RESUME WORKSHOP

Sheila Mulhern
Employment Counsellor
BREM
There is a difference between telling
the truth and telling the truth
effectively.
DR. PHIL
Who Am I?
How will you tell others your story when you are job searching. Who are you?
What is important for your audience to know?
What your Resume should look like in 2018?

Jim Unger
Cartoonist
Herman
 What should a Resume look like in 2018?
Resume trends change quickly but some things
NEVER go out of style

Design Matters: Pay attention to format

Make the Top Count
Tell a the story of your professional career that is relevant to the job you are applying to
Edit aggressively –ensure your resume is error free
Rewrite for new positions
Emphasize key skills used in the job posting
Control your time line
Ask for help

Social Media: don’t ignore it

 A RESUME

It is not a piece of paper.

It is a summary of your
professional life
What is the purpose of a Resume?

??????
Purpose of Resume
To get an interview!
The Reality

Usually, a professional hiring manager, on average need up to six seconds to scan

your resume and up to 40 seconds to understand if you’re the person they would
like to interview.
Be ready to make a change
Essentials of a Resume

 Two pages - provide sufficient information -not a C.V – “the course of my life” in
Latin, Resume comes from the French, meaning a “summary”
 Font size should be between 11-12 pts. Can you read it easily?
 Font choice should be clean and easy to read, experiment and choose wisely
 Update your email address to Gmail and choose the cleanest most professional choice,
ideally first name last name, avoid numbers and underscore if you can
 Formatting neat and consistent margins (Consistency and clarity matter)
 Utilize strong action verbs to begin your bullet points
 Tailor your resume to each position (yes, this is more work, but worth it!)

 Think of results and accomplishments

 Emphasize your unique skills (second language, special workshops, etc.)

 Print your resume and see how it looks, send it to yourself first

 Have your resume reviewed (proofreading)-ask a minimum of three people to edit it,

everyone will find something different

Why lying on your Resume is a bad idea

One lie leads to another

You will always be worried about getting caught
You can be fired
Your reputation can suffer
Common resume lies include falsifying academic credentials, adding dates to
mask employment gaps, exaggerating job titles, embellishing job responsibilities
and achievements, claiming sole responsibility for team efforts and even making
up fictitious employers. 
BUSTED: This Is What Happened To Executives Who Lied
About Their Resumes

 Celebrity chef Robert Irvine lied about designing Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding
cake (he just picked the fruit!) He was fired from his own cooking show on the Food Network
 An MIT (prestigious research university) Dean never received any college degrees despite
claiming to have a bachelor's and a master's (Fired)
 A top Norwegian bureaucrat lied about being a registered nurse and having two degrees. She
was sentenced to 14 months in prison
 RadioShack's CEO lied about having a four-year degree when he only had a three-year degree
(Fired)
 High School Principal fired after student investigation –welcome letter to full blown
investigation –all discovered via Google and some emails

http://www.businessinsider.com/9-people-who-were-publicly-shamed-for-lying-on-their-resumes-2012-5
 What style do I choose?

The type of resume you decide to use is a personal decision

Generally speaking, it is recommended that you use a combination
resume (functional + chronological = Combination)

You have to evaluate your work history and decide what’s best for
you.

For placement, I recommend a chronological resume, however, it is

acceptable to include some functional resume features.
 Chronological (organized by job titles, which are
listed in reverse chronological order)
Functional resumes (organized into sections,
which highlight areas of skills acquired and past
accomplishments).  People looking for ways to
handle embarrassing work history problems —
things like lay-offs, gaps in employment and job
hopping. While it's true that the functional resume
does give a nice clean way to deal with these
problems, it's not the best way to go. Why?
Chronological Because employers don't like functional resumes.
Why?

and Functional 1. It's hard to see where achievements

happened
2. It looks like the job seeker is hiding
something-Employers and HR Managers
know this trick and it signals them to look
for what you are hiding
3. It's not traditional
 Your Name
407-111 Your Street, City, Province L8A 2B3 • 905-555-1234 • youremail@address.com

HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

 5+ years of experience in the manufacturing industry

 Solid background in process development, product quality control and equipment design
 Boosted company sales by 30% within a 2-year period by establishing new products and clients
 Proficient in MS Office, Flash, HTML and Adobe Photoshop
 Multilingual: Fluent in English, … and …

