KEITH MUNSON CAREER SPECIALIST FALL 2010 Resumes, Interviews, & Networking: Using Your Brand in the Job Search Strommen Career & Internship Center (612)

Strommen Career & Internship Center Personal brand in the resume Articulating your brand in the interview Asking others to market your brand Questions and Answers Agenda

Strommen Career & Internship Center What comes to mind?

Strommen Career & Internship Center Purpose of a resume Marketing tool Communicate the highlights Focus on relevant/important information The “trailer”, NOT the whole story To generate interest and get you an interview

Strommen Career & Internship Center Resume Basics Use formatting to make important information stand out Be consistent in formatting, grammar, etc Make absolutely sure there are no mistakes Formatting is the easy part

Strommen Career & Internship Center Resume Sections Required Heading Professional Summary Education Experience Optional Objective Honor and Awards Additional Involvement Leadership/Activities Classroom Skills Other Work Experience Volunteer Experience

Strommen Career & Internship Center Articulating a “brand” in your resume The section headings you choose The information you highlight The experiences you include How you write your skill phrases in your experience section(s)

Strommen Career & Internship Center Write Effective Skill Phrases Skill phrases are action statements that describe your experiences. Components of a skill phrase  Bullet point  Action verbs in the past-tense  Specific skill that was learned or honed  Results of your work, or how or why you did the work. Avoid personal pronouns when writing skill phrases

Strommen Career & Internship Center Skill Phrase Example Fair  Sold sporting equipment to customers Better  Developed sales strategies for selling sporting equipment to customers Best  Developed effective and creative sales strategies that resulted in the top sales of sporting equipment for four consistent months

Strommen Career & Internship Center Interviewing: Selling Your Brand

Strommen Career & Internship Center What to Expect in Interviews Questions about your background  Tell me about yourself  Walk me through your resume Questions about your education and goals  Why Augsburg?  Why your major?  What do you hope to do? Behavioral based questions  Situations that demonstrate a trait of skill.

Strommen Career & Internship Center Behavioral Interviewing PAST BEHAVIOR OR EVENTS FUTURE BEHAVIOR

Strommen Career & Internship Center Examples:  Describe the last time you had to lead a team to solve a complex problem.  Tell me of a time when you needed to influence a group or individual.  Describe a project you managed from start to finish. Skilled Interviewers will follow-up with several probing questions as you answer. Interviewers want stories….. What does it look like?

Strommen Career & Internship Center Just enough details to give the listener a picture of what you were doing or how you work Concise enough to demonstrate your point  includes important details  excludes unimportant details Not too short; not too long There’s a character that the listener needs to “see” in action Leave enough for the interviewer to ask follow up questions…don’t start with the whole story Characteristics of a good story:

Strommen Career & Internship Center How is it done? S.T.A.R. technique is ONE tool: S ituation-What was happening? T ask (goal)-What were you trying to accomplish? A ction-What did you specifically do? R esult-What was the outcome? How did your work affect the organization or situation?

Strommen Career & Internship Center How is it done….well? Interviewing….. presentation of you.

Strommen Career & Internship Center Select stories that express your “brand” What do you want the employer to remember about you? Focus on your strengths Don’t be afraid to address your “gaps” Make your story relevant to that company, industry, function, role Note about Liberal Arts Two approaches

Strommen Career & Internship Center Marketing the liberal arts:  Employers want: Communication Skills (written & verbal) Honesty/Integrity Teamwork Skills Strong Work Ethic Analytical Skills Adaptability Interpersonal Skills Motivation/Initiative Computer Skills Detail-orientation Organizational Skills Leadership Skills Self-Confidence  Liberal Arts teaches: SEE PREVIOUS LIST

Strommen Career & Internship Center Prepare Focus on your brand in choosing stories  Use the stories that demonstrate your strengths  Create 7 good stories that highlight what you bring to the table Certain themes are almost guaranteed:  Leadership, teamwork, influence  Resolving conflict, interpersonal communication  Weakness, failure AND what you learned from it  Managing a project  Creativity; innovative  Interest in field, passion The unexpected

Strommen Career & Internship Center Start with writing if it helps Move to bullet points of most important points Rehearse-over, over, over Ad lib story to different speakers Adjust story to answer several questions, but make sure you answer the question! Practice out loud, not just in your head! Practice, then practice again

Strommen Career & Internship Center Hone your presentation. Evaluate your presentation (from your point-of- view) Learn from your experience

Strommen Career & Internship Center Presenting YOU Arrive early Introduce yourself Be professional Watch your eye contact and body language May bring and use your portfolio Leave your cell phone at home! Answer questions Ask questions Do not bring up salary or benefits Get business cards Close the interview

Strommen Career & Internship Center Interview Attire  Men Well fitting suit Pressed shirt (white, off- white, gray) Conservative colors (gray, black, navy) Professional hairstyle Little cologne, jewelry Traditional tie BLACK dress socks Portfolio, NO BACK PACK  Women Well fitting suit Conservative colors (gray, black, navy) Professional hairstyle Little perfume, jewelry, or make up Knee length, If wearing skirt Avoid high heel shoes Sheer hosiery Portfolio, NO BACKPACK

Strommen Career & Internship Center Networking......

Strommen Career & Internship Center Do I really have to network? Continuously learn about a field, company, or career field Many jobs are not posted Employers hire people they know or hear about through trusted sources NOT networking will cause you to miss out on a large portion of the best jobs

Strommen Career & Internship Center Networking Defined: yes Building relationships Connecting with people in your field of interest Most effective way to find opportunities Helpful tool for learning more about your field Necessary at some point Lasts a lifetime no “Using” people “Smoozing” Not necessary; only necessary when looking for a job/internship Being replaced by the internet Purpose is to ask for a job

Strommen Career & Internship Center Networking at a glance Build a list of organizations that interest you. Develop a list of contacts within those organizations. Make your connections.

Strommen Career & Internship Center Build Your List Tell everyone you know about your goals/plans Industry lists Big Book of Lists (SC&IC) Resources in SC&IC library Reference librarian in library Journals/papers related to field

Strommen Career & Internship Center Dig for contacts Alumni Family and friends Professional organizations Faculty/staff Classmates and colleagues Coaches

Strommen Career & Internship Center Make your connections Elevator Speech and your Brand  30 second “pitch” about you, your experience, and goals Focus on them  Ask good questions and listen  Begin thinking about how you can help them RIGHT AWAY Informational Interviews  Develop a list of questions you want to ask  Do your homework on the industry-know something about it! STAY CONNECTED!  Follow up and continued relationships

Strommen Career & Internship Center Social Networking Linkedin   complete a descriptive profile  search for connections for informational interview  get company information and connections Facebook  become a fan of company profiles  check the profile for news and information

Strommen Career & Internship Center Questions