Preparing Yourself Preparing Yourself to Enter the Job to Enter the Job

MarketMarket

HOW TO BUILDHOW TO BUILDYOUR RESUMEYOUR RESUME

• Basic Building Blocks

• What Employers are Looking For

• The Difference Makers

• Decision Time

• Mistakes to Avoid

• Resume Construction

• Question Time

Basic Building BlocksBasic Building Blocks

• Degree– Get your degree-PERIOD

– MS or MBA?

– PhD?

• Institution– Little difference between most land

grants

– Major difference with Harvard/MIT/Stanford

– Less difference with Vanderbilt/Rice/Duke

Basic Building BlocksBasic Building Blocks• Grade Point

– Include higher of Overall vs. In Major– If GPA in Major is Higher-List It– If both GPA’s are less than 3.0, Leave Them Off

• Major– When is it Too Late to Change Your Undergrad

Major?– Change at Grad Level– Change at Career Level

The Hiring Manager Knows that the Candidate is from Virginia if They Choose a Parking Space with Shade Rather Than the Closest One to the Door.

What Employers WantWhat Employers Want• Technical Competence

– Course of Study Matches Need– Computer Proficiency– Certifications (Medical/Computer/Education)

• Team Player– Sports– Team Projects

• Trust– Background Check– Interview Demeanor

• “If You are not Making the Company Money, Saving the Company Money, or Accounting for the Company’s Money, You Have No Place in this Company.”

J.P Sakey, CEO

Headway Corporation

What Employers WantWhat Employers Want• Attitude/Enthusiasm/and Energy

– Verbal Skills– Dress

• Will You Solve My Problem?– Determine the Employer’s Need– Define Technical Skills Needed for the Position– Overcome Your Weaknesses by Emphasizing

Your Strengths– Verbalize Why You Can Solve the Employer’s

Need

Budget•Most Companies Have Range•First Time Employment Compensation

Rarely Negotiable•Compensation Negotiation Comes With History

The Difference MakersThe Difference Makers• Work Experience

– I can’t get a job without experience, and I can’t get experience without a job.

– Summer jobs– Network and Friends– Start at the bottom – put ego aside

• Internships– Look online– Network and Friends– Through University

The Difference MakersThe Difference Makers• CO-OP

– Formal programs– Always through University

• Extra Curricular Activities– Most Important to Differentiation– Leadership – Not Membership– Sports including Intramurals– Winning of Contests– Team Activities– Volunteer

The Hiring Manager Knows that the Candidate is from Virginia if the Candidate Measures Distance in Minutes.

Decision TimeDecision Time

• What Career Path?– Do your research

– Develop a 5/10 year plan

– Talk to someone in the career you are planning

– US Dept. of Labor

– Trade Publications, Corporate Websites, Career Counselors

Decision TimeDecision Time• Average starting salaries (class of May 2011)

MAJOR

Engineering $49,707

Computer Science $46,775

Mathematics $46,405

Economics $43,419

Accounting $42,104

Chemistry $41,638

Finance $38,024

Decision TimeDecision TimeBusiness $35,838

History $34,257

Foreign Languages $34,049

Sociology $33,858

Psychology $32,188

Education $30,497

Art $28,479

Philosophy $28,234

Bartender

Source: Wall Street Journal

$19,077

Decision TimeDecision Time

• Return to Roots or Get on the Road?

Decision TimeDecision Time

• Helena, AR• Starkville, MS• Helena, AR• Roanne, France• Waverly, TN• Monroeville, PA

• Auburn, ME

• Pittsburgh, PA

• Asheville, NC

• Nashville, TN

• Amory, MS

• Chattanooga,TN

Decision TimeDecision Time“US residents move 12 times in a lifetime and change jobs

seven times in a career, which is more than any other country.”

Source: US Chamber of Commerce

“An Employee Must Change Companies every 3-5 Years to Achieve Quantum Leaps in Compensation.”

Source: Steve Brandon

Mistakes to AvoidMistakes to Avoid

• Online Reputation– 96% of Recruiters Google candidates

– 35% have eliminated candidate because of online information

– Perform search on yourself and be prepared to explain negative

Source: Associated Press

9 Ways to Get Your Resume Ignored9 Ways to Get Your Resume Ignored

1. Not bothering with a cover letter.

2. Giving your resume format a little “flair” with unusual fonts or fluorescent paper.

3. Assume spell-check is good enough.

4. Focusing on duties, not accomplishments.

5. Being to generic.

6. Estimating your dates and titles.

7. Telling why you left your last job.

8. Include lots of personal information.

9. Going to long into your early history.

Mistakes to AvoidMistakes to Avoid• Interview Pointers

– Dress

– Promptness

– Posture

– Blue hair/Tattoos/Body piercing

– Follow Instructions

– Have enough resumes

– Listen half the time and ask questions

– Send a hand written thank you, not email

What Not to Wear to the InterviewWhat Not to Wear to the Interview

• Wild Nail Polish  • Jangly Jewelry  • Open-Toed or Backless ShoesBare Legs  • Out-of-Date Suits• Short Skirts   • Leather Jackets for Men or Women  • Turtlenecks for Men   • Printed or Trendy Handbags   • Red Briefcases

Mistakes to AvoidMistakes to Avoid

• Interview Blunders – True Stories

– Driving

– Salting your food

– Wash your hands

Mistakes to AvoidMistakes to Avoid

• Resume Fabrication/Exaggeration– George O’Leary

– Ronald Zarrella

– Steve Duchane

The Hiring Manager Knows that He and The Candidate are Both from Virginia if They Have the Following Conversation:

- “You want a Coke?”

- “Yes, please.”

- “What kind?”

- “Pepsi.”

Resume ConstructionResume Construction• Chronological

– Best suited for those with good amount of experience

– Focuses on experience listed in reverse chronological order

• Functional– Highlights abilities rather than experience– Headlines are skills and strengths– Example – “Sales Experience” or “Customer

Service Skills”

Resume ConstructionResume Construction• Basic Rules

– 1 page myth– Take time to do it right– Spell and Grammar Check– Font and Style– Have others critique – especially industry

hiring managers– Customize for the job– Key words – screen filters

Brag Book• Nicely Bound• Copy of Degree• Letters of Recommendation• News Articles• Certificates• Awards• Anything that Compliments Resume

Sample Resumes

• Warren Brandon• Amy Waggoner

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Question

Time