Interviews and Resumes

FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENTFOR HEALTHY LIVINGFOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Job Interviews

Effective Preparation

The Targeted Résumé

Fernán R. Cepero, PHRChief Human Resources OfficerYMCA OF GREATER ROCHESTER

10 Critical Truths for Job Interview Success

1.1. Careers Can Be Made or Broken in Careers Can Be Made or Broken in the Interview Processthe Interview Process

22


2. Your “Career DNA” is the Secret to 2. Your “Career DNA” is the Secret to Your ValueYour Value

33


3. There Is a Place for YouThere Is a Place for You

44


4. Employment Relationships Are Employment Relationships Are SymbioticSymbiotic

55


5. You Don’t Have to Memorize . You Don’t Have to Memorize Answers to 101+ Interview QuestionsAnswers to 101+ Interview Questions

66


6. You Can Control Your SuccessYou Can Control Your Success

77


7. You Can Control Your PerformanceYou Can Control Your Performance

88


8. You Will Be Judged on Three You Will Be Judged on Three DimensionsDimensions

99


9. Every Hiring Manager Wants One Every Hiring Manager Wants One Thing from YouThing from You

1010


10. You Can Give Them What They You Can Give Them What They WantWant

1111

Hiring for Motivational Fit

• Behavior Based InterviewsBehavior Based Interviews

1212

Demonstrating Your Value

• Employment •Mechanics•Commitment•ROI

1313

Demonstrate Your Branding

• Your Leadership Competencies – What’s In It For the company are Seeking to Work For?

• Hiring Managers Use Leadership Competencies to Develop Interview Questions

• Mine Job Descriptions and Job Postings for Competencies

1414

15

What you need to do: Practice your 30-second commercial as often as possible. Let your friends give you feedback. Remember, employers want proof that you can do the job. Your personal marketing tools will help you to showcase your skills and experience to potential employers.

Accomplishment-based Resume

Once you’ve established a plan for your job search and a target list of employers, your next step is to put together a great accomplishment-based resume. Your resume is often the first thing a potential employer sees about you and you don’t want it to be the last. The one thing that sets your resume apart from your competitors in the job search process is your accomplishments. Your resume can be full of details about your previous jobs, but without accomplishments it will blend in with hundreds like it.

What is an Accomplishment? Accomplishments – also called achievements - are different from abilities, duties or strengths. Abilities are what you can do, duties are what you have done and strengths are what you do well. Accomplishments show:

Have I: The specific actions you have taken in a particular situation The skills and abilities you used to meet a challenge The results or outcomes your achieved

The following example is a job responsibility, not an accomplishment: “Sorted mail for a large nonprofit organization.”

16

To turn this into an accomplishment, show the results and benefits: “Sorted alphabetically 200 – 300 pieces of mail daily, serving over 100 employees of a nonprofit organization.”

An accomplishment is when you do something successfully at work. If you did something or were part of something that had a positive impact at work, you accomplished something. Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible (use numbers!). Employers look for numbers to find results.

Write down Your Accomplishments. Before you start writing your resume, draw up a list of accomplishments. You won’t use the same ones in every resume, so have some in reserve for different types of positions. Don’t forget that your volunteer work and education can also be counted as accomplishments, as long as they are related to the job you want.

Review your completed “Job History Worksheet” on page 52 to jog your memory about your accomplishments and ask yourself these questions:

Accomplished more with the same or fewer resources? (How? Results?)Received awards, special recognition, etc.? (What? Why?)Increased efficiency? (How? Results?)Accomplished something for the first time? (What? Results?)Prepared original papers, reports or articles? (What? Why Important?)Managed a work group or department? (Who? How many people? Results?)Managed a budget? (How big? Results?)Identified problems others didn’t see? (What? Results?)

17

Developed a new system or procedure? (What? Results?) Been promoted or upgraded? (When? Why Important?)

Summarize Your Accomplishments.

Try the Challenge-Action Results (CAR) approach. For each accomplishment, write down your answers to the following questions:

The Challenge: What was the pre-existing problem, need or situation? The Action: What did you do about it? Be specific. You can also include any

obstacles you overcame and the skills you demonstrated. The Results: What results did you produce? Quantify the results (use

numbers!).

After answering the questions above, summarize your answers in an accomplishment statement to include in your resume. In the back of this guide are resume writing tips that will help you talk about the accomplishments and skills you have discovered during this exercise. See page 46 for more tips.

The Cover Letter

A cover letter typically goes in front of the resume to indicate the position you’re pursuing, where you heard about it and a bit of information about yourself. It is tailored to the job that you are applying for, so include the skills and experiences you have had that match the job description. Always include a cover letter, unless the job posting specifically says otherwise.

18

Composing Your Cover Letter:

In the first paragraph, tell the employer what job you are applying for and, if applicable, who referred you.In the middle section, briefly describe your skills, show how you’d use your experience in the new job and say why you’re applying. This is your chance to sell yourself! Describe a major achievement, use concrete details and cite examples. Repeat some of the keywords you see in the job posting in your cover letter (and in your resume, of course).In the last paragraph, thank the employer and provide your contact information.

Thank You Note

After your interview, sending a thank you note is always appropriate. A not or email should be sent within 24 to 48 hours to every individual with whom you interviewed. Be sure to ask for business cards in order to get proper contact information. If you’re unable to get everyone’s information, send a note to those you can and reference everyone with whom you met.

Why send a thank you note?

It shows the employer that you have good manners.It can also show your writing skills.It helps the employer remember you after the interview.It is an opportunity to restate your interest in the position and employer.You get another change to briefly review your qualifications. If you thought of something else that you may have forgotten in the interview, you can mention it in the thanks you note.

19

Below is a sample thank you note. You may also want to check out page 49 to learn more about job interviews.

Sample Thank You Note After Interview Dear Ms. Jones:

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me on (DATE) about the retail customer service position. As we discussed, I have worked in this industry for over 10 years in various positions, from sales to floor manager. I will bring strong leadership skills to your company as well as good customer services skills. One of my strengths is working well with people, especially with customers.

I am very interested in the position and in your company. Feel free to contact me at (202) 122-1234 should you have additional questions. I look forward to our next meeting.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Regards,

Jane Doe

Dear Ms. Jones:

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me on (DATE) about the retail customer service position. As we discussed, I have worked in this industry for over 10 years in various positions, from sales to floor manager. I will bring strong leadership skills to your company as well as good customer services skills. One of my strengths is working well with people, especially with customers.

I am very interested in the position and in your company. Feel free to contact me at (202) 122-1234 should you have additional questions. I look forward to our next meeting.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Regards,

Jane Doe

Ten Ways to Improve Your Resume

• Match Your Resume to the Job• Use Bulleted Style for Easy Reading• Discover Art of Lost Articles• Sell, Don’t Tell• Show Off Your Assets• Make Sure Your Words Play Well Together• Reach Out With Strength• Get Rid of the Weak Objective• Make the Connection• Edit the Unnecessary

2020

QUESTIONS

21

THANK YOU!!!

22

Interviews and Resumes

Documents

Transcript of Interviews and Resumes