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This is the first of two videos on preparing to find a job.
This video focuses on resumes and cover letters
as part of getting a job and as examples of professional writing.
Thinking of a resume as a pyramid
can put building a resume into perspective for you.
Since an employer only has a few moments,
sometimes only 15 to 20 seconds,
to see if you qualify for the position you are applying for,
your resume must be structured very carefully and precisely.
The top of the pyramid is a statement that is specific and relevant
to the position you are applying for – so your objective.
As you add to your resume, your focus becomes broader
as you add in your qualifications, experience and academics.
As the pyramid image suggests,
each component is connected to the next one.
In other words, your objective needs to match your qualification.
If there appears to be a disconnect, such as you as an education student
applying for a job as an engineer,
or a recent grad applying for a manager’s position,
then the employer may not look any further.
Make sure that the connection between your stated objective
and your qualifications are very clear.
As you add in your experience and academic background,
you will want to start with the most relevant
to the job you are applying for, and then move to the least relevant.
You're giving the potential employers a snapshot of how you fit
with what they are looking for.
Remember, too, that the information must be concise
and relevant to the position.
At UOIT, you have access to many resources
through the career services portal
which is contained within the steer- Student Experience website.
Once you are at the website,
you will find resources that are available
only to UOIT students, and others that are open to the public.
From the career tools tab, you can access information
related specifically to your faculty, as well as more general information.
While we don’t have time to look at it i- in detail now,
it is well worth l- taking the time to explore the site.
Now, let’s look at an example of a resume from that website.
So you can see we'll go to "Career Tools,"
and then scroll down, "Public Career Tools,"
and scroll all the way down again.
And you can see there's all kinds of, uh, places to explore here
for j- looking for jobs.
But here we are, here's resumes down at the bottom.
And there's all kinds of information on resumes
including, "Avoid the Top Ten Resume Mistakes."
But lets look at a sample resume for Social Science and Humanities.
Here we have a two page resume for someone in the communication field.
Uh, and as I, as you saw,
there are other examples aw- available on the website.
Now, the first thing you see
is the applicant's name and contact information up at the top here.
Your name can be made larger
and in bold letters so that it stands out.
It's almost like a letterhead.
Use a mailing address and phone number that will not change
during your job hunt.
Remember also that if you give your cell phone number,
a potential employer could call at any time –
so get in the habit of answering your phone professionally,
and make sure that your voicemail message sounds professional.
Now look at your email address.
You may wish to create a new email address with a nice boring address
using your name, not something like party-
partygirl@hotmail.com or something like that.
Think about the impression you are creating.
Your resume and cover letter are the first things
that your po- potential employer will see about you.
The next two items on your resume is the Objective statement
right here, right at the top, and then a Skills Summary.
Both of these will need to be tailored to suit every job that you apply for.
Don’t use the same one for every job.
Now, let’s look more closely at the Objective statement.
I'm gonna minimize this for a second.
An objective statement should tell the employer what your objective is
for this particular resume –
so this is not your career or life objective overall.
What does this first statement tell you
about a person, the person that's applying?
"To obtain a fun and challenging position
in a growth-oriented company
that will allow me to develop and use my skills."
What does he or she want? She wants a good job.
The statement is way too general
to tell the employer what you really want.
This looks like a very standard template kind of objective statement.
Here is formula.
So for an objective statement, you wanna say something about the position,
something about the environment, and then value.
With the position part,
you want to be specific and give the name of the position
or position type – so maybe it's practicum placement or internship.
Next, make a statement about the environment
in which you would like to work – where do you wanna work?
This could be the actual company name or the type of job,
such as in a probation office or a software company.
And then finally, say something about the skills
that you can bring to the position –
so your added value to the company if they hire you.
What are the top three skills that you can bring to the position?
So if we look at this objective statement,
“Position XYZ at Company ABC,
where strong communication, leadership and research skills are valued.”
Here the person has specifically stated t- the position
and the name of the company,
and then stated three skills –
communication, leadership, and research skills.
So, this is now a stronger and more specific objective statement.
If we flip back to the... the example from the website,
you can look at the objective statement here.
“Communications Assistant with St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation."
So that's pretty good, it's got the position
and it's got the environment, but it is missing the value.
So what skills would you want to include there?
Now it is important to note that in this case,
this particular resume has a, a fairly long skills summary
at the top of this page.
So maybe you don't need to include a skill in your objective statement.
Here are few more examples of objective statements.
If you include an objective statement,
make sure you're targeting your resa- your resume to a particular position,
so you need to know what position and company
you are applying for.
In fact, you will need to have a resume ready to individualize,
because often you'll not have a, a lot of time to work on it,
or a job will be advertised at a time when you're really busy,
such as during exams.
