Resume Workshop Presented to MISA student club @ WWU April 20, 2005 Presented By Craig K. Tyran & Kraig Pencil Western Washington University

Agenda Introduction Organization Appearance Content Notes: Presentation format Review “resume issues” Illustrate with examples Feel free to ask questions at any time!!!

Introduction Scenario: You submit a resume to an organization. What is the “next step” you are hoping for??? Goal: Use resume to get them interested in a closer look What can we (generally) expect about the person who is reviewing your resume? See lots of resumes Busy person Looking to fill a specific job

Introduction (cont.) Based on this situation  What are the implications for how to prepare your resume? Make it easy for the reviewer to find what s/he is looking for Be descriptive, yet concise Include information that makes you special Tailor your resume to the job position Create different resumes for different applications

Resume: Organization What is the person reviewing your resume expecting to see??? Top section of resume Name and contact information Body of resume Note: Order of items below may vary based on your experiences and what you wish to emphasize Objective Academic background Frequently near top for college grads Work experience May organize by job, function/skill area Skills Activities

Resume: Appearance Rule #1: No typos!!! Appearance Formatting issues Recruiters do notice! Appearance Several resume formats exist Examples Formatting issues Use font settings/sizes to highlight headings, keywords, etc. Don’t be too busy! Some organizations scan resumes into an electronic database Fancy formats and lines may be tougher to scan

Resume: Content Objective statement Academic background Note: The following is targeted to the IS area, but can be adapted to other career areas. Objective statement If you include this … Be specific E.g., Internship or full-time? Specific area of MIS? Example: I seek a full-time position as an IS analyst that will draw on my academic background and work experiences in the area of systems development. Academic background Graduation date, degree Work experience IS-related work is ideal Useful to try to get this somehow (even if unpaid) But even if no IS experience, still be proud of your past work experience! Past experience can demonstrate work ethic, ability to work with others, experience with organizations, responsibilities

Resume: Content (cont.) Work experience (cont.) Think about how to relate your experience to the job position you are applying for Example: You have worked as a salesperson for 2 years  What general or specific skills could you take away from this experience that can be relevant with respect to a job as an IS analyst? Or IS customer support specialist? ???? Use active words to highlight your experience and accomplishments Weak: Sales person for ABC Electronics Strong: o Top sales producer for August 2002 o Worked with customers to find solutions to their home electronic needs o Handled customer returns and trouble- shooting for customer problems o Responsible for closing store and cash register

Resume: Content Skills Activities Organize technical (or other) skills by category Application development: ASP.Net, C++, MS Access, SQL, VBA, VB.Net, Visible Analyst (CASE), etc. Hardware: A+ certification, etc. Operating systems and networking: Windows XP, Novell, Unix, MCP certification, etc. Activities Have you done things outside of the classroom? Club leadership, volunteer work, etc. If appropriate, write up similar to a “Work experience” listing E.g., VP Programs, MISA o Served as liaison to industry representatives o Responsible for organizing fifteen evening presentation events for club members

Questions??