This webinar 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. Every job application requires unique skills so learn ways to give you the best chance of success when applying for a new position. Learn how to take advantage of all the features when uploading a job application to a company’s applicant tracking system.

1. Resumes, Cover Letters &
Applying Online
brought to you by
Bruce A. Bennett
Career Coach Corner
February 5, 2024

2. Introduction & Notes for Workshop
Introduction
MCWN Volunteer in 2010 & contractor starting 2018
Career Coach Corner Blogger & Presenter
B² Discuss LinkedIn Podcaster
General Notes for Today
My contact info is on the last slide
Workshop is interactive, Q/A & Parking lot
Follow-up email includes a link to the deck and
evaluation survey
2

3. Outline for Workshop Today
Resume
Different Formats
Components
General Points & Mistakes
Fine Tuning Your Resume
Cover Letters
Standard Format
Comparative Style
Applying Online
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Identify specific ATS vendors
3

4. Goals for Workshop
Identify core elements of resume and cover letter
Restate job responsibilities into STARs
Utilize resume job description scanning websites to
customize resume
Identify the various Employer Applicant Tracking
Systems (ATS)
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5. Resources Available On-line
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6. Not all Resumes are Created Equal
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7. Resumes are Not Created Equal
Paradigm for job search changed
radically
One resume does not work
Customize resumes to fit a job posting
Key skills from the job ad must be in
your resume
Self Awareness
Identify Top 5 Skills by High 5 Test
7

8. Resumes are Not Created Equal
The basic report
is FREE!
What's in the full
report - $29
https://high5test.c
om/personality-
test-for-
individuals/
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9. Resumes are Not 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 three columns
List your skills and which skills are required
Ascertain any shortfalls
Decide on how to address issue
Education, Volunteer or Training?
Catherine Breet Byers suggests 3 simple steps
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10. Resume Formats
Chronological
Details work experience history by dates
Most common & widely accepted
Functional
Highlights skills and expertise
Infographic
Graphic, colorful, & creative
Marketing, graphics designer & graduates
Main drawback is not ATS friendly format
Plain Text
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11. Resume Formats
Chronological Resume Format
Functional Resume Format
Infographic Format
Plain Text Format
Plain Text Format File
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12. Resume Components
Contact information
Name
Address (printed vs. digital)
Phone number
Provide only one phone number, not labeled
Use format 234-567-9876
Email
Update email from AOL or Yahoo
Provide a Gmail address to be more “current”
LinkedIn URL
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13. Resume Components
Career or Professional Summary
Elevator speech scripted out
Skills, Keywords or Buzzwords and phrases
relevant to your industry & skills
Work Experience
Company, Job Title and Dates (Month/Year)
Description of company and/or URL if not easily
recognized
Achievements, not duties or responsibilities
Previous performance appraisals helpful
More bullets for the current position
STARs or CARs
13

14. Work Experience Bullet - STAR/Metrics
Maintained accounting records for AR and AP
Managed 1,000+ AR & AP accounts working directly with 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 match customers
with their hardware & software needs versus their wants
Managed and supervised 10 staff members
Coached and developed 22 direct reports into supervisory
role positions
14

15. Artificial Intelligence
Many programs, e.g. - ChatGPT, Bing, Bard, etc.
Key is prompts that elicit descriptive bullets
Cannot rely on data accuracy, you own it
Paul Cameron demonstrates how AI can help
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16. Resume Components
Bullet points should have an action verb
Use the right action verb to make an impact
Use MS Word Thesaurus, highlight word and press Shift F7
Bloom's Taxonomy Action Verbs
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17. Resume Components
Education
College Degree, Activities, or GPA if a recent grad
Acceptable to omit the years from education
Continuing Education
Seminars, Workshops, Special training
Military Experience
Rank, Duties, Responsibilities, Relevant Experiences
Technical or Computer Skills
Community Activities
Volunteer Experience
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18. General Points
White space needed and two pages maximum
Consistent sans serif font type
Header font size 15, rest of resume font size 11
Print resume on 20# or 32-36# paper
Save resume with name and job title
e.g. BABennett LinkedIn Trainer.docx
Amanda Augustine Suggests Resume Advice
Andy LaCivita - 3 Steps to a Perfect Resume
18

