Chapter Six

Résumé
 Test Your Employment Savvy

1. What résumé format do recruiters generally prefer?

• Chronological (arranged around dates of employment,

education)
• Functional (arranged around skills)

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Test Your Employment Savvy

2. A savvy job candidate would prepare which of

the following résumés?

• A traditional print-  An embedded

based résumé résumé
• A scannable résumé  All three versions

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Test Your Employment Savvy

3. The primary purpose of a cover letter is to ask

for a job.

True False

The primary purpose of a cover letter is to request

an interview.
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Test Your Employment Savvy
4. During a job interview, you are asked to “tell a time
when you . . . .?
What strategy should you use to answer such
behavioral questions?

• AIDA strategy  KISS strategy

• STAR strategy  NASA strategy

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 The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)..

• The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format is a job

interview technique used by interviewers to gather all the relevant
information about a specific capability that the job requires.
• This interview format is said to have a higher degree of predictability
of future on-the-job performance than the traditional interview.
• Situation: The interviewer wants you to present a recent challenge and
situation in which you found yourself.

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 ..The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
• Task: What did you have to achieve? The interviewer will be looking to
see what you were trying to achieve from the situation. Some
performance development methods use “Target” rather than “Task”.
• Action: What did you do? The interviewer will be looking for
information on what you did, why you did it and what the
alternatives were.
• Results: What was the outcome of your actions? What did you achieve
through your actions and did you meet your objectives? What did you
learn from this experience and have you used this learning since?7
Preparing for Employment
Search Identify
for a job your
traditionally interests

Search for Evaluate

a job your
electronically qualifications

Learn about Recognize

careers and the changing
choose a path nature of jobs
 Identify your interests.
 Do you enjoy working with people, data or things?
 Do you need to be your own boss?
 How important are salary, benefits, location, and so forth?

 Evaluate your qualifications.

 What technology, language, and people skills can you offer?
 How can you demonstrate your skills?

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 Recognize the changing nature of jobs.
 Fewer people in permanent positions
 More flexible workplace, including telecommuting
 Lifelong learning needed to continually update skills

 Learn about careers and choose a path.

 Visit your campus career center, search the Web, use your
library.
 Interview someone in your field.
 Join professional organizations.

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 Search for a job electronically.
 Look to corporate Web sites, professional association
sites, local employment sites, and niche sites.

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 Search for a job traditionally.
 Check classified ads.
 Contact companies directly.
 Sign up for campus interviews
 Ask for advice from instructors.

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Writing a Persuasive Résumé..
Preparation
• Research the job market.
Use newspapers, the Web, and other resources to learn
about jobs, qualifications, and employers.
• Analyze your strengths.
What will sell you for the job you want?
• Study other résumés as models.
Experiment with formatting.
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 What is
the goal of
a persuasive
résumé?

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..Writing a Persuasive Résumé

Choose a Decide Arrange

résumé on the
style length parts

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Choose a CHRONOLOGICAL
Résumé
Style Focuses on job history
with most recent
positions listed first
 Focuses on skills
Choose a
Résumé
Style FUNCTIONAL
Decide Make your résumé as
on long as needed to sell
Length your skills to recruiters
and hiring managers.
 • Have fewer than
ten years of
One-page experience.
résumé is • Are making a
most likely major career
when you change.
• Have had only
one or two
employers.

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Introduction
Two-page
or
résumé is
background
most likely • Have more than ten
when you years of experience.

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Title
Title
Three-
page • Are a senior-level
page
page-plus manager or executive.
résumé is • Have a lengthy history
most of major
likely accomplishments.
when you

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 Main Heading Capabilities
and Skills
Career
Objective Awards,
Summary of Honors,
Qualifications Activities
Arrange
the Education Personal
Data
Parts
Work
Experience References

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Main Heading
 List your name, address, phone, and e-mail address.

Career Objective

• Include a career objective for a targeted job.

• Ideally, name job title, area of specialization, and type of
company.

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 Summary of Qualifications

 Present your most impressive skills and accomplishments

in a concise list.

Education

• Name your degree, date of graduation, and institution.

• List your major and GPA.
• Give information about your studies, but don’t inventory all
your courses.

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Work Experience

• If your work experience is significant and relevant to the

position sought, place this section before education.

Include
List your Describe
non-
previous your
technical
jobs. experience
skills

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 Start with the most recent jobs. Include
List your employer’s name and city, dates of
previous employment (month, year), and most
jobs. significant title.

• Salesperson, Kmart, Dayton, Ohio. 4/05 to 5/06

• Manager, Fleet Equipment, Kettering, Ohio. 6/06 to present
• Tax Preparer, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
March, 2006, to present. Sinclair College, Dayton, Ohio

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 Describe
Use action verbs to summarize
your achievements and skills relevant
experience to your targeted job.

