Module 03 Writing Effective. Resumes and Cover Letters. Module Outline. 1. Introduction to Writing Effective

Transcription

1 Module 03 Writing Effective Resumes and Cover Letters Module Outline 1. Introduction to Writing Effective Resumes and Cover Letters 2. Resume Writing 3. Cover Letter 4. Conclusion Please consult the course outline for your Co-op Student Advisor s contact information.

2 1. Introduction to Writing Effective Resumes & Cover Letters Introduction In Module 2, we discussed the importance of knowing your transferable skills and techniques for matching these skills to relevant experiences using accomplishment based statements. In this module, we will go one step further to integrate these skills and experiences into resumes and cover letters. Similar to the introspection and self-analysis required to identify your skills, writing a resume and a corresponding cover letter is a process that requires awareness about what you have to offer. Your resume is a marketing tool that's written and distributed to obtain an interview. Generally speaking, your resume gets you the interview and your interview gets you the job. It should convince the reader, such as a potential employer, that you have the skills, experience, and knowledge to successfully fill the position being offered. Your resume will include a summary of your relevant skills, qualifications, experience, and achievements. It should be well organized and easy to read. This module will help you to develop a resume that satisfies these criteria. Pay close attention as the information we will cover will form the basis of your resume assignment and subsequent co-op resume. 2

3 Module Overview In this module, you will learn how to: Write a Resume Introduction to resume writing Integrating skills into your resume Analyzing a job description Using appropriate types of resumes Gathering content for your resume Creating accomplishment statements (PAR) Presenting a professional resume write a Cover Letter Introduction to cover letters Cover letter layout, tips, and samples Goals and Learning Outcomes In this module, you will: Develop an understanding of the cover letter and resume as job search tools In the majority of cases, a cover letter and resume are required in the job search process regardless of the job search strategy you use. For example, even if you are networking, an individual will often times ask for your resume to get a sketch of your skills. The resume and cover letter is also necessary for traditional job search activities in which employers ask you to submit a copy of your resume and cover letter for a specific application. Learn employers and industry expectations for the content and presentation of resumes and cover letters This is the standard that will be used to evaluate the resume and cover letter you submit to our office. 3

4 Market existing skills to meet the needs of the industry in which employment is being sought This is essentially distilling what the employers want, knowing what you have to offer and showing through your resume that you are a good fit based on your existing skills. Frame skill sets to show that you meet the needs of the employer This is a key skill in the resume writing process. You'll learn how to prioritize the content of your resume and express information in a fashion that's pertinent to what an employer is asking for. Select the most appropriate type of resume to showcase your skills This is linked to the framing of skill sets to best meet the employers' needs. By critically analyzing what skills you have to offer and what skills the employer needs, you'll be able to make decisions about whether or not you are marketing skills or tasks. In this module, you'll be introduced to two (2) types of resumes and your goal will be determining which type is appropriate for you based on your career goals and experiences. At the end of this module, you should have a targeted and polished resume that is ready to be evaluated by an employer in your field. 4

5 2. Resume Writing Introduction to Resume Writing The purpose of a resume: 1. To demonstrate to potential employers that you have the skills, knowledge, and education required for the job. If done well, the resume should show that you have what the employer needs. 2. To serve as the best predictor of future behavior based on past behavior. It shows the employer that you are able to do the job based on past experiences. 3. Presentation which includes grammar, neatness, and organization. It lets the employer know how you feel about your work. If your work is disorganized and shoddy, an employer might erroneously assume that if he or she were to hire you, the quality of your work would be comparable to the quality of your resume. You always have to remember that the employer has no other information as a basis for their decision so they make a lot of inferences based on the quality of what's presented to them. Problems with Resumes The biggest problems with resumes are that they are not tailored to the job and they don t prove to the employer that you are a good fit. You can t just cast a wide net. You must show knowledge of the position and dedication to the type of job you are applying to. Based on these three points, you can clearly see that resumes that stand out are the ones that show you have what the employer needs, have been successful in the past, and you are able to present yourself in a professional manner. These are the resumes that show fit. We call these targeted resumes. 5

