Resume and Cover Letter Workshop 9.28.16

CAREER CENTRE | 214 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 2Z9 | www.careers.utoronto.ca© 2012 Career Centre, University of Toronto

Write Your Résumé & Cover Letter

CAREERCENTRE | 214 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 2Z9 | www.careers.utoronto.ca

CAREER CENTRE | 214 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 2Z9 | www.careers.utoronto.ca

Introductions

• Pick a partner at your table and introduce yourself with:• Your Name• Why you are writing a

résumé & cover letter• What do you hope to get

out of today’s workshop?



What is a Résumé?



Today’s Objective

• Learn how to write a professional résumé and cover letter that strategically markets your skills and experience to a potential employer



AgendaToday you’ll learn how to: Connect your skills to a job posting

through your résumé Demonstrate to a potential employer

that you understand the job you are applying to, and that you are an excellent fit

Describe how your past experiences and accomplishments have prepared you for the job you are applying to

Apply what you’ve learned



AgendaConnect your skills to a job posting Résumé Pre-writing

Research Your Job Posting• Identify Key Transferrable Skills• Identify Industry-Specific LanguageMap Key Skills to your Résumé

Show that you are an excellent fit What is “Highlights of Qualifications”?• Jayani’s Highlights of Qualifications

(HoQ)Drafting Your Own HoQ

Describe your experiences Accomplishment Statements• Types of Accomplishment StatementsDeveloping Accomplishment StatementsCover Letter Purpose• Format & Structure

Apply what you’ve learned To ReviewNext Steps



Résumé Pre-writing

Think about the résumé you brought with you How did you decide the information to include or

exclude? What steps did you take to prepare to write?

Typical sections on the resume Highlights of Qualifications/Profile Education Experience Sections – Work, Volunteering, Relevant

Projects Additional skills/Awards/Interests

Steps to take Research the job posting Mapping key skills on your resume



Research the Job Posting

Research your job posting to identify key transferable skills ‘What skills are the employers

seeking?’ Research your job posting to identify

and familiarize yourself with industry-specific language and terminology.



Research the Job Posting

Review the job posting you brought and ask yourself: ‘What skills are the employers seeking?’ How do you know which of these skills

are the most important to the employer? Frequency of reference, order,

wording, read between the lines, researching the company, and knowledge of the job/industry

Which of these skills do you have?



Mapping Key Skills On Your Resume

Are these skills and terminologies demonstrated on your résumé? What have you included on your resume

that does not align with the skills you identified

Can they be reframed so that they do align with the skills the employer is seeking or should it be replaced with something more relevant to the employer?



Mapping Key Skills On Your Resume

Required Skill Your Experience



What is the ‘Highlights of Qualifications’ (HoQ)? In 3 to 5 bullet points, HoQ informs a

potential employer of the skills and experience you have that are relevant to the position you are applying to Replaces ‘Objectives’ header Tailor your Highlights of Qualifications

section to each job you apply to All additional information in your

résumé should build on your ‘Highlights of Qualifications’ section



What is the ‘Highlights of Qualifications’ (HoQ)?



Jayani’s HoQ



Jayani’s HoQ

Required Skill Jayani’s Experience

Leadership AFCY, University of Toronto Hart House Art Committee, AGO

Camp programming AFCY, AGO

Working with children AFCY, AGO



Jayani’s HoQ

2 years experience working with children in delivering arts-based education

Passionate about contemporary art and art history, with a desire to share my knowledge with others

Demonstrated skill in developing and leading creative camp activities



Drafting Your Own HoQ

What key skills and experiences did you highlight in the job posting?

Think about your knowledge, skills, traits and experiences that would support your success in the job.

Draft 1-2 Highlights of Qualifications based on these reasons



Accomplishment Statements: What, Why & How What are accomplishment

statements? Bullet points describing your experiences

Why write accomplishment statements?ActionVerb

WhatYou Did

Purpose/Impact



Types of Accomplishment Statements Qualitative:

Designed a web-based, interactive manual that is currently in use by residence dons across the University of Toronto

Quantitative: Sold tickets for 50/50 raffle draws at

Varsity football games, raising $2000 over the season to allow for the purchase of 30 team jerseys



Developing Accomplishment Statements Together Share a statement from your résumé

that you would like to work through as a group

Now we’ll identify: The action verb The action described The impact of the action



Develop Accomplishment Statements Develop 2-3 accomplishment

statements using statements on your résumé Quantify your work, whenever possible Include keywords from the job posting Use the formula:

ActionVerb

WhatYou Did

Result/Impact



Cover Letter Purpose

What purpose do you think the cover letter serves?

