Essay and Resume Building Tips

15 April 2015

Hosts: Kat O’Brien, Rotary Peace Centers Relationships Supervisor Sarah Cunningham, Rotary Peace Centers Marketing and Recruitment

Specialist

Rotary Peace Fellowship Application

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Goals for this webinar

• Familiarize yourself with what successful essays and resumes look like

• Review resumes and learn tips for creating a strong “Rotary resume”

• Learn how to write ideal essays for the application

• Question and Answer

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Types of Resumes

• Chronological: List education / relevant work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent to past).

• Functional: Focus on group experience by particular skills areas and then list work history.

• Combination: A combination of chronological and functional

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Resume Tips

Qualifications Summary: At the top of your resume put a short qualifications statement that highlights your experiences relevant to the Rotary Peace Fellowship.

Conflict Resolution Practitioner with over five years experience conducting mediation, training and facilitation in the US and Latin America. Trained over 500 people in basic mediation techniques in over 10 countries. Specialization includes: youth and conflict, community-based processes. VA certified mediator and fluent in English and Spanish.

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Resume Tips

Quantify your Experience: Be concrete in what your responsibilities were and what you accomplished in your previous positions.

– Example: Worked at XYZ Conflict Resolution Organization, managed budget and conducted training.

– Reframe to: Worked at the XYZ Conflict Resolution Organization, organized and managed a $400,000 project. Successfully wrote grant proposals totaling over $50,000 from X source. Conducted over 20 trainings in basic conflict resolution techniques with high school students and teachers, reaching over 500 people.

Tailor: Ensure that you tailor your resume and essays to address the skills, leadership experiences, and knowledge you have that relate to the mission of Rotary and the Rotary Peace Centers.

– Highlight a few key experiences that show your skills and motivation to apply for the fellowship

– Tell a compelling story of why your experience qualifies you to be selected as a fellow

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Resume Tips

• Proven dedication to service and development• Proven leadership skills• Examples: Volunteer work or special projectsQualifications

• Education and global learning • Record of professional development• Examples: Undergraduate degree, Training courses

Skills

• Clear explanation of relevant work experience• Gives exact dates from previous positions held• Examples: Community Environmental Organizer,

5/2013 – 12/2014Experience

What should you be emphasizing?

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Chronological Resume Review

Includes a summary of qualifications

Includes buzzwords, for example: cultural experience, training, coordination

Does not include exact dates of work

Does not include quantitative language

Grammatically correct and tailored to fellowship

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Functional Resume

Includes exact dates of work experience

Grammatically correct and tailored to fellowship

Includes buzzwords, for example: law, sex trafficking, workshop, development

Does not include quantitative language

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Resume

Includes exact dates of work experience

Grammatically correct and tailored to fellowship

Includes buzzwords, for example: development, cross-cultural communication

Includes quantitative language

Includes a summary of qualifications

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The Ideal Essay

The idealessay

Honest

Clearly answers question

Grammatically correct

Organized

Important aspects to remember:

Will your essay make the reader feel something?

Are you directly stating why you are the best candidate for the program your are applying to?

Did you put effort into writing the essay?

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Essay Tips: Worksheet

• Write your essays and have your local Rotarians review them prior to submission of the online application – you can use the application worksheet as a guide!

Why is this important?

Use a copy of your worksheet before submitting their applications online.

Taking this step first will allow you to review your work before you submit your application and seek advice from your Rotarian contacts.

Once you submit your application online, you cannot make changes to it!

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Review: Application Essay Questions

1. All applicants: What significant events in your life, including professional and volunteer experience, have influenced your desire to work in the field of peace and conflict resolution? Include a summary of your principal interests and activities as they relate to your career goals.

2. All applicants: How have you taken on leadership roles during your academic and/or professional life? How have these leadership skills enhanced your community-oriented and/or service-oriented work?

3a. Professional development certificate applicants only: Please describe in detail how the professional development certificate will benefit you and contribute to your career goals. What do you expect to learn from the course that you will apply to your work?

3b. Master’s degree applicants only: Please highlight your previous academic success, motivation, and interests in your chosen academic field. How does your academic training prepare you for this fellowship? If necessary, please explain any academic shortcomings.

4. Master’s degree applicants only: Please provide a detailed statement of intent articulating your interest in a Rotary Peace Fellowship. Describe your proposed area of concentration and explain why you have chosen the centers you rank first and second, including the specific course of study at those institutions. Explain in detail how graduating from a Rotary Peace Center university relates to your career objectives, how your career objectives support world understanding and peace, and why your skills and background will enable you to contribute to The Rotary Foundation’s mission.

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Sample Essay

Since 2009 I have been developing programs aimed at harnessing the potential of exchange alumni as goodwill ambassadors. Exchange alumni are crucial to peacebuilding: they are the globally‐minded, culturally empathetic leaders of tomorrow. My journey began when a cultural exchange nonprofit I volunteered with, AFS‐USA, named me to a national committee tasked with starting their alumni network. I faced a major challenge: how could I inspire alumni in an impactful, visible, and local way? My solution was to work with alumni around the country to plan, lead, and promote volunteer projects for Global Youth Service Day. Concurrently, I interned at the Office of Alumni Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, where I observed and implemented programs to help exchange alumni realize their full potential for leadership in their home communities.

Passionate about bringing exchange programs full circle, I started dialogue at Greenheart International on the importance of alumni engagement. I implemented the company’s first alumni program in my department, which is now their international model. The program incentivizes alumni to volunteer in their home country after their exchange by providing access to a global volunteer network, project planning resources, and monetary grants to implement sustainable development projects in their communities. In May 2014 I represented Greenheart International at a national summit to establish best practices for engaging exchange alumni worldwide.

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Resources

For future applicants:Application Worksheets (Master’s & Certificate)Application FAQsTips to improve your applicationRecommendation FormsFellowship Guides (Master’s and Certificate)

Visit www.rotary.org/en/peace-fellowships to access resources

Application Checklist Video

Contact Information:General Inquiries:Rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org

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Thank you

Contact Information:General InquiriesRotarypeacecenters@rotary.org

Graphics Created by Claire Jones, Till Teenck, Jardson A., Katie Westbrook, Jessica Lock, iconoci from the Noun Project

Application Available Online

1 December

Application due to District

31 May

Endorsed applications due to The Rotary

Foundation 1 July

Application Selection Results

November

Questions?