6 We'll look more closely at the idea of fit by looking at the targeted resume. If you are too generic, you end up sounding the same as everyone else. The goal of your resume is to stand out. What is a Targeted Resume? A targeted resume is structured to respond to the requirements of the industry or company you are aiming to attract by aligning your skills, attributes and experiences so companies can quickly recognize that you have what they want and interview you to learn more about what you can offer. Excerpt: Barbara Kofman & Kaitlin Eckler, Career Zone, January 2006 The operative phrases are: responding to requirements; and aligning your skills, attributes and experiences It's not about what you think is important but rather what an employer has established as important based on the nature of the role. The other important phrase is: companies can quickly recognize that you are suitable On average, an employer only spends seconds during an initial screening of a resume. Employers are very busy and as a result will only do a quick scan of an applicant during the initial screening. They will certainly take a more involved look at the resume once they've decided on a short list. You must also know that in co-op, you'll be competing with students in your discipline and on occasion students in other disciplines that have similar skill sets. You'll also be competing with co-op students at other academic institutions. 6

7 For these reasons, your resume needs to be structured to hit on the key points rather quickly. Given the importance of a targeted resume, two (2) key steps in the process will be discussed: 1. Skills Identification; 2. and Job Description Analysis Skills Identification As noted earlier, writing your resume is a marketing exercise. You have to really know the product you are marketing. The skills identification process will allow you to do so. Listed below are the key steps that were earlier introduced in Module 2: Analyze and assess your education. STEP 1 Revisit your course work; for example, course outlines, notes, key projects you ve been involved, and a large scale of research papers. They need to be relevant. STEP 2 Analyze and assess your work and volunteer experiences. This involves community engagement, extracurricular activities, paid work, and leadership roles in key organizations. 7

8 Link skill sets from these areas into field specific job descriptions. STEP 3 The final step is about tying it all together. Based on your analysis in steps 1 and 2, make decisions about what's most relevant given a specific job description. In order to do step 3 successfully, you need to know the specifics of what a job description entails. Job Description Analysis In addition to knowing what you have to offer, you also need to be familiar with what employers in your field are seeking. For this reason, you must be able to develop the skill of being able to analyze a job description to determine an employer's needs since the job description is the window into their expectations about required skills and experiences. Below is a step-by-step process of how to analyze a job description: Step 1: Print the job description and use a highlighter to dissect it. Step 2: Verify how your skills match the skills and qualifications that the company is seeking. Look to answer questions like: What are the specific duties of the position? What are the critical tasks and key result areas of the position? What are the key methods and/or processes used to perform the specific tasks listed in the description? What are the job specific outcomes for which the person appointed will be held accountable and evaluated on? (or) What is the mix between technical skills (such as programming or lab skills) and soft skills (such as teamwork skills and communication skills)? 8

9 Finally you could have questions addressing behaviours, skills, knowledge, and experience. For example, your education, prior experience, personal qualities, and so on. These requirements are often presented in order of relevance to the position; therefore, you should always present the skills listed in your resume in order of relevance. Step 3: Write down your responses to these questions (above) noting the key skills listed on the job description. Step 4: Highlight examples from your current experiences that correspond to these skills. Step 5: Ensure that each of your skills is prominently or strategically within job-search materials such as your resume and/or cover letter. This is achieved by ensuring that the most important requirements are listed in order of preference outlined by the employer *** Having now understood the purpose of a resume and ways in which to identify your skills and analyze a job description, it's time to establish the criteria you will use in deciding how you will present such information to an employer by exploring two (2) types of resumes. Types of Resumes There are various types of resumes. However for purposes of this course, we'll look at two (2) types: 1. A chronological resume; and 2. A combined skills based resume. 9

10 Resume Type Description and Use Chronological Resume Excellent if you have direct work related experience and markets continuity and increasing responsibility in your employment history. Example: If you have been working in the service industry, such as retail or food and beverage, for the last three (3) years and you are applying for a job in the service sector, you would use a chronological resume because it shows your direct work related experience and markets continuity and increasing responsibility in your employment history. However, if you have been working in the service industry for the past three (3) years and are looking for a position in marketing, you would not use a chronological resume because a chronological resume would not adequately show your marketing skills. Combined Skills Based Resume Focuses mainly on your qualifications, experiences and accomplishments which are grouped together according to areas of skill, rather than tied to specific positions and dates. Emphasis is placed on what you've achieved and not where and when you achieved it. The idea is to highlight your skills in particular areas that are relevant to the position sought. So in the case of the student seeking a position in marketing and has three (3) years of experience in the service sector, he or she would use a combined skills based resume since in this type of resume, the student would be able to showcase his or her communication skills and indirect marketing experience. Chronological Resume A chronological resume demonstrates your skill development and expansion as well as career progress. It showcases your skills and abilities by organizing your information by date, beginning with your most recent educational degree, work experience, or extracurricular activities and works backwards to your least current work experience 10

