PRE IMMERSION

MR. GABINO E. SANTOS, M.Sc.

 PRE IMMERSION

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Understand the concept of Cover letter
Interview skills
Resume format
Cover Letters: Selling your skills on paper
What is a cover letter?

 Your formal introduction

 The first read, it can make or break your entry

 A ‘must’ with your resume

Generating interest

The goal is to get an interview!

 Should be brief and interesting
 Should not be a carbon copy of your resume
 Should highlight what you’ll bring to the job
 Should be job specific
Presenting yourself in two ways
Create the right impression:

10 Tips
Create the right impression: 10 Tips

1. Letter geared for specific job opening

 Adapt letter to needs of the job you want
 Refer to that job in opening sentences

2. Describe your related skills

 Tie your experience to your skills
 Show how they directly relate to the job description
Create the right impression: 10 Tips

3. Make it personal
 Address letter to a specific person
 If you don’t have a contact, call and ask
 Use a comma after the name

4. Create a catchy opener

 Readers scan for content
 Open with attention-grabbing sentences
 Describe why you’re the best for the job
Create the right impression: 10 Tips

5. Include vital information

 Name, address, phone with area code
 Should be clearly visible
 First thing reader will need to contact you

6. Type and proofread

 It’s your first impression…make it good
 Be sure it’s neat and professional
 Errors will reflect badly on you
Create the right impression: 10 Tips

7. Keep it brief
 Use action words, active sentences
 Limit letter to one page
 Three or four paragraphs

8. Be confident, creative, enthusiastic

 It’s a tool to sell your best asset…you!
 Let your personality shine in your letter
Create the right impression: 10 Tips

9. Keep copies
 Keep a copy of every letter you send
 Past letters make job search easier
 Copies make follow up easier

10. Request a response

 Your letter is written to get an interview
 Ask for one!
Interview
Skills
Interview Skills
 70-80% of interview questions are competency
or skills based:
 Open ended
 Detailed examples of your experience.
• What role were you in?
• Who was involved?
• What did you actually do?
• What were the results?
Interview Skills

 Ask the interviewer questions:

– What do you see as the greatest challenge for this
position?
– What qualities do you see as most important for this
position?
 This will help reveal what’s important to the interviewer.
 Play off of their answers.
Interview Skills

 Make notes immediately after the interview.

– What questions did the interviewer ask.
– What went well?
– What could have gone better?
– Did you think of other questions to ask the
interviewer after you left?
Interview Follow Up

 Email or mail based on the organization.

– Thank them.
– Reiterate why you are a good fit.
– Close by saying you look forward to the next step.
Interview Follow Up

 Call
– If the interviewer says they will let you know
something by Tuesday and it’s now Thursday, give
them a call.
 Identify yourself and what position you interviewed for
 Ask them where they are in the hiring process
 Let them know you are still interested in the position
QUESTIONS?
YOUR RESUME:

A Selling Tool
Learning to Market yourself

Sell yourself
just as you
would sell a
product 
Pop Quiz!
 What is the initial amount of time an employer
takes to review an applicant’s resume?

Answer:
15 – 20 seconds minimum
45 seconds maximum
Your Resume is a Selling Tool

 outlines your skills and experiences

so an employer can see, at a glance,
how you can contribute to their
organization

2
Your Resume is a Selling Tool

3
 Resume You
 Neat  Neat
 Well-organized  Well-organized
 Error free  Attention to detail
 Professional  Careful & Competent
appearance
 Know Your Audience

 The more you know about the employer and

the position, the more you can tailor your
resume to fit the job
 Put on your resume the most relevant
accomplishments, skills, and experience

5
RESUME FORMAT
 Name and Contact Information
 Objective
 Work Experience
 Education History
 Skills, Awards and Certifications
 References
 Name
 Address
 Reliabletelephone number
 E-mail address

-
-
-
X
bebegurlx@yahoo.com
ik4Wlh4n6sapH4tna@gmail.com
doTaOta1990291@yahoo.com
7
 The more specific you can be with an
objective the better
 A one-size-fits-all approach will not impress
potential employers
 Clearly state the type of job you are hoping
to get
8
 List formal jobs and names of employers from
wherever you have worked
 Include informal jobs you have had such as
gardening, babysitting, and even lemonade stand
sales
 Include any internships or job shadowing you have
completed 9
Begin with the most recent
information
and work backward
High school students can list your
high school and current GPA/GWA
10
 Include recognition for achievements in and out of school:
– School certificates (such as honor roll), sports awards,
etc.
– Certification earned in career technical education
course, etc.
– Volunteer, community recognition

12
 As you build your resume, begin creating a list of
people you can use as references
 Get permission from individuals you plan to use as
references
 Avoid using family members

13
 Different jobs need different types of resumes:
– Standard–1 page
– Expanded–more than 1 page
– Portfolio–a body of work
– Multimedia–video, PowerPoint, or other online
presentation format
14
Resume Format
 What kind of format does each resume need to be:
– Targeted–customized to the prospective job
– Chronological–list work history in chronological
order
– Functional–focus on your skills and experience first
– Combination–focus on your skills and list
employment in chronological order

15
 Think About

 Looking at a lot of different resumes

to get an idea of how varied they can be

• Checking to see if the company you

are applying to (or the industry it is in)
has a preferred resume style

• Having others proofread your resume—any

mistakes and the prospective employer will stop 16
reading and put your resume in the
“reject file”
Prepare for the interview
 Research the organization
 Take a few copies of your resume
 Know where you are going
 Show up on time
 Bring job references if they’ve asked for them
 Bring a pen and paper to take notes
 Bring a copy of the job posting
 Bring a list of questions you may have
 Dress appropriately for the job
 Do’s & Don’ts
Do’s
 Put your name & page # at the
top of each page
 Begin phrases with action verbs
 Provide detail about your
accomplishments (focus on
results)
 Provide insight into your work
ethic & how you will be as a
colleague
Don’ts
• Give reasons why you left a job
• Include personal information
(SSN, DOB, picture, etc.)
• Lie or “exaggerate”
• Begin phrases with “I”
• Use complete sentences
• Include references
Resume Dos

 Use action verbs

 Use short, concise sentences
 Use #, %, $ amounts
 Keep resume easy to read
 Keep resume about one page
Resume Don’ts
 Do not use the pronouns such as I, me, my, etc.
 Do not include references
 Do not clutter your resume with nonessential
information
 Do not make any misrepresentations
 Do not include personal information
 SSN, age, sex, height, weight, marital status,
photograph, etc.
Resume Do’s!

 Contain an Objective Statement

 Customizable for each job
 Pleasing to the Eye, Easy to Read!
 Lists skills, employers want to know what you can
bring to their company.
 Relevant to the Job. It should fit with the job you
are applying for.
•
Do’s Continued
Keep your resume to 1-2 pages
• List education and work experience in reverse
chronological order
• Put your resume, cover letter, and references on
professional style resume paper
• Proofread
• Have your resume critiqued by a Career Service
professional or employer
• Make it relevant and focus on
skills/accomplishments
 Resume Don'ts!
• Grammatical and spelling errors
• Unprofessional (check your email address)
• Too much info (overly wordy)
• Irrelevant information
• No objective statement
• Lengthy paragraphs
• Personal information
• Leave a large amount of white space
Resume complaints
 Sample Objectives
Good Bad
 To obtain a position as • To find a challenging
an accountant position with a growing
company that will provide
me with relevant
 To obtain a position as experience in an exciting
an accountant in the field
automotive industry
utilizing my strong
analytical and problem
solving skills