building careers and writing résumés

15: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 1

Chapter 15: Building Careers and Writing Résumés

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Finding the Ideal Opportunity in Today’s Job MarketWriting the Story of YouLearning to Think Like an EmployerResearching Industries and Companies of InterestTranslating Your General Potential into a Specific Solution for Each EmployerTaking the Initiative to Find OpportunitiesBuilding Your NetworkSeeking Career CounselingAvoiding Mistakes

Planning a RésuméAnalyzing Your Purpose and AudienceGathering Pertinent InformationSelecting the Best MediumOrganizing Your Résumé Around Your Strengths

The Chronological RésuméThe Functional RésuméThe Combination Résumé

Addressing Areas of ConcernWriting a Résumé

Keeping Your Résumé HonestAdapting Your Résumé to Your AudienceComposing Your Résumé

Name and Contact InformationIntroductory StatementEducationWork Experience, Skills, and AccomplishmentsActivities and AchievementsPersonal Data and References

Completing a RésuméRevising Your RésuméProducing Your Résumé

Producing a Traditional Printed RésuméPrinting a Scannable RésuméCreating a Plain-Text File of Your RésuméCreating a Word File of Your RésuméCreating a PDF Version of Your RésuméCreating an Online Résumé

Proofreading Your RésuméDistributing Your Résumé

Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall


LECTURE NOTES

Section 1: Finding the Ideal Opportunity in Today’s Job Market

Learning Objective 1: List eight key steps to finding the ideal opportunity in today’s job market.

Top companies place a high priority on finding the right employees and the investments they are willing to make in both personnel and technology to attract and keep valuable talent. Identifying and landing the ideal job can be a long and difficult process, particularly in tough employment markets.

As you craft your personal strategy for finding the right job, keep these two guidelines in mind:

Get organized. You need to keep all the details straight to make sure you don’t miss opportunities or make simple mistakes.

Start now and stick to it. Now is not too early to get started with some of the essential research and planning tasks. If you wait until the last minute, you will miss opportunities and you won’t be prepared when the right opportunity comes along.

Writing the Story of You

Take the time you have now to explore the possibilities, to find your passion, and to identify appealing career paths. These steps will help you start down the path:

Identify the nature of the work you’d like to do, if not a specific profession. Begin writing the “story of you,” things you are passionate about, the skills you possess,

your ability to help an organization reach its goals, the path you’ve been on so far, and the path you want to follow in the future.

Think in terms of an image or a theme you’d like to project.

Writing your story is a valuable planning exercise that helps you think about where you want to go and how to present yourself to target employers.

Learning to Think Like an Employer

With every hiring decision, companies take great risks and need to prevent the following:

Hiring someone who doesn’t meet expectations Letting a better candidate slip through their fingers

Many companies judge the success of their recruiting efforts by the quality of hire, a measure of how closely new employees meet the company’s needs. Candidates are judged by:

Perceived ability to perform the job Ability to handle responsibilities Reliability Motivation Whether they “get it” when it comes to being a professional in today’s workplace.



Researching Industries and Companies of Interest

Learning more about professions, industries, and individual companies is easy to do with the library and online resources.

Companies are more likely to be impressed by creative research, such as interviewing their customers to learn more about how the firm does business.

Seek out advice for online job searches as well as links to hundreds of specialized websites that post openings in specific industries and professions.

To learn more about contemporary business topics, use these resources:

Leading business periodicals and newspapers with significant business sections Bloggers, microbloggers, and podcasters offering news and commentary on the business

world Directories for blogs People who write about topics of interest

This research will also help you get comfortable with the jargon and buzzwords currently in use in a particular field—including essential keywords to use in your résumé.

Translating Your General Potential into a Specific Solution for Each Employer

Customizing your résumé to each job opening shows employers that you will be a good fit for the position.

From your initial contact through the interviewing process you’ll have opportunities to impress recruiters by explaining how your general potential translates to the specific needs of the position.

Taking the Initiative to Find Opportunities

When it comes to finding opportunities, the easiest ways are not always the most productive ones.

Major job boards and classified services might have thousands of openings—but many thousands of job seekers are looking at and applying for these same openings.

Moreover, these job postings are often a company’s last resort, after exhausting other possibilities.

Instead of searching the same job openings as everyone else, take the initiative and find opportunities:

Identify the companies you want to work for. Focus your efforts on them. Get in touch with their human resources departments or individual managers (if possible). Describe what you can offer the company. Ask to be considered if any opportunities come up.

