Presentation to SHPE students at 2011 Bomba Blast at Fresno State on 10/15/2011

1. Resume and Interview Tips By Jennifer Arguello, SHPE Region 1 Vice President 10/15/2011

2. Resumes that RockTips

3. Start with a Big List, then Shorten It Go big! Write it ALL down Keeps you from forgetting anything Then shrink it down Make multiple versions of a resume from this big list

4. Know what not to include Include most important accomplishments Keep Trust worthy Keep relevant to career goals Stay relatively recent

5. Avoid overused phrases Remove canned phrases Responsible for Experienced Team Player … others Don’t be vague, say what you did Bad Responsible for production costs Good Reduced production costs by 15% over three months

6. Quantify your accomplishments Use numbers to measure you accomplishments How many? By how much? etc Remember to say how Make sure to always be measuring your performance so you have this information

7. Find the key words your employer is looking for and use them Resumes get scanned for words Use relevant words for your industry Read job descriptions and notice which words are used over and over.

8. Use Multiple Resumés for Different Potential Jobs Customize for the job your applying for Rearrange accomplishments for relevancy Add and omit accomplishments as appropriate resumetracker.codeplex.com

9. Proofread Proofread Proofread Print out your resume Get another set of eyes Read it out loud Take a break after writing and before proofreading Read from the bottom to the top

10. Finishing Touches – Be a resume ninja Keep it to one page Easy to read fonts Scannable fonts Have it on a USB drive as PDF No fancy paper No scented paper

11. Modern Resumes

12. Interview Like a Rock Star

13. Shoot for the STAR STAR interviewing – Situation, Task, Action, Result Situation/Task – Describe the situation/task you faced. Action – What actions did you take in the situation? Result – What was the outcome? What results did you achieve?

14. More Tips When asked about a negative situation (like a time you disagreed with your boss): Think of one and explain! Don’t blame anyone else. Be proactive! Explain how your actions created a positive outcome. Before going to interview, have a story about solving interpersonal problems, and a story about resolving a hard challenge. These can be applied to a number of common types of behavioral questions. Be ready to explain all your projects. Tell the interviewer what *you* did to contribute (use the STAR technique) If you don’t know something, talk about how you would find out.

15. Interviewing the interviewer Be familiar with the company's products Asking a thoughtful question about their products is good if you have one. One question about benefits is okay, but too many looks bad. Don't ask how you are doing. The interviewer typically won't tell you and it makes them feel awkward.

16. THANK YOU! Jennifer.arguello@shpe.org @engijen