1. Chapter 15
The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters

2. Topics in This Chapter The Job Search Résumé Categories
Poor and Improved Résumé Samples
Optimizing Your Résumé for Today‘s Technologies

3. Topics in This Chapter Submitting Your Résumé
The Customized Cover Letter
Sending Your Cover Letter by
Preview Employment Quiz

4. The Job Search Preparing Identify your interests and goals.
Evaluate your qualifications.
Recognize today’s employment trends.
Choose a career path.

5. The Job Search Today’s employment trends
More people work for smaller companies, or they start their own business.
Fewer people have permanent positions.
Teams complete special projects and then disband.
Companies outsource work to outsiders.
Contingency employees work temporarily and then leave the company.

6. The Job Search Searching electronically
Visit big job boards, such as CareerBuilder, Indeed, Monster, CollegeGrad, CareerJournal, and so on.
Look beyond the big boards to company Web sites, professional associations, local sites, niche sites, and social media sites.

7. The Job Search Tips for conducting a safe, effective Web job search
Use reputable sites.
Limit the number of sites on which you post your résumé.
Use a dedicated, professional-sounding address.
Limit personal information.
Post your résumé privately, if possible.

8. The Job Search Tips for conducting a safe, effective Web job search
Renew your résumé posting every 14 days.
Keep careful records of where you post your résumé.
Omit references when posting.
Avoid replying to a “blind” job posting.

9. The Job Search Searching traditionally
See announcements of professional organizations.
Visit career centers, attend career fairs, ask advice of instructors.
Contact companies directly.
Develop your own network.
Check classified ads.

10. The Job Search Searching by using online resources
Join a career networking group.
Participate in a discussion group or mailing list.
Locate a relevant blog.
Start tweeting.

11. The Job Search

12. Résumé Categories Heading and objective
List your name, address, , and phone.
Include a career objective customized for a targeted job.

13. Résumé Categories Summary of qualifications
Provide 3 to 8 bulleted statements.
List your most impressive qualifications: experience, skills, education, awards.
Customize the statements to fit the requirements of the targeted job.

14. Résumé Categories Education
Name your degree, date of graduation, and institution.
List your major and GPA.
Give information about your studies, but don’t inventory all your courses.

15. Résumé Categories Work experience
List your jobs. Start with the most recent. Include employer's name and city, dates of employment (month, year), and most significant title.
Salesperson, Kmart, Dayton, Ohio. April 2010 to May 2011.
Manager, Fleet Equipment, Kettering, Ohio. June 2011 to present.
Tax Preparer, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA).
March 2011 to present. Sinclair College, Dayton, Ohio.

16. Résumé Categories Work experience
Use action verbs to describe your experience. 
Summarize your achievements and skills relevant to the targeted job.
Prepared state and federal tax returns for individuals with incomes under $25,000. Conducted interviews with over 50 individuals to elicit data regarding taxes. Determined legitimate tax deductions and recorded them accurately.

17. Résumé Categories Capabilities and skills
Highlight your technical skills. Mention word processing, database, spreadsheet, and Internet proficiency.
Emphasize your nontechnical skills. Give evidence of communication, management, and interpersonal skills. Employers want more than empty assurances. Try to quantify your skills.
Organized holiday awards program for 1200 attendees and 140 awardees. Praised by top management for enthusiastic teamwork and achievement.

18. Résumé Categories Awards, honors, and activities
Show that you are well-rounded.
List awards and extracurricular activities, especially if they demonstrate leadership, teamwork, reliability, loyalty, initiative, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.

19. Résumé Categories Final tips
Omit references unless specifically required.
Look for ways to condense your data.
Double-check for parallel phrasing.
Project professionalism and quality.

20. Résumé Categories Final tips Avoid personal pronouns. Omit humor.
Use quality paper and a quality printer.
Have a friend or colleague critique your résumé.
Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

21. Poor Résumé

22. Poor Résumé

23. Improved Résumé

24. Improved Résumé

25. Optimizing Your Résumé for Today‘s Technologies
You will need three résumé versions:
Print-based presentation résumé
Scannable résumé
Plain-text resume
Print-based presentation résumé

26. Optimizing Your Résumé for Today‘s Technologies
Convert your print résumé.
Use 10- to 14-point font such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Be sure your name is on first line.
Avoid underlining, italics, borders, shading.
Include keywords mentioned in job description.
To prepare a scannable résumé

27. Optimizing Your Résumé for Today‘s Technologies
Reformat with shorter lines (no more than 65 characters).
Move all text to the left.
Consider using equals signs (= = =) or tildes (~ ~ ~) to separate items and enhance format.
Save file in plain-text (.txt) or rich text (.rtf) format.
Send to yourself to check layout.
To prepare a plain-text résumé

28. Submitting Your Résumé
Word document
Send your presentation résumé by surface mail or as an attachment. 
PDF document
Use Adobe software to convert your presentation résumé. Send as an attachment.
By John S. Donnellan

29. Submitting Your Résumé
Plain-text, ASCII document
Embed within or send as an attachment. 
Company database
Complete online form with your résumé information. 
Fax
Send your presentation résumé.
If you are faxing or sending a résumé by , consider following up with a copy of your presentation résumé.

30. The Customized Cover Letter
Opening
Body
Closing
The Customized Cover Letter
Address the letter to an individual by name.
Name the source, and include job title, date, and publication for advertised jobs.
Name the person who referred you, if applicable.
Tell how your qualifications fit the job specifications, show knowledge of the reader’s business, or describe how your special talents will be assets to the company.

31. The Customized Cover Letter
Opening
Body
Closing
The Customized Cover Letter
Demonstrate how your background and training fill the job requirements.
Summarize your principal assets from education, experience, and special skills.
Avoid repeating specific data from your résumé.
Refer to your résumé.

32. The Customized Cover Letter
Opening
Body
Closing
The Customized Cover Letter
Ask for an interview. Consider hooking the request to a statement reviewing your strongest points.
Make it easy to respond. Tell when you can be reached (during office hours). Some recruiters prefer that you call them.

33. End