Building Your Network



Networking is the process of making informal connections with mutually beneficial business contacts. Networking takes place wherever and whenever people communicate:

Industry functions Social gatherings Alumni reunions All over the Internet

Networking is more essential than ever, because the vast majority of job openings are never advertised to the general public. The more people who know you, the better chance you have of being recommended for one of these hidden job openings.

Start building your network now, before you need it. Here are some places to make contacts:

Classmates could end up being some of your most valuable contacts. Identify people with similar interests in your target professions, industries, and

companies. Read news sites, blogs, and other online sources. Follow industry leaders on Twitter. Follow individual executives at your target companies to learn about their interests and

concerns. Connect with people on LinkedIn and Facebook, particularly those dedicated to your

career interests. Participate in student organizations, especially those with ties to professional

organizations. Visit trade shows to learn about various industries and meet people who work in those

industries. Don’t overlook volunteering; you can demonstrate your ability to solve problems,

manage projects, and lead others.

Remember that networking is about people helping each other, not just about other people helping you. Pay close attention to networking etiquette:

Learn something about the people you want to connect with. Don’t overwhelm others with too many messages or requests. Be succinct in all your communication efforts. Don’t give out other people’s names and contact information without their permission. Never email your résumé to complete strangers. Don’t assume you can send your résumé to everyone you meet. Remember to say thank you every time someone helps you.

To become a valued network member, you need to be able to help others in some way. The more you network, the more valuable you become in your network—and the more valuable your network becomes to you.



Be aware that your online network reflects on who you are in the eyes of potential employers, so exercise judgment in making connections.

Seeking Career Counseling

College career centers offer a wide variety of services, including

Individual counseling Job fairs On-campus interviews Job listings Advice on career planning Workshops in job search techniques Résumé preparation Job readiness training Interview techniques Self-marketing

You can also find career planning advice online. Many of the websites offer articles and online tests to help choose a career path, identify essential skills, and prepare to enter the job market.

Avoiding Mistakes

Take care to avoid the simple blunders that can torpedo a job search, such as

Not catching mistakes in your résumé Misspelling the name of a manager to whom you are writing Showing up late for an interview Tweeting something unprofessional Failing to complete application forms correctly Asking for information that you can easily find on a company’s website Making any other error that could flag you as someone who is careless, clueless, or

disrespectful

As recruiters work to narrow down the possibilities, even a minor mistake on your part can give them a reason to bump you right out of the candidate pool.

Section 2: Planning a Résumé

Learning Objective 2: Explain the process of planning your résumé, including how to choose the best résumé organization.

Your résumé will be the most important document you create in a job search. Adapt it for a variety of uses:

Personally delivered applications E-portfolios



Social networking profiles Online application forms

Writing a résumé really benefits from multiple planning, writing, and completing sessions spread out over several days or weeks. You are trying to summarize a complex subject (yourself!) and present a compelling story to complete strangers in a brief document.

Analyzing Your Purpose And Audience

A résumé is a structured summary of a person’s

Education Employment background Job qualifications

Make sure you understand the true function of a résumé. It’s a brief, persuasive business message intended to accomplish two objectives:

Stimulate an employer’s interest in you Get you an interview

Learn as much as you can about the individuals who may be reading your résumé. Any bit of information can help you craft a more effective message.

Gathering Pertinent Information

Gather all the pertinent personal history you can think of, including

Dates, duties, and accomplishments from previous jobs you’ve held Relevant educational experience—formal degrees, skill certificates, academic awards, or

scholarships Relevant information about school or volunteer activities Offices you have held in any club or professional organization Presentations given Online or print publications

Organizing Your Résumé Around Your Strengths

Although you will see a number of ways to organize a résumé, most are:

Chronological Functional Combination of the two

The right choice depends on your background and your goals.

The Chronological Résumé



In a chronological résumé, the work experience section dominates and is placed immediately after your contact information and introductory statement.

The chronological approach is the most common way to organize a résumé, and many employers prefer this format because it presents your professional history in a clear, easy-to-follow arrangement.

List your jobs in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent position and giving the most space to the most recent positions. For each job, start by listing these facts:

The employer’s name and location Your official job title Dates you held the position (write “to present” if you are still in your most recent

position) Highlight accomplishments in a way that is relevant to your readers

The Functional Résumé

A functional résumé, sometimes called a skills résumé, emphasizes your skills and capabilities, identifying employers and academic experience in subordinate sections.

This arrangement stresses individual areas of competence rather than job history. The functional approach also has three advantages:

Without having to read through job descriptions, employers can see what you can do for them.

