This document summarizes a COMM 202 tutorial on resume peer review. The agenda includes reviewing the course timeline, resume branding and feedback, TA feedback, and action items. Key discussion points are using accomplishment statements in the STAR format, proper resume formatting, and ensuring experiences are achievement-based. Students provide anonymous feedback on what the TA should stop, start or continue doing. They are reminded of upcoming assignment due dates and encouraged to sign up for office hours.

1. COMM 202 Tutorial 4:
Resume Peer Review
with Tessa Yin
T27 | T32

2. Agenda
1. Course Timeline
2. Resume Branding
& Feedback
3. TA Feedback
4. Action Items

3. Course Timeline
Week 8
Tutorial: Resume
review
Due: Resume draft
to Turnitin before
tutorial
Week 9
Tutorial: Cover letter &
networking
Due: Cover letter draft to
Turnitin before tutorial
Week 10
Tutorial: Informational
interviews
Due: Resume & cover
letter assignment due
March 12th at 11:59PM
on Turnitin and COOL
Networking event on
March 13th 6-8PM in
CPA Hall!

4. Resumes & Branding

5. STAR
RATS
Employers don’t want to read
your story on your resume,
they want to read your
accomplishments.
So flip it!
(results – action – task – situation)
Accomplishment
Statements

6. ATTAINED
EXCEEDED
ELIMINATED
INCREASED
DECREASED
MAXIMIZED
MINIMIZED
REDUCED
SAVED
SURPASSED
IMPROVED
CREATED
GENERATED
ENHANCED
OPTIMIZED
ESTABLISHED
Action verbs

7. Peer review time

8. Instructions
1. Make sure your name is clearly visible.
2. Pass it to someone next to you.
3. Get out your marking utensils, pretend you’re a recruiter.
4. Grab me if you have any questions.
Do not mark your own!

10. Resume formatting
• Titles formatted the same
• Spacing is consistent
• Margins are reasonable (≥1.5cm)
• Phrases either ALL end in period or not
• Dates
• Usually right-aligned
• All have month and year, or just year
• All months are abbreviated to same # of
letters
• Uses hyphens (-) OR dashes (–)
• Font:
• Size is 10
• Generally no more than two types of font
• Numbers under 10 spelled out (i.e. two vs. 2)
• Bullets: same size/style, aligned
• One to two pages

11. Resume formatting
Header
• Name is preferred name with (given
name) in brackets
• Phone and address are included
• LinkedIn URL is personalized
General
• No personal pronouns (I, we, he, she)
• Reasonable amount of white space – is
it easy to read?
• Experiences listed in reverse
chronological order by start date

12. Profile
What is it?
• No more than 5 lines for key competencies (4 for profile)
Key questions:
• Does it provide a clear, convincing link to the rest of the resume
(i.e. is there PROOF elsewhere in the document?)
• Does it match your job posting?
What to include?
• Strengths, past experiences, interests, languages, technical skills

13. 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?

14. • Bachelor of Commerce NOT BCOMM or B.Comm
• Start with the degree
• List expected date of completion (either as “Completion: …” or
“Expected Completion: ...”)
• No laundry lists of courses: only specific, relevant courses
• GPA – score/%/letter grade, indicating the school scale
• Key/relevant projects and awards: write in accomplishment
statement form

15. Key Questions:
• Are experiences achievement based?
• Do numbers clearly quantify achievements where appropriate?
• Do statements have Accomplishment, Proof, Transferrable Skills,
and Scope of Action?
• Are the result verbs varied and strong?
• Does language indicate familiarity with industry/company?
Work experience

16. • Reverse chronological order by start date
• You can include explanation sentences of companies/experiences
if necessary
• Eliminate filler words
• Written in third person
• Keep it to one sentence (2 lines is best)
• The elements of the RATS statement should be apparent (but not
necessarily in RATS order)

17. STAR
RATS
Employers don’t want to read
your story on your resume,
they want to read your
accomplishments.
So flip it!
(results – action – task – situation)
Accomplishment
Statements

19. ATTAINED
EXCEEDED
ELIMINATED
INCREASED
DECREASED
MAXIMIZED
MINIMIZED
REDUCED
SAVED
SURPASSED
IMPROVED
CREATED
GENERATED
ENHANCED
OPTIMIZED
ESTABLISHED
Action verbs

20. • 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?
• Be fun! And appropriate
*NOTE FOR EVERYONE:
Be able to speak about these interests extensively!
Interests

21. Overall branding
• Personal qualifications are well
tailored to requirements of job
(clear 60-70% match)
• Multiple words from job
description are included in
resume (5+)
• Interest section shows
personality and relevant and
specific interests
• CONSISTENCY between the
cover letter and the resume
• There is strong evidence of
CAN-WANT-FIT match

22. What counts as error?
Spelling &
Grammar
Inconsistency
Incorrect
Order of
Information
Improper
Formatting
Incorrect
Information
Missing
Information
*Each error = 3 points off
**Not including a job posting counts as 2 errors
**The THIRD error which will result in an automatic
40% off the entire assignment

24. Let’s wrap up…

25. No resume is perfect… but
every edit should be better
than the last.

26. TA Feedback
What should I stop, start, continue?
Write it down on a piece of paper
(anonymous feedback, put it at the front of class
when you’re finished)
*I will collect your resumes*

27. Action Items
1. Sign up for office hours (on COOL)
2. Networking event: March 13th 6-8pm in CPA
Hall (this is mandatory FYI)
3. Cover letter draft due next week before tutorial
on Turnitin AND bring a hard copy to class
4. Resume and cover letter assignment due
March 12th at 11:59PM on Turnitin and COOL
5. Cover letter and resume toolkits available on
mybcom website
6. * Tutorial next week!*

29. Bye!