11 Because the chronological resume emphasizes your duties, skills and accomplishments under each job title, this type of resume is best for marketing students who have a solid work history that is related to the coop position they are seeking. We therefore advise that this type of resume be used by students who have had a relevant work history or at least one (1) co-op work term. The following information will briefly introduce you to the various sections that are present in a chronological resume: A co-op chronological resume template can be accessed from the Resources tab in Module 3 (on culearn). Real resume examples will be shown in the mandatory seminars. Please see the course outline for more information. The first sections of the chronological resume consist of: Contact Information Education and Program Information Availability These sections are also present in a combined skills based resume. 11

12 The "Highlights of Qualification and Skills Profile" section is unique to a chronological resume in the sense that it is a collection of skills from a variety of areas that are brought together. For example, this collection of skills could include technical skills, language skills, research skills, leadership skills, communication skills, etc. In a chronological resume, thematically, these skills are not linked. You will not find this in a combined skills based resume since a combined skills based resume is based on the principle that all the skills that are grouped together are thematically related. So you would have all your communication skills grouped together, all your leadership skills grouped together, and so on. On a chronological resume, in the qualification and skills profile, it is simply a collection of skills from a variety of areas. Another key distinction of the chronological resume can be found in the "Work Experience" section. In this section, previous and current work positions are listed in reverse chronological order. Also in this section are all the descriptions of the duties and responsibilities performed in each position. In a chronological resume, this is the section that will be important in selling the concept that you are the right person for the job. Therefore, the "Work Experience" section will have a lot more content than it would on a combined skills based resume. Additional sections in a chronological resume include: Applied Projects/Work Related Experience; Volunteer Experience; and Extra-Curricular Activities 12

13 Combined Skills Based Resume A combined skills based resume focuses on specific skills you possess and particular aspects of your experiences that are most transferable to the job you are seeking. This type of resume is especially useful for those without a lot of professional work experience. A Note for Commerce Students: Based on feedback from co-op employers all Commerce students are encouraged to use a chronological resume as opposed to the combined skills-based resume that will be highlighted on the following slides. The following information will provide more details about the structure and sections of a combined skills based resume. A co-op combined skills based resume template can be accessed from the Resources tab in Module 3 (on culearn). Real resume examples will be shown in the mandatory seminars. Please see the course outline for more information. Section 1: Contact Information Name Address City, Province, Postal Code Phone Number, Work Appropriate Professional Website (if applicable) 13

14 The first section is "Contact Information". In this section, you will need to include your full name. Please ensure that your name stands out and that it is 2-4 points larger than the body of your resume. For example, if your resume is in 12 point font, you would have your name in point font. In addition to your name, you would also need to also include your address which could either be your permanent address (e.g. where your parents reside) or your current address. Following your address, you should include your phone number. Please ensure that you include the correct phone number. You don't want to miss out on any opportunities because of an incorrect phone number. Another important requirement is your address. It is essential that the address that is on your resume is appropriate and professional and should elude to your first and last name in some way. For example, Avoid addresses that are controversial or racy, such as or Although these statements might be factual, these facts are extraneous to your application and should always be omitted. It is important that your contact information be nicely formatted and fairly distinct from the rest of your resume. You can achieve this by centering this information 14

15 Section 2: Objective/Summary (Optional) The next section is the "Objective" or "Summary" section. If you do decide to write this section, you should be aware that writing a summary or an objective is an opportunity to highlight the contributions that you can make to the employer. Focus on what you can do for them rather than what you hope to gain from the position. For example, don't write a statement like "Seeking a co-op job where I can gain experience in engineering." Focus on what you can do for them. A good example would be: "To utilize my academic background in civil engineering, management, knowledge of planning, design, construction, maintenance of buildings, project management, laboratory experience, and advanced computer methods to execute the role of Civil Engineer and Municipal Manager at Genivar." This objective clearly uses relevant examples to explain why the student's academic background, employment experience, skills and personal goals would make him or her an excellent candidate. When writing a summary or objective, avoid beginning any sentence with "I". Furthermore, the summary should be customized for a particular position. Therefore, this section might be inappropriate for a generic or a default resume that could be used for a variety of purposes. 15