You can emphasize earlier job experience. You can deemphasize any lengthy unemployment or lack of career progress.

Be aware that because the functional résumé can obscure your work history, many employment professionals are suspicious of it. If the chronological format doesn’t work for you, consider the combination résumé instead.

The Combination Résumé

A combination résumé meshes the skills focus of the functional format with the job history focus of the chronological format.

The chief advantage of this format is that it allows you to focus attention on your capabilities when you don’t have a long or steady employment history, without raising concerns that you might be hiding something about your past.

Addressing Areas of Concern

Many people have gaps in their careers or other issues that could be a concern for employers. Here are some common issues and suggestions for handling them in a résumé:



Frequent job changes. If you’ve had a number of short-term jobs of a similar type group them under a single heading. Reasonable employers understand that many professionals have been forced to job hop by circumstances beyond their control.

Gaps in work history. Mention relevant experience and education you gained during employment gaps, such as volunteer or community work.

Inexperience. Mention related volunteer work and membership in professional groups. List relevant course work and internships.

Overqualification. Tone down your résumé, focusing exclusively on the experience and skills that relate to the position.

Long-term employment with one company. Itemize each position held at the firm to show both professional and career growth within the organization and increasing responsibilities along the way.

Job termination for cause. Be honest with interviewers and address their concerns with proof, such as recommendations and examples of completed projects.

Criminal record. You don’t necessarily need to disclose a criminal record or time spent incarcerated on your résumé, but you may be asked about it on job application forms. If you are asked and the question applies to you, you are legally bound to answer truthfully.

Section 3: Writing a Résumé

Learning Objective 3: Describe the tasks involved in writing your résumé, and list the major sections of a traditional résumé.

As you follow the three-step process to develop your résumé, keep four points in mind:

Treat your résumé with the respect it deserves. A single mistake or oversight can cost you interview opportunities.

Give yourself plenty of time. Don’t put off preparing your résumé until the last second and then try to write it in one sitting.

Learn from good models. You can find sample résumés online at college websites and on job boards.

Don’t get frustrated by the conflicting advice you’ll read about résumés. Résumés are as much art as science, and there is more than one way to be successful with them. Choose the approach that makes the most sense to you and is compatible with what you know about business communication principles and practices.

If you feel uncomfortable writing about yourself, you’re not alone. Find a classmate or friend who is also writing a résumé and swap projects for a while. You might be able to speed up the process for both of you.

Keeping Your Résumé Honest

Applicants with integrity know they don’t need to stoop to lying on their résumé. If you are tempted to stretch the truth, bear in mind that professional recruiters have seen every trick in the book, and frustrated employers are working aggressively to uncover the truth.



Nearly all employers do some form of background checking, such as using these methods:

Contacting references Verifying employment Checking criminal records Sending résumés through verification services Designing interview questions specifically to uncover dishonest résumé entries Withdrawing formal job offers, if falsification is discovered

Given the networked nature of today’s job market, lying on a résumé could haunt you for years—and could force you to keep lying throughout your career to hide the original misrepresentations on your résumé.

Adapting Your Résumé to Your Audience

The importance of adapting your résumé to your target readers’ needs and interests cannot be overstated. In a competitive job market, the more you look like a good fit, the better your chances will be of securing interviews.

Address your readers’ business concerns by showing how your capabilities meet the demands and expectations of the position and of the organization as a whole.

Adapting to your readers can mean customizing your résumé, sometimes for each job opening.

Express your experience using the terminology of the hiring organization. Take general concepts and present them in common business language.

Composing Your Résumé

Write your résumé using a simple and direct style.

Use short, crisp phrases and focus on what your reader needs to know. Avoid using the word I, which can sound both self-involved and repetitive. Quantify results so that your claims don’t come across as empty. Offer concrete proof of accomplishments. Use active statements that show results. Provide specific supporting evidence. Don’t go overboard with small details.

In addition, most résumés are subjected to keyword searches in an applicant tracking system.

Recruiters search for résumés most likely to match the requirements of a particular job so it’s essential to use the words and phrases that a recruiter is most likely to search for.

Keywords that catch a computer’s attention are usually nouns that describe the specific skills, attributes, and experiences an employer is looking for.

Study job descriptions carefully to understand your target audience’s needs. Keywords can include:



Business and technical terms associated with a specific profession Industry-specific jargon Names or types of products or systems used in a profession Job titles College degrees

Beware of clichés that are used on so many résumés and social media profiles that they’ve lost most of their impact. These are the buzzwords and phrases that are among the most overused (notice how vague and generally unquantifiable most of them are):

extensive experience innovative motivated results-oriented dynamic proven track record team player fast-paced problem solver entrepreneurial

Instead of saying you are all these things, show how you are, using solid evidence.

