RESUMES THAT STAND OUT

Karolina Rachtan

Career Advisor, Experiential Learning Hub

Welcome & thanks for being here today!

➢Karolina Rachtan

➢Career Advisor at U of G for

OAC

➢BA in Media, Information &

Technoculture

➢Career Development

Practitioner post-grad

certificate

➢Excited for longer/brighter days

ahead!

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this workshop, you should understand:

✓ The intent of resumes

✓ Formatting considerations

✓ Things to avoid putting on your resume

✓ How to create content that sells, including WHO bullets

✓ Resume sections, and when/how to use them

✓ How to leverage your academic experience

✓ Helpful resources

DID YOU KNOW?

Recruiters spend an average of 6 secondsinitially scanning a resume to determine

whether there is fit

Source: https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/you-only-get-6-seconds-of-fame-make-it-count

RESUMES

• Summarize your skills, abilities, knowledge and

achievements that relate to the target job or field

• Demonstrate insight into what the employer needs

• Are a marketing tool designed to get you the interview

• NOT your life story

LET’S CHAT…

WHAT’S

WORKING

HERE?

WHAT’S NOT

WORKING?

WHAT

ABOUT THIS

ONE?

FORMATTING YOUR RESUME

Maximum 2 pagesName and contact info is complete, professional, and stands out

Section headings stand out, and are in a thoughtful order (what is most relevant to the job?)

Use bullet points and past-tense action verbs

Dates in each section are reverse chronological

Formatting is consistent, makes good use of space, and looks attractive

• Add pictures, personal information (such as date of birth, SIN number, marital status), or speak of personal issues

• Use personal pronouns (I, me, my)

• Add salary information or requests

• Provide reasons for leaving previous jobs

• Provide references (unless requested)

• Use the exact same resume for different positions

RESUME DEVELOPMENT: CREATE WHO BULLETS

WHO = What you did + How you did it + Outcome/Result

What you did?

• What was the task, problem or opportunity?

How did you do it?

• What steps did you take to meet the challenge?

• What skills/ strengths/ tools/knowledge did you use?

Outcome/Result?

• What happened? What was accomplished?

• Quantify (#’s) or Qualify your statements often

IDENTIFYING YOUR OUTCOMES/RESULTS

Thinking about Results & Impacts:

• Problem you solved

• Something you created or initiated

• Need you identified and met

• Service you provided

• Level of ability or expertise you gained

• Time or money that you saved

• Process you improved

• Challenge you overcame

• Recognition/awards/compliments you received

Find more ideas at https://www.brandman.edu/news-and-events/blog/writing-

an-accomplishment-statement

DEVELOPING WHO STATEMENTS

Poor: Served customers

Better: Addressed customer concerns quickly with tact and

professionalism, ensured that each customer left the store

satisfied with their shopping experience

Poor: Graded assignments and midterms

Better: Graded 60+ final papers in one week by utilizing

effective time management skills, submitting grades ahead

of expected deadline

RESUME DEVELOPMENT: DRILLING IT DOWN

ARE YOU CURRENTLY USING WHO

STATEMENTS ON YOUR RESUME?

Type your answer in the chat box

RESUME DEVELOPMENT: EFFECTIVE BULLETS

• Start with strong Action Verbs: supervised, delivered, presented,

interacted, communicated, created, developed, wrote, trained, lead,

collaborated, etc.

• Find the perfect action verb using this resource:

https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/sites/uoguelph.ca.cecs/files/public

/files/Action%20Verbs.pdf

RESUME SECTIONS

Name & Contact Info. (required)

Highlights of Qualifications / Summary of Skills (optional)

• Approx. 4-6 bullets listing your top selling features as per the job ad

Education (required)

• Use bold for degree (not the school)

• May include GPA, relevant courses, awards

• Subheadings that highlight important course content, projects, papers

Work Experience / Volunteer Experience (required**)

• Bold position title (not employer)

• Approx. 2-8 bullets per position – ask yourself, is it clearly relevant?

• Use action verbs that focus on skills NOT duties

• Tip: you can be creative with the name of these sections ie. Agriculture Experience, Related Experience, etc.

OPTIONAL, BUT MIGHTY: THE HIGHLIGHTS OF

QUALIFICATIONS SECTION

Also known as a Skills Summary, Professional Profile, or Highlights of Skills

• 4-6 bullets, in order of importance, listing your top selling features, using the job ad to guide you

• “…can help employers quickly identify whether you are a possible fit for a position.”

• Move beyond fluffy, nice words (team player, hard working) using language such as “developed through” to prove your point.

• Tip: Imagine you are on an elevator and the hiring manager steps in…

Find more tips at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/summary-of-qualifications

OPTIONAL, BUT MIGHTY: THE HIGHLIGHTS OF

QUALIFICATIONS SECTION

An Example:

• Thorough competence in environmental research and data collection, demonstrated through lab and field work activities such as GPS mapping, soil moisture analysis, and bird surveys

• Work proficiently in aseptic lab environments with 1400+ hours of lab work experience

• Attained programming experience in R and Python, as well as GIS experience in ArcGIS

• Strong presentation and analytical skills enhanced through scientific report writing regarding avian diversity, climate change and air, water, and land pollution

• Knowledgeable using the internet, computer spreadsheets, statistical analysis software, and word processing software such as Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Teams

• Valid class “G” Ontario driver’s licence and pleasure craft operator card as of 2017

LEVERAGE YOUR ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Read course syllabi and rubrics to remind you of the skills

you used such as:

• Written and Oral Communication (Public Speaking)

• Teamwork & Leadership Skills (Collaboration)

• Time Management (Self-Discipline)

• Project Management

• Problem Solving

• Data Analysis & Evaluation

WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT:

EMPLOYER NOT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

Academic Language Employer Language

Written Assignment Document findings, record data

and prepare a variety of

documents

Group Presentation Project management

Lab Work Develop recommendations for

environmental projects

Class presentation Presented team research

findings

Remember to use the language/keywords in the job ad!

WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT:

SAY WHAT YOU MEAN & DON’T ASSUME

If an employer must think about/infer why a bullet point you

wrote is relevant to their needs, you are not being clear

enough. Re-work and rewrite!

IN THE PAST, HAVE YOU TAILORED YOUR

RESUME TO EVERY JOB YOU APPLIED FOR?

Type your answer in the chat box

RESUME DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY: WRITING

EFFECTIVELY ABOUT YOUR SKILLS

• Know your audience

• Speak the language of the job ad – if it asks for

“relationship management”, don’t call it “group dynamics”

• Be concise, specific and provide proof

• Quantify (#’s) and qualify (skills/tools/techniques used)

statements

• Speak about what YOU did – not what your team/group

members did

• Start with strong Action Verbs and create WHO bullets

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Includes visible, non-visible and mental health

Resources available regarding employment rights and

responsibilities, accommodations and talking to employers

about disability:

• https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/students-

alumni/students-disabilities

• http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/ontario-human-rights-code

• One-on-one appointments with a Career Advisor

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU

• Resume Development: Tell your Story (recorded

workshop):

https://youtu.be/i_A2sPMRPAs

• 39 Resume Accomplishments Examples to

Demonstrate Your Value (article):

https://www.jobscan.co/blog/resume-accomplishments-

examples/

• Access more resources at the Online Learning with

Career Advisors page (or visit https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/virtual-learning-with-CareerAdvisors).

We’re Here to Help!

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Thank you!

If you have any questions, please contact us:

The Experiential Learning Hub

recruit@uoguelph.ca

Book an appointment at www.experienceguelph.ca

QUESTIONS?