16 Section 3: Education Title of Degree, Stream, Co-op Option 20xx Present Carleton University, City Province Current year standing CGPA on a 12.0 scale, and the corresponding letter grade Awards and scholarships Expected graduation date The "Education" section should first include a proper degree name and a stream or concentration, if relevant. A "proper" degree name is emphasized because it s not the name you think your degree should be called but rather what your degree is actually called. Rather than saying that you have a "Bachelor of Law", you would say that you have a "Bachelor of Arts, Law. So it is important that you check your academic records to determine your proper degree name. You would also need to provide information about the name of the institution (in this case, Carleton University), the city, and the province. If you attended another post-secondary institution, you should also include that information here in reverse chronological order. Next, you should indicate the dates in which you attended these institutions and your expected date of graduation. Another key requirement for co-op resumes is to include your CGPA which is your cumulative grade point average measured on a 12 point scale. You may also include any awards or scholarships; for example, if you are on the Dean's List. You need not put any course information here since you are attaching a grades page. This grades page will provide employers with any additional information required about the courses you ve taken to date. More information about the grades page will be provided. 16

17 Under the "Education" section, do not include that you attended high school. It is understood that you attended high school based on the fact that you are currently pursuing your undergraduate degree. This is not to suggest that you cannot include your experiences acquired in high school in other parts of your resume, such as your work experience; however, indicating that you obtained a high school diploma is not necessary for your "Education" section. Section 4: Availability In the "Availability" section, you should state if you are available for 4, 8, 12 or 16 months including the month and year that you are available. This should be based on your predetermined work-study patterns as discussed in Module 1. Section 5: Relevant Skills / Experience and Accomplishments Sample Guidelines Technical Skills Proficient in several computer languages including Working knowledge of the following operating systems Communication Skills Clearly presented Successfully wrote a research paper on resulting in 17

18 In the "Relevant Skills" section, you should provide detailed information about your work experiences and accomplishments. In a chronological resume, you are expected to highlight your skills and qualifications which are basically a collection of skills that come from a variety of areas. However in a skills based resume, you are providing descriptions of your skills and abilities. This section allows you to use subtitles to divide your experiences into skill sets. To determine what skills to highlight, consider what the employer needs for the position you are seeking. As noted, this section is very important if you don't have a great deal of relevant work experience as it allows you to draw on your academic, volunteer and relevant work experiences. The skills that you use for this section should be based on your academic background and experience to date. Some examples may include: accounting skills; technical and engineering skills; architectural and design skills; policy analysis skills; and scientific and laboratory skills. 18

19 Section 6: Work Experience Title of Position Start Date End Date Name of Company/Organization City, Province Begin your statements with action words (e.g. developed, delivered, researched, conducted, computed, designed, etc.) If you are currently doing the job, use present tense action verbs (e.g. conduct presentations) If the job listed was done in the past, use past tense action verbs (conducted presentations) In the "Work Experience" section, you should list previous or current positions in reverse chronological order. That is, the most recent information should come first and the least current information should come last. You may list the duties you performed in these positions, but the majority of your relevant skills and experiences should be included in the "Relevant Skills" section under the respective categories. If these listed skills and experiences aren't relevant to any of your category but are still pertinent to your profile as a job seeker, you can include them under the "Work Experience" section. You should not repeat the information in both sections. It is also important that you include your job title, place of employment, geographic location and related dates. Use complete accomplishment based statements. Do not simply list your duties and skills. You need not use periods on these statements as they are not proper sentences. Always begin your accomplishment based statements with action words such as: developed, delivered, conducted, contacted, constructed, assembled, computed, recruited, designed, installed, and so on. If you are currently doing the job, use present tense action verbs. However if the job that you listed is in the past, you would use past tense action verbs. For a more comprehensive list of action verbs, please visit the Resources tab 19

20 in Module 3 (on culearn). What's most important in this section is the way you articulate your experiences. More information about accomplishment based statements will be provided. Section 7: Volunteer Experience (Optional) Title of Position 200x Present Name of Company/Organization City, Province Should be omitted if content is not relevant You may include your volunteer work under the Extracurricular Activities section The next section that may be included is the "Volunteer Experience" section. This section should be omitted if the content is not relevant. That is, if you have no volunteer experience. You may also include your volunteer work under the "Extracurricular Activities" section. Follow the guideline used for outlining your "Work Experience", include your job title, the dates that you volunteered, the name of the company or organization you volunteered for, the city, and the province. Underneath this information, you should also clearly indicate what roles and responsibilities you took on in you volunteer roles in a similar fashion as was outlined in the "Work Experience" section. 20

