Mastering Your Career Preparation: Resume, Interviews, and Job Success Strategies
This guide outlines essential strategies for preparing for your career, focusing on resumes, interviews, and job positioning. A well-crafted resume is your key to landing interviews, showcasing your skills and achievements succinctly. Learn to articulate your successes and present yourself effectively in interviews. Avoid common pitfalls in resume writing with powerful action statements instead of job duties. Utilize cover letters to complement your resume and engage employers. Gain insights into typical interview questions and practice your selling techniques to secure the position you desire.
Mastering Your Career Preparation: Resume, Interviews, and Job Success Strategies
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Presentation Transcript
Preparing For Your Career Janean Couch, PHR Assistant Director, GVSU Career Center couchja@gvsu.edu 616.331.6708
The Process • A resume gets you an interview • This document is an outline or profile of you • Keywords – not paragraphs • An interview gets you a position • Describe your successes • Tell them why they should hire you • A position helps you build a career • Everyone has to start somewhere • Update your resume with every step you take • It is not a ladder… it is rock climbing!
Spruce up your resume • What are employers looking for? • Neat – Organized - Consistent • Knowledge of Specific Industry and Population • Combination of Education and Experience • EASY TO READ • Goal Oriented: Objective: To obtain the Child Protective Services position with The State of Michigan contributing to protect children and provide resources to families. • Demonstrated Experience: • No Claims! • Provide Evidence
Things to Avoid… • Errors! • Templates • Fluffy wording • Inappropriate graphics and colors • Cramming • Too much white space • Paragraphs and “I” language
Powerful Accomplishment Statements What is the difference between an “accomplishment” and a “job duty”? • Start with an Action Verb • Directed • Planned • Coordinated • Qualifying or Quantifying Adjectives / Descriptions • Supervised a team of 8 volunteers… • Provided guidance to at-risk students… • Results-oriented • … to ensure deadlines are met. • … resulting in a 30% increase of participation over last year.
Action Statements • Start with an Action Verb • Coordinated group sessions • Qualifiers • Coordinated group sessions for adolescent girls • Quantifiers • Coordinated group sessions for 8-10 adolescent girls • Outcomes • Coordinated group sessions for 8-10 adolescent girls to provide support and education of dating violence
Cover letters • Resume and cover letter go hand – in hand • Take the place of face-to-face interaction • Opportunity to pique reader’s interest in your resume and you! • Show how your background and abilities meet the employer’s needs • Show how you’re a good fit for the organization (this takes research) • Where you heard about the position
Let your cover letter show… • Your knowledge of the employer/position • Why you’re a strong candidate • Your communication and writing skills • Your personality and professionalism • Present your professional best! • Your motivation energy and enthusiasm Always send a cover letter!
What will I be asked?? What are some “typical” questions an interviewee faces in the span of a 30-60 minute interview??
30-60 minutes • Thoughtful Response • Reasoning and Evidence • Grammar and Vocabulary • Listening • Degree of Interaction • Expressiveness • Humor / Likability Factor
Selling yourself The Sales Analogy • You are the product… and the Sales Representative! • The employer is a consumer • Your resume is the marketing piece • The interview is your sales pitch • SOAR… or be a STAR • Situation • Obstacle or Task • Action • Result
Career Services • Help you plan/brainstorm! • Resume and Cover Letter Resources • Simulated Interviews • Career Fairs and On-campus Recruitment • Web-based Employment System • www.gvsu.edu/lakerjobs