8- lecture eight - resume
TRANSCRIPT
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Faculty of BusinessStudies
MBA ProgramBusiness
Communication
Sudan International
University
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LECTURE Eight
Selling yourself: resume
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In this Lecture you will learn:
1. What is a Resume?
2. Types of Resumes3. Standard Resume Sections
4. Supporting Documentation
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What is a Resume?
A marketing tool
A sell ing too lthat allows you to highlight to an employer
how you can contribute to the company.
The f i rs t impressiona potential employer has of you.
Request for an interview
Purpose of the resume is to get you an interview.
Must capture the readers interest and attention.
Must convince the employer that you have the ability to
fill their position.
Yourbigpicture
A snapshot of what you bel ieve are your most
important experiences and qualifications.
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Types of Resumes
A Paper Resume
Should be clean, concise, professional, and pleasing tothe eye
Use bullets & bolding
An Electronic Resume
A plain text resume for on-line submission
Typically must conform to employer specifications
An HTML Resume
Typically includes links to homepage, images, Avoid this type of resume
Most people dont want an employer walking around in
their homepage
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Standard Resume Sections Header
Objective
Education
Honors/Activities
Work Experience Relevant Courses
Skills, abilities
Projects
There in no fixed style of
writing a resume
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The Header SectionThe first line should be your name
The full, legal name should be written.
It is normally centered on the page.
Larger than the largest fon tused in body
Avoid using decorative fonts
Dont use black or gray shaded backgrounds
Exclude titles Mr., Mrs., Ms.,
Do not provide information concerning your age, marital status orchildren ; unless asked.
Include contact address Permanent address (on the r ight hand co lumn)
Current address (on the left hand co lumn)
Include your email address Use a professional email address (und er cu rrent add ress)
Dont use BIGBOY@HOT_MAIL.COM
Include your phone number
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Th Obj ti S ti
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The Objective Section
The career objective should be related directly to the
job for which you are applying.
Make statement clear, concise, and to the point. Avoidusage of pronouns such as I and my in your
objective.
Bad: I want to get ajob Weak: To attain an position in the computer
industry.
Good: To attain a challenging job in the computer
industry working with database or network security.Avoid being overly specific to single company
To attain a position at 3M Pharmaceuticals working
on
Use objectives from the companys job Advertizement
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The Honors/Activities Section
Should only contain honors and awardsearned .
It is preferred on ly academ ic or service-
related items
Dont include hobbies or activities not
related to the job or your story.
Dont include volunteer work unless there is
a direct and positive link with the job or your
story.
This section is o tional
This section should scream I am a leader
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The Work Experience Section
Dedicated to most recent and relevant
employment
Format
Employer and location on the first line
Dont need name of supervisor, complete address, or contact
in format ion
Position and time-span on the second line Use only year, no t mo nth and year (avoids t im e gaps)
Each position should have at least two bullets
Explain role and contributions
Dont emphasize duties but rather emphasizeoutcomes
Increased efficiency of by 20%
Improved user navigation experience on
Watch the tense
Current job uses present tense
Former jobs use past tense
Employers wantproblem solvers
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Some candidate may not have any work
experience. In such cases they can be
innovative and use headings such:
language proficiencies,
computer competency,
special skills,
professional memberships,
and various accomplishments.
The candidate can think of any number of categories
and use the one that is most suitable and is able to
create an impact.10
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The Relevant Courses Section
The keyword is relevant courses: example ofcom puter science graduate
Dont include Foundations of Computing
Dont include Algorithms and Data Structures
Focus on courses the are either unique or wouldnormally be considered elective
Computer Security
Computer Graphics
Artificial Intelligence
Computer Networks
Database Systems
Data Mining
Employers will assume you have had the11
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The Skills Section
This is where you emphasize your technicalskills.
Not all resumes carry a section on skill. if you feel
that some of the acquired skills can be suitablystated under various heading, proceed confidently.
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The Projects Section
Used correctly, this section can set you apart from other
new graduates.Most new grads dont get the opportunity to use this section.
Show any lengthy, impressive, or relevant projects to
which you have made real contribution.
Each project should have at least two bullets (focus onoutcomes).
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Letter (1)
Why do I need to write a cover letter?
Use the cover letter to focus attention on elementsof your background that are particularly relevant to
the company.
Letter acts as yourverbal int roduc t ion to theemployer.
Send it to a person, not a place.