21 Section 8: Applied Projects The next section would be the "Applied Projects" section. In this section, you will include projects that you have been a part of. These are projects that would be completed throughout your studies. The goal is to show how the transferable skills from these projects would be applicable to a professional work environment. Remember to make the layouts similar to your work and volunteer experience. You should include a project title, a position title, a description of the project, and a description of responsibilities or skills used during this project. You might include the responses to questions such as, "Did you work as part of a group to execute this project?" Here, you would assign yourself a job title, especially if it was a group project. Were you a team lead? Were you a Lead Developer? Were you a Proposal Writer? You can use a title to indicate the role that you occupied if this was a group project. You can provide a brief description of the scope of the project outlining your tasks and responsibilities in 2-3 lines phrased as accomplishment based statements. Indicate: what you did; which methodologies did you implement; what was the desired outcome of this project. Did you reach your goal? Did you improve efficiency? Did you help guide the team throughout the problem? You may also place details about your relevant applied projects under the 21

22 "Relevant Skills" section. It is strongly encouraged that all students who have had project experience should include this section. This is particularly true for students in Engineering and Design, Architecture, Computer Science, and Business. However, all students who have had project experience may include these sections. The programs outlined, however, tend to include more project experience as part of the academic degree. Section 9: Extracurricular Activities (Optional) The final section would be the "Extracurricular Activities" section. Extracurricular activities can include current volunteer work, sports activities, hobbies, clubs, group memberships, and so on. For example, students can include their student memberships and professional associations such as the CIPS, the IEEE, and the Commerce Society. Try to avoid listing activities from high school as the list needs to be fairly current so an employer can see that you have been active in conjunction with your current academic studies. This is not to say that you can't include information from high school in your resume at all. It is to say that you can not and should not be including information related to your extracurricular activities from high school. So you can include work experience that you acquired in high school, but both the "Education" and the "Extracurricular Activities" sections should not include such information. Record of Grades One of the most unique features of the co-op resume is the third page (or the second page if you have a 1 page resume) which is called the "Record of Grades" or the "Grades Page". Along with your resume, all students must submit a "Record of Grades" to the employer during the job search process. 22

23 The "Grades Page" acts as an unofficial transcript for co-op employers thus you are not required to scan an original transcript. This page also acts as a window into some of the courses you have taken. It lists the courses you have completed, grades obtained, and the courses you are currently taking. Do not, however, include courses you plan to take. For example, if you are enrolled in the fall term, do not include your 1/2 credit winter term courses - as they are not currently in progress. Only Carleton University courses and courses for which transfer credit was granted, upon admission to Carleton University, should be listed in this document. A Grades Page template can be accessed from the Resources tab in Module 3 (on culearn). 23

24 Program Information 1 Student Name: Carleton University Degree Program (full name) Degree Stream (if applicable) The first piece of information to include on the "Grades 24

25 Page" is your name followed by the name of the university you are enrolled in (in this case, Carleton University). You also need to provide the program you are enrolled in along with the stream if applicable. Academic Information Cumulative Grade Point Average: /12 Number of Academic (4 month) Terms Completed: Co-op (4 month) Work Terms Completed: Graduation Date: 2 The next component of the "Grades Page" is the "Academic Information" section. In the "Academic Information" section, you have four subsections. First is the "Cumulative Grade Point Average". This is your CGPA as listed on your official transcript on a 12 point scale. This information can be obtained from your audit using Carleton Central. If however you are a transfer student and do not currently have a CGPA, you may omit this section and integrate your CGPA once it becomes available. For more information about CGPA calculation, please visit the following link: 25

26 Second is the "Number of Academic Terms Completed". This is the number of four (4) month academic terms you have completed while enrolled at Carleton. Third is the number of "Co-op Work Terms Completed". This is the number of four (4) month work terms completed to date. For students enrolled in COOP1000, the number of terms will be zero (0) since many of you have yet to complete a work term. In rare instances, this number will be one (1). Fourth is the expected "Graduation Date". This is your graduation date and should take into account any additional time that is required to complete your degree based on the fact that you are currently enrolled in co-op. Course Chart The course chart has three columns. 3 Column one is the Course Number. This column indicates the course number as listed in the Carleton Calendar. Column two is the Course Name. This column indicates the course name as listed in the Carleton Calendar. Column three is the Letter Grade. This column indicates the letter grade you received upon completion of the course. If, however, the course is still in progress, you may simply indicate In Progress in the letter grade column. 26

