Who is your competition? Career Services

Winning Résumés Career Services

What is the purpose of a resume? Career Services

What will you bring to the organization? Do you have the skills necessary to do the work? Do you have the experience that the organization desires? Value Proposition Career Services

Layout Primer Eyes tracing Down From left to right Use of bold Use of italics White space Clear headings No large text blocks Use of bullets Career Services

Name and Contact Information Objective Education Relevant (Fieldwork) Experience Computer & Technical Skills Work Experience Community Involvement & Accomplishments References Standard Resume Headers Career Services

Susan Student 7400 Bay Road University Center, MI (989) (Cell) (989) (Home) *if you’re not staying at home or don’t trust your roommates to take messages, cell only is appropriate Name and Contact Information Career Services

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Objective/Personal Summary Be sure that it is customized specifically for each job that you are applying for “To apply my exceptional interpersonal, creative and teamwork skills as a computer programmer.”  Too Vague Study the Job Description to see what qualities they are looking for and accentuate those aspects of your professional capabilities Career Services

Objective/Personal Summary “To apply my exceptional leadership, interpersonal, and technical skills as an information technology intern with the Dow Corning Corporation.” Being very specific in an objective statement is helpful when resumes go into a CENTRALIZED HR office with DECENTRALIZED hiring managers Career Services

It’s not always required. If you use one, make it count. Objective Career Services

What is most important? Standard format Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Anticipated: May 2015 Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI Minor: Criminal Justice President’s List: Eight semesters Deans’ List: Fall 2008, Winter 2009 GPA: 3.55 (list if above a 3.0) Education Career Services

For CS / CIS majors, this section is usually one of the HIGHEST priorities, above “Work Experience” COMPUTER / TECHNICAL SKILLS Programming Languages: C++, Java, C, ASP.NET, SQL Applications: MS Visual Studio, Eclipse Application Server: JBoss, Tomcat Operating Systems: Windows, Unix, Linux Database Systems: SQL Server, MySQL Certifications: CCNA, Unicenter Certified Engineer Computer / Technical Skills Career Services

Related Experience P revious positions that are relevant to the one you want Acceptable format: Networking Student EmployeeSept. 2012–May 2013 Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI Installed over 2,200 feet of network cable during the renovation of the campus administration building Provided trouble shooting support on Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), Voice over IP (VoIP), Firewall PIX, Cisco Call Manager and routing protocol BGP Use Action Words for Bullets Career Services

Importance of Effective Bullet Statements  “A picture is worth 1,000 words”  Paint a picture in the employer’s mind  Statements should be clear, concise and detailed  “Presented to a group of students” vs. “Presented to a group of 35 college freshmen” Career Services

Three Levels of Bullet Statements  Level One  Lists duties, tasks and responsibilities  Helped customers  Stocked shelves  Used cash register  Cleaned store  Dealt with students  Not very impressive  Tasks implied by the title  Add no value to résumé Career Services

It is our recommendation that you do not use Level One bullet statements at any time on your résumé. Career Services

Three Levels of Bullet Statements  Level Two  Explain how or in what way you perform level one tasks exceptionally well  Additional duties that you initiated?  Assisted customers in a warm and friendly manner  Stocked shelves during down times to ensure a professional environment  Processed financial transactions through the cash register in a fast and efficient manner  Cleaned store to maintain an appealing atmosphere to enhance customer satisfaction Career Services

While it is acceptable to use Level Two bullet statements from time to time, you will not want to rely on these to earn you an interview. Career Services

Three Levels of Bullet Statements  Level Three  Describe accomplishments and achievements  Increase something good or decrease something bad?  Employers want individuals who will make a difference  Earned Associate of the Month honors for outstanding service in June 2012  Created effective displays which increased monthly sales by 200% in a two-month period Career Services

Work Experience Match skill sets with new position Example: Crew Member May 2010 – April 2013 McDonald’s Restaurant, Bay City, MI Prepared 500 orders during the daily lunch hour Effectively dealt with stressful situations in a team environment Career Services

Highlight appropriate accomplishments Example: HONORS / AWARDS / ACTIVITIES Volunteer, Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Midland May 2006 – Present * Received ultimate brother award by successfully logging over 1,000 hours of volunteer service, assisting four youths who all went on to attend college Member, SVSU ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Sept – Present * Served as treasurer for an on-campus organization of over 50 members and $10,000 in resources Recipient, SVSU Award for Excellence Scholarship Aug – May 2008 Other Activities Career Services

Resumes – Two pages max (“old school” philosophers still say 1 page) CVs – Longer, more elaborate, used in higher education and graduate school Use the additional space with purpose Accomplishments / Achievements Do NOT include “tasks” that don’t add value Resumes vs. CVs Career Services

Ask permission!! Choose wisely Keep your references informed of your job search Dr. Someone Who-knowsyouwell, Professor Department of Computer Science and Information Systems Saginaw Valley State University 308 Science East 7400 Bay Road University Center, MI (989) (Office) References Career Services

Will be read after résumé Emphasize characteristics that are supported in résumé Keep it short and simple Cover Letters Career Services

Review, review, review! Career Services Appointments with staff for review SVSU Writing Center Guidelines and Tutorials available: Finally… Career Services