Key Words and Other Resume Essentials

Donna Shannon720-452-3400

donna@personaltouchcareerservices.com

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• Our Mission: To help job seekers of all levels achieve their employment goals through solid, practical advice and services

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WHY KEY WORDS MATTERSay the magic words…

The words that make the world go round..

• Websites recommend jobs by key words

• Recruiters search passive candidates by key words

• HR departments screen on key words

• Hiring managers respond to targeted resumes

A Great Truth:

Your resume is not about YOU…

Your resume is about the EMPLOYER and how your skills, experience and education

meets their NEEDS.

Hiring managers want to know:

1. What you can do2. Where you’ve done it3. How it applies to their needs

Most job seekers fail at number 3

THE KEY ELEMENT DETECTOR™Your secret weapon

Steps for the Key Element Detector™

1. Research the job• Based on at least 5 – 10 job descriptions

2. Analyze the data • Write down the requirements and duties

3. Continue the process for each job description• Mark repeating qualities, write down new ones

4. Compare the results• Highlight your abilities

The Key Element Detector™

Repetition Requirements Repetition Duties

Repetition Criteria /Requirements

Repetition Duties

** 2 - 3 years experience Support members over email/ phone

** (Some) college ** Maintain database / email distribution

Strong work ethic ** Produce & distribute documents

* Detail oriented/ organized * Screen & direct phone calls

* Dependable/ reliable Greet and direct visitors

Small team / office Filing

Limited Travel Data Entry

** Excellent communication skills

Report tracking

** Intermediate Office: Word, Excel PowerPoint

Manage conference room and other schedules

* Intermediate Outlook Manage mail

Multi-line phone systems Manage office equipment

* Type 40-50 wpm Make travel arrangements

Work independently Assist with HR

The Results

• When completed, the Key Element Detector™ will show:– Proper key words– Essential personality traits– Direction for resume format– What you need to add to get the job

Important pieces to note:

• Years of experience are CRITICAL

• List computer programs by specific name

• Soft skills are just as important

COMMON RESUME MYTHS

Common resume myths:

• Ideal resume length?

• Perfect format?

• Objectives?

• Other rules you’ve heard?

The Truth

• NO perfect resume format- – Depends on your target job and market

• Objectives are obsolete– Employers don’t care what you want– Use a summary to highlight your best attributes– Should be about their needs

Additional Best Practices

• Only list 10-15 years experience unless your Key Element Detector shows more

• Don’t list college graduation date unless it is within 10 years

• Only include high school if no college and it is listed as a requirement for the job

PASSION STATEMENTS

Passion Statement- what is it?

• 2-3 sentences that summarizes your work and conviction

• Hit key elements of the job• Includes practical experience or expertise

Sample Passion Statement

For over 12 years, I have exceeded both my personal and my professional sales goals.

I live to find the clients, discover their needs, build the relationship and close the deal.

Once committed to a project, there is nothing that can stand in the way of my success.

Breakdown of Passion Statement

1. Years of experience and one core screening criteria

2. What you really love about your job– Use key words from KED

3. A personality trait that makes you ideal for this job

MAKING AN EXCEPTIONAL RESUME

The Good Stuff…

• Relevance and emphasis• Resume order• Concise statements• Achievements vs. scope• Key word blast (with caution)

Relevance

• Only highlight parts of your resume that are the most relevant for the job...

• I don’t care about your speed typing award if you’re a salesman

Emphasis

• Emphasis is shown 2 ways:– Placement:

– What is listed first carries the most influence

– Volume:– The more you write, the more it means

Different levels of emphasis:Experienced – 2 pages

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT – SAMPLE RESUME Address, City, State ZIP – Phone - Email

SUMMARY:

High power Executive Assistant focused on making your priorities a reality. Proven ability to create top quality work within strict deadlines. Previous support areas include Executive, Sales, Marketing and Facility Management. A natural self-starter with the willingness to help wherever needed.

SKILL SYNOPSIS:

Expert in Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Visio & Excel Skilled with SharePoint, SalesLogic, Adobe, ResX Meeting & event coordination for up to 350 guests

International and domestic travel arrangements Leadership for senior administrative staff

Expert document and report creation Multi-level calendar management

PERSONAL ASSETS: 10+ Years of dedicated Executive Assistant experience

Able to anticipate needs in a variety of situations Effective interaction with staff of all levels Exceptional oral & written communication

Adaptable & intelligent problem solver Office organization and management Highly organized & detail-oriented

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT 2008- Present In support of the Vice President Xxxxx Company – Golden, CO A diversified energy holding company with two major business groups – Utilities and Non-regulated Energy. The utility companies serve 750,000 natural gas and electricity customers in a 7 state area.