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Manufacturing
 Set-up and qualified new equipment for wafer etching and packaging
 Utilized statistic process control (SPC) in ISO 9001 2008 manufacturing environment
 Analyzed failure mechanism (FMEA) to improve MTBF and yield improvement
 Identified and troubleshot process, equipment and operation-related issues
Sample
Management
Functional  Managed a construction project team of 2 engineers and 5 draftspersons
 Supervised drafting of structural drawings, construction specifications and project schedules
Resume  Verified shop drawings, structural calculations and produced concrete precast element types
 Reported project progress to customers according to their requirements
(settlement.org)
Estimating
 Estimated quantities and costs of pre-cast concrete structures
 Prepared contract documents and payment claims as well as negotiated with customers
regarding cost variation

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Project Chief 2005 – 2008

Company Name, City, Province or Country (if not Canada)

Structural Engineer 2002 – 2005

Company Name, City, Province or Country (if not Canada)

EDUCATION HISTORY

M.Sc. Degree in Construction Engineering 2001

University Name, Country
(Equivalent to a Master’s in Civil Engineering, as determined by World Education Services,
Toronto, ON)

B.Sc. Degree in Civil Engineering 1999

University Name, Country
(Equivalent to a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, as determined by World Education Services,
Toronto, ON)
 Example Resume Order (will change according
to person’s situation):
 Name / Contact Information
 Professional Summary (optional)
 Highlights of Qualifications (optional)
 Work Experience in reverse chronological order
The ORDER of  Volunteer Work at the end if unrelated to
profession but skills are transferable (only if
your Resume there is room)
 Education (with Canadian Equivalency)
 Certificates / Workshops related to profession
only (CPR, First Aid)
 Professional Memberships/Affiliations
(applicable to your industry)
 Professional Profile Samples
Top of Resume under contact information

Counsellor with experience serving youth and adults with mental health issues such as
depression, anxiety, financial, career concerns and interpersonal relationships. Solid
reputation as a conscientious, hard-working and proactive professional. Demonstrated
passion for supporting success for members of underserved populations. Exceptional
organizational and communication skills in both English and Farsi.

Passionate and highly dedicated Mental Health Professional with 5+ years’ extensive
work experience with marginalized children, youth, adults, and families. Adept in Client-
centered Psychotherapy, Counselling, Psychoeducation, Applied Behaviour Analysis, and
Teaching. Strong educational background with a graduate level academic background in
Human Development Psychology. Highly driven individual and constantly motivated to
learn and be of service. Fluent in English and Mandarin.

Compassionate Mental Health Professional with extensive knowledge of mental

illnesses and symptoms management through therapy. Uses an informed cognitive
behavioral therapeutic approach with adult clients during counselling sessions.
Master's Degree in Counselling Psychology (Canadian Equivalency) and fluent in both
English and Spanish.
"Agood resume should highlight what you accomplished
in your positions. Job seekers tend to describe the
responsibilities of the role. Hiring managers know what
a project manager does; what they want to see is what
YOU did as a project manager." — Theresa Merrill
 Employers want to see what you
contributed/accomplished:
 Shows employers you are qualified because it
helps “connect the dots”
 Avoid just listing tasks or job duties;
demonstrate skills
Make an Possible examples of accomplishments can be:
accomplishment  Problems and challenges you were able to solve
and their outcomes
driven Resume  Something you helped create or build and
benefits it provided (include programs, special
projects, resource guides and grant writing)
 Management or supervision of individuals,
teams, budgets and outcomes (e.g., reduced
costs, achieved outcome measures)
How to write an accomplishment:

Can be turned into

an accomplishment
A simple work duty,
by adding the result
such as:
of the actions
taken…

Trained
new
employees
• Trained new mental health employees resulting in
increased client support

… and then made more impressive by adding numbers for

context or time…
• Trained more than 15 new mental health
employees over a 12 month period resulting in
increased client support

… and made even more impressive by putting that

result at the beginning of the entire statement
and adding the specific training
• Increased client support by effectively training
15+ mental health staff in a variety of
mindfulness techniques over the course of 1
year

OR

• Conducted 1-hour mindfulness workshops to

staff members on a monthly basis, received
positive feedback of increased client support
due to the specialized training
What client’s have you served?

Think about your Mental Health Experience.

What client base did you serve? This can help
focus your resume.

