1. CSE - ISE 300 Writing for the Job Search Marianna Savoca Career Center www.stonybrook.edu/career

2. Presenting Yourself Professionally Persuasive Concise Action-oriented Targeted Flawless

3. Resume NOT a LENGTHY DESCRIPTION of all your responsibilities It is PERSUASIVE – selling your qualifications Critical elements: –Educational background –Related skills & experience (projects) –Quantifiable accomplishments

4. Good resume vs. great resume College experiences Description of responsibilities Education / courses Technical skills Class projects Work experience Community service Clubs / activities Leadership roles A FOCUSED summary that outlines your qualifications for a targeted position. A description of your ACCOMPLISHMENTS as they relate to your objective. Use the STAR model –Situation / Task –Action –Result

5. How To Begin THINK FIRST – “What have I done?” WRITE NEXT – write it all down THINK MORE about what you’ve done 1. What have I accomplished? 2. What problems have I solved? 3. What difference did I make? 4. What measurable impact did I have?

6. Developing Your Draft Use S.T.A.R. & ACTION VERBS SITUATION /TASK: I noticed that children’s videos were displayed on the 3 rd shelf – too high for kids to see. ACTION: I recommended to my manager that we move those videos to a lower shelf. RESULT: Weekly sales of children’s videos increased by 25%

7. Good Examples Work Experience: Sales Associate, Blockbuster Video, Port Jefferson, NY - Increased weekly income from children’s rental videos by 25%. - Named “Associate of the Month” September 2007 Community Service: AmeriCorps Volunteer, Tutoring Center, Brentwood, NY - Tutored five children, ages 8-10, in reading twice weekly. - All five children increased reading level by one grade. What are your STARs?

8. More Good Examples Skills: Perl/CGI, PHP, Ruby, JavaScript AJAX, CSS, XHTML, XML, JSP Java, C++, C, C# Photoshop, Eclipse, Dreamweaver, MS Office Projects: CSE 305: Principles of Database Design Received a “A” in the course. Designed relational database to support online stock trading system using MySQL, JSP, and Java Servlet.

9. MUST HAVE Your contact information! Objective or summary Education – reverse order (SBU first) Technical Skills Related Experience (work, internships) Related Projects Leadership / Activities / Volunteer

10. Is this a good example? OBJECTIVE: A position with vertical growth that will allow me to use my skills and attain financial success. EDUCATION: Bronx High School of Science, Diploma 2006 Stonybrook University, NY 11794 – CSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Took part in numerous team projects. Served as a CHOICE Peer Educator.

11. How about this? COLLEGE ACTIVITIES President, Alpha Alpha Alpha 2007-2008 Program Coordinator, 2008--2009 Opening Week Chair, 2007 Student Activities Board, 2006-2008 NSBE, 2007 – present

12. Cover Letters… Are: Proof of your writing ability Specific – to the employer and to the position Concise & focused Addressed to a person Your opportunity to describe why you’re a fit for the job Are NOT: Always necessary (eg. OCR does not require) A template to use for every employer A wish list of things you want in a job A repeat of what appears on your resume

13. Use Your Career Center IT/ Engineering Drop In Hours: Monday 10:00am – 12:00pm Resume review Drop Ins: M, T, R, F 1:00pm – 4:00pm (NOT Wed) Job & Internship Fair – FRIDAY OCT 8 th 2010 Post your resume on ZebraNet and apply, apply! Use other Career Center services for your job search or graduate school application process. http://www.stonybrook.edu/career