Name and Contact Information

Your name and contact information constitute the heading of your résumé; include the following:

Name Physical address (permanent and temporary, if you’re likely to move during the job

search process) Phone number(s) Email address URL of your personal webpage, e-portfolio, or social media résumé (if you have one)

Be sure that everything in your résumé heading is well organized and clearly laid out on the page.

Introductory Statement

Of all the parts of a résumé, the brief introductory statement that follows your name and contact information probably generates the most disagreement. You can put one of three things here:

Career objective. A career objective identifies either a specific job or a general career track you would like to pursue. If you have little or no work experience in your target profession, a career objective might be your best option.



Qualifications summary. A qualifications summary offers a brief view of your key qualifications. The goal is to let a reader know within a few seconds what you can deliver. Consider using this approach if you have one or more important qualifications but don’t yet have a long career history of you want to highlight your educational preparedness.

Career summary. A career summary offers a brief recap of your career, with the goal of presenting increasing levels of responsibility and performance. A career summary is useful for executives who have demonstrated the ability to manage increasingly larger and more complicated business operations.

Education

If you’re still in college or have recently graduated, education is probably your strongest selling point. Present your educational background in depth, choosing facts that support your “theme.” Starting with the most recent, list:

The name and location of each school you have attended The month and year of your graduation Major and minor fields of study Significant skills and abilities developed in your course work Degrees or certificates earned (or expected date of completion) Courses that have directly equipped you for the job you are seeking Scholarships, awards, or academic honors you’ve received Relevant training sponsored by business or government organizations High school or military training only if the achievements are pertinent to your career

goals Grade point average (depends on the job you want and the quality of your grades)

There’s no rule saying you have to show your GPA on a résumé. But, be prepared to answer questions about it during the interview process as many employers will assume that your GPA is not spectacular if you didn’t list it.

Work Experience, Skills, and Accomplishments

The work experience section should focus on your overall theme showing how your past can contribute to an employer’s future. Use keywords to highlight skills you’ve developed on the job and your ability to handle increasing responsibility.

List your jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. Include any of these that apply:



Military service Internships Part-time or temporary jobs related to your career objective Name and location of the employer Brief description of what the company does (if readers are unlikely to recognize the

organization)

Before or after each job listing, include

Your job title Years you worked in the job; use the phrase “to present” to denote current employment Whether a job was part time

Devote the most space to the jobs that are related to your target position. If you were personally responsible for something significant, mention it. Facts about your skills and accomplishments are the most important information you can give a prospective employer, so quantify them whenever possible.

If you have a number of part-time, temporary, or entry-level jobs that don’t relate to your career objective, use your best judgment when it comes to including or excluding them. If you don’t have a long employment history, including these jobs shows your ability and willingness to keep working.

Activities and Achievements

Include activities and achievements outside of a work context only if they make you a more attractive job candidate. If applicable to the job you’re seeking, include such things as:

Traveling Studying or working abroad Fluency in multiple languages Community service activities that suggest leadership, teamwork, communication skills,

technical aptitude Athletics or other organized student activities Publications, projects, and other accomplishments that required relevant business skills

Avoid listing religious or political organizations (unless you’re applying to such an organization).

Personal Data and References

Your résumé should not include any personal data beyond the information previously described. When applying to U.S. companies, never include any of the following:

Physical characteristics Age Gender Marital status Sexual orientation



Religious or political affiliations Race National origin Salary history Reasons for leaving jobs Names of previous supervisors Names of references Social security number Student ID number

Employers assume references are available; be sure to have a list of several references ready when you begin applying for jobs and keep it in your files for a time when they are requested. List three or four people who have agreed to serve as references. Include each person’s name, job title, organization, address, telephone number, email address, and the nature of your relationship.

Section 4: Completing a Résumé

Learning Objective 4: Characterize the completing step for résumés, including the six most common formats in which you can produce a résumé.

Completing your résumé involves review work such as

Revising it for optimum quality Producing it in the various forms and media you’ll need Proofreading it for any errors before distributing it or publishing it online

The advent of applicant tracking systems, social media, and other innovations has dramatically changed the nature of résumé production and distribution. Be prepared to produce several versions of your résumé, in multiple formats and multiple media.

Even if most or all of your application efforts take place online, starting with a traditional paper résumé is still useful, for several reasons:

Creating a traditional printed résumé helps organize your background information and identify your unique strengths.

