Career Services Workshop create Your Professional Profile ACCOMPLISHMENTS & WORK SUCCESSES ~ for Career Changers ~ ~ Information to be used on your resume & cover letter and in interviewing ~ OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

As Career Changers … These are great topics from which to … Noting your accomplishments and previous work successes is what will help you sell yourself to your next employer. Resumes, cover letters, and your interview answers need to be accomplishments-driven. These are great topics from which to build your STORIES & examples.   OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

List accomplishments that are specific and measurable. Use this worksheet to help you look at your previous work and see your accomplishments. As you use this worksheet, keep the following in mind: List accomplishments that are specific and measurable. OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Quantify whenever possible. Examples: Increased sales by 50% over the previous year Supervised staff of 25 Served a customer base of 150, the largest on firm’s customer-service team OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Use superlatives and “firsts.” Use words such as - first - - only - - best- - most- - highest-   OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

For every accomplishment you list, ask yourself, “So what?” Does the item you’ve listed characterize your abilities and your potential for contributing to your next employer’s success? OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Make sure each accomplishment is relevant to the type of job you are seeking. OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

A side note : *** There is a popular interview style that is to review your resume in depth – called “Interviewing the Resume.” This list of questions is a perfect example of the types of questions that you may be asked in your interviews as the interviewer walks through each job you have listed. OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Use: ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs For Veterans Use the Military Skills Translator to convert your military experience to comparable civilian experience. Use: ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs   OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Remember to use the P-A-R approach. Use the List of Strengths for resumes, cover letters, & interviews. As employers screen your Resume Cover Letter Job Application they look for evidence that you possess the right strengths to get their job done. During job interviews, you can definitely expect to be asked questions aimed at discovering your strengths. It’s a good idea to have a list of strengths, and a list of weaknesses, ready to share with the hiring manager. Remember to use the P-A-R approach. OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Transferable Skills Transferable Skills are skills or characteristics about you that, no matter what kind of work you do, will be of value to most any employer. They “transfer” from one job to another, from one occupation to another – because they are a part of who you are. OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

The Features & Benefits of You! The concept of Features & Benefits comes from the world of “sales.” In the selling process, it’s important to understand the FEATURES about the Products you are selling to your customers. Even more important, is to be able to explain to your customer the BENEFITS about each Feature. This concept will help you educate your customer and ultimately have your customer want to purchase your product.   Keeping that concept in mind – switch your thinking to the idea that a potential employer is your customer. You are the “Product.” You have many FEATURES - that means knowing what characteristics, skills, abilities, education, & experiences are of importance to a potential employer. The “BENEFITS” (of employing you) to the potential employer is the value that you bring to the employer because they hire you. OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Go through this determination process for each job you pursue. What makes you valuable to an employer? What are features about you that offer benefits to an employer? OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Remember that survey of 400 employers Remember that survey of 400 employers? Keep these “soft skills” in mind … The ability to effectively communicate orally The ability to work effectively with others in teams The ability to effectively communicate in writing Ethical judgment and decision-making Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills The ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings The ability to analyze and solve complex problems The ability to locate, organize, and evaluate information from multiple sources The ability to innovate and be creative Staying current on changing technologies and their applications to the workplace The ability to analyze and solve problems with people from different backgrounds and cultures ** These skills and abilities are also noted to be valuable for employment advancement. OSC Computer Training Rev. 1

Professional Profile TOP TRANSFERABLE SKILLS HARD SKILLS SOFT SKILLS   Professional Profile TOP TRANSFERABLE SKILLS HARD SKILLS SOFT SKILLS _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TOP 3 STRENGTHS   ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ COMPUTER SKILLS PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS OSC Computer Training Rev. 1