1. Resume Critiquing National Texas Chapter Association of Contingency Planners September 9, 2014

2. Writing an Effective Resume  Why you are writing  Organization  Presentation

3. A Resume  is the first meeting between you and the employer.  tells a great deal about you.  gets you the interview.  is your calling card, so remember that “First impressions are lasting ones.”

4. Writing an Effective Resume  Why you are writing  Organization  Presentation

5. What Categories Are Expected on a Resume?

6. Summary of Categories Name Address, telephone number, e-mail address Objective Experience Education Achievements and awards Skills Professional affiliations Publications or projects Optional

7.  Complete information (i.e., name, address, phone number)  Placed at the top of the page  E-mail address (optional)  Name on subsequent pages Start with contact information

8. Contact Information

9. Objective  One or two sentences  Type of position  What position would you like to find?  Emphasize how you will use your skills, not what you want to gain

10. Use the objective to stand out Do not be needy: Objective: To obtain a position that will allow me to advance my potential while seeking new challenges. Show what you will contribute: Objective: An entry-level position in mechanical engineering where strong leadership ability and good communication skills are needed. Objective: Vice-president of aerospace engineering in an agency where extensive knowledge of thermodynamics and heat transfer are needed.

11.  Functional specialty/title  Overall picture of your qualifications  Years of experience in the field  Certifications, licenses  Accomplishments/recognitions/results  Key talents/special knowledge related to target job  Language skills  Technical and special skills Summary of Qualifications

12.  Effective communication and customer service skills  Skill-set(s) related to your career concentration  Computer expertise (including industry software)  Willingness to work as part of a team  Project management and problem-solving skills  Financial savvy (P&L, cost control, budgeting)  Multi-tasking ability and flexibility  Organizational skills and attention to detail  Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure  Networking ability (to cultivate new business, for example)  Leadership or supervisory experience Examples of Qualifications

13. Experience in reverse order Dates of employment (2003–present) Name and location of the company (Con Edison, Brooklyn) Add specific detail that shows your organization, cooperation, responsibility with action List relevant work history…no more than 15 years back

14. Education also in reverse chronological order Include schools attended beyond high school List major and minor(s), supply interesting details For Poly, put the expected date in parentheses: Polytechnic Institute of NYU B.S. Electrical Engineering (Anticipated graduation: June 2011) Include special or interesting aspects of your program

15. Use the skills section  Software programs and proficiency (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, FrontPage, AutoCad …)  Programming languages (include Visual Basic, HTML, PHP, …)  Abilities (based on experience)  Languages and language ability

16. Achievements and awards  Dean ’ s list  Scholarships  Grants  Prizes  Nominations  Professional societies  Significant accomplishments  Committees and leadership roles

17. Writing an Effective Resume  Why you are writing  Organization  Presentation

18. Create an effective layout  Try to interest your reader visually  Extra white space makes it easy to read – set margins  For text: a serif font like Times  For headings: Arial or Helvetica are good choices to add visual interest  Don’t choose non-standard fonts like Comic Sans or Lucida Handwriting  Font size should be 11 or 12 font

19. Power Words Before Resume:  Maintained records for accounts receivable and payable After Resume:  Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable and payable accounts working directly with the Chief Financial Officer Before Resume:  I gave work assignments to staff of entry level accounting clerks After Resume:  Directed workflow, supervised and trained accounting staff performing posting to general ledger, accounts receivable and payable accounts

20.  Categories missing  Unclear objective  Wrong job target  Generic and unfocused  Lacks relevant experience/education  Too long, short or poorly reproduced  Wordy, misspellings, poor grammar  Irrelevant information  Time gaps Reasons Resumes Get Screened Out

21. Resume Don’ts  Avoid abbreviations and acronyms  Never use pronouns such as: “I”, “me”, “my” or “our”  No fancy fonts, binders, photographs  Personal, family or health information  References

22. Final thoughts …  Proof… proof… proof!  Write your own resume! Speak to your audience  Easy to read  Well organized  Honest  Dynamic word choice  Flawless  Update frequently

23. Writing an Effective Resume  Why you are writing  Organization  Presentation