Planning and writing tasks help generate blocks of text that you can reuse in multiple ways throughout the job search process.

Preparing for when someone might ask for your résumé during a networking event or other in-person encounter ensures you don’t let that interest fade.

Revising Your Résumé

Keep your résumé out of the recycling bin by avoiding these flaws:

Too long or too wordy Too short or sketchy Difficult to read



Poorly written Displays weak understanding of the business world in general or of a particular industry Poor-quality printing or cheap paper Full of spelling and grammar errors Boastful Gimmicky design

The ideal length of your résumé depends on the depth of your experience and the level of the positions for which you are applying. Recruiters appreciate brevity, and presenting yourself in a single page shows your ability to write concise, focused, audience-oriented messages.

For online résumé formats, you can always provide links to additional information. If you have more experience and are applying for a higher-level position, you may need to prepare a somewhat longer résumé.

Producing Your Résumé

A clean, professional-looking design is a must. Resist the urge to “get creative” with your résumé layout. Recruiters and hiring managers want to skim your essential information in a matter of seconds, and anything that distracts or delays them will work against you.

Fortunately, good résumé design is not difficult to achieve. Good designs feature:

Simplicity Order Effective use of white space Clear typefaces Subheadings that are easy to find and easy to read Lists to itemize your most important qualifications Color (if desired), keeping it subtle and sophisticated

You might want to produce your résumé in as many as six formats:

Printed traditional résumé Printed scannable résumé Electronic plain-text file Microsoft Word file Online résumé, also called a multimedia résumé or social media résumé PDF file

Find out what each employer or job posting website expects, and provide your résumé in that specific format. Unless requested, do not include photographs, in materials you submit to employers.

In addition to these six main formats, some applicants create PowerPoint presentations or videos to supplement a conventional résumé. Let the employer’s procedures direct you on this decision.

Producing a Traditional Printed Résumé



Traditional paper résumés still have a place in this world of electronic job searches. Have a few copies ready whenever one of your networking contacts asks for one.

Avoid basic, low-cost white bond paper intended for general office use or gimmicky papers with borders and backgrounds. Use heavier, higher-quality paper designed specifically for résumés and other important documents.

Use a high-quality, well-maintained printer

Printing a Scannable Résumé

Scannable résumés are a type of printed résumé that is specially formatted to be compatible with optical scanning systems that convert printed documents to electronic text.

Their use appears to be declining rapidly as more employers prefer email delivery or website application forms.

A scannable résumé differs from the traditional format in two major ways:

It should always include a keyword summary It should be formatted in a simpler fashion that avoids underlining, special characters,

multiple columns, and other elements that can confuse the scanning system.

Creating a Plain-Text File of Your Résumé

A plain-text file is an electronic version of your résumé that has no font formatting, no bullet symbols, no colors, no lines or boxes, or other special formatting. The plain-text version can be used in two ways:

Include it in the body of an email message. Copy and paste the sections into the application forms on an employer’s website.

Creating a Word File of Your Résumé

In some cases, an employer or job-posting website will want you to upload a Microsoft Word file or attach it to an email message.

This method preserves the design and layout of your résumé and saves you the trouble of creating a plain-text version.

Make sure your computer is free of viruses; infecting a potential employer’s computer will not make a good first impression.

Creating a PDF Version of Your Résumé

Creating a PDF file is a simple procedure, but you need the right soft ware. Adobe Acrobat is the best-known program, but many others are available.

Creating an Online Résumé



A variety of terms are used to describe online résumés, including:

Personal webpage E-portfolio Social media résumé Multimedia résumé

All these formats provide the opportunity to expand information contained in your basic résumé with

Links to projects, publications, screencasts Online videos Course lists Social networking profiles Other elements that give employers a more complete picture of who you are and what

you can offer

Regardless of the approach you take to creating an online résumé, keep these helpful tips in mind:

Remember that your online presence is a career-management tool. The way you are portrayed online can work for you or against you; it’s up to you to create a positive impression. Most employers now conduct online searches to learn more about promising candidates, rejecting many applicants because of information they dug up online.

Take advantage of social networking. Use whatever tools are available to direct people to your online résumé, such as including the URL of your online résumé on the “Info” tab on your Facebook page.

During the application process, don’t expect or ask employers to retrieve a résumé from your website. If employers want to know more than your résumé reveals, they will likely do a web search on you and find your site, or you can refer them to your site in your résumé or application materials.

Proofreading Your Résumé

Employers view your résumé as a concrete example of your attention to quality and detail.

