Business Communication Center Resume Walk Workshop November 21, 2011 Business Communication Center

Agenda – Presentation “Resume walk” defined Elements of a good resume walk Building your resume walk Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Interviewers will prompt for a resume walk in two ways “Walk me through your resume” or “Tell me about yourself” Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Don’t misinterpret recruiters’ prompts for a resume walk “Walk me through your resume.” Does not mean: “Recite your resume, word for word.” “Tell me about yourself.” Does not mean: “Tell me about your mom, dad, and siblings.” “What’s your favorite color?” However, either prompt does mean: “You have ~2 minutes to tell me whatever you’d like.” Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Good resume walks tell a succint, compelling, personal story Elements common to good resume walks ~ 2-minute length Tells a compelling story Includes personal themes, motivations, passions Has “right” level of detail for background/experience Shows sound thought process, decision making Speaks to fit with field/company/position (Addresses obvious gaps and questions – if necessary) Is easy to follow Makes sense! Tells the interviewer why you are interviewing! Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

A resume walk is an opportunity to tell your story – briefly In 2 minutes you should address: Past Where you’ve been and why Present Why you came to business school Future Where you’d like to go and why But not necessarily in this order! Future plans Past experience Kenan-Flagler Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

You can proactively address tricky subjects in a resume walk Subjects you may want to tackle: Employment gaps Frequent job changes Leaps of logic in future plans that an interviewer will likely question “You have no marketing experience… why are you interested in a marketing position?” Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Resist the temptation to provide too much detail Recruiters want to understand the motivation and thought process behind your decisions “Most interviewees spend their time regurgitating every minor detail verbatim from their resumes, instead of focusing on the high points and explaining the reasons they made different decisions... … recruiters are much more interested in your thought process than they are specific details about each job.”   “The interviewer wants to know that you had a plan, even if that plan has since changed.” Source: The Black Collegian Online, How to Walk a Recruiter Through Your Resume http://www.black-collegian.com/career/wsj/collegejournal_resume_walk_1206.htm, accessed 11/9/09. Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Find a way of telling your story that suits your style interests education fit experience Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Think about the elements you’d like to include in your story Questions to ask yourself What is your passion? What common themes flow through all your experiences? Do you want to stress some experiences over others? Why are you interested in this field? In this company? In this position? Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Consider how others’ resume walks sound to you “I decided to attend Vanderbilt University after being awarded a Presidential Scholarship, a full scholarship based on academic performance and test scores. My professional aspirations were shaped both by my degree in economics and four semesters of internships at financial institutions in Nashville. I knew from these experiences that I wanted to pursue a job in banking upon graduation.   “I was selected to participate in a leadership program at Bank of America and started with 30 other undergraduate students. As part of this program, I had one of my most significant team experiences to date. I was assigned to a branch location in Atlanta, and worked with a team of five people to improve the branch’s operations. As a part of this experience, my branch was recognized as the top performing branch in the Southeast though our doubling of the current lending customers and improving our customer service scores by 70%. “After this position, I was given the opportunity to manage a small branch in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a branch manager, I supervised 15 staff members and improved services to our more than 2,000 customers. During my time managing the Greensboro branch I began contemplating my return to school to get my MBA. “I decided to attend Kenan-Flagler after visiting the school during my interview. I met with students and faculty in the Finance Department – all of whom I found impressive and extremely helpful. Kenan-Flagler’s highly regarded finance department and a team-focused curriculum heavily influenced my decision to come here. “I became interested in finance while studying economics at Vanderbilt. Although I began my career in the commercial banking industry, I am interested in pursuing corporate finance at your company because I want to work on finance projects that will allow me to drive the strategic direction of the firm.” Source: Kenan-Flagler Business Communication Center, Acing the Resume Walk, http://video.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/bizcommcenter/podcasts/transcripts/4_unc-kf_bcc-podcast_resume-walk.pdf, accessed 11/9/09. Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Consider how others’ resume walks sound to you “I decided to attend Vanderbilt University after being awarded a Presidential Scholarship, a full scholarship based on academic performance and test scores. My professional aspirations were shaped both by my degree in economics and four semesters of internships at financial institutions in Nashville. I knew from these experiences that I wanted to pursue a job in banking upon graduation.   “I was selected to participate in a leadership program at Bank of America and started with 30 other undergraduate students. As part of this program, I had one of my most significant team experiences to date. I was assigned to a branch location in Atlanta, and worked with a team of five people to improve the branch’s operations. As a part of this experience, my branch was recognized as the top performing branch in the Southeast though our doubling of the current lending customers and improving our customer service scores by 70%. “After this position, I was given the opportunity to manage a small branch in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a branch manager, I supervised 15 staff members and improved services to our more than 2,000 customers. During my time managing the Greensboro branch I began contemplating my return to school to get my MBA. “I decided to attend Kenan-Flagler after visiting the school during my interview. I met with students and faculty in the Finance Department – all of whom I found impressive and extremely helpful. Kenan-Flagler’s highly regarded finance department and a team-focused curriculum heavily influenced my decision to come here. “I became interested in finance while studying economics at Vanderbilt. Although I began my career in the commercial banking industry, I am interested in pursuing corporate finance at your company because I want to work on finance projects that will allow me to drive the strategic direction of the firm.” Starts with education and internships Shows logical decisions based on previous experience Source: Kenan-Flagler Business Communication Center, Acing the Resume Walk, http://video.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/bizcommcenter/podcasts/transcripts/4_unc-kf_bcc-podcast_resume-walk.pdf, accessed 11/9/09. Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Consider how others’ resume walks sound to you “I decided to attend Vanderbilt University after being awarded a Presidential Scholarship, a full scholarship based on academic performance and test scores. My professional aspirations were shaped both by my degree in economics and four semesters of internships at financial institutions in Nashville. I knew from these experiences that I wanted to pursue a job in banking upon graduation.   “I was selected to participate in a leadership program at Bank of America and started with 30 other undergraduate students. As part of this program, I had one of my most significant team experiences to date. I was assigned to a branch location in Atlanta, and worked with a team of five people to improve the branch’s operations. As a part of this experience, my branch was recognized as the top performing branch in the Southeast through our doubling of the current lending customers and improving our customer service scores by 70%. “After this position, I was given the opportunity to manage a small branch in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a branch manager, I supervised 15 staff members and improved services to our more than 2,000 customers. During my time managing the Greensboro branch I began contemplating my return to school to get my MBA. “I decided to attend Kenan-Flagler after visiting the school during my interview. I met with students and faculty in the Finance Department – all of whom I found impressive and extremely helpful. Kenan-Flagler’s highly regarded finance department and a team-focused curriculum heavily influenced my decision to come here. “I became interested in finance while studying economics at Vanderbilt. Although I began my career in the commercial banking industry, I am interested in pursuing corporate finance at your company because I want to work on finance projects that will allow me to drive the strategic direction of the firm.” Shows increasing levels of responsibility Shows success at each step Source: Kenan-Flagler Business Communication Center, Acing the Resume Walk, http://video.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/bizcommcenter/podcasts/transcripts/4_unc-kf_bcc-podcast_resume-walk.pdf, accessed 11/9/09. Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Consider how others’ resume walks sound to you “I decided to attend Vanderbilt University after being awarded a Presidential Scholarship, a full scholarship based on academic performance and test scores. My professional aspirations were shaped both by my degree in economics and four semesters of internships at financial institutions in Nashville. I knew from these experiences that I wanted to pursue a job in banking upon graduation.   “I was selected to participate in a leadership program at Bank of America and started with 30 other undergraduate students. As part of this program, I had one of my most significant team experiences to date. I was assigned to a branch location in Atlanta, and worked with a team of five people to improve the branch’s operations. As a part of this experience, my branch was recognized as the top performing branch in the Southeast though our doubling of the current lending customers and improving our customer service scores by 70%. “After this position, I was given the opportunity to manage a small branch in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a branch manager, I supervised 15 staff members and improved services to our more than 2,000 customers. During my time managing the Greensboro branch I began contemplating my return to school to get my MBA. “I decided to attend Kenan-Flagler after visiting the school during my interview. I met with students and faculty in the Finance Department – all of whom I found impressive and extremely helpful. Kenan-Flagler’s highly regarded finance department and a team-focused curriculum heavily influenced my decision to come here. “I became interested in finance while studying economics at Vanderbilt. Although I began my career in the commercial banking industry, I am interested in pursuing corporate finance at your company because I want to work on finance projects that will allow me to drive the strategic direction of the firm.” Explains decision to attend Kenan-Flagler Clearly states post-MBA interests Source: Kenan-Flagler Business Communication Center, Acing the Resume Walk, http://video.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/bizcommcenter/podcasts/transcripts/4_unc-kf_bcc-podcast_resume-walk.pdf, accessed 11/9/09. Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Consider how others’ resume walks sound to you “I decided to attend Vanderbilt University after being awarded a Presidential Scholarship, a full scholarship based on academic performance and test scores. My professional aspirations were shaped both by my degree in economics and four semesters of internships at financial institutions in Nashville. I knew from these experiences that I wanted to pursue a job in banking upon graduation.   “I was selected to participate in a leadership program at Bank of America and started with 30 other undergraduate students. As part of this program, I had one of my most significant team experiences to date. I was assigned to a branch location in Atlanta, and worked with a team of five people to improve the branch’s operations. As a part of this experience, my branch was recognized as the top performing branch in the Southeast though our doubling of the current lending customers and improving our customer service scores by 70%. “After this position, I was given the opportunity to manage a small branch in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a branch manager, I supervised 15 staff members and improved services to our more than 2,000 customers. During my time managing the Greensboro branch I began contemplating my return to school to get my MBA. “I decided to attend Kenan-Flagler after visiting the school during my interview. I met with students and faculty in the Finance Department – all of whom I found impressive and extremely helpful. Kenan-Flagler’s highly regarded finance department and a team-focused curriculum heavily influenced my decision to come here. “I became interested in finance while studying economics at Vanderbilt. Although I began my career in the commercial banking industry, I am interested in pursuing corporate finance at your company because I want to work on finance projects that will allow me to drive the strategic direction of the firm.” MIGHT HAVE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLAIN… …Why get an MBA? …Why finance? …Why this particular company? Source: Kenan-Flagler Business Communication Center, Acing the Resume Walk, http://video.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/bizcommcenter/podcasts/transcripts/4_unc-kf_bcc-podcast_resume-walk.pdf, accessed 11/9/09. Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Exercise: Brainstorm your resume walk 5 minute brainstorm! Write down the following: Your main goal (what job are you applying for?) What would someone interviewing you for this job want to hear? What transferrable skills and knowledge will help you get the job? Why are you interested in this field? In this company? In this position? What evidence can you provide? Education Career Experience High level details only to keep it short! Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Pairs Exercise: Practice and Get Feedback! Instructions 20 minutes Get into pairs Give your resume walk Stop at 2 minutes! Get Feedback Switch Practice some more! Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

The Resume Walk: Where to go from here Next Steps: Practice your resume walk with: BCC Friends and Family Career Counselors Avoid sounding scripted! Be: Relaxed Confident Conversational Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Thank You To set up an appointment with a BCC Consultant, go to http://public.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/bizcommcenter/ and click on “Schedule an Appointment” Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

Appendix Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

A resume walk can be like a guided “flyover” tour of your resume Point out interesting features to the recruiter Motivations & themes “I’ve always been interested in ________ …” Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

A resume walk can be like a guided “flyover” tour of your resume Point out interesting features to the recruiter Education “I graduated from _______ with a degree in ____________…” Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11

A resume walk can be like a guided “flyover” tour of your resume Point out interesting features to the recruiter What you learned at each job “my experience with _______ helped me develop my ___________…” Definition Elements Building yours Business Communication Center – Resume Walk Workshop 11/21/11