Children, Youth, Adults, LGBTQ+, Families,

Couples, Depression, Anxiety disorders, Eating
Disorders, Mood Disorders, Schizophrenia,
Concurrent Disorders, Dual Diagnosis, Crisis
Support, Education, Employment, Housing,
Human Rights, Autism Spectrum Disorder,
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,
Substance Abuse, Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder, Settlement Issues
 Before you click “send”
Before you click “send”, send it to yourself first and open it to
check for formatting. What looked fine on your computer may
not look so polished on the receiving end.

Did you send the right cover letter and resume?

This small extra step could mean the difference between

silence and getting your foot in the door.
 Sometimes,
Use what you
you have to
have got and
start from
make it better
scratch

Where Do I
Start? Great resumes
work because Commit to
it’s creating
customized to multiple
the writer, drafts and
that should be versions.
you!
 TEMPLATES / ATS TRACKING
SYSTEM
• If you are planning on sending your resume as an MS
Word attachment, chances are Applicant Tracking Software (ATS)
will be scanning your resume before a human ever sees it. The
excessive usage of stylesheets, formatting, tables and cells that are
part and parcel of the prefabricated template will not work well.
• Also, when you go to make an edit to your resume the formatting is
hard to change.
Writing and Proofreading Tips

•Read it out loud and also silently.

•Use a spell checker and grammar checker as a first screening, but don't
depend on them.
•Have others read it.
•Read it slowly.
•Use a screen (a blank sheet of paper to cover the material not yet proofed).
•Point with your finger to read one word at a time.
•Don't proof for every type of mistake at once—do one proof for spelling,
another for missing/additional spaces, consistency of word usage, font sizes,
etc.
•Print it out and read it.
•Double check fonts that are unusual (italic, bold, or otherwise different)..
•Double check proper names.
•Double check little words: "or," "of," "it," and "is" are often interchanged.
  Do not specify your age, marital status,
gender or include a photograph
 Do not include salary expectations
 Delete “references available upon
request” (considered old-fashioned)
 Do not use personal pronouns such as
I, me, my
Writing Tips  Do not use difficult to read or overused
fonts
Continued  In Toronto speaking another language
and cultural diversity is an asset!
 Re
s
Wh ume
at
NO Sam
T t ple
od :
o!

Document generated from:

http://experi.cygeventos.co/bad-resume-sample /
Rejection
 MARY POPPINS
17 Cherry Tree Lane, TORONTO, ONTARIO
(416) 444-4444 mpoppins@yahoo.com
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree, University of Toronto, Specialising in English and History.
SKILLS
 Ability to organize, prioritize and handle confidential information
 Detail oriented, logical, accurate and quick with numbers
 Proven ability to work under pressure in order to meet deadlines
 Promote positive work environments and contribute as a cooperative team player
 Ability to communicate in a sensitive and courteous manner with a customer service focus
Movenpick Corporate Office, Division of Richtree Inc. 1997 - 2000
Purchaser and Project Coordinator
• Responsible for purchasing furniture, fixtures and equipment ($30 million for construction
and renovation budget)
• Responsible for budgets, cost and closing reports in spreadsheets format
• Responsible for administration of construction job records and database
• Administrated purchase orders system and direct goods purchasing
• Assisted Vice President of Construction and Planning with daily operations, construction,
planning and design
• Issued all customs and brokerage paperwork for international shipments
• Conducted audits of inventory for all kitchen equipment, lighting, and furniture

WORK EXPERIENCE
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Toronto District School Board 2014 - Present
Lunchroom Supervisor Toronto District School Board, Pauline Public School
• Responsible for daily attendance, assisting and monitoring students during lunch period
• Supervising and monitoring students during outdoor/indoor play • Student Nutrition Program
• Provide feedback to Teachers and record any incidents involving students • Student Art Club
• Provide First Aid when needed
• Fundraising activities – student dances
Minuteman Press 2007 - 2008 • Parent Council
Office Administrator • Classroom trips
• Managed all office administration
• Organized customer deliveries and courier services • Science in the Classroom
• Provided excellent customer service
• Ensured all financial documents, invoices, and bookkeeping were complete Toronto District School Board, Regal Road PS
• Provided customer estimates
• Photocopying
The Sullivan Source 2000 - 2002 • Coordinated and organized “Reading A – Z”
Customer Service Manager
• Responsible for the coordination of records and databases
• Repaired books
• Provided excellent customer service in a sensitive and courteous manner • Assisted in the Library
• Provided customer estimates • Classroom trips
• Constructed and arranged product presentations
• Researched new products • Science in the Classroom
• Managed and maintained client libraries and archives
 Mary Poppins Mary Poppins
17 Cherry Tree Lane, Toronto, ON, M6H 3M3 17 Cherry Tree Lane, Toronto, ON, M6H 3M3
416.444.4444 416.444.4444
mpoppins@gmail.com mpoppins@gmail.com