27 Transferred Credits Let's look more closely at how to address transferred credits in your course chart. When filling in rows from transferred courses, the first four (4) characters should belong to the field of study and the digits should be replaced with four (4) Xs. 4 If this is a course for which transfer credit was granted, please indicate the course number as it appears on your official transcript; for example, SOCIXXXX. In instances of transfer credit, a course number is not listed since the transfer credit might not have an exact equivalent at Carleton. If this is a course for which transfer credit was granted, you should state the name of the course as it was listed in the academic calendar at the previous institution. If the course is a transfer credit from another institution, you should indicate "TR" in the letter grade column. Do not include the grade you received at the other institution. 27

28 Current Year 5 For courses you are currently taking, your letter grade in the third column should be marked as "In Progress". If the course is still in progress and a final grade is not received, simply indicate "In Progress" in the final column. Do not indicate the courses you plan to take but rather only those in which you are currently enrolled. Accomplishment Statements Research shows that job seekers who develop accomplishment statements and use them almost always find work faster than those who don't. These results are not only the outcomes of the statements themselves but because the thought process that one goes through to effectively develop these statements helps them to become more marketable. Accomplishment statements are also referred to as PAR statements in which PAR stands for Problem, Action, and Result. Accomplishment or PAR statements help you identify the tangible skills you have to offer to an employer and link these skills and accomplishments to concrete examples. They provide a guideline for quantifying and presenting your experiences using "resume writing language". They also help you develop clear examples of how you have made a difference to an employer. Now that you have a sense of why PAR statements are important, here are a few questions to help your thought process and the development of your own PAR statements: 28

29 What Problem did you solve for the employer? (or) What Project(s) were you working on? What Action did you take to resolve the problem or deal with the project or situation? What were the Results and outcomes of your actions? The responses to these questions can be expressed in a variety of ways. Although you will often see results or outcomes that include numbers, that is not the only way they can be expressed. Accomplishment statements incorporate quantitative details and examples from your work experience to highlight the skills you ve used and gained. It is important that you avoid using the words "I" or "me". Also, do not include periods at the end of an accomplishment statement as they are not true sentences. Rather than using statements like "responsible for" or "duties included", begin your statements with action phrases. These statements do not have to be based on past paid work experiences. If you have limited experience, focus on skills obtained through extracurricular and volunteer activities and academic projects. In the following information, you will be introduced to basic steps on how to create accomplishment statements. Four Steps to Creating Accomplishment Statements Scenario This scenario will help you to gain a better understanding of how to create accomplishment statements. In this scenario, we have Stacey who has been working for the largest painting company in Canada for the past three years. 29

30 As painter and team leader, she has partaken in numerous interior painting projects for residential and commercial buildings. Stacey wants to update her resume to include descriptions of her work experience and skills acquired as a painter for the company. Stacey must develop PAR statements. As noted earlier, here are questions that will help Stacey to develop each PAR statement. What Problem did you solve for your employer? What Action did you take to resolve the problem? (and) What were the Results of your actions? To address these questions, Stacey would need to follow 4 (four) key steps. Step 1 The first step is to write down, in simple terms, the duties and responsibilities that you ve had in a given position. In Stacey's case, she would write: "Painted the interior of buildings." Step 2 The second step is to add details describing the nature of the employer or the work environment. Consider what was the purpose of your role or responsibilities and why was what you did important. In Stacey's case, she would elaborate more on her responsibilities and write: "Painted the interior of residential and commercial buildings for the largest painting company in Canada while ensuring that projects were completed on time." Step 3 The third step is to add quantitative details and professional terms, when possible, to expand on your experiences. What were you really proud of accomplishing? 30

31 Be sure to focus on how you did the job cheaper, faster, and (or) better than what was expected of you. Here, Stacey would write: "Acting as Team Leader, painted the interior of residential and commercial buildings for the largest painting company in Canada while ensuring that projects were completed on time, 63% of projects were completed under-budget." Step 4 The fourth and final step is to add phrases that contain transferable skills to demonstrate how you met or exceeded expectations to provide prospective employers with insight into your soft skills. This step is optional but you should try to have at least one per position. Here, Stacey could finally write: "Acting as Team Leader, painted the interior of residential and commercial buildings for the largest painting company in Canada while ensuring that projects were completed on time; exhibiting strong leadership skills and a commitment to team work, 63% of projects were completed under-budget." How to Write Accomplishment Statements Exercise The following exercise will test your understanding of PAR/Accomplishment Statements and how to write them. Match each word or phrase with its appropriate category. 1. primary research using personal interviews with CEOs and donors 2. Conducted 3. to understand the relationship between donors and recipients using child sponsorship programs a) P b) A c) R Based on the exercise, it is important that you begin your statements with action phrases. 31

