COMM 202Tutorial 4Laptops and phones away! Cover Letter draft in the folder up front!Nametags out!

Cheralyn ChokT39

Cover Letter Peer ReviewFeb 12, 2016

Agenda

1. Cover Letter Peer Review2. Resume Overview 3. Action Items

Instructions

1. Write your table number on ALL of your documents

2. Put your documents in a pile in the middle of the table

3. Get out your marking utensils

Each new slide section, PASS DOCUMENT TO THE RIGHT

Cover Letters

Formatting

Left aligned No indents on paragraphs Consistent margins Bullet points or paragraphs 2-3 relevant skills

Addressing the Cover Letter

Bottom Formatting

Opening

How do you like the hook? Is there a keen, genuine interest and/or passion

for the position? Is there a clear expression of the skills/experience

matching the job posting? Is company research integrated (and indicates

interest)? If a name drop is used, was it well-integrated?

Skills Matching

Are there specific skills matched to the job description?

Do they reference specific examples that leverage experiences/qualifications?

Are the highlighted experiences specific and concise? Do they indicate transferrable skills? Do the results show strength or success? Suggested minimum of 2 skills/attributed matched

Conclusion

Are skills reiterated in a different (not redundant!) way?

Is sincere interest expressed?

Is there a gracious thank you and call to action? Request for meeting?

Branding

Is their research insightful? Have they gone the distance to show how they will “fit” into the industry or organization?

Did they use industry terms?

Who would you hire?

Of the applications on your table, who… Had the WOW factor? Showed CAN, WANT & FIT?

What was GOOD about their application? What do they need to work on?

Resumes!

From this:(highschool)

To this:(202)

To this!(present day)

Header The banner at the top of the page that

contains basic information Basic info:

Address LinkedIn URL (personalized) Phone Number Website URL

Profile

No more than 5 lines for key competencies (4 for profile)

Languages Skills/strengths/experiences Branded to job posting Is the profile linked with proof elsewhere in the

resume?

Education BCom not BCOMM Location of school Start with degree Key courses, but not grocery lists GPA (cumulative) or key courses (include grade) Key/relevant projects - accomplishment statement form Awards – accomplishment statement form

Personal Branding

Present yourself throughout the document

Marking If you have 2 or more errors, we will deduct 40%!

Spelling & Grammar Typos Formatting

Missing Info Dashes vs. Hyphens Consistency

Accomplishment Statements

STAR to RATS

Employers do not want to hear your stories, they want to

see your accomplishments!

(at least in a hiring/interview situation)

Flip it!

Result Action Task Situation

Moving from the Skills Matrix towards Accomplishment Statements

Skills Matrix Accomplishment Statements

Skills Matrix Accomplishment Statements

Skills Matrix:Situation: “…I decided to apply for an executive position. Hired by the current president and past-president of the club…”

Task: “My job is to meet and collaborate with other UBC clubs, and the first big event that I was in charge of was an event called Jamnesty, an open mic fundraiser for Amnesty International UBC. “

Action: “On top of organizing with Amnesty the basic logistics of the event, I oversaw the details that would ensure that the night ran smoothly…”

Result: “The turnout for this event was more than double the usual. We raised $200 for their Amnesty Right for Writes campaign in one evening, when during similar events prior they only raised $50.”

Accomplishment Statement:

Previously the Campus Outreach Coordinator, successfully raised funds of approximately $400 (double the amount from previous events) for Amnesty International UBC and the UBC Feminist Club by planning three live music and open mic nights, booking local campus musicians to perform, and seeking sponsorships from local companies

Skills Matrix Accomplishment Statements

Flip it to:ResultActionTask

Situation

Skills Matrix:Situation: “…I decided to apply for an executive position. Hired by the current president and past-president of the club…”

Task: “My job is to meet and collaborate with other UBC clubs, and the first big event that I was in charge of was an event called Jamnesty, an open mic fundraiser for Amnesty International UBC. “

Action: “On top of organizing with Amnesty the basic logistics of the event, I oversaw the details that would ensure that the night ran smoothly…”

Result: “The turnout for this event was more than double the usual. We raised $200 for their Amnesty Right for Writes campaign in one evening, when during similar events prior they only raised $50.”

Accomplishment Statement:

Successfully raised funds of approximately $400 (double the amount from previous events) for Amnesty International UBC and the UBC Feminist Club by planning three live music and open mic nights, booking local campus musicians to perform, and seeking sponsorships from local companies as the Campus Outreach Coordinator

Skills Matrix Accomplishment Statements

Flip it to:ResultActionTask

Situation

Result Verbs

AttainedExceededEliminatedIncreased

DecreasedMaximizedMinimizedReduced

SavedSurpassedImprovedCreated

GeneratedEnhancedOptimizedEstablished

**Try not to repeat words!

2 Result Types

Qualitative:

Positive feedback Promotion/increase in

responsibilities Implementation Awards

Examples?

Quantitative:

How much? How many? Numbers, Percentages

Examples?

Action

What skills did you see?

Are those skills relevant to the job?

Do your results match up with your action?

Situation/Task

What other context is needed to understand the story?

Duty-based vs Accomplishment Statements

Duty Based:

Developed website to boost traffic.

Accomplishment:VS

Duty Based:

Developed website to boost traffic.

Accomplishment:

This is a job description!

VS

Duty-based vs Accomplishment Statements

Duty Based:

Developed website to boost traffic.

Accomplishment:

Boosted the website’s average rate of monthly hits by 34% by updating it with new features and content such as an interactive world map, a student involvement section and a homepage newsfeed – all of which catered to local business students.

VS

Duty-based vs Accomplishment Statements

Duty Based:

Developed website to boost traffic.

Accomplishment:

Boosted the website’s average rate of monthly hits by 34% by updating it with new features and content such as an interactive world map, a student involvement section and a homepage newsfeed – all of which catered to local business students.

VS

This is how they know what you’re good at!

Duty-based vs Accomplishment Statements

Accomplishment:

Boosted the website’s average rate of monthly hits by 34%...…by updating it with new features and content such as an interactive world map, a student involvement section and a homepage newsfeed…... – all of which catered to local business students.

Result

Action

Situation/Task

Activity

Take one of your skills-matching paragraphs and rewrite it as an accomplishment statement!

Key Takeaways

No duty statements! Be concise Format consistently Always stay relevant Small details matter YOU DO YOU. (aka be yourself)

Action Items

Watch the resume e-module and review “Outline to a Chronological Resume”

Complete your resume draft for next class (bring two copies!)

Sign up for office hours on COOL Be sure to check eligible workshops on

COOL (for bonus marks) Have a great reading break!