TECHNICAL WRITING October 8, 2014

Today Job application (résumés) – Continued

Good

Bad

Résumé - What employers like to see 1. Honesty – no false is misrepresented information 2. Attractiveness – proper font and layout 3. Organization – proper format 4. Conciseness – brief, and to the point (descriptive) 5. Accuracy – error-free 6. Currency – all information should be up-to-date 7. Relevance – Information should be relevant to the position

Résumé - What employers like to see Which of these do you have?

Writing your résumé Consider these questions: 1. What classes did you excel in? 2. What papers, reports, or presentations earned you your highest grades? 3. What computer skills have you mastered?

Writing your résumé Consider these questions: 4. What technical skills (other than computer skills) have you acquired? 5. What jobs have you had? 6. Have you ever been promoted or chosen for special duty or tasks?

Writing your résumé Consider these questions: 7. Do you work well with people? 8. Can you organize complicated tasks or identify and solve problems quickly? 9. Have you had experiences/responsibilities managing money? 10. Have you won any awards or scholarships or received a raise, bonus, commendation, and/or promotion at work?

Parts of a résumé Do not include : - Salary demands or expectations. - Work schedule preferences, days off, overtime - Travel restrictions - Your citizen’s number - Height, weight, hair color - Religion, political affiliations - Hobbies, interests (unless they are relevant)

Parts of a résumé - summary NAME Contact information Career objective Credentials (Education and Experience) Related skills and Achievements Computer skills (Honors/awards) References

Parts of a résumé Contact information Gwen Gao 42 Lanark Street, Clayton, VIC 3168 Ph: Note: avoid unprofessional addresses

Parts of a résumé Career objective Create an objective that directly related to the position you have applied for. Consider: 1. What kind of job am I Iooking for? 2. What kind of job am I qualified for? 3. What abilities do I have that match the position?

Parts of a résumé Career objective Avoid: “I want to join a company.” “Looking for high-paying job that brings personal satisfaction.” Real-life example: Objective: I want a base salary of $50-$60,000 dollars, not including bonus. And some decent benefits. Like a retirement plan, health insurance, personal or sick days.

Parts of a résumé Career objective Be focused: Internship in marketing to apply the training earned through my education. Regional sales representative using my proven skills in e- commerce and communication to develop and expand a company base.

Parts of a résumé Credentials (Education & Experience) - The order can vary. - If you are a recent (or soon-to-be) graduate with little experience, list education first. - Only include relevant items!

Balancing Education and Experience Any part-time work (paid, or not), vacation job, volunteer experience, or internship show an employer that you are responsible and knowledgeable. i.e,. If you worked at GS 25, it shows that you can work with money and provide customer service and take responsibility for your own duties without supervision.

Parts of a résumé Credentials - Education - Begin with most recent education first, then list everything significant since high school. Include: Name(s) of school(s) Dates attended Degree/Diploma/Certificate earned. - This includes relevant training courses or military training.

Parts of a résumé Credentials - Education IMPORANT: A résumé is NOT a transcript, though. Do not simply list all the courses you took. - Instead, concentrate on describing the skills you learned.

Parts of a résumé Credentials - Experience - A key category for many employers - Show that you have held a job before and that you are responsible.

Parts of a résumé Credentials - Experience - Begin with most recent position (reverse chronological order). Include: - Company name - Location (city, province, country [if necessary]) - Your job title - Dates of employment

Parts of a résumé Credentials - Experience - For each job, provide a short description (one or two lines) of your duties and achievements.

March 2010 – June 2012 Promotions Assistant, Promostaff - Managed product research studies in supermarkets - Collated results and highlighted critical feedback items. - Promoted to team leader due to excellent feedback from clients.

Parts of a résumé Credentials - Experience - You may include any relevant volunteer work you have done. - This may be especially important if you have no work experience. - Describing your volunteer duties can demonstrate your previous responsibilities.

Parts of a résumé Related skills and achievements - Indicate any additional languages you speak or write, extensive travel, certificates or licenses, and memberships to professional organizations or community groups. i.e., Language skills. - English: Advanced (spoken and written) How could I prove this on a résumé? - i.e., English: Advanced (spoken and written): TOEFL ibt 115

Parts of a résumé Computer skills - Knowledge of computer hardware, software, etc. is extremely valuable in the job market. Any relevant software knowledge is especially useful - i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, etc.

Parts of a résumé Honors/awards - Include only if they are relevant. i.e., Community service awards Academic awards

Parts of a résumé References - Usually, you state: References available upon request.

Parts of a résumé - summary NAME Contact information Career objective Credentials (Education and Experience) Related skills and Achievements Computer skills Honors/awards References

Résumé language: “Action” words Points to remember: - Résumés must be concise and to-the-point. - In this small space, you must be as descriptive as possible. Using the proper “résumé language” can help your résumé stand out from others. i.e., I looked after the store’s money that people bought things with.  Managed daily cash flow.

Résumé language: “Action” words Look at the following job descriptions. Edit them to incorporate action words.

Résumé language: “Action” words Made a website for the Daegu Animal Shelter. Found workplace-related problems and made reports. Gave advice to customers about products to purchase. Took existing surveys and changed them for our customers. Gave presentations about future projects Made old procedures simpler Was the leader of 4 other employees

Résumé language: “Action” words Made a website for the Daegu Animal Shelter.  Designed Created Established

Résumé language: “Action” words Found workplace-related problems and made reports.  Identified workplace related problems and composed filed drafted

Résumé language: “Action” words Gave advice to customers about products to purchase.  Recommended products to customers  Assisted customers with product purchases  Advised customers on product purchases  Provided advice…

Résumé language: “Action” words Took existing surveys and changed them for our customers.  Customized existing… for our customers  Modified existing surveys for our customers  Converted existing surveys to serve customers..

Résumé language: “Action” words Gave presentations about future projects  Delivered presentations about..  Held presentations…  Presented (on) future projects  Prepared (and delivered) presentations about..

Résumé language: “Action” words Made old procedures simpler  Stream-lined old procedures  Simplified old..  Modified…

Résumé language: “Action” words Was the leader of 4 other employees  Led a team of…  Supervised…  Managed..  Directed…

Some real-life résumé fails Hobbies: “Having a good time” Skills: “I can type without looking at thekeyboard.” Languages: “Speak English and Spinach.” “Able to say the ABCs backward in under five seconds.” Hobbies: “Drugs and girls”

Fixing a bad (terrible) Résumé Look at the résumé. With your partner, identify as many problems as you can. - Make notes on the paper. Résumé

Fixing a bad (terrible) Résumé

Re-write the résumé.

- address résumé - No phone # - Bio details - Vague and poorly written objective OBJECTIVE - KAC not defined - List of classes - GPA - Exclamation mark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - No entrance date for uni - HS info unnec. - Use of “I” - NO use of “résumé” language

Sample résumés job/resume-samples.html

Assignment 3 Find an entry level position or internship that you would be interested in applying to. Prepare an application for that job - Résumé - Cover letter

Some websites to search Or, try a Google search. i.e., “entry level marketing jobs California” Or, check company websites.

Reminder DO THE WEBSITE READINGS (and watch the video)