An Office Assistant with experience keeping bustling offices running smoothly. Excels at
prioritizing, completing multiple tasks simultaneously and managing third-party vendors. Work Experience (continued)
Demonstrates professionalism and superior communication skills to meet the needs of students Purchaser / Project Coordinator Toronto 1997-2000
and staff. Highly self-motivated with a solid work ethic. Movenpick Corporate Office, Division of Richtree Inc.
Highlights  Assisted Vice President of Construction and Planning with daily operations, construction,
planning and design
 Skilled Parent Liaison with a customer service focus
 Managed purchases within a $30 million budget for construction and renovation projects
 Excellent with children and youth
 Purchased furniture, fixtures and equipment meeting appropriate time lines
 Proficient keyboarding skills  Created expense reports, budgets and final reports in a spreadsheet format
 Filing, Copying (hard and electronic)  Coordinated and issued all customs and brokerage paperwork for international
 Directing deliveries to appropriate sites shipments
 MS Office Proficient, Excel, Database Management  Conducted inventory audits for all kitchen equipment, lighting and furniture supplies
 Word Processing: email, memos, letters, spreadsheets, minutes
 Accounting/Budget records and Petty Cash
 Working Knowledge of Portuguese Volunteer Experience

Work Experience Parent Volunteer Toronto 2010-Present

Pauline Jr. Public School, TDSB
Lunch Supervisor Toronto 2014-Present
Toronto District School Board  Actively participate in the Student Nutrition Program and Bike and Walk to School
 Support students in an afterschool Art Club
 Communicate in a sensitive and courteous manner with students, parents and staff  Involved in the organizing and logistical planning of fundraising events, such as School
 Monitor and support age-relevant activities and implement appropriate safety measures Dances, Square Foot Art Show and Fundraiser, Raffles and Apple Sales
in a classroom environment  Cover Front Desk for school dances, greeting visitors and handling cash
 Supervise and assist in clean-up of classroom and outdoor play environment  Attend and actively participate in Parent Council, Community engagement sessions and
 Communicate regularly with school staff, Teachers, Educational Assistants, ECE’s, local TDSB events
Office staff and the Principal for the purpose of sharing information about students’  Regularly support classroom teachers and students during Scientist in the Schools
needs sessions
Office Administrator Toronto 2007-2008 Parent Volunteer Toronto 2010- Present
Minuteman Press Regal Road Public School, TDSB
 Greeted visitors entering the office, determined the nature and purpose of visit and
 Assist office staff and Principle with photocopying
directed them to the appropriate destination
 Coordinate and organize “Reading A-Z” book system used by school staff
 Answered multi-line phone system and directed calls appropriately
 Repair damaged Library books
 Frequently used word processing, spreadsheet and database software
 Assist teacher Librarian with organizing and maintaining library
 Controlled inventory, ordered supplies and scheduled pickups and deliveries
 Regularly attend Field Trips for a variety of destinations
 Supported a Bake Sale Fundraising initiative
Customer Service Manager
The Sullivan Source Toronto 2000-2002
Education
 Managed and maintained client libraries and archive systems
 Researched special projects, new products and developed reports for executive use
 Provided customer estimates, communicated with clients to review information for Bachelor of Arts (Honours Degree) 1999
accuracy and scheduled appointments University of Toronto (English and History)
80% of employers will “Google” you online at some
point during the hiring process!
 Cover Letters
Who is your audience? Cover letter readers are both in a hurry but also cautious in picking
candidates to interview. So start to put yourself in their shoes as you begin to write. Think,
"How can I both catch their attention but also convince them I'm qualified?" Given that 90%
of your competition will inevitably submit generic cover letters and/or fail to demonstrate
substantial qualifications, recognizing this single insight will already put you ahead of the
rest.

Common Mistakes in Cover Letters:

 Addressing the letter to the wrong person (using copy and
paste) Missing a key piece of contact information
 Typos, grammatical and language errors
 Formatting, poorly written document
 Too wordy or Too short!
 Cover Letter Format
Use a business letter format:
The letterhead (your contact information, same style font, look as your resume)

The address block (proper name and spelling, job title, address, etc.)

