STAGES IN YOUR JOB

SEARCH
• Analyzing your career goals
• Targeting interesting careers and fields
• Writing your resume
• Preparing a Cover Letter
• Networking
• Identifying sources of employment help
• Answering advertisements
• Making cold contacts
 HEADINGS ON RESUMES
• Job Objective
• Education
• Work Experience
• Awards or Honors
• References
• Others
– Additional skills and abilities
– Professional activities
– Military activities
OPTIONAL RESUME COMPONENTS

• Availability date
• Honors
• Activities
• Interests
• Licenses and other accreditations
• Professional memberships
 TYPES OF RESUMES
• Functional
– highlights abilities rather than jobs
– emphasizes strengths
– uses descriptive functional headings
• Chronological
– uses reverse time sequence
– focuses on employment history
– uses specific duties and responsibilities within each job
• Targeted
– applies only to specific jobs or types of jobs
– emphasizes capabilities and accomplishments
 WAYS TO DISTINGUISH
YOURSELF
• Put most important information first
• Try to emphasize a good track record
• Be consistent in presentation of information
– Arrangement
– Margins
– Grammar
 FUNCTIONAL RESUME
• ADVANTAGES • DISADVANTAGES
– highlights abilities
– allows individuals who
have held many jobs to
concentrate on their
skills rather than listing
numerous positions
– focuses on job duty
strengths
– provides little for those
with limited number of
job functions in prior
positions
– omits increasing job
responsibilities in
positions held by
applicant.
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
• ADVANTAGES • DISADVANTAGES
– can show solid – detracts from abilities
progression up career of first-time applicant
ladder – can highlight gaps in
– gives specific job employment
history – may show poor career
– identifies overall progression
background
 TARGETED RESUME
• ADVANTAGES • DISADVANTAGES
– relates job skills to – forces applicant to
specific goal develop separate
– allows applicant to resumes for different
target one type of job job objectives
rather than broad – de-emphasizes specific
spectrum of positions jobs held
in a field
EFFECTIVE COVER LETTERS
• FIRST PARAGRAPH
– expresses interest in company
– identifies method of hearing about position
– makes strong writer/reader connection
• MIDDLE PARAGRAPHS
– sell you through specific examples
– applies your knowledge and skill to company’s needs
• CLOSING PARAGRAPH
– requests action
– establishes deadline
 10 MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES
FOR JOB APPLICANTS
• Intelligence and analytical ability
• Creativity and flexibility
• Communication skills (oral and written)
• Work experience and technical skills
• Leadership ability and team experience
• Initiative and personal entrepreneurship
• Energy and stamina
• Maturity
• Interest in company and position
• Personal qualities and personality
 INTERVIEW PREPARATION
• Research Company
• Generate List of Questions
• Develop Effective Presentation Style
• Prepare to Respond to Difficult Questions
• Plan Attire and Nonverbal Communication
• Arrive Punctually
• Take Copy of Resume and References
 LEGAL EVALUATION
METHODS
• SKILLS TESTS
• LIE DETECTOR TESTS
• PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS (including
drug checks)
• REFERENCE CHECKS
 THE ELECTRONIC RESUME
The “Scan-able” The Hypertext
• Becomes part of a • Becomes part of the
company database World Wide Web
• Should contain key • Available to everyone,
words for search including some who
purposes. may be undesireable
 THE SCAN-ABLE RESUME
• Use 10-14 point font sizes
• Avoid italics, script and underlining
• Avoid graphics and shading
• Never use a 9-pin, dot matrix printer
• Always send originals
• Minimize general abbreviations
• Maximize industry jargon and abbreviations
• Do not staple or fold
• Use light-colored paper printed only on 1 side
 THE HYPERTEXT RESUME
FIVE KEY ELEMENTS
• Proper formatting (ASCII) to ensure correct
scrolling
• E-mail hyperlink
• “Jumps” to each important category
• Include counter, especially if connected to a
service
• Select good “key words” for search engine
pick-ups