Life Skills Development/Unit Five/Communications and Securing Employment/Lesson

How to Prepare an Effective Resume
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1. Resume Essentials
Before you write, take time to do your self-assessment on paper. Outline your skills (especially those applicable to the position you are seeking) and abilities as well as your work experience and extracurricular activities. This will make it easier to prepare a thorough resume.

2. The Content of Your Resume
Name, address, telephone, e-mail address, web site address
 * Avoid nicknames.
 * Use a permanent address. Use your parents' address, a friend's address, or if you recently finished school use the address you plan to use after graduation.
 * Use a permanent telephone number and include the area code. If you have an answering machine, record a neutral greeting.
 * Add your e-mail address. Many employers will find it useful. (Note: Choose an e-mail address that sounds professional you may want to have two e-mail addresses on for professional use and one for personal use.)
 * Include your web site address only if the web page reflects your professional ambitions.

3. Objective or Summary
An objective tells potential employers the sort of work you're hoping to do.
 * Be specific about the job you want. For example: To obtain an entry-level position within a financial institution requiring strong analytical and organizational skills.
 * Tailor your objective to each employer you target/every job you seek.

An objective statement will allow you to:
 * Emphasize key qualifications, skills and/or goals
 * Help your readers find what they need to know quickly
 * Make a good first impression

A good objective statement answers questions:
 * What position(s) are you applying for?
 * What are your main qualifications?
 * What are your career goals?
 * What is your professional identity?

4. Education
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New graduates without a lot of work experience should list their educational information first. Alumni can list it after the work experience section.


 * Your most recent educational information is listed first.
 * Include your degree (A.S., B.S., B.A., etc.), major, institution attended, and minor/concentration.
 * Add your grade point average (GPA) if it is higher than 3.0.
 * Mention academic honours.

5. Work Experience
Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills. Use action words to describe your job duties. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order that is, put your last job first and work backward to your first, relevant job. Include:


 * Title of position
 * Name of organization
 * Location of work
 * Dates of employment
 * Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills achievements.

6. Other information
You may want to add:
 * Key or special skills or competencies,
 * Leadership experience in volunteer organizations,
 * Participation in sports.

7. References
Ask people if they are willing to serve as references before you give their names to a potential employer.

Do not include your reference information on your resume. You may note at the bottom of your resume: "References furnished on request."

Resume Checkup
You've written your résumé. You can now take the following steps to ensure that it is done well.

Content:

 * Run a spell check on your computer before anyone sees your résumé.
 * Get a friend (an English major would do nicely) to do a grammar review.
 * Ask another friend to proofread. The more people who see your résumé, the more likely that misspelled words and awkward phrases will be seen (and corrected).

Design:
These tips will make your résumé easier to read and/or scan into an employer's data base.


 * Use white or off-white paper.
 * Use 8-1/2- x 11-inch paper.
 * Print on one side of the paper.
 * Use a font size of 10 to 14 points.
 * Use non-decorative typefaces.
 * Choose one typeface and stick to it.
 * Avoid italics, script, and underlined words.
 * Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading.
 * Do not fold or staple your résumé.
 * If you must mail your résumé, put it in a large envelope.

Cover Letters
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While the résumé is a somewhat generic advertisement for yourself, the cover letter allows you to tailor your application to each specific job.

Cover Letters should be constructed paying close attention to the following:

Purpose Your cover letter and résumé usually provide all the information which a prospective employer will use to decide whether or not you will reach the next phase in the application process: the interview.

While your goal is an interview and, ultimately, a job offer, the more immediate purpose of your cover letter in some cases may simply be to gain an attentive audience for your résumé.

Audience A cover letter provides, in a very real sense, an opportunity to let your prospective employer hear your voice. It reflects your personality, your attention to detail, your communication skills, your enthusiasm, your intellect, and your specific interest in the company to which you are sending the letter.

Therefore, cover letters should be tailored to each specific company you are applying to. You should conduct enough research to know the interests, needs, values, and goals of each company, and your letters should reflect that knowledge.

Content A cover letter should be addressed to the specific company and the specific individual who will process your application. You can usually find this through research or simply by calling the company to find out who you should address your letter to.