19. Typical Resume Mistakes
Typos
Objective
References available upon request
the ABC’s of references
Provide 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 terms
Responsible for or Duties include
19

20. Fine Tune Your Resume
Chrome extension - www.grammarly.com
20

21. Fine Tune Your Resume
Grammarly as Microsoft addin
21

22. Fine Tune Your Resume
These websites help refine your resume
Match your key skills with a job description
Empower you to get past ATS robots
https://theprofessional.me
https://cultivatedculture.com/resume-scanner/
https://skillsyncer.com/
www.jobscan.co
This is How Job Scan Works
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23. theprofessional.me
https://theprofessional.me/ - Unlimited scans per month
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24. theprofessional.me
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25. theprofessional.me
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26. theprofessional.me
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27. theprofessional.me
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28. theprofessional.me
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29. Cultivated Culture
https://cultivatedculture.com/ - Ten scans per month
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30. Cultivated Culture
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31. Cultivated Culture
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32. Cultivated Culture
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33. Cultivated Culture
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34. Cultivated Culture
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35. Cultivated Culture
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36. SkillSyncer
https://skillsyncer.com/ - One scan per week
Earn additional scans by inviting friends, family, etc.
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37. SkillSyncer
37

38. SkillSyncer
38

39. SkillSyncer
39

40. SkillSyncer
40

41. SkillSyncer
41

42. SkillSyncer
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43. SkillSyncer
43

44. JobScan.co
www.jobscan.co - Five scans per month
Receive 10 Free Scans with this Referral Link
44

45. JobScan.co
45

46. JobScan.co
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47. JobScan.co
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48. JobScan.co - ATS Tips
48

49. JobScan.co - ATS Tips
49

50. JobScan.co - ATS Tips
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51. JobScan.co - ATS Tips
51

52. JobScan.co - ATS Tips
52
There are hundreds
of ATS vendors
These tips are a
small sample of how
an ATS data mines
your resume

53. JobScan.co
53

54. JobScan.co
54

55. Cover Letters
Cover letters beg the question - to include or not to include?
55

56. Cover Letters
Cover letters beg the question - to include or not to include?
56

57. Cover Letters
A Ladders article stressed several changes in
hiring practices post Covid-19
Recruiters say if you don’t do this, you may as
well not apply for the job
Survey by TopResume revealed these findings
A cover letter is more likely to be read - 48%
Candidate’s thank you note is more significant - 68%
Employment gaps no longer have red flag - 87%
57

58. 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
58

59. Cover Letters
Provides additional means of
communication
Identify existing employee(s) for a referral
Why Company or position interests you
Relevant experience or industry knowledge
Gaps in employment, e.g. care for elderly
parents
Bullet points to highlight skills
No more than a few paragraphs
59

60. Cover Letters
Types of Cover Letters
Traditional format
Comparative format
Pain Cover Letter by Liz Ryan
4 Sentence Cover Letter by Andy LaCivita
60

61. Traditional Cover Letter Example
Header information matches resume
61

62. Traditional Cover Letter Example
Bullets and closing statement
62

63. Traditional Cover Letter Example
63

64. Comparative Cover Letter Example
Comparative Cover Letter
64

65. Sample Cover Letter Template
Hallmark Data Systems
Attn: Julie Jones, HR Manager
Phone: 847-999-9999
Web: http://www.halldata.com/
Dear Ms. Jones,
LinkedIn alerted me to the Senior Client Relationship Manager position, Job ID#
53635, which matches my experience. I have extensive management, operations,
client service, and relationship building experience that would benefit Hallmark
Data Systems. My work at Lodestar Research utilized BPA Worldwide Brand
Reports to evaluate B2B publishers as prospective clients. I look forward to
discussing how my background is a match for this opportunity.
Regards,
Bruce
65

