Career Exploration Workshop Day Four

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Career Exploration WorkshopDay Four

• Questions?
• If you dont know where youre going, you will
  wind up somewhere else.. Yogi Berra

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Day Four Agenda

• Review of Meetings with VRCs
• Achievement Story 2
• What Do Employers Expect?
• Resume the C.R.I.S.P. technique
• Life-Work Balance Part 2
• Prep for Achievement Story 3
• Day Four Thoughts

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Review of Meetings with VRC

• What Issues were discussed?
• What needs were discussed?
• Any problems that need resolution?
• Did any of you discuss a possible job goal?
• Do you think youre closer to developing a goal
  at this point?

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Achievement Story 2

• Was it easier to write Achievement Story 2?
• Did you enjoy learning more about your skills?
• What did it feel like to get such positive
  feedback from the group?

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Achievement Story 2

• Did you learn anything new from the group
  process?
• Was the process easier this time?
• Were your stories any different, based on your
  previous experience with the process?
• Additional feedback, issues, reactions,
  questions?
• Decision-Making Grid (Pg. 2, 20) Record
  new/different skills in appropriate section for
  Story 2 .

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Morning Break

• Back by ________________ ?

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What Do Employers Expect?A Reality Check

• Now it is time to
• get an introduction to the job market,
• the application process and
• specifically, what employers are looking for in a
  new employee
• Place any handouts in your folder .

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C.R.I.S.P

• Contemporary p. 32-37 Activities
• Resume and
• Interviewing
• Strategies and
• Preparation
• Developed by the
• Bureau of Employment Services

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Resumes

• We do not create a resume during the workshop.
• However, it is important to know what the current
  research is saying about writing a resume.

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• Contemporary
• Résumé and
• Interviewing
• Strategies and
• Preparation

Part 1 Creating Winning Résumés
Created by Gaetane Johnson Melissa
Suey Joanne Hollands Jean Whalen Raymond
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What has Changed?

• Recruitment and hiring have changed
• Share what employers are telling us
• Identify what you control
• Give you tools to do something about it

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Recruitment and Hiring Have Changed

• Technology
• Employers use online résumé databases
• HR systems more sophisticated
• Résumés are being scanned by computers FIRST
• Job Seekers need technical skills
• Quantity of applicants
• Quality of applicants means greater competition
  for positions

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What Employers Are Telling Us

• Résumés and applications need to help me see you
  in the specific job youre applying for
• Sometimes I scan a résumé in 15-20 seconds
• Ill know right away whether you follow
  directions based on how you apply for the job.
• I want to see work history/career progression.
• And more

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Heres What You Can Control

• Quality vs. quantity
• Help the employer connect the dots
• The message you are sending with your résumé
• Set yourself apart from the rest

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Heres What You Can Do
Create Winning Résumés

• Definition
• Purpose
• Strategy
• Types of Résumés

• Content
• Formatting
• Spelling
• e Résumés

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Definition

• Résumé \ noun a short account of ones career
  and qualifications usually prepared by a job
  applicant.
• The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

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Purpose

• To get aninterview

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Marketing Tool

• Help the employer see you in the position.
• No longer an all-inclusive autobiography.

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Types
What youve heard for years

• Chronological
• Functional
• Combination

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Todays Recommendation

• Chronological (detail)
• Functional (with targeted approach)
• Combination résumé

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Combination Résumé

• Enables job seeker to control how they present
  themselves to employer
• Highlights and customizes strengths and
  accomplishments that best match the job
• Combines focus and work history/experience
• Ensures readers ability to see you in the job

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Strategy

• Targeted - Customized - Relevant

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Targeted

• For a specific field/industry/position
• What are you presenting to the employer?
• What needs are you meeting for the employer?
• What do you bring-to-the-table?

Help the employer see you in the position.
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Customized

• For each position youre applying for
• Leveraging the top portion of the résumé
• Employers scan VERY quickly
• Grab and keep the attention of the reader
• Stay in the yes pile

Help the employer see you in the position.
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Relevant

• To the position youre applying for
• Keep the focus on meeting the employers needs
• Help the reader see-you-in-the-job
• Avoid distracting the reader with extra cool
  accomplishments that are irrelevant to position

Help the employer see you in the position.
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ContentTop Section

• Contact info
• Branding statement
• Introductory paragraph
• Highlights of Accomplishments
• Key Words throughout

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ContentBottom Section

• Professional Experience
• Education and Training
• Professional Affiliations
• Community Involvement
• Interests
• Key Words throughout

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Know and CommunicateYour Value

• Focus on the Facts to Uncover Your Success
  Stories

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Result

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Keywords

• Your application and résumé might be read first
  by a computer
• Think like a computer, and write what it wants to
  read
• Use keywords and phrases from the posting to
  tweak your résumé and application

• It works

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Formatting

• Clear bulleted statements
• Begin with action words
• List results of contributions
• Focus on accomplishments
• Consistent verb tense

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Formattingcontinued

• Visual clarity
• Use white space
• Consistent formatting
• Easy-to-read
• Easy-to-find facts
• Correct spelling

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Spelling

• Has to be spelling error-free!!!

