the methods how you can send your resume – in person, by fax, or by e-mail or regular mail.
- #8 Don't leave any doubt in the recruiter's/or employer’s mind that you are a perfect fit for the jobs you want. You have to be as effective as you can in targeting your resume to the position. Have to use factual and to the point language. Focus on your talents and strengths to market that you are the best candidate for a position. And make resume a document that is easy-to-read and professional in appearance! Why? Because your resume has only 10 -30 seconds to impress employers or their subordinates during the screening process.Our role as a career counsellors, is to assist our clients to market themselves effectively. To help them to create relevant to their field, but very unique, reflective, and informative resume.TARGETED TO A SPECIFIC EMPLOYER AND/OR JOB POSITIONFACTUAL AND TO THE POINT – stick to the facts and to be as concise and clear as you possibly canYOUR BEST MARKETING WEAPON – helps you focus in on your unique strengths and talentsEASY-TO-READ AND PROFESSIONAL IN APPEARANCE
- #9 Lets get through the short overview of the resume building workshop: There are regular components of a resume.NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATIONOBJECTIVEPROFILE/PERSONAL SUMMARY RELEVANT QUALIFICATIONSRELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCEEDUCATIONCERTIFICATIONSPROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPSAWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTSVOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE (OPTIONAL)INTERESTS (OPTIONAL)
- #11 This part is central to any type of resume and despite the different headings always describes person’s most powerful selling qualities, abilities and skills. People can use Highlights of qualifications to describe themselves during future interviews.It includes:The number of years experience you have working in the fieldAny important certifications you haveAny programs or technical equipment you can use on the jobAny other languages you speakAny personal qualities you think are important to mention
- #12 Start with action, end with a resultFor example: Created new internal auditing system (action) with better inventory control and reduced cost (result)State your experiences and achievements you acquired at that job (always in reverse order and not further then 10 years from the current date)Show the positive results of your actions, indicating the benefits to the companyQuantify your accomplishments whenever possible
- #13 Start with action, end with a result (activity)Work in pairs and create from a general statement – result/value-oriented statementFor example: Created new internal auditing system (action) with better inventory control and reduced cost (result)
- #14 Usehand-outs with the samples of three types of resume.When to use:If you have been promoted within the company (lateral or vertical career growth )If you want to emphasize previous job titles or companies you have worked forEmployer preference. An employer may specify a particular format Your current or most recent position is one you are proud of and enjoy.
- #15 contains a summary of qualifications that is organized by education, experience, and skills. There is not much emphasis on specific employer work historyWhen to use:If you are looking for your first job or have very little work experienceYou are re-entering the job market after a current span of unemployment/or have difficult-to-explain gaps in employment or job hoppingYou are changing your careerYou want de-emphasize your age or previous job titles
- #16 It is important to remind our participants at this point that decision on which format to choose is varied, depends on many factors and sometimes it is wise to have several formats of the resume for various type of employers or positions.A mix of the best of the chronological and functional resume formats to highlight both your work history and your relevant skills.When to use:If have very little work experience/or gaps in employmentWant to include or highlight a particular work experience/company nameWant to include some relevant skills obtained from other, non-paid work experiences (volunteer, co-op, extracurricular) to round out your resumePersonal preference - you DO need to be comfortable with how you're going to present your information.
- #17 No matter what type of resume you choose, or what layout you will select:PRINTABLE PAPER , OR ELECTRONIC TO BE DISPLAYED ON A WEB-SITE or ALL TEXT, OR HAV E PICTURES, COLUMNS, BOXES Or PLAIN TEXT FILE OR MS WORD FILE, OR PDF FILETARGETED OR GENERAL RESUMEthe most important rule/ golden rule/ rule of thumb is to keep it clean, organized and consistent! Following are simple recommendations that can drastically improve the layout of you resume. Look also through some samples of our resume templates to get a feel for how graphics can be used successfully! The easier you can make your resume reading, the better. “If this a way you organize your resume, maybe this is the way you would organize your whole life!” Never forget – you have only 10 to 30 seconds to get an attention of the reader…
- #18 a key to create an effective layout - to highlight your qualifications using text enhancements – bold, uppercase are more preferable…
- #19 types of professions that might benefit from this "designed" resume layout style are architects, web designers, graphic designers, artists, and authors. You can have also more than one resume formats, and layouts depends – then it will be easier to target your resume in the future.
- #20 These two resume definitely stand out of many others. Of course, you must know your market, too. These types of resume may go over much better for professions such as architects, web designers, graphic designers, artists, visual merchandisers, or/and authors. For a loan officer, you will still select a conventional type of a resume. You can also have more than one resume formats, and layouts depends – then it will be easier to target your resume in the future.
- #21 ORGANIZE AN ACTIVITY: RESUME CRITIQUE. USE HANDOUTS”STEVEN CAMPBELL RESUME” Based on activity, brainstorm resume do’s and don’ts and then summarize the results.Avoid vague wording such as "a few months." Specific dates are more powerful.Leave out the "I's,' as in "I directed..."Leave out the negatives or any irrelevant information, ESPECIALLY YOUR BIRTHDAY, FAMILY OR MARITAL STATUS.Avoid jargons, acronyms or unusual abbreviations.Don't write a meaningless job objective. DO NOT RELY ON THE SPELL-CHECK PROGRAMS, ALWAYS ASK FOR A FEEDBACK AND SPELLCHECK
- #22 Use lots of action words, words that convey that you "did" something (PAST OR PRESENT TENSE)Use bulleted, short phrases,rather than lengthy sentences and paragraphsUse the correct buzzwords or keywords for the industryEmphasize the positive.Be concise. You want it to be easily digestible.Focus on accomplishments and specific results, rather than a routine listing of your job duties.The easier you can make your resume reading, the better.
- #23 INTRODUCE THE ACTIVITY: Take/find a JOB POSTING, that meet your skill level or interests you. Find key words in it and describe yourself, using these words in your own statements. What are the hard skills (technical) in the ad that you have? What are the soft skills (personal)? OR we can demonstrate how to find key words for a particular job title on the Working in Canada web site.What are the educational requirements for the position – do you match them? (Write out the highlights of qualifications using 3-5 statements from the job posting. – optional)We will teach our participants how to find key words and targeted skills statements in LMI web-sites such as Working in Canada, NOC or O-Net on-line. Words that keep popping up in company job postingsCompany key values from its mission statementposted on a web-site. The annual report is another great source of key values.Scan LMI web-sites to identify key trends in your industry. Then, select resume keywords from that list.
- #24 Cover letter, as important as your resume. Benefits: marketing tool, more creative and less formal than resume, get employer attention, can add additional skills, experience and accomplishments, which did not use in your resume. That is why we will provide with the basic knowledge of cover letter purpose and structure. It introduces you, describes your strengths and skills, and expresses your interest in a particular job.
- #25 Prepare and distribute a template for a cover letter. – better one time to see, than 7 times to hear
- #26 Most employers will ask for three references. Identify these people for yourself.
- #27 They should be able to comment on your work-elated skills, habits. Provide your references with the copy of your resume. Advise them every time you go to an interview and give out their names. Do not overuse them – rotate though the 5 names you have from the list.Always ask your references, if they will provide a reference for you (don’t assume!)Choose references that can speak about your skills and abilities that relate to a particular position you are targeting