Page 1Building Your Resume
from the Ground Up
Building Your Resume from the Ground Up
David McMahon ’69Associate Director
Experiential Education
Page 2Building Your Resume
from the Ground Up
"I would have started looking for jobs earlier.“
"I would have actually networked.” "I would have taken on a job or an
internship in addition to my course load."
"I would have gotten more involved in career-relevant extracurricular activities."
"I would have applied to more jobs."
The 10 Worst Mistakes of First-Time Job Hunters
Kelly Eggers, Career Advice, Oct 11, 2011
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"I would have focused more on becoming 'professional.'"
"I would have done more to figure out what my career goals were."
"I would have gone to the career center." "I would have kept better track of my
achievements." "I would have focused more on
developing relevant skills."
The 10 Worst Mistakes of First-Time Job Hunters
Kelly Eggers, Career Advice, Oct 11, 2011
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The First Question
“Why Should I walk away from my Customer
to Interview You?”
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from the Ground Up
Purpose of a Resume
A Marketing Tool:
To convince an employerTo call youFor an interview
You’ve got 10 seconds!!!
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from the Ground Up
Steps to Building a Resume
Laying the foundation. Building the resume. Polishing the resume.
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How Employers “Grade” TAMU Students
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from the Ground Up
Laying the Foundation
Assess Yourself on Paper/Computer
What are your Objectives? Kind of job you are looking for and
when you are available What have you accomplished?
Skills, Abilities, Work Experience, and Extracurricular Activities/Leadership
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What Makes a Good Employee?? 1. Integrity- Ability to work with people- Responsibility- Judgment- Motivation to succeed- Work ethic- Intelligence- Creativity/enthusiasm- Communications skills10. Technical competence
Laying the Foundation
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Laying the Foundation
What Resume Format is most appropriate? Chronological
Organized by date in reverse date order Most commonly used type and more
acceptable by employers Functional
Grouped by status areas Useful for employment gaps Less acceptable by employers
Combination Chronological/functional types combined
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Building the Resume
Tell the Employer……
The Mostest, The Fastest
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Building the Resume Personal Data Section
Objective
Education Section
Work Experience
Activities and Honors
Do Not List References
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Personal Data Section ExamplesExample #1
Ima T. Aggie1234 High St. 4321 West WayCollege Station, TX 77840 Kingsland, TX 78639(979) xxx-xxxx [email protected] (325) xxx-xxxx
Example #2Ima T. Aggie
1234 High St.College Station, TX 77840
Home: (979) xxx-xxxx Cell : (979) xxx-xxxx
Building the Resume
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Personal Data Section ExamplesExample #3
Ima T. Aggie1234 High St. (979) xxx-
xxxxCollege Station, TX 77840 [email protected]
Example #4Ima T. Aggie
1234 High St., College Station, TX 77840 [email protected] (979) xxx-xxxx
Building the Resume
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Building the Resume Objective
Type of Job - CO-OP, Intern, Full-time? Specific Ideas, Not Vague and Fluffy Operations, Business, Sales, Design, R&D,
Consulting? CO-OPs and Interns – start date
Education University, Location, Graduation Date, Degree in Major, Minors, Certificates, Major GPR, Overall GPR Senior Design project, Study Abroad, Graduate
Research, Related Coursework % Paid by Work
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Building the Resume Work Experience
Job Title, Company Name, Location, Dates of employment Job Description – Statements (not sentences) Using action words and showing results Be Positive, Be Concise, Be Persuasive
Activities Student/Professional organizations Leadership positions
Skills Computer software/systems, foreign languages Security clearance
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Honors Scholarships,Dean’s List, etc.
Work Authorization References
Do not list on resume Bring separate page to interview
Building the Resume
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Building the Resume
•Present most marketable information first
•Use brief, descriptive phrases
•No personal pronouns
•Use action verbs to describe experiences and accomplishments
•Be Positive
•Be Truthful
•You Have the Right to Remain Silent
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Polishing the Resume Be Concise Show results Top Heavy Reader Friendly
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Polishing the Resume Avoiding common mistakes
Broad generalization statements Spelling and grammatical errors Formatting, fonts, length, paper quality Translate “Aggie speak” to business English
Don’t overdue it Can’t explain every statement Too long
No picture Don’t include references
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Polishing the Resume
Use white or off-white paper (checkout resume paper at area copy centers, i.e. Kinkos, Copy Corner, or Graphics Center on campus)
Use 8 ½ x11-inch paperUse a font size of 10 to 14 pointsBlack ink onlyDo not fold or staple your resumeIf you must mail your resume, put it in a
large envelope
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Polishing the ResumeApplicant Tracking Systems
Use keywords or phrases directly from the job description
Include full keywords and abbreviated formats
Use non-decorative typefacesChoose one typeface and stick to itAvoid italics, script, and underlined wordsNo horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or
shadingMost scan text and Word formats
Some cannot read Word 2007, PDFs, or PowerPoints
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Polishing the Resume
Resume Critique and Advice
Career Center Advisor
Academic Advisor
Mentor
Roommate
Employer
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Employer CommentsWhen I evaluate a candidate, there are a couple of key questions I'd like to get answers to as much as possible:1. The degree of relevancy between candidate's overall profile (candidate's GPA, class projects, external project experience, major/minor, curriculum, extra curriculum) and the job position2. The candidate's short term and long term career goal3. The candidate's personality, capability, potential and willingness to accomplish his/her career goal (past experience can demonstrate that)
Spring 2011
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Employer Comments1. Stick to 1 page. We had several students give us 2 (and in one case 3) page resumes. After 8 years in the industry, I can still highlight all necessary and pertinent information on my resume in a single page.2. Clearly state GPR. Several students played games with the GPR by giving us only their in-major GPR because the overall was significantly lower. Another presented only the last 2 years because the first two years were very bad. Some gave no GPR. It does not reflect well on students to manipulate their resumes in this fashion before we even interview them. Employers who went to A&M can very easily review an A&M transcript and see who is playing games. Spring 2011
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Employer Comments Several of the students had not updated
their "Job Objective" knowing that the interview that our company conducted was for a sales position. Examples were: A manufacturing career; Plant flow organization.
One person did not spell check their resume.
Another, the formatting was off and not consistent.
Fall 2011
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Employer Comments Most of the problems related to a lack of
preparation shown by students. Most had little knowledge of our company and the opportunity they were interviewing for.
I also had several who had not shaved or were not dressed professionally.
Two students did not show up for the interview.
Fall 2011
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Polishing the ResumeDid You
Tell the Employer
The Mostest, The Fastest
??????
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In Conclusion….
Laying the foundation… Building the resume… Polishing your resume…
Congratulations! You Did It!