The letter should name the position for which you are applying and also make specific references to the company. Indicate your knowledge of and interest in the work the company is currently doing, and your qualification for the position. You want the reader to know:


 * Why you want to work at that specific company,
 * why you fit with that company
 * How you qualify for the position to which you applying.

In addition to tailoring your application to a specific job with a specific company, the cover letter should also seek to:


 * Highlight the most important and relevant accomplishments, skills, and experience listed in your résumé
 * Point to the resume in some way (as detailed in the enclosed résumé)
 * Request specific follow up, such as an interview.

Format A cover letter should be in paragraph form (save bulleted lists for your résumé) with a conversational, though formal, tone.

The first paragraph should be brief, perhaps two or three sentences, stating


 * What job you are applying for and how you learned about it
 * Any personal contacts you have in or with the company
 * Your general qualifications for the job.

The body of your letter should consist of one to three longer paragraphs in which you expand upon your qualifications for the position. Pick out the most relevant qualifications listed in your resume and discuss them in detail, demonstrating how your background and experience qualify you for the job. Be as specific as possible, and refer the reader to your resume for additional details. The concluding paragraph of your letter should request an interview (or some other response, as appropriate). State where and when you can be reached, and express your willingness to come to an interview or supply further information. Close by thanking your reader for his or her time and consideration.

The Interview
Every interview you get is an indication that the hiring committee is impressed by your application materials, and thinks you might be a good fit for their needs. The purpose of an interview then is for the institution to find out whether you would be a good fit for them, and for you to find out whether the position is a good fit for you.

10 Steps to a Successful Interview

 * 1) Arrive on time.
 * 2) Introduce yourself in a courteous manner.
 * 3) Read company materials while you wait.
 * 4) Have a firm handshake.
 * 5) Listen.
 * 6) Use body language to show interest.
 * 7) Smile, nod, and give nonverbal feedback to the interviewer.
 * 8) Ask about the next step in the process.
 * 9) Thank the interviewer.
 * 10) Write a thank-you letter to anyone you have spoken to

Facts to Gather Before Interviewing

 * Key people in the organization
 * Major products or services
 * Size in terms of sales and employees
 * Locations other than your community
 * Organizational structure of the company
 * Major competitors
 * View of the company by clients, suppliers, and competition
 * Latest news reports on the company or on local or national news that affects the company

Interviewers' Favourite Questions

 * Tell me about yourself?
 * What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
 * How do you make yourself indispensable to a company?
 * What’s your greatest strength?
 * What’s your greatest weakness?
 * Tell me about a time when your course load was heavy. How did you complete all your work?
 * Tell me about a time when you had to accomplish a task with someone who was particularly difficult to get along with.
 * How do you accept direction and, at the same time, maintain a critical stance regarding your ideas and values?
 * What are some examples of activities and surroundings that motivate you?
 * Tell me how you handled an ethical dilemma.
 * Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a problem with no rules or guidelines in place.

Checklists of Performance Task
1. Writing an application letter  1.|My application letter was customised|||| 2.|Details were relevant to the job/position|||| 3.|I highlighted my major relevant qualifications and experience|||| 4.|I referred to my résumé|||| 2. Résumé  1.|I chose the appropriate format for my résumé|||| 2.|I highlighted all my relevant qualifications|||| 3.|I included my referees, place of employment and contact information|||| 3. While in these groups trainees may also prepare for a job interview (researching relevant information about the work place of their choice as well as possible questions).  1.|I researched the background of the company|||| 2.|I researched the requirements of the job|||| 3.|I considered what possible questions could be asked in the interview|||| 4. These groups may also to be maintained while trainees participate in a mock job interview.  1.|I was articulate during the interview|||| 2.|I emphasised my skills and related them to the requirements of the position|||| 3.|I asked the interviewer pertinent questions relating to the job|||| 4.|I dressed appropriately for the interview|||| 5. Drawing or collage of what trainee deems to be appropriate work attire  1.|I completed a drawing/collage of appropriate work wear for a variety of jobs||||
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….
 * RUBRIC of performance criteria|V. Well Done|Well Done|OK|Not Ok- Will redo by ….

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