• Prepared state and federal tax returns for individuals with

incomes under $25,000.
• Conducted interviews with over 50 individuals to elicit
data regarding taxes.
• Determined legitimate tax deductions and recorded them
accurately.
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Strengthen Your Résumé With Action Verbs

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Using Action Verbs to Strengthen Your Résumé

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 Give evidence of communication,
Include management, and interpersonal skills.
non-technical Employers want more than empty
skills assurances. Try to quantify your skills.

• Organized holiday awards program for 1200 attendees and 140

awardees.
• Praised by top management for enthusiastic teamwork and
achievement.

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Capabilities and Skills

• Emphasize your proficiencies with the Internet, software

programs, office equipment, and communication technology
tools.
• Describe proficiencies you have acquired through training and
experience.
• Highlight exceptional aptitudes, such as working well under
stress or interacting with customers.
• Highlight those talents that are relevant to your targeted job.
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Awards, Honors, and Activities

• If you have three or more awards or honors, highlight them

by listing them under a separate heading.
• If not, put them with activities or in the education or work
experience section if appropriate.
• Include school, community, volunteer, and professional
activities.
• List awards and extracurricular activities, especially if they
demonstrate leadership, teamwork, reliability, loyalty,
initiative, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.
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Personal Data

• Employers are legally barred (not in Bangladesh) from asking

personal data, such as birth date, health, and marital status.
• Therefore, include (omit) such items from your résumé.
• You can include hobbies or interests that might grab the
recruiter’s attention or serve as conversation starters.

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 References

• Listing references directly on your résumé takes up valuable

space.
• Instead, most recruiters prefer that you bring to the
interview a list of individuals willing to discuss your
qualifications.
• The best references are instructors, your current employer
or previous employers, colleagues or subordinates, and
other professional contacts.

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Sample Reference List

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36
37
Additional Tips
• Look for ways to condense your data.
• Double-check for parallel phrasing.
• Project professionalism and quality.
• Avoid personal pronouns.
• Omit humor.
• Use 80 gram paper and a quality printer.
• Have a friend or colleague critique your résumé.
• Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

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Being Honest and Ethical

• Do not inflate your education, grades, or honors.

• Do not enhance job titles.
• Do not puff up accomplishments.
• Do not alter employment dates.
• Do be honest, ethical, and careful.

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 What Do Recruiters
Consider Most Important
When Reading a Résumé?

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• “The objective. Plus dates when things happened
and accomplishments.”
• “Information about skills that apply to the job;
less about job history and past duties.”
• “Valid information in an easy-to-read, attractive
style.”
• “The candidate’s address and phone number. Lots
of people put them only in the cover letter!”

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• “Realizing that the employer is looking for ‘red
flags’ and making sure there aren’t any. If you have
an employment gap, include a clear statement
explaining it.”
• “Meeting the qualifications for the job.”
• “The presentation and the objective.”
• “A clear objective, backed up with qualifying
experience and continuity in the work history.”
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Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter..
Opening Body Closing

 Address the letter to an individual by name.

 For advertised jobs, name the source; include job title,
date, and publication.
 If someone referred you, name that person.
 Show that your qualifications fit the job specifications,
show your knowledge of the reader’s business, or show
that your special talents will be assets to the company.
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..Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter..

Opening Body Closing

 Demonstrate that your background and training

meet the job requirements.
 Summarize your principal assets from education,
experience, and special skills.
 Avoid repeating specific data from your résumé.
 Refer to your résumé.
..Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter

Opening Body Closing

 Ask for an interview. Consider hooking the request to

a statement reviewing your strongest points.
 Make it easy to respond. Tell when and where you can
be reached (during office hours). Some recruiters
prefer that you call them.
Tips for Maximizing “Hits.”
Focus on specific keywords. Study carefully any advertisements and
job descriptions for the position you want. Select keywords that
describe skills, traits, tasks, and job titles. Because interpersonal
traits are often requested by employers.
• Incorporate words from the advertisement or job description.
Describe your experience, education, and qualifications in terms
associated with the job advertisement or job description for this
position.
…Tips for Maximizing “Hits.”…
• Use typical headings. Include expected categories such as
Objective, Summary of Qualifications, Education, Work Experience,
Skills, and Accomplishments. Scanning software looks for such
headings.
• Be careful of abbreviations. Minimize unfamiliar
abbreviations, but maximize easily recognized
abbreviations—especially those within your field, such
as CAD, JPG, or JIT. When in doubt, though, spell out!
Computers are less confused by whole words.
…Tips for Maximizing “Hits.”
Describe interpersonal traits and attitudes. Hiring
managers look for keywords and phrases such as time
management skills, dependability, high energy, leadership, sense
of responsibility, and team player.
• Use more than one page if necessary. Computers can
easily handle more than one page so include as much as
necessary to describe your qualifications and maximize hits.
End of this Chapter