The Nuts and Bolts of CRAFTING Your Resume Dustin Gummels Florida State University

First: What is the PURPOSE of this resume? Internship Graduate School Employment – Part time – Full time Other – To attain a scholarship – To enter a scholastic program

Second: READ the Position Description It is a “cheat sheet” that tells you exactly what the employer is looking for Gives examples of the experience, exposure to the field, and skills the employer desires from their “ideal” candidate “What if I am not looking for employment?... What it there isn’t a posted job description?” Whether a job, internship, grad school, or other, someone is “hiring you” for a position If there is no posted position description, find one that you think would be similar

Third: Make your “Short List” The “short list” is a list of five to seven top things the employer is looking for KNOW the description – you should be able to list these off the top of your head Pay special attention to where the employer has repeated themselves within the description

The Important Question: “What have I sold?”, and, “Does it match what the company wants or needs?” The difference between “Crafting” a resume versus throwing one together or just aimlessly “listing” job responsibilities Each and every point has PURPOSE Each experience is a “Story” Each bullet is a “Story Starter”

The “Scary Feeling” “My experience has nothing to do with the position I am applying for”… The “Subway example” – “Made sandwiches” OR – READ THE POSTION DESCRIPTION and use it as a “filter” with which to view past experiences

More “Subway Example” Only experience is “making sandwiches at Subway” Applying to a hotel front desk position The “Trick”: – What does the hotel want from you? (READ THE DESCRIPTION!) – “Short List” – What did you do at your last job or experience that matches what the employer wants or needs?

Beyond “Making Sandwiches” “Our Ideal Candidate”… Hotel front desk position: Customer Service, Communication Skills, experience working on a team Subway: Customer Service, Communication Skills, experience working on a team (Made sandwiches)

Formatting What have you “emphasized”? – Bold – Underline – Indent – Varying font size Order = Emphasis – Sections in order of most targeted and relevant to position you are applying for – Order of bullets within each section in order of importance to the audience for your resume

Special Cases: “Related Experience” “What if the experience that is most targeted or relevant was two jobs ago?” (i.e. it is third in line when creating a reverse chronological resume) The challenge: “My most relevant information is ‘hidden’ half-way down my resume” The solution: create a special section titled “Related Experience”

Special Cases: “Related Experience”, continued… Dustin Gummels Present Address Permanent Address 440 Millers Court1420 N. Meridian Rd Tallahassee, FL Pompano Beach, FL (850) (305) EDUCATION: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Master of Science in Counseling and Human Systems May 2014 Emphasis in Career Counseling GPA: 3.97/4.0 RELATED EXPERIENCE Florida State University Career Center, Tallahassee, FL May 2008 – May 2009 Career Advisor ● Provide career and mental health counseling to students and community members ● Assist clients in locating career and educational planning information and resources ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE Subway, Tallahassee, FL May 2010 – May 2011 Customer Service Agent ● Practiced customer service skills while serving over 100 customers per hour during average lunch shift ● Developed communication and teamwork skills while working on a team of 5 people

Special Cases: “Related Experience”, continued… Emphasis in Career Counseling GPA: 3.97/4.0 RELATED EXPERIENCE Florida State University Career Center, Tallahassee, FL May 2011 – May 2013 Career Advisor ● Provide career and mental health counseling to students and community members ● Assist clients in locating career and educational planning information and resources ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE Subway, Tallahassee, FL May 2013 – May 2014 Customer Service Agent ● Practiced customer service skills while serving over 100 customers per hour during average lunch shift ● Developed communication and teamwork skills while working on a team of 5 people Publix, Tallahassee, FL May 2010 – May 2011 Cashier ● Handled transactions…

Special Cases: “Career Objective” “Should I include one?” Many employers say NO—unless it is targeted and relevant Common Objective: “I want a position where I can utilize my skills to move up” What have you told the employer? NOTHING, except, “I am in it for me”

Career Objective – A Better Route Include a specific job target Include specific skills that you are bringing to the table: – OBJECTIVE: “A marketing position in an advertising agency where I can utilize my creativity and social media administration skills to manage online marketing campaigns”

The Nuts and Bolts of CRAFTING Your Resume Dustin Gummels Florida State University