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Omit

• Date of birth
• Social security number
• Photograph
• Family details
• Hobbies
• Negativity
• References available upon request

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e Résumés

• Often read by a computer FIRST
• Cleared of formatting
• Easy to copy and paste into web sites or emails

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Sample Resumes

• Refer to page 32,33,34,35,and 36 in the Activity
  Workbook to review sample resumes.

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e Résuméscontinued

• Create a Text résumé for online applications
• Take Word Processing résumé
• Save As .txt or .rtf file with appropriate file
  name (John Smith Sales Executive Résumé)
• Replace any special characters
• Use , -, for bullets
• CAPITALS to create headings
• Use spaces rather than tabs to indent text

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e Résuméscontinued

• Send the message to yourself first!
• Check for any bad line breaks or special
  characters BEFORE you upload to online
  application or send to a potential employer
• Save As .txt or .rtf again, appropriate name
  (John Smith Sales Executive Résumé)
• Store virtually in email account

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Cover Letters

• Bea Positive
• 87 Brooks Street ? Skowhegan, ME 04976 ? (207)
  525-1234 ?b.positive_at_email.com
• August 12, 2010
• Name
• Company
• Address
• City, ST Zip
• Dear Sir or Madam
• Please accept the attached résumé as my
  application for the Human Resources Coordinator
  position that was recently listed on the
  JobsInME.com.
• As you will see in my résumé, my background
  includes supporting different aspects of the
  human resources function. My strong
  attention-to-detail, proficiency in the use of
  Microsoft Office together with my organizational
  skills enables me to help achieve the department
  productivity goals.
• I welcome the opportunity to discuss with you how
  my skills and experience can best fit your needs.
  The best way to reach me is by calling
  207-525-1234.
• Thank you in advance for your time and
  consideration of my application. I look forward
  to hearing from you.

• Position applying for
• Mention how you found the job opening
• Make a brief connection
• Invite an interview
• Thank them for time and consideration

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Applications

• Utilize these same techniques when filling out
  applications!

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Past Supervisor vs Reference?

• Ask permission
• Give them info about job you are applying for
• Check contact information
• Offer at interview

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Exercise 3

• Creating Branding Statement

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Noon Dinner Break

• Back by ____________

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Life/Work Balance Part 2 The Future!

• P.9 Activity again
• Given that there are no ideal proportions, cut
  up your FUTURE pie into those three pieces, based
  on how you would like to allocate your time in
  the future!
• Be realistic, but dont be afraid to dream !
• If you dont designate it, who will?

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Time for SELF

• What happens if we neglect time for SELF?
• Will it impact on work?
• Will it impact on others?
• Remember, allocating time to SELF is not
  (self)ish, its a critically important part of
  your future plan!

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Afternoon Break

• Back at ______________________

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Your Future Pie!

• What does your FUTURE pie look like - what is
  the allocation for each piece?
• Why would you choose to allocate your time this
  way?
• What is the biggest change you will have to make?
• What will you have to do in order for this pie to
  become a reality?

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Your Future Life/Work Balance

• Whats your Pie look like?
• Different than your NOW pie?
• Why is it broken up this way?
• What changes will be necessary?
• What will you have to do to make those changes?

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What are you cooking in your Future Pie?

• Career Decision-Making Grid (Pg. 3, 29) Write
  in your recipe for moving toward a new
  Life/Work Balance in the Life/Work BalanceFuture
  section.

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Prep for Achievement Story 3

• Is it becoming easier to recognize your skills in
  your achievements?
• Any questions/concerns about writing your last
  achievement story?

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Day Four Thoughts

• Write down your insights, thoughts about our
  exercises and discussions today.
• Meetings with VRCs
• Achievement Story 2
• What Do Employers Expect?
• Resume
• Life/Work Balance
• Is the planning process becoming clearer?

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