Seattle Pacific University The Center for Career &
Calling
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Rsum Stats 150 900 Cost of a professional rsum writer $1800 -
$10800 on rsums over your career! 78,937 1 Number of rsums per
month (Microsoft) 10-30 Number of seconds your rsum will be looked
at (if at all)
1.http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2007/snapshots/50.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2007/snapshots/50.html
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Agenda What is a Rsum?How to Write a RsumCover Letters Letters
of Reference Thank You Notes
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What is a Rsum? An advertisement your personal billboard A way
to obtain an interview, not a job A summary of your skills and
accomplishments selected specifically to demonstrate your VALUE
Digested in 10-30 seconds
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What Does a Rsum Say About You? How well you communicate in
writing Your attention to detail Your relevant knowledge, skills,
& abilities Your experience, what you have accomplished
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What are Employers Looking For? Bottom line: Will you be able
to help them? Make money Save money Make their life easier A match
with job qualifications, experience, education, and skills A
personal fit within their organization (communication style,
personality, character)
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Rsum Writing Process 1. Identify Knowledge, Skills, Abilities,
& Accomplishments 2. Organize, Prioritize, and Write 3. Format
4. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread! 5. Re-write..this is an ongoing
process!
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Components of a Good Rsum Heading: Name, Address, Phone #,
Email address Qualifications: 4-8 of your core accomplishments,
knowledge, skills, and abilities Education: Degree, Major/Emphasis
School, City & State, Date GPA (optional, if above 3.3) or
Honors Experience: Position, Company, Date, Responsibilities,
Transferable Skills(Include volunteer experience)
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STUDENTS NAME 123 56 th Ave. Seattle, WA 99111 (206) 555-5555
[email protected]@spu.edu QUALIFICATIONS Firm grasp of financial
analysis, risk analysis and working knowledge of balance sheets
Highly proficient in MS Excel, Word, Power Point, Access and
internet tools Vice President, Finance Club. Spearheaded
undergraduate investment competition Innovative problem solver with
advanced ability in clarifying problems and evaluating alternatives
Reliable, purposeful and solutions oriented worker EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts in Accounting Seattle Pacific University,
anticipated graduation, June 2010 RELATED EXPERIENCE Computer
Information Systems Help Desk: Seattle Pacific University, Sep.
2003-present Promptly respond to 15-50 phone and email technology
questions per hour presented by faculty, staff, and students. Equip
users with the information and skills to effectively use the campus
wide technology. Schedule campus wide portable computer and media
equipment usage. Oversee check out and return process. Payroll
Officer: ABC Company, Inc., Seattle WA, Summers 2002 & 2003
Starting with action verbs is powerful. Created a certified wages
payroll handbook and oversaw its implementation to ensure quality
payroll procedures. Handled, collected, and inspected over 60
employees timesheets daily. Administrative Assistant: Seattle Law
Firm, Seattle WA, Summer 2000 Recorded daily incoming payments to
assist accounts receivable. Reconciled General Ledger with bank
statements to ensure accurate records. Prepared bid reports and
checked for accuracy upon submission. OTHER EXPERIENCE Part time
Assistant Manager: The Body Shop, Summer 2001 Supervised part-time
sales associates to encourage and ensure impressive customer
service. Finance Club, Vice-President, Seattle Pacific University,
2002 Camp Activities Director; Ponderosa Bible Camp, Summer
1999
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Objective Objectives are theme statements that will help
organize the rest of the rsum Do NOT put objective on your rsum DO
use your objective to organize each statement on rsum Write
objective on separate piece of paper Tailor your rsum to your
objective
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Sample Objectives Ensure that each statement on your rsum meets
your objective Compare every line in your rsum to your objective To
obtain a position as a financial manager in the health care
industry. To work as an intern in the electrical engineering field
in the greater Seattle area, specifically at public utility
companies.
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Qualifications Similar to the abstract of a research article.
First thing read, most important information What would make people
want to keep reading? First on rsum, but write it last. Go through
final rsum and choose core components (Accomplishments, Knowledge,
Skills, or Abilities) 4-8 bullet points. Use powerful words such
as: strong, broad, excellent
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Qualifications Example Qualifications Broad knowledge of public
relations based on 2 years of internships and several projects
Strong presentation skills. Regularly present to groups of 30-50
people Top performer in debate team. Winner of multiple awards for
outstanding debate skills Excellent organization skills,
complimented for project coordination and attention to detail
Fluent in Spanish, experience translating Skilled in Microsoft
Office Suite, FrontPage, proven ability to easily learn new
software
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Education Full name of degree: Bachelor of Arts in English.
