What’s going to stand out to an employer?

    The first page The first listing under a section The first bullet under a job Anything bolded, underlined, or italicized

Make these count!

       Layout/format that is clean and consistent Gather essentials in 30 seconds Concise, yet descriptive details Action and achievement oriented Most relevant and recent information Put your “best foot forward” Your main goal is to land an interview

    ◦ Brainstorm Take time to list everything you’ve done ◦ Create a “base” resume Don’t worry how it sounds yet ◦ Fine-tune your “base” resume Several editing cycles are needed ◦ Tailor-make various versions Each resume you send will be unique

    Limit resume to 1 – 2 pages Use standard fonts (Times, Arial), no smaller than size 10 Margins: .75” – 1.25” Use italics, bolding, and underlining carefully to place emphasis

 Most widely used  Start with present job and list back from there  This style works well if you have had several jobs or internships

 Organized by skills/topic areas  Works well if you have gaps in employment  Works well in emphasizing transferable skills  Works well if you have a lot of experience or very little experience

1.

2.

    Keys to writing a career objective: ◦ Clear ◦ Relevant ◦ Concise Change objective as often as needed Should be as specific as possible Identifies the position you are targeting

Vague/General

1 - To obtain a position as a dietician in a hospital setting.”

Specific/Direct

2 - Seeking a position utilizing nutritional counseling and program management experience to serve at risk youth of Eastern Kentucky.”

 ◦ Contrast these examples: General “A challenging position that uses my education and creativity” ◦ Specific “A position as a writer in a public relations department or advertising firm”

List degrees in reverse chronological order       School name(s) Most Recent First Location Degree, Major, Minor GPA if above 3.0

Graduation date (month/year) Do not include high school information, community colleges where you did not obtain a degree

 May provide RELEVANT coursework: ◦ 4 – 6 targeted courses ◦ upper level, specific training/knowledge  Study abroad experience  Awards or Honors

     Include paid work and unpaid relevant work Organization/Company Name City, State Position Title ◦ Dates of Employment Consider using terms like “Summers 2006-2007” or “2007-2008 School Year” Job Description Bullets

         Accomplished Achieved Attained Completed Created Delivered Demonstrated Enhanced Expanded           Improved Increased Managed Obtained Performed Produced Secured Succeeded Surpassed Wrote

    Start each bullet with an action verb Focus on accomplishments Emphasize transferable skills Use quantifiable information when appropriate (like #s)

 Create 2+ experience sections: ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Social Work Experience Sales & Marketing Experience Research Experience Relevant Experience Practicum Experience Other Experience

 Choose whether to emphasize the company or the position title, whichever is more impressive (be consistent)  Use terms/language common to your career field

 Task – “Wrote weekly reports on sales and submitted them to home office.”  Accomplishment – “Completed 156 summary reports on sales, including weekly volume, percent of increase, new clients seen. Received recommendation from sales manager for accuracy.”

 Task – “Responsibilities included developing various new course materials and instructional aids.”  Accomplishment – “Developed training materials on customer service now used for all new interns.”

 Spin the mundane tasks to emphasize your transferable skills ◦ Answered phones all summer vs.

◦ Assisted clients by responding to daily inquiries and directing calls

 Employers are most interested in this section  Include summer jobs, internships, part-time positions  May include consistent volunteer experience, just label as such ◦ Fundraiser (volunteer)

 Shows well-roundedness  Choose what to list by considering your objective  List co-curricular activities ◦ translate “UKisms” Ex. Career Ambassador  Include any international travel

 Focus on leadership and/or volunteer activities  Honors can include: scholarships, awards, special recognition  Do not list hobbies or personal information

     Name of group Dates of involvement (just year) Positions held Skills acquired ◦ Accomplishments Try to quantify involvement by listings # of hours volunteers, $ of money raised, # of projects completed.

◦ Treat significant activities like you would your experience – use bullets to expand on the work that you accomplished.

   Choose according to the objective Use to list any computer skills Or use to list your overall skill set  Examples: ◦ Computer skills: PC and MAC operating systems, ◦ ◦ ◦ Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Quark Genuine concern for individuals and their health and wellness Bilingual in Spanish and English Excellent public speaking and group facilitation

Resume Example

 Avoid large amounts of text  Use bulleted points or brief phrases  Be brief, clear, and concise  Include everything on “base resume” then tailor each resume you send

    Never lie about anything on your resume Report accurate GPA (a 3.9 does not round up to a 4.0) Do not adjust dates of employment to hide gaps Do not make up titles for jobs you’ve held

57% of employers have caught lies on resumes. 93% would never hire a candidate who lied on a resume.

◦ ◦ No need to list on resume “Available upon request” – so obvious it isn’t necessary Request Permission prior to sharing their contact info ◦ Sample Reference Page      Format-full contact information Name Job title Address Email Phone numbers  Clarify if it is (home) or (work) numbers

 View job postings from the following sources ◦ Postings sent to UK (Wildcat CareerLink Jobs) ◦ NACElink Network  Utilize search agents  Upload resumes and post in resume books  Get employer contacts from employer database  Apply for on-campus interviews  Get details about job fairs

 Tuesday – Thursday from12:00-3:00  ◦ ◦ ◦ 15 minute or less career consultations Resume critique Cover letter critique Questions regarding internships, job searching, interviewing, and graduate school

 Career counselors are available for individual appointments with students and alumni that include: ◦ Interpreting career assessments ◦ ◦ Exploring careers related to majors Critiquing resumes and job search letters ◦ Practicing with “mock” interviews ◦ Discussing job search strategies ◦ Evaluating job offers and salaries

If you want individualized assistance with this process you can make an appointment with a Career Counselor Contact the Career Center 859-257-2746

RESOURCES

www.uky.edu/CareerCenter Join us on FACEBOOK, TWITTER and BIG BLUE NETWORK

408 Rose Street 859.257.2746

www.uky.edu/CareerCenter