It needs to be perfect. Although it may not seem fair, just one or two errors in a job application package are enough to doom a candidate’s chances.

Your résumé is one of the most important documents you’ll ever write, so don’t rush or cut corners when it comes to proofreading. Check everything:

All headings and lists for clarity and parallelism Grammar Spelling Punctuation Dates Phone numbers Email addresses



Other essential data

Ask at least three other people to read it, too. As the creator of the material, you could stare at a mistake for weeks and not see it.

Distributing Your Résumé

How you distribute your résumé depends on the number of employers you target and their preferences for receiving résumés.

Employers usually list their requirements on the career pages of their websites, so verify this information and follow it carefully.

Here are some general distribution tips:

Mailing printed résumés. Take some care with the packaging. Mail these documents in a 9 x 12 envelope or a Priority Mail flat rate envelope.

Emailing your résumé. Some employers want applicants to include the text of their résumés in the body of an email message; others prefer an attached Microsoft Word file. If you have a reference number or a job ad number, include it in the subject line of your email message.

Submitting your résumé to an employer’s website. Many employers, including most large companies, prefer or require applicants to submit their résumés online. In some instances, you will be asked to upload a complete file. In others, you will need to copy and paste sections of your résumé into individual boxes in an online application form.

Posting your résumé on job websites. You can post your résumé on general-purpose job websites, more specialized websites or with staffing services.

Before you upload your résumé to any site, learn about its confidentiality protection. Don’t post your résumé to any website that doesn’t give you the option of restricting the display of your contact information. Only employers that are registered clients of the service should be able to see your contact information.

HIGHLIGHT BOX: SHARPENING YOUR CAREER SKILLS (p. 504)Don’t. Just Don’t.

1. Showing some personality will set you apart from other candidates; however, you need to consider carefully the type of personality you choose to show. Obviously, the examples cited here are extreme but you can add your own personality by making sure to use the “you” attitude.

2. Most students should realize that a combination or functional résumé, not a chronological one, is one way to draw attention away from a three month gap in employment. Students should mention that the reason for the employment gap should be discussed in person during an interview, not on the résumé itself.



COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT ATK (p. 511)

1. You’ve learned to pay close attention to the career objectives on résumés to make sure you match applicants’ interests with appropriate job openings. You’ve selected four résumés for the operations representative position; from them, which of the following is the most compelling statement of objectives for this position?

a. No. This objective is too vague.

b. No. The tone and style of this objective is over the top (“explosive growth”), making it sound amateurish. In addition, top executives, not entry-level employees, generally “shepherd” the company in whatever direction it is going. Making such a statement on a résumé suggests either a lack of awareness of how companies operate or a level of arrogance that will turn most employers off immediately.

c. Yes. This objective quickly summarizes the candidate’s skill set, suggests the type of financial positions for which he or she might be qualified, and it specifically matches this particular job opening.

d. No. This objective makes it sound as though the applicant wants to use an employer to continue his or her education for a career that might start somewhere else, rather than building a career at ATK.

2. Of the education sections included in the résumés, which of the following is the most effective?

a. No. This statement contains good information, but it jumbles together education, employment, and other activities.

b. No. This section is way too long and too “chatty.”

c. Yes. This statement contains all the pieces required to describe an education obtained at this institution.

d. No. The accomplishments and awards probably should be highlighted separately, and this statement doesn’t include the dates that the two degrees were received.

3. Which of the résumés does the best job of portraying each candidate’s work experience?

a. No. This is a good description for this person’s work experience, but (c) more closely matches the requirements for this position.

b. No. This statement suffers from several problems: it is unnecessarily apologetic (many college graduates lack full-time employment experience), it is verbose and unprofessionally chatty, and it doesn’t offer a quick summary of employment experience.

c. Yes. This job experience comes the closest to working in an accounting position and matches many of the specific experiences and skills identified in the job description.

d. No. While this is an impressive accomplishment (although perhaps a bit long, depending on what else needs to be conveyed on the résumé), the description in (c) is more directly relevant.

4. The applicant tracking system produced the following résumé for the operations representative opening. What action will you take?

a. No. This candidate’s summary of qualifications is impressive, but the résumé is missing two key sections entirely: education and employment.



b. No. If you have a good supply of qualified candidates who have done a better job of providing the information you need, then you can feel safe in rejecting this application. However, if you’re in a tight labor market and need to be more creative in your recruiting, you might be wise to look more closely at this candidate, even if he did a fairly weak job of presenting his background on the résumé.

c. No. At the initial screening stage, you’re probably reviewing dozens of résumés a day, and you don’t have time to go online and review information that should’ve been provided in the résumé.

d. Yes. This candidate did a relatively poor job of presenting his background, so if you have several other viable candidates you’re probably safe to pass on this one. However, as discussed in (b), in some cases you may need to overlook shortcomings in the résumé in order to find the right candidate.

APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE (p. 516)

1. To think like an employer, recognize that companies take risks with every hiring decision—the risk that the person hired doesn’t meet expectations and the risk that they let a better candidate slip through their fingers. Employers consider more than just a candidate’s ability to handle the responsibilities they’re given. They want to know if they’ll be reliable and motivated, if they’re somebody who “gets it” when it comes to being a professional in today’s workplace.

2. In this situation, the job indicates a positive contribution to the community and a strong willingness to help others in need. These are positive qualities which should be included on a résumé. If you have a number of part-time, temporary, or entry-level jobs that don’t relate to your career objective, you have to use your best judgment when it comes to including or excluding them. On the one hand, employers will be impressed by the fact that you can land and keep jobs while you’re progressing toward your career goals. On the other hand, too many minor and irrelevant work details can clutter your résumé, particularly if you’ve been in the professional workforce for a few years. Generally speaking, if you don’t have a long employment history, use these jobs to show your ability and willingness to work.

3. A qualifications summary gives a quick overview of the value you can offer an employer; however, if you have little or no work experience in your target profession and no solid professional theme based on your education, a career objective might be your best option.

4. Even if a student is uncertain about a career path, he or she always applies for a single, specific job. Therefore, his or her résumé should be fine-tuned to the specific nature of that job. This approach of modifying the résumé for each opportunity creates a much more compelling story than simply sending out a generic résumé.

5. Informed students will argue for including the finance company in their list of jobs, as leaving it off might make it appear they’re trying to hide something. Moreover, obtaining the same kind of work right after shows character and validates that the skill to do the job was never really in question.



PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS (p. 516)

Message 15.A

Although this job applicant has valuable qualifications, they are so poorly presented that she is not likely to be asked for an interview, much less be offered a position. Students should point out the following:

The résumé’s format is inconsistent. Each heading level should be presented in the same fashion; for instance, “Education” and “Work Experience” should both be centered or flush left, both be in capitals or in uppercase and lowercase letters, and so on.

The résumé is poorly organized. The most impressive aspect of the applicant’s qualifications is her work experience, so that section should immediately follow her statement of a job objective. Her education is the next most important aspect, followed by personal data.

The job objective is too vague and does nothing to present this candidate as a compelling employee. Under “Experience,” format is again inconsistent (note the use of commas and periods in the

subheadings). The job descriptions should begin with strong verbs that convey professionalism, responsibility, and initiative. The most recent positions should be described in greater detail than earlier positions. The descriptions emphasize skills (such as secretarial skills) that are irrelevant to the position she seeks, and they provide no evidence that she has successfully carried out marketing or sales tasks. For example, she could indicate the size of her sales territory, the types of customers she called on, and changes in sales volume due to her efforts. When discussing summer and part-time work, she should focus only on skills that relate to her job objective.

When discussing education, the writer should also focus on matters related to her career field. Her extracurricular activities, if she considers them relevant, should be mentioned in an achievements section. She should mention her date of graduation.

The personal data provided here are irrelevant, are not especially distinctive, and should be eliminated. The space could be used to list references or to list some activities and achievements demonstrating her ability to deal with people.

The résumé is not concise and the pronoun “I” is used excessively.

Exercises

1. This self-assessment exercise will help students think through their preferences for work-related activities and situations. Encourage them to keep these preferences in mind when they research appropriate careers and jobs.

2. Here are more effective alternatives:

a. Experienced in database design.b. Explored cost accounting alternatives for large manufacturer.c. Participated in the development of a new inventory control system.d. Prepared quarterly department budget.e. Managed department and oversaw seven employees.f. Developed spreadsheet to analyze monthly sales by department.g. Designed and implemented new ordering program for supplies.



3. Here are quantified alternatives:

a. Designed databases for 15 clients in the retail and high-technology sectors.b. Explored cost accounting alternatives for manufacturer with $75 million in sales.c. Participated in the development of a new inventory control system for 750 products.d. Prepared quarterly department budget ($3 million).e. Managed department generating $13 million in sales and oversaw seven employees.f. Developed Excel spreadsheet to analyze monthly sales of 13 departments.g. Designed and implemented new ordering program for supplies resulting in the elimination of a full-

time position.