When should a cover letter be included?



Format and Structure

Business Letter Header: Same as resume Date: Top left Salutation Introduction/Opening

Paragraph: Middle Paragraphs (either 1

or 2) Conclusions/Final Paragraph Express your interest for the

role Close professionally



Introduction/Opening Paragraph

Opening paragraph example:

What/Where

Summary of skills/experien

ce

Interest

I am writing in regard to your posting of ‘Professional Year Experience Intern, Engineering’ posted on the University of Toronto’s Engineering Career Centre website. I have had the opportunity to hone skills on hands-on biomedical engineering, and I am seeking an opportunity to apply these skills to solving real-world issues. I am eager to participate in Procter and Gamble’s internship program, through which I would gain an opportunity to work towards solving business issues on a multifunctional team.



Conclusion/Closing Paragraph

Closing paragraph example:

Thank Employer

Discuss Next Steps

Thank you for taking the time to review my application. If you would like to further discuss my fit for this role in an interview, please do not hesitate to contact me at 416 987-6543.



Middle Paragraphs: The Cover Letter’s Accomplishment Statements

Two types of middle paragraphs Skills-based or Experience-based

When writing a middle paragraph DO: Add new descriptive information that

adds to the information on your résumé Ensure each paragraph includes an

accomplishment (preferably quantitative)

End each paragraph by relating to the organization or job you are applying to



Middle Paragraphs: The Cover Letter’s Accomplishment Statements

Two types of middle paragraphs Skills-based or Experience-based



Skill-Based Middle Paragraph

Skill-based example, demonstrating skill in “art education facilitation”:

Accomplishment Statement

Added Information

Relation to Your Job

Application

Over the past 2 years, I have developed skills in facilitating arts-based educational activities. I have assisted in classroom management by guiding groups of learners ages 5 to 10 in completing camp activities. I am excited by the opportunity to apply my skills at the Harbourfront Centre, while continuing to develop my classroom management skills.



Experience-Based Middle Paragraph Experience-based example, focusing

on demonstrating “research reporting”:

Accomplishment Statement

Added Information

Relation to Your Job

Application

During my ROPs placement, I worked with a research team of 5 scientists. I observed and recorded the results of 10 tests daily on average. To end each day, I wrote a report summarizing the day’s results, and briefed the professor overseeing the experiment. As an intern at MaRS, I will apply my research reporting skill to assisting scientists perform ground-breaking research.



Next Steps: On Your Own

Edit your résumé and cover letter Ask a friend to review spelling, grammar,

and the sentence flow in your cover letter

Learn about the standards in your industry: Review resumes written by recent grads

in your field; compare them against the layout and content of your own resume

Ask a network contact in your chosen industry to review your resume and cover letter and provide feedback



Next Steps: On Campus

Book a one-on-one appointment with a Career Peer Advisor: Have your résumé and cover letter

reviewed Learn more about resources available at

the Career Centre Attend another workshop For help with sentence flow, visit

your college’s writing center or SGS ELWS



Today You Learned To…Connect your skills to a job posting

through your résuméRésumé Pre-writingIdentify Key Transferable Skills• Identify Key Transferrable Skills• Identify Industry-Specific

LanguageMap Key Skills to your Resume

Demonstrate to a potential employer that you understand the job you are applying to, and that

you are an excellent fit

What is “Highlights of Qualifications”?Case StudyHighlights of Qualifications“Why Should we interview you?”

Describe how your past experiences and accomplishments have prepared you for the job you

are applying to

Accomplishment StatementsTypes of Accomplishment StatementsDeveloping Accomplishment Statements

Resume and Cover Letter Workshop 9.28.16

Documents

Transcript of Resume and Cover Letter Workshop 9.28.16