32 Action verbs will help you phrase your statements more appropriately. Furthermore, using action phrases can help writers to avoid from being too brief and from understating their qualifications. When writing a resume, try to look at your qualifications as a professional would and use concrete words to describe your experiences. Consider the examples below and now think to yourself. Is it more impressive to say "swept the floor and cleaned tables" or "created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant"? Both statements are true, but the other highlights the goals of "sweeping the floor" and "cleaning the table". To assist you in writing accomplishment statements, a list of categorized action phrases can be found under the Resources tab in Module 3 (on culearn). 32

33 PAR Statements: Before and After In the subsequent pages, you will be provided with a few examples of Duties and Responsibilities Statements (which we definitely don't want you to do) being contrasted to PAR or Accomplishment Based Statements (which is a direction we would like you to take for your resumes). For a better understanding of the differences between these two types of statements and how they are applied, please view the examples below. Based on the examples, it is important to note that for PAR statements, you are not always integrating them into your resume for every single bullet. However, for the ones that you deem to be the most appropriate or the skill that you are trying to highlight the most, PAR statements should be a central component. 33

34 Example 1 In the first example, for duties and responsibilities, we have: "Dealt with administrative duties: answering phones and customers' inquiries". That is more of a Duties and Responsibilities Statement. They way in which you would transform that statement would be to write: "Provided quality support in a fast paced environment for all office staff and responded to client inquiries via and telephone with accuracy and promptness". This is more of an Accomplishment Based Statement. In Example 1, the quality of how this individual does their work is highlighted such as the kind of support provided, the nature of the working environment, who he or she is servicing, and the methods used. 34

35 Example 2 In the second example, the duties and responsibilities are: "Supervised and trained new staff". In the accomplishment based version of this statement, it would state: "Independently developed and implemented a new training plan that introduced over 100 new employees to company policies, job responsibilities and effective sales tactics". In Example 2, how the individual did his or her job was emphasized. He or she worked independently and the scope of the work centered on a new project and over 100 employees. In this example, the individual has also integrated the teaching of sales and strategies which would mean that he or she has sales experience. 35

36 Now that you have a sense of how to structure the content of your resume, let's now explore a few key principles for layout, structure and content. Layout and Structure For the layout and structure of your resume, it is important that you first left justify the content of your resume so that there's a balance of white and black space. Do not fully justify as this will create odd spacing. Also important is the use of consistent font. You are required to use only one plain font. You may use two (2) types of fonts if it's strategically done to emphasize sections like your major headings. Examples of such fonts would include Arial, Verdana, Cambria, Calibri, and Times New Roman. These fonts should be no smaller than 11 points and no larger than 12 points. You should also make sure to include page numbers as well as your name on the second and third pages of your resume by using the header and footer tools. In the event that your pages become separated from each other during the screening process, the employer will be able to readily reassemble your pages. Using a bulleted style under your major headings will ensure that your resume is reader-friendly and employers can quickly decipher through content. Be sure to format each section similarly to help the employer process your information more easily. An example would be to line up all the dates that are presented on your resume. Resumes must always be well formatted and have a polished, professional look. Consider the margins, white space, underlining, indentation, use of italics, use of bold, use of capitalization, font types, and font sizes. For co-op resumes, you are required to have a maximum of 3 pages including your "Record of Grades". The first two pages are devoted to the content of your resume and the third page is devoted to your "Record of Grades". 36

37 A last and final key point is that unless a bulleted point is a complete sentence, a period is unnecessary. The majority of statements on your resume will not be full sentences. Therefore, for your PAR statements, periods are not required because they are not full sentences. For more information about the layout, structure, and presentation of a professional resume, please visit the Resources tab in Module 3 (on culearn). Now that you have a better understanding of the layout and structural requirements, let's move on to some general principles about the content of your resume. Content Regarding the content of your resume, you should never use personal pronouns, such as I, my, me, or myself. It is understood that it is your resume, so there is no need to use such pronouns. It is important that you remove information pertaining to your high school education from your resume. Once again, this is not to indicate that you cannot include information on your resume about the work experiences or volunteer experiences that you acquired while in high school. However in the "Education" section of your resume, there is no need to include that you obtained a high school diploma. Simply include your post-secondary education. You need to include all degrees, diplomas, and certificates attained at the post-secondary level. Do so in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent post-secondary education. Only include information on your resume that can be used as a basis of hiring you and omit any other kinds of information. Information that should be omitted includes your height, weight, age, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or race, health status, or a photograph. These pieces of information cannot be used as a basis of either including or excluding you from the hiring process - according to the Human Rights 37