Avoid To Whom It May Concern,
Worst case Dear Recruiter:
First sentence should tell why you are writing
I am writing in regard to your posting listed on
As you may recall, I spoke with you briefly at This is with reference to our advertizement No.123
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(2)
Highlight your skills
Use two to three paragraphs to given in-depth descriptionof your selling points.
Each paragraph should be stand alone (could be moved
to different location in text).
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The features that need to be kept in mind at the
time of writing application letters are as follows: Make your letter individualistic.
Highl igh t speci f ic trai ts .
Catch the readers attention.
Innovate and apply strategies in the opening
paragraph.
Why shou ld the reader read he let ter and on the
basis of that short l is t me as ne of the sui table
candidates?
Highlight your educational/professionalqualifications.
Susta in interest by spel l ing out your strongest
qual i f icat ion. The strongest point in favor of the
candidate is h is on -job exper ience; which should be16
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Supporting Documentation ReferencesUnless the employer asks for references, do not mention them.
Prepare a separate reference sheet Use same paper as the resume itself
Do not mail reference sheet with resume and cover letter
Bring reference sheet (and resume) with you to any
interviews
Reference sheet is a stand-alone document Should include your Header from the resume
Try to arrange contact information in pleasing fashion
Use professional references only Pick individuals that think highly of you
Pick individuals that are familiar with your work
Always ask your references before using their17
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Tips on Schnabel Resumes(1)
Most large employers will scan your resume into
a central database
Tips to assist the scanning process
Dont use italics, underlining, or graphics
Use bold only for headers
Use scanner-friendly fonts Times New Roman, Courier, Helvetica, or Arial are
good examplesUse black ink on white background
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( )
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(2)Posting Online
Common mistakeformatting that doesnt make the trip
Convert to text only
Use PDF if allowed
Proofread carefully after conversion
If they ask about salary, leave it empty
If they force salary, be honest but dont shoot for themoon
Emailing your resume
Attach resume as a PDF document (or Word document)
75 80% of companies are running Windows
Test before deploy
Send to friends, ask them to print it and send it back to you
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Resume Writing Tips (3)A recent pol l of technical recrui ters and hir ing
managers asked for the top things they see onresumes and cover letters that make them less
interested in speaking w ith a candidate. These make
great examples of hownot to w ri te you r resum e.
1. Use of the current "tense" in all jobs on the resume.2. Writing the resume or cover letter in the third person.
3. Too many grammar and spelling mistakes.
4. Use of tiny fonts (10 pt or less) so as to cram as much
information into the resume as possible.
5. Photos on resumes (this is a cultural preference).
6. A listing of their personal interests and activities.
7. Sending a resume attachment named 41808res.doc - use
your name or descriptive label.20
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Resume Writing Tips
9. Writing the resume using table formats (columns).
10. Using a resume that is password protected (without sending the
password).
11. Including references - but not professional ones - just friends
and co-workers.
12. Having no contact information on the resume or including a
phone number that is no longer valid.13. When a candidate's email address is not appropriate for the
work environment. Example: [email protected]
14. Resumes that are too long. Most seem to feel that general
descriptions pertaining to work history for the last 10 years issufficient.
15. Resume stuffing, for example, listing of every software
application you've ever touched as a "skill".
16. Education written so its not clear if the degree was obtained.
17. Job hopping, which could be contract positions but it's not21
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Tips For Cover Letter SuccessThe fol lowing t ips are key in making a compel l ing
statement explain ing why a potent ia l employer or
Recrui ter should call you for an in terv iew.
1. Maintain consistency throughout all your career documents
by utilizing the same heading and font as your resume.
2. Keep the cover letter to one page, be creative yet succinct
and do not duplicate wording from your resume.
3. Make sure that the skills, knowledge and experience
mentioned in the cover letter is found in the resume and can
be defended at an interview.
4. Research the company using the Internet to strengthen your
candidacy by alluding to how your skills relate to the job and
the companys mission/vision and how excited you will be to
work for the employer.
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Tips For Cover Letter Success6. Explain the purpose of your letter. For instance, are you
writing as a result of: A referral from a contact? (If so,
mention the persons name). An advertisement? To entice
interest in your expertise? Connecting with a professional
Recruiting service? Actively seeking a new challenge?7. If sending via hard copy, avoid using coloured paper. If
sending electronically, avoid incorporating shading and
underlining which can cause problems when scanned.
8. Be prepared! Always send a customized cover letter toaccompany your resume.
9. Proofread for spelling and grammar before signing and
sending the cover letter.
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G d
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Good
Examples
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B d E l
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Bad Example
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THE END
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