COMM 202Tutorial 4: Resumes & Personal Branding
LAPTOPS & PHONES AWAY! NAME TENTS OUT!
t21+ T28
AGENDA For today
Personal	Branding
Resumes
Action	Items
Course Timeline
Skills matrix due Friday!
week 6 week 10week 7 week 9week 8
• tutorial:
resumes /
cover letters
• due: skills
matrix final
submission (6
success
stories, 2
failure stories)
• tutorial:
resume &
cover letter
peer review
• due: 2 copies
of resume
draft & cover
letter draft &
job posting
• tutorial:
LinkedIn /
networking
• due: LinkedIn
due before
class
• tutorial: event
networking /
informational
interviews
• Due: cover
letter &
resume due
Tuesday,
March 7th @
2:00PM
• networking
event on
March 9th
reading break
Describe these
BRANDS
What’s their brand?
What is your
BRAND?
Activity
• Take 2 min to write down 4-5 words that describe you
– Have them be related to your skills, personality, etc.
THINK LIKE THIS:
IF YOU HAD JUST 30 SECONDS TO DESCRIBE WHO YOU
ARE..
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
Your brand
Appears everywhere
The application process
Cover Email Resume & Cover Letter interview Get Hired!
Resume vs. Cover Letter
Resume is about you
Cover Letter is about them!
CAN-WANT-FIT
CAN	you	do	
the	job?
Do	you	
WANT	
the	job?
Are	you	
the	right	
FIT?
Elements of a resume
profile education
work &
volunteer
experience
personal formatting branding
Formatting
Be consistent
Font size, font style,
spacing, bullet
points, alignment,
punctuation, date &
abbreviation format,
hyphens vs dashes
First impression
Pick a colour
scheme
(if you don’t want
black-and-white,
which is also fine)
and use white space
wisely; be concise
with your resume
page count
Third person
Always speak in third
person and maintain
a professional tone;
no slang or personal
pronouns (he, she,
we, I)
Proofread
No grammar
mistakes, typos,
spelling errors -
proofread then
proofread again
Header
• Name is preferred name with (given name) in brackets
• Phone and address are included
• Linkedin URL is personalized
Profile/Key Competencies
What is it? No more than 4 line summary of what to expect in your resume
Key questions:
• Does it match the job posting (multiple references)?
• Does it provide a clear, convincing link to the rest of the resume (i.E. Is there
PROOF elsewhere in the document?)
What to include?
• Strengths, past experiences, interests, languages, technical skills
Another example
Education
What is it? Summary of your schooling journey
Key questions:
• Is there any ambiguity with respect to the info provided?
• Does it match the job description?
Education
What to include?
• Degree (write it out fully) and specialization
• GPA –score/%/letter grade, indicating the school scale
• No laundry lists of courses: only specific, relevant courses
• Key/relevant projects and awards: write in accomplishment statement form
• Don’t include high school stuff unless you’re still in first year!
Work Experience
What is it? Collection of relevant experiences – the real meat
Key questions:
• Are experiences achievement based?
• Do numbers clearly quantify achievements where appropriate?
• Do statements have accomplishment, proof, transferrable skills, and scope of action?
• Does language indicate familiarity with industry/company? Does it match the job description?
Work experience
What to include?
• Reverse chronological order by end date
• You can include explanation sentences of companies/experiences if
necessary
• Written in third person
• Keep it to one sentence (2 lines is best)
• Accomplishment statements as bullet points
RATS STATEMENTS
STAR to RATS…
From STAR stories to RATS statements
Employers don’t want to read your story on your
resume, they want to read your accomplishments
FLIP it!
Result
Action
Task
Situation
Start with an accomplishment verb
ATTAINED
EXCEEDED
ELIMINATED
INCREASED
DECREASED
MAXIMIZED
MINIMIZED
REDUCED
SAVED
SURPASSED
IMPROVED
CREATED
GENERATED
ENHANCED
OPTIMIZED
ESTABLISHED
Results
Qualitative
• ***Be descriptive
• Positive feedback
• Promotion/increase in
responsibilities
• Implementation
• Awards
Quantitative
• How much?
• How many?
• Numbers / percentages
ACtion
DO YOUR RESULTS MATCH UP WITH
YOUR ACTIONS?
ARE THOSE SKILLS RELEVANT TO THE
JOB?
WHAT SKILLS DID YOU SEE?
Situation & task
WHAT WAS THE CHALLENGE?
PAINT THE SETTING (WHO, WHAT,
WHERE?)
DESCRIBE THE CONTEXT
Duty-based vs. accomplishment (RATS)
Duty-based
Responsible for
contacting corporate
clients and organizing a
tournament
Accomplishment
VS.