The opening paragraph (state why you are interested, how you found out about

the position, briefly why you are a good candidate)

The middle paragraph or The Sales Pitch!

Choose skills/traits the employer is requiring and show how you meet these
requirements. Use the job description and qualifications to help you. You only
need to address the ones you pick and show how these experiences will be
helpful to them. A sentence about your qualification and one about how it
relates to them. DO NOT restate everything that is on your resume. They can
read. Instead think about why these experiences make you a good fit for this
position and then make a connection to what they need and what you have. How
will you swoop in and solve their problems.
The closing (Restate in different words how you will add value, why you like the

company and say thank you)

The signature (Thank you kindly, Sincerely, Best Regards, Yours Respectfully)
Cover Letter Samples are great, but…
I am always wary of providing a sample cover letter, because your cover letter should be unique
to you and your voice and is so dependant on the position you are applying to. There is an
overwhelming amount of advice on how to write a cover letter.

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 Catelyn Stark
2737 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario
M3M 2E9
416-999-9999
catelynstark@gmail.com
______________________________________________________________________

Hiring Manager
Targaryen
West Castle Project
22 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
M6N 2R4
416-555-5555
hr@targaryen.com

November 21, 2016

Re: Sales Coordinator

The reason I like this example is I can
Dear Hiring Manager:
hear the job seekers voice. You can tell
It is with great enthusiasm that I submit my application for the position of Sales Coordinator
for the Westeros Castle Project. As an administrative professional with over ten years’
she did not just copy and paste. She wrote a
experience, I know my diverse skills and qualifications will make me an asset to the
Westeros project team. story but stayed professional.
As you will see from the attached resume, I’ve built my career in a variety of roles and
industries, mostly in small companies where I was not just the admin but also gatekeeper,
technology whiz, bookkeeper and marketing guru. I’m not only used to wearing many hats, I
sincerely enjoy it; I thrive in an environment where no two work days are exactly the same.

In addition to being flexible and responsive, I’m also a fanatic for details – particularly when it
comes to presentation. One of my recent projects involved coordinating a 200-page grant
proposal: I proofed and edited the narratives provided by the division head, formatted
spreadsheets and generally made sure every line was letter-perfect and that the entire
finished product conformed to the specific guidelines of the RFP. (The result? A five-year,
$1.5 million grant award.) I believe in applying this same level of attention to detail to tasks as
visible as prepping the materials for a top-level meeting and as mundane as making sure the
copier never runs out of paper.
By Alison Green (adapted by Sheila Mulhern)
In closing, I am thrilled at the possibility of being involved in the Westeros Castle Project
almost literally from the ground up, and would love the opportunity to meet with you and
discuss the value that I can bring to the Targaryen organization and the Westeros Castle http://www.askamanager.org/2014/02/heres-a-real-life-
Project. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you.
example-of-a-great-cover-letter-with-before-and-after-
Warmest regards,
versions.html
Catelyn Stark
Cover Letter Resources

https://www.themuse.com/advice/cover-letters-are-hard-to-writebut-this-temp
late-makes-it-a-breeze
(great article, cover letter template and great advice)

“There’s no arguing that it takes longer to compose a custom cover letter for
each application than just changing out the company names in a canned one. But
if you care about getting the job (and I hope you do, since you’re taking the
time to apply for it), personalizing each one is the way to go.”
Aja Frost, The Muse
 Resources:
Websites:
https://www.ladybug-design.com/blog/ (Professional Resume development
Advice/Blog)
https://www.themuse.com/ (Subscribe to newsletter, American, but still has
solid advice and articles on job searching and resume writing)
Book from Library or To Purchase:
Best Canadian Resumes
By Sharon Graham
Resources Continued…
http://www.211toronto.ca/ (a website of over 20,000 community, health, social
and related government services - a reliable resource for anyone looking for
human services in Toronto such as EMPLOYMENT SERVICES near your home)
http://feats.findhelp.ca/eng/search.html (find employment and training
services near your home with your postal code)
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes/categories/career-job
-search.jsp
(specifically career and job search workshops at most branches, check website
often for updated events)
https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers/resume-cover-letter-resources (great
ideas, worksheets and resume writing activities)
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers/sites/files/careers/public/shared/pdf/tip
sheets/Electronic%20Resumes%20%28June%202016-RW%29.pdf
(wonderful tip sheet on emailing resumes)