4. Yes, you must clarify that these accomplishments were the result of team effort, not just your individual efforts. Otherwise you will be exaggerating your experience, which is not only unethical but which can backfire if the truth comes to light.

5. The plain-text résumé should be reformatted by eliminating graphics and special formatting codes such as italics and tabs, adding blank spaces to align text and asterisks for bullets, and saving the file in plain-text format.

6. This exercise can help students transition to Chapter 16, since preparing the vidcast will call attention to many of the same issues that are important for successful job interviews (speech clarity, avoiding filler words, professional dress, special care with nonverbal communication, and so on).

CASE SOLUTIONS AND GUIDELINES (p. 517)

Here are solutions and guidelines for this chapter’s cases.

15.1 Career Planning: Researching Career Opportunities [LO-1]

Note: This exercise gives students the opportunity to utilize a variety of different research tools. Their end product should include fundamental keywords that would satisfy both computers and human readers alike.

Subject: Researching PointBridge and the technology consulting market

Dear Ms. Ritter,

Following our discussion in class on the importance of researching before applying for jobs, I read-up on some of the top technology consulting firms—a field that greatly interests me.

Among them, one firm that stood out was PointBridge, a Chicago-based consulting company. Founded in 2004, PointBridge is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner that builds high-impact business solutions with Microsoft technology.

PointBridge is currently hiring people for “Associate Consultant” positions. This position requires proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to multitask, and a strong entrepreneurial attitude.



The on-the-job training for this position is geared toward improving proficiency in

Using ASP.NET, Visual C#, and related technologies Creating or customizing SharePoint 2010 solutions Designing and developing databases using Microsoft SQL Server Using Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server

It is a challenging job that helps candidates to learn and adopt new technologies as well as improve their teamwork skills.

To keep abreast of the latest developments in this field, as well as improve my professional network, I have joined an open group on LinkedIn called “Microsoft Business Technology Consultants.”

In the field of consulting, it is essential to maintain a global perspective. As a result, one of the important issues faced by consultants is following an international code of ethics. Keeping this in mind, I am already acquainting myself with the latest developments in global ethics and international standards in business practices.

This research will help me to present my skills and accomplishments in a way that will convince PointBridge of my ability to meet their requirements. Moreover, this will help me during my interview and ensure that I avoid silly mistakes such as asking for information that is easily available on the company website.

Leslie

15.2 Planning a Résumé [LO-2]

Note: This case invites students to form teams to evaluate each other’s employment histories with the aim of determining the best way to present work information in a résumé. Students’ work experiences will vary greatly, thereby necessitating different ways of presenting work experience in résumés.

In this sample employment history, meant to be included in an entry-level résumé, the issue of inexperience has been addressed by focusing on internships, volunteer work, membership in professional groups, and relevant course work. The combination résumé writing style would be suitable here in order to represent clear, complete employment history, while featuring the skills of the candidate more elaborately.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

Symetra Life Insurance Company, Bellevue, WA, 2011 to present, corporate marketing intern. o Coordinated corporate marketing initiatives and supported all marketing functions as

needed, including PR and channel marketingo Developed marketing materials, including presentations, sales collateral, case studies, and

customer newsletterso Maintained and updated company website, blog, and LinkedIn profileo Coordinated corporate tradeshows, including traveling onsite for booth setupo Monitored and reported on marketing expenditures

Rainbow Communications, Seattle, WA, Summer 2009, marketing intern.



o Participated as an intern with the consumer-goods research unit for herbal health-products

o Developed a masters project on using social networking and other Internet platforms to market a range of new herbal health-drinks

School of Management, City University of Seattle, 2008 to 2009, marketing intern.o Developed and implemented an advertising campaign, as a part of a student team, for the

newly-opened “Sport and Recreation Services” department Cross-Cultural Solutions, Ghana, 2007, six-month volunteer program.

o Taught basic and intermediate-level English as a part-time teacher at the Bloomsdale English School in the Volta Region

o Conducted photography workshops for students ranging from age 13-25, to enable them to document their life through photography

15.3 Writing a Résumé [LO-3]

Note: This case invites students to conduct informal interviews in pairs, and then use the information obtained to write each other’s qualifications summary to be used in a résumé. The qualification summary should act as the introduction of the résumé, and provide a concise description of what the applicant is all about. It can be presented as a short paragraph, or a bulleted list. The title of the qualifications summary should brand the applicant and signal his/her career objectives.

15.4 Message Strategies: Completing a Résumé [LO-4]

Note: This case invites students to consider alternative resources to be included in a résumé and also provides students with a refresher in creating professional-quality presentations.
