Communicating Your AmeriCorps VISTA Experience on Your Resume and In Interviews Matt Formica, Career Adviser May 6, 2016

Agenda Resume –Activity 1: 8 second resume test –Activity 2: Practice writing strong bullet points Interview –Activity 3: Tell me about yourself & AmeriCorps VISTA –Activity 4: Practice a STAR response Q & A

But first… What is AmeriCorps VISTA?

Effective Resume Writing Communicates specific and relevant competencies & accomplishments Well organized, concise and easy to read Indicates career direction & interests Employers spend about 8 seconds reviewing your resume.

Activity 1: 8 second resume test Review Erin Stevens’ resume for 8 seconds –What are your first impressions? Review Frank Thompson’s resume for 8 seconds –What are your first impressions?

How Do You Pass the 8 Second Test? Make your resume… –Visually appealing –Use strong action verbs –Show focus, leadership, accomplishments, outcomes, purpose –Use numbers/quantify when possible Now let’s learn how to do this…

Style and Format Reverse chronological order (present to past) View formats of resumes in the NCA Career Guide Try not to use a resume wizard or template Length: 1-2 pages Margins:.5”-1” all around (.75” ideal) Fonts: Conservative and easy to read (10 pt minimum, 12 pt maximum) Spacing: Single spacing is acceptable as long as there are other larger spaces on the page to break up text

Possible Sections Contact Information* Education* Experience* Leadership Activities Volunteer Honors & Awards Skills * Required A resume you submit should not include everything and anything! Keep track of everything and anything in a “running” resume.

Experience Emphasize past and present employment and/or activities Identify transferable skills May also be called: Professional Experience, Relevant Experience, Leadership Experience, Volunteer Experience (includes paid and unpaid) AmeriCorps, Robinson Center, South Bend, IN Literacy Tutoring, Site Coordinator, Aug – May 2013 ▪ Supervised a free yearlong tutoring program to help 24 low-income children improve their reading and writing skills ▪ Evaluated the program’s impact and found that all students significantly increased their scores from pre-test to post-test ▪Recruited and trained 10 tutors from local colleges

Bullet Point Description Formula: Action Verb + Task + Result/Purpose Elements of a bullet point –Answers who, what, why, when –Achievement Focused/Results Oriented –Quantitative/qualitative indicators –Terminology of your chosen field Examples –Weak: Responsible for overseeing community service program –Strong: Oversaw a program focused on capacity-building within low-income communities, resulting in …

Activity 2: Practice writing strong bullet points Write a bullet point that captures something important you do for AmeriCorps VISTA Share with a partner If you brought your resume, try revising an existing bullet point too

Final Draft: Do’s and Don’ts DO Tailor for each position Highlight section headings Use action verbs Quantify accomplishments Use technical language Proofread multiple times DON’T Use acronyms Use a template Repeat information Exaggerate or lie Use fancy/unusual fonts Hurry/rush to send it out Include: SSN, Pictures, Birthdate, Ethnicity, Height/Weight, Religion, Salary History, References

Goals of the Interview Goals of the Candidate (you): To obtain information about the job/organization To communicate important information about yourself To favorably impress the employer Goals of the Interviewer: To promote the organization and attract the best candidate To assess if qualifications match the job requirements To determine candidate fit with the organization and staff

Skills/Qualities Sought by Employers These attributes are great to emphasize on your resume and during interviews

Prep Step #1: Know Yourself Identify your Skills and your Goals –Match your skills to the desired qualifications –Identify reasons for wanting to work in that industry/organization Know your Resume –Be prepared for the 'Walk me through your resume’ request. Know how to articulate and summarize your experiences.

Prep Step #2: Do Your Research Research the Organization/Industry –Mission, goals, and culture –Products, services, and customer base –Growth opportunities, hiring forecast, needs –Industry trends, challenges, and competitors –Career advancement opportunities, ‘tracks’ Resources –Vault and Wetfeet –Glassdoor.com –Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter company pages –Hoovers.com, Crain’s Business –Company Website –Professional Associations –Company Information Sessions/Workshops

Prep Step #3: Practice Answering & Asking Questions Practice answering common interview questions –Use the list of potential questions provided by NCA –Career Guide page 29 Prepare questions to ask the employer –They should be thoughtful and relevant –Address the position, skills, qualifications, etc… –Avoid salary benefits and/or personal topics

Tell Me About Yourself… A dreaded, but very common question. Formula: Present-Past-Future First: start with the present- where you are right now Second: segue into the past- a little bit about the experiences you’ve had and the skills you gained at the previous position Last: finish with the future- why you are really excited for this particular opportunity

Tell Me About Yourself- Example “I’m currently finishing up a year of service through AmeriCorps, where I’ve been supervising a tutoring program for low-income children. Prior to that, I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology from Notre Dame. Through my work in the community as well as my psychology coursework, I’ve discovered my passion for helping children through early- intervention programs. That’s why I’m excited to be applying to DePaul’s clinical psychology PhD program on the child psych track. My goal is to design evidence-based interventions to improve the mental health of kids in underserved communities.”

Activity 3 Tell me about yourself and your involvement with AmeriCorps VISTA

Your Response Strategy: the STAR Technique S ituation T ask A ction R esult Be a STAR

Your Response Strategy: the STAR Technique During my internship last summer, I was responsible for managing various events. I noticed that attendance at these events had dropped by 30% over the past 3 years and wanted to do something to improve these numbers. I designed a new promotional packet to go out to the local community businesses. I also included a rating sheet to collect feedback on our events and organized internal round table discussions to raise awareness of the issue with our employees I was able to incorporate many of the ideas from the community, as well as make the internal systems more efficient and visible. I am proud to report that attendance increased by 18%. Situation Task Action Result Tell me about a time when you took initiative?

Activity 4: Practice a STAR response Tell me about a time you solved a problem Use an example from AmeriCorps VISTA

Practice Interviewing Interviewing is a skill and requires practice. It is not enough to just think about your answers. PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!

Additional Resources Northwestern Career Advancement Career Transitions Center of Chicago AmeriCorps Alums

Questions & Answers