Duty-based vs. accomplishment (RATS)
Duty-based
Responsible for
contacting corporate
clients and organizing a
tournament
Accomplishment
VS.
this is a
job description!
Duty-based vs. accomplishment (RATS)
Duty-based
Responsible for
contacting corporate
clients and organizing a
tournament
VS.
this is a
job description!
Accomplishment
Achieved 85% client
retention rate by
establishing relationships
with key corporate
clients and providing a
well organized,
personally tailored
tournament experience
RATS Statement example
achieved 85% client retention rate by
establishing relationships with key corporate
clients and providing a well organized,
personally tailored tournament experience
RESULT
RATS Statement example
achieved 85% client retention rate by
establishing relationships with key corporate
clients and providing a well organized,
personally tailored tournament experience
ACTION + TASK
RATS Statement example
achieved 85% client retention rate by
establishing relationships with key corporate
clients and providing a well organized,
personally tailored tournament experience
SITUATION
One more example
Results
Actions Task/situation
Led varsity volleyball team to the pacwest BC provincial
championship gold medal by exemplifying camaraderie
and teamwork in both practices and high-pressure games
Moving on to
interests
Interests
ARE YOU CATERING TO
YOUR AUDIENCE?
GOAL:
SHOWCASE PERSONALITY &
DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF!
HOW DO YOU WANT
TO BE REMEMBERED?
Interests
What is it? A chance to showcase your personality & stand out
Key questions:
• Do the interests show personality? Are they specific? Are they relevant to the
job (not always necessary)?
• Do they differentiate the candidate? Are they memorable?
What to include?
• Side interests & hobbies
• Cool personal experiences
• Be fun, specific, and stay appropriate
*Note for the candidate: be able to speak about these interests extensively!
interests
branding
Does this reflect your
personal brand?
If the employer were to describe
you based on your resume or
cover letter would they perceive
you the way you want to be
perceived?
Does this align with your
employer’s brand?
Investment banks will look for
different personal brands from
advertising agencies. Are you
tailoring the best and most
applicable parts of yourself to the
company?
Tips to help you get that
“A”
TIP #1
TIP #2
TIP #3
HOW TO GET AN ‘A’
• Ask friends for feedback!
• Sign-up and show up to Office Hours!
• Work on your cover letter everyday for
20 minutes!
Some admin stuff…
• Turnitin registration:
• T21 CLASS ID: 14562161
• T28 CLASS ID: 14562172
• Password for both is: comm202
• Family day holiday:
• Make up classes: same time wednesday
• Or any other tutorial that week
One last
thing
Action items
1. Skills Matrix due Feb 10th @ 11:59PM
on TURNITIN
2. SIGN UP FOR OFFICE HOURS
3. Resume & cover letter draft due next
tutorial…bring 2 copies + job posting
4. Have an awesome week

Tutorial 4 - Ali

  • 1.
    COMM 202Tutorial 4:Resumes & Personal Branding LAPTOPS & PHONES AWAY! NAME TENTS OUT! t21+ T28
  • 2.
  • 3.
    Course Timeline Skills matrixdue Friday! week 6 week 10week 7 week 9week 8 • tutorial: resumes / cover letters • due: skills matrix final submission (6 success stories, 2 failure stories) • tutorial: resume & cover letter peer review • due: 2 copies of resume draft & cover letter draft & job posting • tutorial: LinkedIn / networking • due: LinkedIn due before class • tutorial: event networking / informational interviews • Due: cover letter & resume due Tuesday, March 7th @ 2:00PM • networking event on March 9th reading break
  • 4.
  • 5.
  • 6.
  • 7.
    Activity • Take 2min to write down 4-5 words that describe you – Have them be related to your skills, personality, etc. THINK LIKE THIS: IF YOU HAD JUST 30 SECONDS TO DESCRIBE WHO YOU ARE.. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
  • 8.
  • 9.
    The application process CoverEmail Resume & Cover Letter interview Get Hired!
  • 10.
  • 11.
    Resume is aboutyou Cover Letter is about them!
  • 12.
  • 13.
    Elements of aresume profile education work & volunteer experience personal formatting branding
  • 14.
    Formatting Be consistent Font size,font style, spacing, bullet points, alignment, punctuation, date & abbreviation format, hyphens vs dashes First impression Pick a colour scheme (if you don’t want black-and-white, which is also fine) and use white space wisely; be concise with your resume page count Third person Always speak in third person and maintain a professional tone; no slang or personal pronouns (he, she, we, I) Proofread No grammar mistakes, typos, spelling errors - proofread then proofread again
  • 15.
    Header • Name ispreferred name with (given name) in brackets • Phone and address are included • Linkedin URL is personalized
  • 16.
