��Monday

Wednesday

• Resume review
• Cover letter review
• Review who makes a good reference

Wednesday

Career Support�

Introductions

Please Introduce yourself…

• What is your name and how do you want us to call you?
• What is your Country of Origin?
• How long have you been in the US?
• What is your career field?
• What type of job are you looking for particularly in Education field?

​

Creating your Resume

What Format Is Best? �

• Style Format: Choose an easy-to-read style font like Times New Roman or Arial; at least 12 points, the same font throughout
• Use one-inch margins; don’t try to compress too much information
• Provide full name and contact information – city/state/zip code, email, and phone number
• Identify your objective briefly, for example:
• “To find a job at a fast-food restaurant with possibility for advancement.”
• “Looking for full-time childcare position, five days a week.”

​

There is no standard overall format. However, these general rules should be followed:

HELPFUL TIPS

Format Reminders…

• Use bolding, Italics and highlighting sparingly and avoid color and underlining
• Ideally one page; 2 pages max
• Omit photographs
• Be consistent:
• Section headings all the same style
• Bullets same type and size
• All paragraphs, bullets and dates should line up; use tabs rather than spaces
• Use abbreviations for all dates or write all the dates out; Recommend 3 letter month and year (Mar 2020)

​

Skills

• Hard Skills - your employer will hire you for these
• College degree as accountant, engineer, international relations
• Commercial driver’s license
• Ability to write Java script
• Soft Skills – these will make you successful
• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Teamwork
• Transferable skills – these are skills you learn in one job that you take with you to your next job
• Computer programs
• How to handle cash

Your challenge is to present your skills effectively to a perspective employer

Top 25 on demand soft skills

Resume Construction - Content

Name, email and phone number. Linked-in address is optional

Objective or Summary Statement

​

• Recommended only under limited circumstances
• First job or change of career
• Job description has specific minimum requirements such as “Commercial Driver’s License” or “CISCO network certification”
• If it is specifically requested

Experience

• Use a variety of powerful action words to describe work experience in clear concise bulleted statements.
• For example: ‘Delivered exceptional and efficient service to guests at one of Kabul’s top 5 hotels’ or ‘Handled approximately 40 baggage claims a day at Africa’s largest airport’
• Use numbers to quantify
• Trained groups of 20-25 army personnel
• Processed payroll for approximately 25 staff members
• Managed $25M annual budget
• Use present tense for your current job and past tense for past jobs
• Use key words from the job announcements to tailor your résumé for each job application
• Under each job, list the highest priority / importance responsibility first
• List 5 – 7 responsibilities for each job. For transition job or older jobs only 2 or 3 items

Education

• List most recent first
• If you have a college degree, do not list your high school
• Include only significant degree, certificate or professional training programs (not routine internal company training)

Skills

• List special skills applicable to the job. Make sure to include Languages and computer skills

​

​

​

Resume - Guide

Joseph Schmo

City, VA

(571) 112-2590 EmailAddress@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE

(Position Held), (Company Name), (City Name), (Country Name) (Mon/Year started- present)

• (POWER VERB in present) job responsibility, quantify, include success
• (Different POWER VERB in present) job responsibility, quantify, include success
• (ANOTHER POWER VERB in present) job responsibility, quantify, include success

​

• (Position Held), (Company Name), (City Name), (Country Name) (Mon/yr started- Mon/yr ended)
• (POWER VERB in past) job responsibility, quantify, include success
• (Different POWER VERB in past) job responsibility, quantify, include success
• (ANOTHER POWER VERB in past) job responsibility, quantify, include success

​

EDUCATION

• (Degree achieved), (University you attended), (City it was in), (Country it was in) (year graduated)

SKILLS/ CERTIFICATIONS

• Certificates: (list any significant certificate that you achieved) (year you achieved it)
• Language: (languages that you speak)
• Computer: (any computer system that you are comfortable with)

​

​

Review your Resume

• Appearance
• Professional, neat, consistent, aligned, easy to read
• Completeness
• Name & contact information
• Work History (continuous employment is a big plus)
• Education
• Skills
• Grammar
• Verbs (tense and action related)
• Statements are good (word selection, easy to understand, acronyms)
• No low value items

Resume Format Examples

Resume Format Examples

SOPHIE BEECH

Palo Alto, CA (123) 555-1234

Email: sophie.beech@gmail.com

​

Resume Format Examples

Willie J. Hernandez

Salt lake City, UT (123) 555-1234

Email: wjhernandez@anymail.com

Resume vs. CV

RESUME

• Name
• Contact information
• Mailing address, Phone number and email address
• Work history (most recent first; reverse chronological order)
• Outline form
• Education
• Skills & Certifications
• Ideally 1 page. 2 Pages MAX

CV

• Picture
• Birth date
• Marital Status
• Paragraph narrative of work experience
• Education including all training courses
• Special skills, Hobbies and interests
• References
• 6 or 7 pages is common

​

​

Cover letters

Should You Include a Cover Letter?

• Allows you to address employer/hiring manager directly
• Try to find out interviewer’s name; if not, address letter to Hiring Manager
• Address employer’s job requirements, adjust for each application
• Research company where you’re applying; show you understand and have what they need
• Explain why you’re the ideal candidate
• Point out why they should be willing to give you a chance – enthusiastic, serious, punctual, etc.
• Emphasize ability to work legally in the US, English skills, and access to transportation
• Be sure to ask for the chance to be interviewed
• Sign your letter neatly and confidently with black ink
• Use spell check; grammatical errors can cost you the chance for an interview
• If uploading to an Internet site, it may not be possible to use a cover letter
• Read your cover letter and resume out loud
• Ask someone else to read and critique

Cover Letter

1. Introduces yourself and explains why you should be selected for the job.
2. Highlights pieces of your résumé and explains any existing gabs between jobs.
3. It should be typed and short, and in ENGLISH.

​

Paragraph 1:

• Explain why you are sending a résumé: Don't make the reader guess what you are asking for; specify what position you are writing about
• Tell specifically how you learned about the position or the organization
• Use words that demonstrate that you have done some research and are somewhat familiar with the company

Paragraph 2:

• Convince the reader to look at your résumé: The cover letter will be seen first. Clear statement on what the company will gain by hiring you.
• Reflect your attitude, personality, motivation, enthusiasm, and communication skills
• Provide or refer to any information specifically requested by the job ad

Paragraph 3:

• Indicate what you will do to follow-up.
• Thank the employer for their time and consideration.
• Provide your contact information.

​

Sample Cover Letter

Thank you

Q & A