Full name of School Location Graduation Date: June, 2010 or
Anticipated graduation June, 2010 GPA / honors
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Education Example Bachelor of Arts, English Seattle Pacific
University, Seattle WA June 2010 Major GPA: 3.6 (only if 3.3 or
higher) Deans List 6 out of 7 quarters Related Coursework:
(optional)
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Experience Job title, company, location, date, and
accomplishment/results Use action verbs and details Highlight
transferable skills Be specific about How, Where, When, etc. Show
what you personally did and how it benefited your employer (Job
sketch) Numbers and percents highlight accomplishments Formula:
Task + Skill (Action Verb) + Result
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Transferable Skills vs. Job Description Bullet points should
describe your skills, not be list of job duties: NO: ~ Took orders
~ Cleaned counters YES: ~ Complimented for superior customer
service skills ~ Maintained sanitary and attractive work
environment Use general language that demonstrates skills you will
transfer to your next job: NO: ~ Babysat kids, changed diapers and
played games YES: ~ Provided for daily care of 3 children including
nutrition and recreation
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Organization/Layout Positioning on the page is important; what
comes first gets read first Qualifications first Why hire you?
Reverse chronological order (recent first) Remember it is an
advertisementsell yourself with a few key points Brief is best, 1-2
pages maximum Clean, simple layout with few indented margins
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Style of rsum Avoid personal pronouns Use action verbs and
accomplishment statements. Use bullet points for skills Emphasis:
CAPITALS, Bold, Underline, or italicizing
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Final Product Use laser printing Use rsum paper recommend white
or off-white Absolutely NO errors!!
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One Size Doesnt Fit All Develop multiple versions of your rsum:
Word processed document formatted for human eyes Scannable ASCII
Text-only HTML coded file Targeted for specific positions
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Formatted vs. Electronic FORMATTED: Viewed by a human Written
for quick visual scanning Formatted to be pleasing to the eye
ELECTRONIC Loaded into a computer database Written to be searched
by keywords Formatted for complete and exact transfer of data
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Electronic Rsum Tips Save or create your rsum as text-only
Review your rsum and replace all unsupported characters with their
ASCII equivalent Break the one-page rule. 1-3 pages is OK
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Keywords are the Key Employers and recruiters search rsum
databases using keywords Nouns and phrases that highlight technical
and professional areas of expertise Industry-specific jargon Pull
keywords Out of detailed job descriptions Industry publications Ask
professionals in your field
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Submitting Electronic Rsums Follow employers instructions on
how to submit rsum on-line Always include an appropriate subject
line Ex. John Doe Application Job Title Attach your rsum as a PDF
When submitting a paper rsum that will be scanned: Do not fold If
faxing, use fine mode
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How to Stay Unemployed Post your rsum only on job boards
(Career Builder, Monster, Hot Jobs, Craigslist) Apply to 200 random
employers online Apply only to companies on the Fortune 500 list
(ex. Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Google) Rely completely on your
rsum to find your next job
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Cover Letters
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What Stands Out? Clear, concise, well written, and interesting
Helps the employer easily see the match between their needs and
your qualifications and experience Shows your knowledge of the
organization and its needs An internal company reference
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Whats in a Cover Letter? First Paragraph: Who you are, Why you
are writing, What position you are applying for, and How you
learned of the opening. *Add something creative so that your letter
stands out. (Personal passion for the company? Liked something on
their website? Love of their product? Know someone who works
there?) Second (Third) Paragraph(s): Make the case for why you are
a match for the position. Point out related experience, specific
skills, unique qualifications that you know they need. Demonstrate
how you will add to their organization. (Stay clear of what you
hope to gain from working there unless you are applying for an
internship.) Final Paragraph: Closing and follow up. Repeat your
desire for the position and your interest in a chance to meet in
person. Mention your intentions for follow-up (e.g. I will contact
you next week to confirm receipt of my application.)
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List of References Should be a stand alone document that
matches your rsum format and style Is not typically sent with your
rsum; bring it with you to the interview or offer it once they have
shown an interest in you as a candidate Include your name and
contact information at the top along with the heading References
List references name, title, company, contact information, and how
they know you (e.g. Former Supervisor) Be sure your references know
what you are applying for and supply them with your current
rsum
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Thank You Notes Send a thank-you email within 24 hours of the
interview Send a hard-copy thank-you within 48 hours Use business
letter format and be brief Hand-written is okay for less
professional settings Include specifics about your interview or
unique qualifications that will remind them of who you are Consider
sending an article on a topic discussed or an answer to a question
raised. Reiterate your interest in the position and your
anticipation of their response