Transcript The Art of Interviewing

Career Prep 101:
Resumes, Cover Letters and
Job Searching
Emily Vees, MBA
Associate Director, Career Center
Opening the Door
• What is the purpose of a resume?
• Did you know….
– Most recruiters only spend about 6-10 seconds looking
at a resume?!
• Skimming to find an indication that you meet their needs
• Stand out from the crowd
– RESUME
• 1 page, clean format, easy to read, no typos
Resume Format
• Chronological v. Functional
– Chronological – job experience arranged listing most recent
first
– Functional – work experience arranged according to skills
– Students and Recent grads = chronological
• Organizing the Resume
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Objective – optional
Education - college only, GPA
Relevant Coursework
Internship Experience
Work Experience
Campus/Community Involvement
Leadership Experience
Awards/Recognition
– Research – Senior honors thesis, work done with Faculty (not
just a class)
– References – separate page; ask permission before listing
Education Section Examples
• Include:
• University, location, degree,
graduation date, major/minor, GPA
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Business Administration
Major: Marketing Management
The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
Expected:May 2015
GPA: 3.1
EDUCATION
The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science GPA: 3.5
Minor: Economics
Expected: May 2014
Experience Section Examples
www.onetonline.org
Technical Resume Tips
DID YOU KNOW?
Most firms will do Boolean searches?
• A type of search allowing users to combine
keywords with operators such as AND, NOT and
OR to further produce more relevant results
• This means they are scanning your resume for
keywords!
• Keywords can be found in the job description.
Professional Summary Section
Professional summary :
• Summary about your skills and experiences that
would make you appealing to an employer.
• Should include keywords from job description.
SAMPLE:
• Business and technology student with experience in
IT project leadership including planning and
implementation management, development and
analysis. Product knowledge spans software,
hardware, and related computer services.
Completed internships in software and development,
skilled at learning new tasks quickly with the ability
to analyze and solve problems.
Technical Summary/Skills Section
Technical Summary:
• List all buzzwords, including platforms,
languages, operating systems, frameworks,
what are you familiar with?
SAMPLE:
• Languages: HTML, Java, C#, Visual Basic, SQL
• Platforms: Windows XP, Citrix, Mac OS
• Software: Microsoft Office Suite, Project, Visio,
Adobe
Resume Reminders
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Avoid using fill in templates
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Use Action Verbs
– Administered, Created, Developed, Executed, Facilitated,
Planned, Managed, etc.
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Avoid Wordiness – use phrases instead of sentences,
eliminate the pronoun “I”
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Recruiters like numbers!
– Example “Supervised 6 staff members”
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Tailor to the job for which you are applying
– Use the job description to your advantage
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Email address – is it professional?
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Do not include graphics or photographs
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PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD
Cover Letters
• Introduces you, establishes your interest in the position,
explains why you are submitting your resume
• Typically 3 brief paragraphs:
– The first explains why you are writing and the position you are
seeking
– The second explains how your skills relate to the specific job,
why you are qualified for the position and how you can benefit
the organization
– The third reiterates your interest and requests a follow up;
either a reply or an interview
• Do not discuss salary requirements
• Do not repeat your resume, highlight the appropriate
skills
• Should be tailored for each job/internship you apply for
Job Searching
• Utilize your resources!
– Career Center jobs database and resume referral
– Upcoming Career Fairs:
• March 4th – Science and Engineering Fair
• March 5th – All-Campus Career Fair
– Faculty advisor/Computer Science jobs page
– Online job boards:
• www.indeed.com
• www.linkedin.com
• www.internmatch.com
Interviewing Aspects
Do’s, Don’ts and Dress
Interviewing Tips
Do:
• Turn off your cell phone
• Have a firm handshake
• Be familiar with the
organization and
position
• Ask questions
• Dress professionally
• Send a thank you note
• Ask about next steps
Don’t:
• Be Late
• Fail to practice
beforehand
• Dress inappropriately
• Overlook body language
• Speak negatively about
yourself or others
• Lie
• Fail to ask questions
What to wear?
Business Casual means:
• NO jeans, shorts, t-shirts,
sundresses, flip-flops or tennis
shoes
• Nothing wrinkled, frayed or
worn-out
• Acceptable attire includes:
– Khakis or dress pants
– Any type of collared shirt: polo,
long or short sleeve dress shirts
such as oxfords or blouses
– Suit jackets are not necessary
– Women can wear skirts, but must
be appropriate length
– Avoid anything sleeveless
Is that Appropriate?!