66. Applicant Tracking Systems - ATS
66

67. Applicant Tracking Systems - ATS
67

68. What is an ATS?
Human Resource Information System (HRIS)
Vast majority of major companies use an ATS
Software that enables the electronic handling
of HR documentation
Cradle-to-grave capability
Tracks hiring compliance for the company
Taking the human out of Human Resources
68

69. How Does an ATS Work?
Scans resumes to evaluate candidates
Parses your resume data into the database
Performs data mining and collecting
Matches keywords in the job description
Analyzes responses to screener questions
Identifies and ranks candidates
69

70. How Does an ATS Work?
Can manage many tasks
Identify top candidates/Reject unqualified
Send applicant emails
Schedule interviews
Onboarding process
Tracks reviews, promotions, terminations
70

71. ATS Pitfalls
Not all ATS can read PDF
Unless specifically directed to submit a
PDF, submit a Word Docx, not Doc format
Avoid resume templates
Cannot read tables or multiple columns
Wording in the header & footer is not read
Misspelled words are not recognized
71

72. ATS Pitfalls
Single column format using left justification
Avoid borders, lines and underline usage
Serif fonts are not accurately read
Times New Roman
Sans Serif fonts are better
Arial, Helvetica, Cambria, Trebuchet MS, etc.
Size does matter - 11 or 12 pt font is better
Margins of 1” preferred, .75” at the max
72

73. ATS Resume Friendly Tips
Use standard terminology for section titles
Work Experience not Career
Achievements
Education not Professional Training
Name document for relevant position
BruceBennettManager.docx, not
resume.docx
Use full name instead of acronym ION
Interactive Opinion Network, then (ION)
73

74. Applicant Tracking Systems
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75. Applicant Tracking Systems
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76. McHenry County Employer ATS
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77. McHenry County Employer ATS
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78. McHenry County Employer ATS
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79. McHenry County Employer ATS
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80. McHenry County Employer ATS
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81. McHenry County Employer ATS
81

82. 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 & College Career Centers
82

83. Find Jobs On-line
See Previous Slide
Corporate Website
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
And many, many others!
Ladders.com
Nexxt.com
Resume-now.com
83

84. Video & Additional Resource Links
Social Media Revolution - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k_G_h41ZaQ
Catherine Breet Byers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8od1iolitg&feature=related
Amanda Augustine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP-S9rvAYYo
Andy LaCivita - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwEsfXS6y8
Donna Svei, Avid Careerist - https://www.avidcareerist.com/2015/06/08/does-resume-need-cover-letter/
Zip Recruiter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHg0b7Nai6c
Pain Letters - https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/11/26/how-to-use-pain-letters-in-your-job-
search/#310855967b44 –
Andy LaCivita - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfmVSFg_zSI
ATS Do’s and Don’ts - https://www.resumetoreferral.com/ats-resumes/
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/do-employers-care-about-cover-letters
8 Resume writing tips - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/8-resume-writing-tips-2022-jessica-hernandez-
cpbs-cdbs/
84

85. Success Stories
Kurt B. - Marketing
Lisa A - Administration
Mark H. - Operations
Mandi S. - Sales
Karl K. - Marketing
Rajiv S. - Financial Industry
Thea M. - Education
Rich K. - Sales
I want to add your name to the list!
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86. McHenry County Workforce Network
February Career Workshops & Services Brochure
Free Personalized Job Search Assistance Services
To sign up, request the professional directly by email
Resume Critique
30 - 45 minute In-person sessions
Bob Lueders
February 14 & 21
10:00am - 12:00pm
Email: luedersbob@gmail.com
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87. Upcoming Webinar Events
Guide to a Winning Interview
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
LinkedIn for Your Job Search
Monday, February 12, 2024, from 10:00am to 12:00pm
NTS – Boost Your Job Search by Volunteering
Wednesday, February 14, 2024 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
LinkedIn Strategic Guidelines
Monday, February 19, 2024 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Network to Success – Job Search for Over 50
Wednesday, March 13, 2024, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm

88. Feel free to 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