Peer Review

Welcome to

COMM 202!

Peer Review!

Tutorial #6- Helena

COMM 202: Career Fundamentals | TA: Helena

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Plan for today


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1. Skills Matrix Feedback

2. The point of peer editing

3. Resumes

4. Cover letters

5. Homework

Skills Matrix Feedback


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The good

Interesting experiences

Lessons learned from failures

Identifying skills (knowing what is a strength and what is a

skill)

The not-so-good

Step-by-step of actions, INCLUDING thought process

Results not related to skill, or to your own actions

“defining the dragon”- why was the task important?

The point of today


4

Give lots of good feedback

Look at content, not just formatting

Help your peers write really good resumes and cover

letters!

Would you hire them?

“He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.”

–Abraham Lincoln

How it works


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Write a * if you agree with feedback

already on the paper

Circle, underline, cross out… anything that is not

quite right, then tell them WHY

If your table finishes early, pass clockwise to the

next person!


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COMM 202: Career Fundamentals | TA: Helena 7

Resumes

Formatting & Header


• Margins equal (min. 1.5

cm)

• Aligned bullet points

• Font size/type (,in. size

10) (used throughout

document) (max of 2)

• Periods or no periods

• Dashes/hyphens

• Section spacing

• Right aligned dates

• Title consistency

• Name (given/preferred)

• Dates consistency (month

and year or just year)

• White space – is it easy to

read?

• All written in 3rd person

• Address (Optional)

• LinkedIn URL (Personalized)

• Phone

• Email (professional looking)

• No hyperlinks

Profile/Key Competencies


• No more then 5 lines for key competencies (4 for

profile)

• Languages (if applicable)

• Skills/strengths/experiences

• Branded to job posting/ industry

• Is the profile linked with proof elsewhere in the resume

Education


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• BCom not BCOMM

• Location of school

• Start with degree

• Key courses, but no

grocery lists

• GPA (cumulative or

quantitative courses only)

• Key/relevant projects –

accomplishment statement

form

• Awards – accomplishment

statement form

• Transfer schools – how to

list them

• GPA (show the

scale)/%/letter grades –

based on how the school

give grades

• CSC/CFA, Level 1,

Bloomberg Essentials, MDA

• Case competitions (balance

the real estate)

• High School-ers NO

MORE!

Experiences/Work/Volunteer


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• Reverse chronological

order (by start date)

• Varied result verbs (no

more than 2 the same)

• Branded to job posting

(skills relevant)

• Explanation sentences of

companies/experiences

• Proof where possible –

result verb based

• One sentence (2 lines

best)

• Filler words

• RATS statements

• What qualifies as work vs

extra-curricular

• Words from job

description in the resume

– clear connection

Interests


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• Be able to speak extensively about the topics you put

here…and be interested

• Specifics draw them in

• Differentiate

• Well rounded (physical/creative/worldly-ness)

• BE FUN!! But appropriate

Who would you read on for?


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Give 2 more comments:

1) Good

2) Needs improvement


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Cover Letters

It should look something like this


Not the only

title, just an

example

Only last

name, not first

name

“enclosed” if

not electronic

Formatting


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• Header same as resume

• Font size the same

throughout

• Consistent margins

• Left aligned

• Indicate what is “attached”

or enclosed”

• Proper title at end

(example: “Bcom

Candidate 2017”

• Name/title of employer

• Address line:

Date

Ms./Mr. Contact name

Their title

Company

Address line 1

Address line 2

City, Province Postal Code

Re: Position title

Opening


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• HOOK!

• Is there a link between them and the position?

• Interest and passion

• Matches skills

• Shows research in company

• NOT random fact-dropping!

• Name dropping where applicable

Skills Matching


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• Are the skills in the job description?

• Are they relevant to the position?

• Are they in story-like format? (Easy to understand)

• Every position in cover letter MUST BE IN RESUME

• Must have link to company/position (explicit or implied)

• Bullet points or paragraph form are both acceptable

• 2-3 skills

Branding


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CAN I do

the job?

Do I

WANT the

job?

Am I a

good FIT?

Closing


Reiterates skills in a different way

Expresses interest in the position

Call to action

Thank-you

Book-end the hook!

The “wow” factor


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Impressive? Did it leave you interested?

What was good about it?

What should they work on?

Would you have interviewed them?

Rate the Can-Want-Fit


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CAN

WANT

FIT

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Rate the person on how well they did each of these!

Perfect Not really


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Before you leave: 1 takeaway per table


To-do list


Sign up for office hours

Get your resume and cover letter read by another

person, and another, and another…

Assignment due Friday, March 27 @ 2pm

Business

Peer Review