Business Casual - Men
YES
NO
Business Casual - Women
Yes
No
What to wear?
Business Professional means:
• A SUIT!
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A dark suit with a dress shirt
A coordinating tie
Dark socks and dress shoes
Avoid wearing bright colored shirts and loud ties
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Dark coordinated suits, properly fitted (not
provocative), with matching dress blouse (no
plunging neckline)
Skirt length no more than one inch above the knee
Polished matching dress shoes with moderate heel
(no open toe/heeled shoes or platforms)
Neutral colored hose (no runs)
For Women:
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Business Professional Women
Yes
No
Business Professional Men
Yes
No
Image Breakers
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Heavy cologne/perfume
Visible tattoos or body piercings
Noisy, clunky or distracting jewelry
Unnatural hair color, messy hair style
and/or unkempt facial hair
Loose or missing buttons
Clothing that is wrinkled, too tight, or too
big
Scuffed shoes; open-toe shoes
Poor posture (stand and sit up straight)
Lack of a firm handshake
Overstuffed briefcase, bag, or pockets
Sweaty palms
Chewing gum
Smoking prior to the interview
Something stuck in your teeth
Behavioral Based Interviewing
Tell me about a time when….
Behavioral Based Interviewing
What is a behavioral based interview?
– An interviewing method that encourages you to talk
about how you’ve dealt with past experiences
– Allows for a conversation, not an interrogation
– Looks for lessons learned from past experiences
– Effectively probes beyond the facts to reveal abilities
Comparison of Questions
• Traditional Style:
– “Tell me about one of your group projects”
• Behavioral Style:
– “Describe a time when you tried to get a group of people to
cooperate and work together as a team so that an objective
could be accomplished”
• Traditional Style:
– “Tell me about a challenge you have faced”
• Behavioral Style :
– “What types of problems have you had to identify and solve
in your academic career? Describe in detail one of the most
significant of these problems and the solution you
developed”
Behavioral Interview Technique
Situation/Task
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Describe the situation, task, or problem.
Be as specific as possible and provide details
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Be concise, yet detailed.
Assume the interviewer knows nothing about the
situation – provide relevant background.
S/T
Action
• Describe the specific action(s) you took that had
an effect on the situation.
• Don't describe how you would behave or what the
team did. Describe how you did actually behave.
• If you later decided you should have behaved
differently, explain this. The employer will see that
you learned something from experience
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Result
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Describe the positive result(s) or outcome(s)
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Be ready to articulate what you learned as a
result of the situation (particularly if using a
negative example). What happened? (grade,
project, benefits, etc.)
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If possible, quantify your results and make sure to
connect accomplishments to the position for
which you are interviewing.
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Getting a STAR
The interviewer will probe further for more
depth or detail if needed.
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What were you thinking at that point?”
“Tell me more about your meeting with
that person.”
“Lead me through your decision-making
process.”
Note: If the interviewer has to probe too
often, this could be a sign that you aren’t
listening well.
Derailers
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“What I would do…”
“What I usually do…”
Extensive need to probe for details
Rambling / Tangents
Long-winded – be concise
Failure to listen - You can ask the interviewer to
repeat the question, BUT not every time!
Providing a negative example without telling
what you learned from it: “I handled an angry
customer. He was rude to me. He ended up
dropping our insurance.”
And remember…
Silence is OK!!
You are allowed to think
about your response.
Practice Makes Perfect
Applying what you have learned
Sources of Experience
• Group Projects
• Campus/Professional Organizations
• Leadership Positions
• Previous Work Experience
• Summer/ Part-time Jobs
• Internships
• Hobbies and Interests
• Awards and Recognition
• Volunteer Work
Think of some “stories”
• Times where you saved/made money for an employer
• A crisis or two and how you responded/recovered
• A time where you were part of a team and what your
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contribution was
A time when you dealt with stress
A time where you provided successful leadership
Failures you faced and how you overcame them
Events that caused you to change direction and how that
worked out
What else does the Career Center
offer?
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Individualized career advising
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Internships/co-ops/
full-time employment
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Resume/cover letter critiques
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Job search strategies
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Interviewing skills and mock
interviews
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Business etiquette and
networking techniques
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Career Fairs
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Career workshops and
programs
Visit us for more tips!
THE CAREER
CENTER
Your One Stop Shop For Everything Career Related!
DISCOVER MORE AT: http://www.uakron.edu/career/
Student Union, Room 211
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
330-972-7747