1. Resume Workshop Presented to MISA student club @ WWU April 20, 2005
Presented By
Craig K. Tyran & Kraig Pencil
Western Washington University

2. Agenda Introduction Organization Appearance Content Notes:
Presentation format
Review “resume issues”
Illustrate with examples
Feel free to ask questions at any time!!!

3. Introduction Scenario: You submit a resume to an organization.
What is the “next step” you are hoping for???
Goal: Use resume to get them interested in a closer look
What can we (generally) expect about the person who is reviewing your resume?
See lots of resumes
Busy person
Looking to fill a specific job

4. Introduction (cont.)
Based on this situation  What are the implications for how to prepare your resume?
Make it easy for the reviewer to find what s/he is looking for
Be descriptive, yet concise
Include information that makes you special
Tailor your resume to the job position
Create different resumes for different applications

5. Resume: Organization
What is the person reviewing your resume expecting to see???
Top section of resume
Name and contact information
Body of resume
Note: Order of items below may vary based on your experiences and what you wish to emphasize
Objective
Academic background
Frequently near top for college grads
Work experience
May organize by job, function/skill area
Skills
Activities

6. Resume: Appearance Rule #1: No typos!!! Appearance Formatting issues
Recruiters do notice!
Appearance
Several resume formats exist
Examples
Formatting issues
Use font settings/sizes to highlight headings, keywords, etc.
Don’t be too busy!
Some organizations scan resumes into an electronic database
Fancy formats and lines may be tougher to scan

7. Resume: Content Objective statement Academic background
Note: The following is targeted to the IS area, but can be adapted to other career areas.
Objective statement
If you include this …
Be specific
E.g., Internship or full-time? Specific area of MIS?
Example: I seek a full-time position as an IS analyst that will draw on my academic background and work experiences in the area of systems development.
Academic background
Graduation date, degree
Work experience
IS-related work is ideal
Useful to try to get this somehow (even if unpaid)
But even if no IS experience, still be proud of your past work experience! Past experience can demonstrate
work ethic,
ability to work with others,
experience with organizations,
responsibilities

8. Resume: Content (cont.)
Work experience (cont.)
Think about how to relate your experience to the job position you are applying for
Example: You have worked as a salesperson for 2 years
 What general or specific skills could you take away from this experience that can be relevant with respect to a job as an IS analyst? Or IS customer support specialist?
????
Use active words to highlight your experience and accomplishments
Weak: Sales person for ABC Electronics
Strong: o Top sales producer for August o Worked with customers to find solutions to their home electronic needs o Handled customer returns and trouble shooting for customer problems o Responsible for closing store and cash register

9. Resume: Content Skills Activities
Organize technical (or other) skills by category
Application development: ASP.Net, C++, MS Access, SQL, VBA, VB.Net, Visible Analyst (CASE), etc.
Hardware: A+ certification, etc.
Operating systems and networking: Windows XP, Novell, Unix, MCP certification, etc.
Activities
Have you done things outside of the classroom?
Club leadership, volunteer work, etc.
If appropriate, write up similar to a “Work experience” listing
E.g., VP Programs, MISA o Served as liaison to industry representatives o Responsible for organizing fifteen evening presentation events for club members

10. Questions??