Post on 29-Dec-2015
Building Your Resume
By
Student WorkForce Readiness Project
PHRMA/SWHRMA
Class Objectives
Understand the purpose of a resume– Product v. History
Understand how employers read resumes– Scanning v. Reading
Understand how to build a resume– Do’s v. Don’ts
Understand how to target a resume based on specific employer needs
Why Do Employers Want a Resume?
Each job has different requirements When skills match requirements, Recruiters
& Hiring Managers pay attention Demonstrates a higher degree of interest
and professionalism Links your Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
(KSA’s) and business’s needs.
Your Resume Is a Marketing Tool And You Are The Product!! Your experience and skills have value…
your salary!! Do you know your value? Budgets are tight and $$ can’t be wasted Employers search for the “Best Candidate” “What can you do for us?” “Can we get “added value” by hiring you?
Your Resume Is a Marketing Tool And You Are The Product!!
Your resume(s) should:– Grab attention of recruiters, hiring managers
who are involved in the selection process– Highlight why you are the best candidate– Accurately market your Knowledge, Skills and
Abilities (KSA’s)– Show information that will “rule you in”, not
“screen you out.”– Be visually easy to read and understand
Types of Resumes
Chronological (70%)– Most widely used – Emphasizes actual work history– Highlights “things”, e.g., title, company, skills,
duties, accomplishments– Best format for getting a job in something
you’ve done before– Focuses on actual experience and
accomplishments
Types of Resumes
Functional (30%)– Emphasizes skills and knowledge not directly
linked to a particular job or experience– De-emphasizes chronology, gaps of time– Focuses on similar functions or skills, across
different industries or jobs– Effective when beginning or changing careers
Types of Resumes
Targeted– Blends Chronological and Functional format– Focuses on a clear, specific job target– Matches the job target with your own job goal– Lists skills and supporting accomplishments
directly related to specific job target
Targeted Resume
Do– Begin with a specific
job target or objective
– Use specific industry terminology
– Include relevant education/training
– Include volunteer/paid experience related to targeted job
Don’t– Overdo the use of
industry terms– Indicate abilities that
aren’t credible based upon your background
– Focus on areas that are not relevant
– Emphasize dates of employment unless experience is recent and relevant to job target.
Targeted Resume
Advantages– Employers understand
what you want to do
– Employers can understand how your total experience make you a good candidate
– You can customize and emphasize your capabilities
Disadvantages– When you prefer to use
one resume for several applications
– When you are not clear about how your capabilities match to the job target
– When your experience is light
How Employers Read Resumes
Scanning v. Reading– 10-20 second rule
– “Seven Word” rule
– Top to bottom, left to right, first v. second page
Key words, phrases, in order of priority1. Job Goal
2. Minimum Qualifications
3. Relevant Skills
4. Companies, Titles, Dates
Building a Resume Heading
– Name, Address, Telephone, Email– Free email accounts
Objective v. Summary Paragraph– Potential v. Experience
Professional Experience Section– Company, City State, Dates– Title– Accomplishments– Repeat for Each Company
Building a Resume, continued
Education Section Training Section Technical Skills Section Volunteer Experience Section Other Sections
– Anything that is relevant to the job you are seeking
Building a Resume, continued
Accomplishments v. Tasks– The difference is accomplishments show results
PAR Formula– P = Problem or Task
– A = Action you took
– R = Result you achieved
Example– “Actively listened and responded customer inquiries
which reduced the number of problem issues escalated to the manager and increased customer satisfaction.”
Formatting Tips
Use the same font throughout the resume Use easy to read 12 point font, e.g., New
Times Roman, Arial, etc. 1” Margins, top, bottom, sides Use bullets instead of paragraphs Use spell check and have someone
proofread Bold is ok, no underlines or italics
Targeting a Resume Exercise
Find a job advertisement of interest Read the job advertisement thoroughly Use Highlighter and mark KSA’s Make a list of key skills and requirements for the
job Check off the skills you have Write accomplishments that match what the
employer is seeking Include this information on the resume
Questions?