Michigan Works! Workshop

Purpose  To provide to you background information on the basic mechanics, purpose and design of your personal marketing/job search tools.  To help you prepare to create your resume.

Learning Objectives  To help you understand the purpose and value of a resume  To help you discover the different types of resumes  To learn the “do’s and don’ts” of a resume  To share tools so you can create a high quality resume

What is a resume? What should your resume “scream out”? A resume is a portrait of your:  Education  Work Experience  Skills  Accomplishments  This is why you should hire me  Look what at I can do for you Ms./Mr. Employer  This is how I am going to make you $$$

Purpose of a Resume  Sales brochure  Marketing tool  Fluid document  Relevancy- Shows how your skills match job openings  Brief summary

Before you begin …..  Gather all your information (i.e. dates of employment, awards)  Read the job description so you fully understand which skills to highlight  Check out onetonline.org  Set aside 1 hour of time to work on draft  Understand this is a work in progress  Know you need a 2 nd and 3 rd eye to review

Resume Reminder  A good resume brings together your work experience, skills, education, and personality traits so they employer gets an overall picture of you.  The employer makes a decision to interview based upon what you share in your resume.

Resume “Rules” There are no hard rules about formatting, BUT…  Consistent formatting, logical, easy to read  NO photos or clip art! NO templates!!!  Error free, accurate, up-to-date info  Tailored to position---RELEVANT!!!  1-2 pages maximum, must fill entire page  Save your resume so you can access it multiple places

Three Types of Resume Formats CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME A sequence of events in time Primary Feature Listing jobs held from the most recent backwards FUNCTIONAL RESUME Focus is on skills Primary Feature Clusters experiences under skills- based headings COMBINATION RESUME A creative use of organization Primary Feature Highlights both relevant skills and work experience

7 Steps to Building a Resume 1.Contact Information 2.Job Objective 3.Highlights of Skills 4.Experience- relevant, Relevant, RELEVANT! 5.Education 6.References 7.Proof, proof and proof again

Contact Information:  Contact information should include: name, address, city, state (2 capitalized letters) and zip code. (No smaller than 12 pt. font)  Include phone number that is reliable with voic set up (appropriate message too).  If you list an address, it needs to be appropriate and checked daily.

Job Objective:  Your job objective lets the employer know your career goals and gives direction to your resume  Short and sweet…to the point!  The BEST objective is specific. Objective: To obtain a Laborer position with Johnson Construction.

Highlight these…… Top 10 Qualities Employers Look For: 1. Ability to work in a team 2. Leadership 3. Communication skills (verbal and written) 4. Problem-solving skill 5. Strong work ethic and initiative 6. Flexibility/adaptability 8. Computer skills 9. Interpersonal skills 10. Organizational skills Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2012 Job Outlook Survey

Highlights of Skills:  Years of experience in related area of expertise.  Communication skills especially in the area of listening.  Leadership skills.  Maintain a positive and productive workplace.  Mastery of basic skills (especially reading, writing and math).  Ability to make professional decisions and solve problems. This is the best of the best of you (related to the job)!

 Chronological Experience A reversed sequenced order of employment history with job descriptions.  Functional Experience Relevant Skills: A list of job duties by relevant topics Work History: Sequenced order of employment history (without job descriptions)

Work Experience: Experience comes in many forms  Paid jobs  Babysitting, lawn care, paper route  Volunteer (not court-ordered)  Chores  Service learning projects

Experience Descriptions  List employment most recent to oldest  Provide your title, employer, dates (MM/YYYY), city/state  Emphasize skills and achievements  No paragraphs, no I’s  3-5 bullets max  Use Actions verbs in past tense  Don’t forget to use ONETONLINE.org for example descriptions

Education:  Usually listed at bottom for HS/early college students  List relevant educational experience.  Include the name of the school, Degree/Diploma, anticipated grad date, city and state.  Add achievements (e.g. GPA over 3.0, awards, perfect attendance, etc.)

Additional Headings???  Odd Jobs  Computer Skills  Classes  Extracurriculars  Leadership  Related Experience

References: Someone (not related) who will vouch for your for your good work.  Ask permission before you use someone as a reference  Give them a heads up when you are applying for jobs/have an interview  References get there own page  Provide 3-5 individuals  Target to job, if possible  Suggested references: co-workers, supervisors, teachers, coaches…  Make sure your reference is someone well-respected

Final Check—Make it PERFECT! A bad resume is worse than no resume at all. Take the time to do it right!  Run a spell check prior to asking for a review  Have a parent/guardian/teacher look at it  Have another person review it (hint, hint: Michigan Works!)  Ask yourself: o Is it 1 full page? o Is it neat, clean and easy to read? o Is it tailored to the job you are applying? o Can you see how you are qualified? o Would you hire/interview you based on this document?

ANY QUESTIONS?! Thank you! Sarah Johnson JAG Specialist Marquette Michigan Works! WORKS!(9675) · Equal Opportunity Employer Michigan Relay Center ( ) Auxiliary Aids & Services Available to Individuals with Disabilities Affiliated with the Workforce Development Agency, State of Michigan © Michigan Works! JFB 2013 Este es un documento importante. Si usted necesita traducer, llame a Laura Marohnic at x480