So, you should have a resume that has maybe no objective statement,
or one that's easily, easy to tweak.
Because it's better not to have an objective statement on all,
rather than one that is too generic.
Now, your skills summary s- should be a highlight of the skills that you bring
and that match the job requirements.
So if your degree is directly related to the position,
then include it in the skills summary.
If not, you will need to use some judgment about whether or not
it belongs in the skills summary or just in the education section.
Perhaps instead, you will include some skill
that you developed during your education.
You will also include any other skills that relate directly to the job
you are applying for, so your ability to coordinate a, a project,
any software skills that are important to the position, and so on.
Remember that these are bullet points, not complete sentences,
so there's no period at the end.
Note also that they are written in active voice.
Also, note that the- that examples are provided.
So this person says proficient in web design software
and then states which ones.
Now after your skills summary, list your academic credentials.
When you are new to the job market,
you can continue to list your high school diploma,
especially if you won awards.
Eventually, however, your high school education
will no longer be relevant as you add to your credentials.
List your most recent credential first – so if you recently graduated
or are still attending university, list it before the high school diploma.
Make sure to get the name of your school,
your degree and your program correct.
Many people don’t chouble- double check the exact wording of these things,
and if you get it wrong, you look like you don’t know what you're doing.
As you can see in the example provided –
as you can see in this example,
you list either the date you received your degree,
which is the date of convocation – so usually June oh Nov- or November
of the year you graduate.
If you have not finished yet, list the date you expect to graduate.
Here, you can also list your GPA if it makes you look good,
as well as any awards received and any directly related courses
that you have taken.
The next component is your work experience and volunteer in- experience.
As always, you should d- you decide what should go first,
based on what experience is most relevant
to the job you are applying for.
For example, you a- if you are applying to work at a day camp
for the first time, but your work experience is in retail
and your volunteer experience has been working with children at the local Y,
then list your volunteer experience before your work experience.
As you write about the jobs and skills, consider your wording.
You want to stand out from the crowd.
Do these statements make you stand out?
"Performed all cashier and point of sale duties.
Wrote report. Assisted manager in coordinating social event."
They are very bland and generic.
The trick is to list the essentials so they stand out from other resumes.
What do these statements say about the applicant?
The applicant’s experience.
Aim to list not just the skill or task, but also the result.
So in each statement about your skills developed in each job,
you want to include skill plus task plus result.
So if we look at that first example up there.
For example, “Performed all cashier and point of sale duties
to ensure efficient and effective customer transactions.”
sounds much better than “performed all cashier duties.”
Instead of “Wrote report," try “Collaborated with four classmates
to write report on new reforms in Canadian justice sys- justice system,
receiving final grade of 80 percent or A-minus
on both peer evaluated teamwork and final report.”
This shows that you can work well in a team and that you achieved good grades
and that you know something about the Canadian justice system.
In this last revision, “Coordinating social event with assistant manager
targeting over 40 local youth to support community engagement
and leadership development.”
The reader now knows the size of the event
and what it was for.
The way it was originally written, it could have been a birthday party
rather than a large scale community event.
So, this is a place where you're gonna have to work to find the balance
between including the details while being succinct and to the point.
Since these are not complete sentences, it is possible to remove extra words –
just be careful that it still all makes sense
and emphasizes what is important.
Now, in terms of layout, there's many different styles that you could choose.
And this is just one, uh, very basic style,
um, that they've chosen to use.
Avoid using Microsoft templates, because everybody uses them.
You wanna make something that looks a little bit more unique.
Whatever style you choose, make sure it's readable
and contains the required information.
So you need to include position name, the company name,
the location, and the dates of employment.
For the dates of employment,
you can simply include the years of employment,
unless it was less that a full year, as for a summer job.
In that case you can put the months and the year,
or summer 2010, or something like that.
In this example, work and volunteer experience are listed separately.
So you can see work experience is at the top,
and then down below is some volunteer experience.
Sometimes, these are listed together
under the heading of “Related Experience."
And then you can have a separate heading saying, "Other Experience."
Make sure that you indicate in your blurb –
so the stuff that describes what you did at the position –
whether it was a volunteer position or not.
Following the work and volunteer experience,
you can include some specifics about relevant skills,
such as computer skills, certifications and awards.
The final heading, "Interests," is optional.
Include it if it makes you look good for that job.
For example, if you are applying for that day camp job,
then music and sports will be relevant for working with kids.
Interests can also show that you are a well-rounded person.
If, however, your interests are not relevant
or may be interpreted as a negative activity –
I’m not sure what that might be, I don't know,
maybe collecting guns or playing Dungeons and Dragons
or a hard core video game, if you're addicted to that,
then clearly, you should leave such activities off your resume.