38 Code of Canada. Because they are irrelevant pieces of information, you need to exclude them from your resume. Another important point is to be made to references. Referral to references is not necessary. It is implied that if employers need references, they will request them. This information is not relevant until the interview stage of the process. Therefore, you can omit such information from your resume. The final and most important point is that your resume must be proofread and free of all typographical and grammatical errors. Employers do not want to read resumes that are riddled with mistakes. So you want to ensure that your resume is free of such problems. If proofreading is not your strength, find someone who is skilled in this area to assist you. For more information on the content requirements on how to present a professional resume, please go to the Resources tab in Module 3 (on culearn). 38

39 3. Cover Letter Introduction to Cover Letter Definition So what is a cover letter? A cover letter is a highly personalized letter that clearly indicates your suitability for a particular position. It creates an individual stamp for you as a potential job seeker and provides evidence of your qualifications. Although other students are in similar programs, each student needs to show his or her unique stamp. A cover letter should never simply copy another cover letter. Job applicants should think about what makes them qualified for the position they are seeking, and they should stress these qualifications through these letters. Requirements In regards to requirements, a cover letter should introduce the most important highlights of your resume or elaborate on the information in your resume. Often times, however, students don't want to be repetitive. You can always take select pieces of information from your resume and elaborate on them in a more detailed and personalized manner. Like your resume, your cover letter should be free of errors and no longer than one page. It should demonstrate both your qualifications and interests in that particular position or employer. Now that you have a general understanding of what a cover letter is, let us take a closer look at its layout and structure. 39

40 How to Write a Cover Letter The cover letter creates your first impression with a potential employer and shares your interest in the position. In addition, a cover letter should not be a regurgitation of your resume but rather a highlight of relevant aspects of your resume. A well-written cover letter may get you an interview, or at least invite an employer to peruse your resume. The trick to writing an effective cover letter is to understand what the employer is looking for before you begin writing. By carefully analyzing the employer's job posting, you can determine the tasks desired and the skills required and focus on these in your cover letter. You should create a unique cover letter for each position to which you apply. Let us now take a closer look at the mechanics of writing a cover letter. The following information will provide a few concrete tips and strategies to use when writing your cover letter. A sample cover letter can be accessed from the Resources tab in Module 3 (on culearn). 1. Return Address Name Address City, Province, Postal Code 40

41 Since the cover letter is a standard cover letter writing format, the first thing you should include is your name and address. The address should be where you would like a reply sent. 2. Date of Application Day of week (optional) Month Date Year After your address, the next step is to include the date of your application. It should be structured as month, day, and year. You also have the option of including the day of the week that corresponds with the date on which the application was submitted. 3. Employer s Contact Name of Employer/Company Address City, Province, Postal Code If available, include the name and contact information of the employer. For co-op cover letters, if the name is not known, simply include the company name and address. If the address is not available but you know the name and/or location of the company, the contact details should be readily available with a quick Google search. Including the employer's contact information in your cover letter will allow you to personalize your application in a more professional manner. 41

42 4. Re: Competition (File Number) Re: Position title Competition number (if available) In this section of the cover letter, include Re: and the position title to which your application pertains. If a competition number is available, please include that beside your job title. There are times when a company has more than one (1) job posted and this can help them distill which application pertains to which position. 5. Salutation The next step is to include a salutation. It is important that you use an appropriate salutation, such as "Dear". Pay attention to the correct spelling of the person's name. One of the biggest mistakes that will get your job application ruled out of the competition is spelling an employer's name incorrectly. This is an insult to the employer and shows no attention to detail. Please ensure that you review and check these details. For co-op cover letters, if the name is not known, you may simply include "Dear Recruiter" or "Dear Hiring Manager". However, if you know the name of the employer, please include this in your salutation. 42

43 6. Opening Paragraph The next section is the opening paragraph. The first paragraph should contain four (4) key pieces of information. You should: 1. state why you are writing; 2. specify the position or type of work for which you are applying; 3. mention how you heard about the opening as this is of great interest to the employer; and If for example you attended a networking event, state the name of the event and who you met. If you heard about the position through a networking opportunity, please indicate that as well. For many of the positions to which you are applying, you would have found out about them through the co-op system. In this case, you would write that you found out about them on MyCareer, Co-op and Career Services at Carleton University. 4. briefly state why you would be a good candidate for the position given your education, interests or experiences. You should not go into much detail here but rather state a very brief summary of your profile and what makes you eligible. 43