1. Self Assessment Informational Interviewing Resume Writing Facilitators: Ms. Gail Bunce, HR Development Specialist Dr. Ronnie Nicholson-Davis, Chief, Patient Care Administrative Services 1

2. Dr. Ronnie Nicholson-Davis 2

3. Self-assessment is the process of looking at oneself in order to assess aspects that are important to one's identity. It is one of the motives that drive self- evaluation, along with self-verification and self- enhancement. When an individual takes the time to assess their motives it may prompt the individual to seek information to assist with self-development. The concept is considered a lifelong learning approach, aiming to offer a tool for personal empowerment and development, rather than for solely selective or professional purposes. In this session we will focus on the importance of a self assessment and share a tool for development. 3

4.  Review your accomplishments  Alignment of goals  Ability to map job objectives with current position  Identification of performance gaps  Seeking a change  Promotion 4

5.  Individual Development Plan ◦ Define short (i.e. 12 months) and long term (2 – 5 years) goals or career plans in alignment with: ◦ Core competencies  Communication  Interpersonal Effectiveness  Critical Thinking  Organizational Stewardship  Veteran and Customer Focus  Personal Mastery ◦ Leadership Competencies  Leading Change  Global Perspective  Results Driven  Business Acumen  Leading People  Building Coalitions 5

6. Dr. Ronnie Nicholson-Davis 6

7. An informational interview is a one-on-one conversation with someone who has a job you might like, who works within an industry you might want to enter, or who is employed by a specific company that you’re interested in learning about. These interviews are excellent options for plotting a career path or focusing your aspirations. It’s also a good way to practice your interview skills without conducting a formal job interview. In this session we will discuss the concept of an informational interview and allow the participants to complete a mock interview. 7

8.  Obtain information about a designated career path  Networking  Become aware of the needs of the employer, understand position requirements  Improves formal interview skills  Opportunity to learn how your skills may align within a designated career track  Receive feedback about your skills 8

9. Be prepared with an outline of your skills 9

10.  Identify the information you want, take notes  Make a list of people you know  Research the organization  Make an appointment (i.e. 30 minutes)  Plan an agenda/outline for the session, develop questions  Conduct yourself as a professional  Be prepared to answer questions about yourself/career goals  Request contact information  Take advantage of any referrals you receive  Send thank you and follow-up letters 10

11. RESUMES Focusing on Accomplishments Gail Bunce, Department of Veterans Affairs Human Resources Development 11

12. Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to: Understand the importance of successfully writing accomplishment statements. See examples of accomplishment statements. Brainstorm your own accomplishment statements. Practice writing your accomplishment statements. 12

13. Why are Accomplishment Statements Important? Should make up the “meat” of your resume. Emphasize results, outcomes and performance indicators. Concrete, measurable. Help sell you. 13

14. Accomplishment Criteria – Try to meet as many as possible Relate directly to duties of jobs you have held and job you are applying to ******** (Most important). You are proud of them. Made a true difference on many levels. Quantifiable and can be expressed in numbers or percentages. Easily understandable to all reviewers. 14

15. Telling It vs. Selling It Tell It Describes features. Tells what and how. Details activities. Focuses on what you did. Sell It Describes benefits. Sells why the “what” and “how” are important. Includes results. Details how what you did was beneficial to your employer, team, customers, department, etc. 15

16. Brainstorming Accomplishments Come up with five or six for current job. Can use less for previous jobs unless they relate to position you are applying to. Develop as many as you can to use for KSA’s and the PBI later on. 16

17. Some Brainstorming Questions Did you improve a work process? How? Were your recommendations adopted? Why? Did you receive a promotion as a result? Have you solved difficult problems? How? Increased productivity? Saved time or money? How? How did your job output compare with others? Special project teams? Additional responsibility? Training? Manage a budget? 17

18. BRAINSTORMING Exercise Step 1: Write all of your experiences down.  What might you use? STOP!!!!! QUICKLY WRITE DOWN THE EXPERIENCE YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF and TELL THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU!!! Step 2: With each experience, separate day-to-day experiences from the one-time events.  See Examples below Step 2. STOP!!!!! Using the experience from Step 1, write what you did day- to-day and what came of it. Now, write a big one-time experience.  SHARE WITH THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU!!!  HOW DID YOU DO??? 18

19. STAR technique S(ituation) – What was the situation, challenge or problem? (T)ask – What was your task at the time? This may or may not be included depending on the situation. (A)ction – What action did you take? (R)esult – What was the result of your action? 19

20. Accomplishments Situation & Task: Beth was asked to look at the company’s online project file system, which was disorganized and hard to use. Action: She analyzed the system and reorganized it so information was more logically arranged and easier to find. Result: She made consultants’ work easier, which saved them time and allowed them to serve customers more effectively. 20

21. Accomplishment Statements Original Accomplishments As part of team, successfully completed project ahead of schedule and under budget. Coordinated with all departments to ensure customer satisfaction. Improved Accomplishments As part of management development team, successfully completed performance appraisal ahead of schedule and $10M under budget. Coordinated with all departments nationwide to ensure customer satisfaction. Result was an average of six customer commendations per month. 21

22. WINNING WORDS - Sell Yourself and Your Accomplishments www.careerealism.com/top-resume-words ACTION VERBS: Administer, Analyze, Organize, Recommend. SPECIFIC NOUNS: Guidance, Analysis, Morale, Performance. DESCRIPTORS: Accurate, Collaborative, Professional, Analytical RESULTS: Additional, Reduced, Growth, Expanded. Do most phrases begin with action verbs such as “developed’, “initiated”, etc.? ACTION VERBS: Administer, Analyze, Organize, Recommend. SPECIFIC NOUNS: Guidance, Analysis, Morale, Performance. DESCRIPTORS: Accurate, Collaborative, Professional, Analytical RESULTS: Additional, Reduced, Growth, Expanded. Do most phrases begin with action verbs such as “developed’, “initiated”, etc.? 22

23. Exercise Continued – Go to Step 3 Answer the next 12 questions about your experiences to help you think of your accomplishmen ts. 23

24. SHARE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR 24

25. TRANSLATING TO RESUME LANGUAGE – STAR FORMULA Take the accomplishment in the previous exercise.  WHAT WAS THE SITUATION OR CHALLENGE?(S,T)  WHAT ACTION DID YOU TAKE? (A)  WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF YOUR ACTION (R)? SHARE YOUR RESULT WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR!!! 25

26. RESUME HOMEWORK – Ask Yourself?? What type of position are you applying for? What specific competencies/KSAs are required for the position? Have you tailored your resume to display your skills in these areas? What specialized experience is required? Are there any items that you weren’t able to meet? If so, what actions do you need to take to do so? Do you meet them in some way? 26

27. RESUME HOMEWORK CONTINUED What additional changes could you make to improve your resume? Did you write your resume so that those who don’t know you can understand your experiences? Did you include accomplishment statements that speak to the specialized experience? 27

28. Thank You!!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON TAKING THIS IMPORTANT NEXT STEP IN YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT!!! 28