BUSINESS ENGLISH LECTURE 14

Workshop  Letter Writing Formal and Informal  Memo Writing Formal/ Informal   Letter of Resignation

WORKSHOP LETTER WRITING

Reading Functions Vocabulary

WORKSHOP MEMO WRITING Informal - Formal

Reading Functions Vocabulary

Review  Resume Writing  Memo Writing Formal/ Informal  Letter Writing Formal and Informal   Letter of Resignation

REVISION

Resume Writing Review Define Business competitive resume formatting content Some Frequently Asked Questions

Purpose of a Resume  Your resume is... A critical step at the beginning of a job search process An advertisement/marketing tool* A written pitch* A screening tool An assessment of your value* A document that leads to an interview (not a job, yet!) A first impression A stand alone document *specific to your target audience

Strategize First...  Important to do prior to deciding on format/content- Ask, “who am I?” Ask, “who do I want to be?” Ask, “what is my brand?”  Keys to getting it right— Think ahead--write to the future Emphasize specific skills to match the career you are seeking Write to your reader (the target industry/function) Market yourself by only including what’s important to your reader

Good Resume Formatting One full page only (unless more than 10 years of related work experience) Sections, in this order (heading names may vary): Name and Contact Information (on top) Education/Credentials Experience (Work, Professional) Activities/Additional Information (Community Involvement, Language Skills, etc.) Easily scanned for skills, results, job titles and company names in 30 seconds.

 Organize in reverse chronological order (most recent experiences on top)  Write bullet points, not paragraphs  Balance appropriate amount of white space Vs. text  Use graphics, tables, or logos if appropriate  Differentiate by font style; best to use: Arial, Book Antiqua, Bookman Old Style, Century Gothic, Garamond, Georgia, Tahoma, or Verdana (90%+ resumes are in Times New Roman)

Good Resume Content Current and previous job responsibilities represent your skills and results (in addition to general duties and responsibilities). Shows the impact your performance has/had on the department, project, organization or company. Quantify information/results, where possible. For example, “Achieved 80% reduction of lost-time accidents, saving company $1.2 million….”

 Prioritize bullet points beginning with the most relevant or most impactful first.  Use action verbs descriptive of your skills to start each bullet point (see link on following slide).*  Show promotion or advancement by titles and dates.*  No outdated or irrelevant activities—unless it is a significant accomplishment, skill, or unusual talking point.*

Format-related questions Why should my resume be only one page?  It is a highlight of your unique differentiators specific to your career goal and does not list everything.

Helpful Resources List of action verbs: Your functional portfolio with keywords (and sample resumes) and other functional- specific resources: MS Office templates: us/templates/FX aspx?pid=CL http://office.microsoft.com/en- us/templates/FX aspx?pid=CL Resume Writing Worksheet: Access to Simplicity  will give you resources in Wetfeet, Vault, and a Resume Builder template.