    Profile/Key Competencies What isit? No more than 4 line summary of what to expect in your resume Key questions: • Does it match the job posting (multiple references)? • Does it provide a clear, convincing link to the rest of the resume (i.E. Is there PROOF elsewhere in the document?) What to include? • Strengths, past experiences, interests, languages, technical skills
  • 17.
  • 18.
    Education What is it?Summary of your schooling journey Key questions: • Is there any ambiguity with respect to the info provided? • Does it match the job description?
  • 19.
    Education What to include? •Degree (write it out fully) and specialization • GPA –score/%/letter grade, indicating the school scale • No laundry lists of courses: only specific, relevant courses • Key/relevant projects and awards: write in accomplishment statement form • Don’t include high school stuff unless you’re still in first year!
  • 20.
    Work Experience What isit? Collection of relevant experiences – the real meat Key questions: • Are experiences achievement based? • Do numbers clearly quantify achievements where appropriate? • Do statements have accomplishment, proof, transferrable skills, and scope of action? • Does language indicate familiarity with industry/company? Does it match the job description?
  • 21.
    Work experience What toinclude? • Reverse chronological order by end date • You can include explanation sentences of companies/experiences if necessary • Written in third person • Keep it to one sentence (2 lines is best) • Accomplishment statements as bullet points
  • 22.
  • 23.
    STAR to RATS… FromSTAR stories to RATS statements Employers don’t want to read your story on your resume, they want to read your accomplishments
  • 24.
  • 25.
    Start with anaccomplishment verb ATTAINED EXCEEDED ELIMINATED INCREASED DECREASED MAXIMIZED MINIMIZED REDUCED SAVED SURPASSED IMPROVED CREATED GENERATED ENHANCED OPTIMIZED ESTABLISHED
  • 26.
    Results Qualitative • ***Be descriptive •Positive feedback • Promotion/increase in responsibilities • Implementation • Awards Quantitative • How much? • How many? • Numbers / percentages
  • 27.
    ACtion DO YOUR RESULTSMATCH UP WITH YOUR ACTIONS? ARE THOSE SKILLS RELEVANT TO THE JOB? WHAT SKILLS DID YOU SEE?
  • 28.
    Situation & task WHATWAS THE CHALLENGE? PAINT THE SETTING (WHO, WHAT, WHERE?) DESCRIBE THE CONTEXT
  • 29.
    Duty-based vs. accomplishment(RATS) Duty-based Responsible for contacting corporate clients and organizing a tournament Accomplishment VS.
  • 30.
    Duty-based vs. accomplishment(RATS) Duty-based Responsible for contacting corporate clients and organizing a tournament Accomplishment VS. this is a job description!
  • 31.
    Duty-based vs. accomplishment(RATS) Duty-based Responsible for contacting corporate clients and organizing a tournament VS. this is a job description! Accomplishment Achieved 85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience
  • 32.
    RATS Statement example achieved85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience RESULT
  • 33.
    RATS Statement example achieved85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience ACTION + TASK
  • 34.
    RATS Statement example achieved85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience SITUATION
  • 35.
    One more example Results ActionsTask/situation Led varsity volleyball team to the pacwest BC provincial championship gold medal by exemplifying camaraderie and teamwork in both practices and high-pressure games
  • 36.
  • 37.
    Interests ARE YOU CATERINGTO YOUR AUDIENCE? GOAL: SHOWCASE PERSONALITY & DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF! HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?
  • 38.
    Interests What is it?A chance to showcase your personality & stand out Key questions: • Do the interests show personality? Are they specific? Are they relevant to the job (not always necessary)? • Do they differentiate the candidate? Are they memorable? What to include? • Side interests & hobbies • Cool personal experiences • Be fun, specific, and stay appropriate *Note for the candidate: be able to speak about these interests extensively!
  • 39.
  • 40.
    branding Does this reflectyour personal brand? If the employer were to describe you based on your resume or cover letter would they perceive you the way you want to be perceived? Does this align with your employer’s brand? Investment banks will look for different personal brands from advertising agencies. Are you tailoring the best and most applicable parts of yourself to the company?
  • 41.
    Tips to helpyou get that “A”
  • 42.
  • 43.
  • 44.
  • 45.
    HOW TO GETAN ‘A’ • Ask friends for feedback! • Sign-up and show up to Office Hours! • Work on your cover letter everyday for 20 minutes!
  • 46.
    Some admin stuff… •Turnitin registration: • T21 CLASS ID: 14562161 • T28 CLASS ID: 14562172 • Password for both is: comm202 • Family day holiday: • Make up classes: same time wednesday • Or any other tutorial that week
  • 47.
  • 48.
    Action items 1. SkillsMatrix due Feb 10th @ 11:59PM on TURNITIN 2. SIGN UP FOR OFFICE HOURS 3. Resume & cover letter draft due next tutorial…bring 2 copies + job posting 4. Have an awesome week