Your resume and your cover letter are intended to sell you enough
to get an interview, and then you use the interview to get the job.
Like your resume, your cover letter is intended to help you
get your foot in the door with an interview.
The cover letter is specifically written for the particular job
you are applying for.
The letter is tailored even more than the resume.
Your cover letter targets your resume for a specific position
in a specific company.
While your resume be- may be up to two pages long,
your cover letter should only be one page.
Here is an example of a cover letter from the UOIT website.
Create a letterhead for yourself
that you can use for all the letters that you write.
It's a nice thing to do, and you can personalize it a little bit.
Um, make sure it's always readable, of course.
While you don't want the letterhead to take up too much room,
you do want to make it stand out.
Now this letter uses a full block format –
and remember, for more information on writing letters,
see the videos on professional writing formats.
After the letterhead is the date,
followed by the recipient’s name and address.
You can see that over- all over here, aligned to the left.
Next, you have your salutation.
So if you know the name of the person the resume and letter should go to,
then you use it.
However, make sure you know the correct form of address to use –
Mr., Ms., Dr. or the like.
Avoid using Miss or Mrs.
unless you are certain that the recipient prefers one of those.
If you're not sure if the person is a man or woman,
then use the simplified style of letter.
This allows you to use an attention line and subject line instead.
With an attention line, you can simply write the first and surname
without Mr. or Ms.
If the job ad does not spec- specify a person to send the application to,
then you will have to do some research first.
Always make sure you are sending it to the right person.
I've had the experience of receiving letters of application f- from people
who should have sent them to someone else.
And I believe those people did so because I posted a job ad on a listserv
and the applicant did not read the directions co- correctly,
so the letter went to me rather than the correct person.
I have also received applications in which it was clear that the person
had no idea what type of job they were applying for.
Needless to say, those people didn't get a job.
Now, in terms of structure –
the body of your letter should be about three or four paragraphs long, okay?
And they should be short paragraphs.
Remember that the letter should only be one page in length in total.
Make sure you do not bury the important information
in the middle of the paragraph.
Be clear, concise, and specific.
In the first paragraph, you outline your purpose.
Why are you writing this letter – what position are you applying for?
You can also state the position in the subject line
if you are using the simplified letter format.
This first paragraph should also say how you heard about the position,
such as where it was advertised or posted
and why you are applying for this job or to this company.
Be concrete and specific.
In paragraph two, explain why you should be considered for the position.
Be specific about your skills and relevant work experience.
Be sure to tie your answers back to the core compence- competencies,
skills, experiences, and so on, required for the position.
In paragraph three, you can explain what transferable skills
or soft skills you have.
These are things like interpersonal skills,
the ability to work well in a team, the ability to manage your time well,
and so on.
Transferable skills are important for any job in any field.
Try to show the value you will bring to the company,
and try to make the cover letter more personal,
so that the employer can get to know you as a person, not just as an employee.
In paragraph four, thank the employer for considering your application.
Ask politely for an interview,
or tell the employer that you will follow up with them
within a certain time period.
Of course, you don't tell, you never tell the employer
that you will arrive at a certain time or demand an interview,
and yes, people have done that.
Don’t come across as overly confident or arrogant.
Finally, close your letter with a complimentary close,
as in this example.
You'll see down at the bottom we have the complimentary close,
which is the "Sincerely," and then the name.
If you're using the simplified format, you end simply with your signature,
with your name typed beneath the signature.
You don't have to use a complimentary close.
In terms of the content of your cover letters,
sometimes it may seem like you are repeating what’s in the resume
in the cover letter.
However, a cover letter is different from a resume.
Cover letters are "employer-centered."
If your resume is about why you are amazing as an employee,
your cover letter should talk about how you will be an amazing employee
for this particular company or job.
In your letter, when you talk about a particular skill
or the knowledge that you have,
the employer can begin to see a more complete picture
of what skills and knowledge you have now in the present,
how you developed the skills,
how you have used the skills in the past,
and how you will use the skills and knowledge in the future.
How will it help you do the job that you are applying for,
and how what you know will help the company.
Of course, after you have written your resume and cover letter,
don’t forget to revise, edit and proofread –
just like any other piece of writing that we've discussed in this course.
Remember that these documents will give potential employers the first impression
that they will have of you and your abilities.
If you are claiming strong communication skills,
but you have typos or poor grammar, how credible will you be?
When you're getting ready to apply for jobs,
whether it's part-time, seasonal, or your full-time career,
make use of the career services in the Student Experience Centre
at both the Downtown and North campuses.
The advisors there will be able to help you
to refine and edit your cover letters and resumes
as well as help you to prepare for interviews.
So in this video, we've discussed how to create your resume and cover letter
to be used for applying for jobs.
Thank you for listening.