Provides information management support to the VP of Power Delivery. Assists with detailed report preparation by collecting and analyzing information. Conserves executive's time by reading, researching, and routing correspondence; drafting letters and

documents; and coordinating phone calls. Coordinated logistics for meetings and special events for more than 100 employees, including such

details as catering and/or venue selection. Served as the database administrator for the company-wide division electronic filing system. Created and maintained BHC Power Delivery internal website with department administrative

procedures and contracts. EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT 2007- 2008 In support of the Vice President Xxxx Company – Golden, CO An international $4 billion producer and supplier of aggregates, concrete products and construction services to the building material industry.

Assisted the VP with the development of the division’s business plan, including the roll-out of new sales and marketing strategies, product development and operational improvements for 4 manufacturing plants and 3 distribution outlets.

Created quarterly business review PowerPoint presentations with embedded graphs and tables for the VP.

Coordinate monthly Executive Board meetings, including both domestic and international travel and entertainment planning.

Developed numerous Excel tracking scorecards to assist General Managers to improve sales quotas, financial ratios and manufacturing efficiencies.

Served as an interim office manager for one of the locations; improvements to the work flow process increased on-time customer service by 75%.

Entry level – 1 pageSample Entry Level Resume

Address City, State ZIP

xxx-xxx-xxxx (Cell) fakeemail@fake.com

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __ SUMMARY:

Intelligent and resourceful, I enjoy the challenge of making a difference every day, whether that is through helping my co-workers or by helping the customer. I am ready to dedicate my career to a professional level.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ SKILLS:

Superior Communication Skills, both oral and written Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel

Advanced Internet Research Skills Dedicated Team Player and demonstrated Team Leader

Superior problem solving abilities Answering multiple phone lines

Excellent Customer Service abilities Over 1 year of office experience

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

EDUCATION: Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver, CO English Major Attending Classes: 2008 - Present XXXXX High School, xxxxx, CO High School Diploma, Graduated: May 2006

Special Honors: Captain of Debate Team, 2006, Debate Team Member, 2002 – 2005 Recipient of Awards in English

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ WORK EXPERIENCE:

XXXXX, ARVADA, CO, MARCH 2009 — DECEMBER 2009 DELIVERY EXPERT

Answering multi-lined phones and entering orders in a quick, efficient and timely manner Safely prepared and delivered pizzas, pasta, and deserts in a timely and accurate manner Responsible for Cashier duties and cash handling without use of register Provided excellent customer service, including helping displeased customers and helping to ensure everything was

done right the first time XXXX, LAKEWOOD, CO, JANUARY 2009—JUNE 2009 CONTRACT EDITOR/ RESEARCH ASISTANT

Provided grammatical and content editing for 50,000 word non-fiction book using Microsoft Word Researched various fiction and non-fiction publishers and magazines, both online and by traditional means Data entry and simple database construction using Microsoft Excel

XXXXX, LARKSPUR, CO, SUMMER SEASON 2006 — 2010 SEASONAL POSITION, GAMES AND RIDES

Worked as a crew member on period-themed games and rides Provided customer service to children and adults, creating a fun atmosphere while increasing sales Responsible for the safe operation of human-powered rides Interacted with customers while maintaining character Handled cash and provided security/ theft protection without a register

Concise statements

• Resumes are understood better when the sentences are simple and to-the-point.

• Read your resume out loud. If you run out of breath before you finish a sentence, it’s too long!

Achievements

• Achievements do matter – Pick ones that relate to your Key Element

Detector– If unrelated, distracts instead of enhance

Achievement vs. Scope

• Trouble thinking of achievements?• Consider scope:

– Use quantifiable metrics:• Size of job• Numbers give the full story

– How many clients, what volume of payables, number of calls per day, revenues of the company, size of territory, etc.…

Key Word Blast

• A listing of every possible configuration of the key terms

• Usually hidden in footer with white text• HR doesn’t really like it• Also used on LinkedIn profiles:

References

• EVERYBODY has “References Available on Request”

• Consider separate References document• Critical information:

– Name, Title– Company or Years Known– Phone and Email

COMMON TRAPS TO AVOID

Annoying resume traps to avoid• Unprofessional email address

• Nobody wants to contact ladiesman626@yahoo.com

• Missing contact information• Include accurate phone numbers, addresses and

LinkedIn information

• Spelling and grammar errors• Extra Tidbits

• Nobody cares about your hobbies unless it is job-related

• Don’t mention groups that indicate a protected status (religion, race, nationality and so on)

Snoozers…

There are creative ways to incorporate these concepts into a Passion statement:– Results-oriented professional– Met or exceeded expectations– Proven track record of success– Bottom-line orientation

Word Templates: a Warning

• If you use a standard Word template that is relying on tables or text boxes to format it, an application system may garble it….

Word resume template

Action Verbs

• Never say “Responsible for” again!• Use action verbs and variety to keep your

writing interestingSample:“Responsible for processing accounts payable on a weekly basis” Rewrite:“Accurately processed accounts payable worth over $100k on a weekly

basis”

WRAP-UP

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(c) Donna Shannon, 2010, 2013