Sudan International University

Faculty of Business Studies MBA Program Business Communication

LECTURE Eight Selling yourself: resume In this Lecture you will learn:
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What is a Resume? Types of Resumes Standard Resume Sections Supporting Documentation

What is a Resume?
A marketing tool
A selling tool that allows you to highlight to an employer

how you can contribute to the company. The first impression a potential employer has of you.

Request for an interview

Purpose of the resume is to get you an interview. Must capture the readers interest and attention.

Must convince the employer that you have the ability to

fill their position.

Your big picture

A snapshot of what you believe are your most

important experiences and qualifications.

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Types of Resumes
A Paper Resume
Should be clean, concise, professional, and pleasing to

the eye Use bullets & bolding

An Electronic Resume
A plain text resume for on-line submission
Typically must conform to employer specifications

An HTML Resume
Typically includes links to homepage, images,
Avoid this type of resume Most people dont want an employer walking around in

their homepage
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Standard Resume Sections

Header Objective Education Honors/Activities Work Experience Relevant Courses Skills, abilities Projects

There in no fixed style of writing a resume

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The Header Section

The first line should be your name
The full, legal name should be written. It is normally centered on the page. Larger than the largest font used in body Avoid using decorative fonts Dont use black or gray shaded backgrounds Exclude titles Mr., Mrs., Ms., Do not provide information concerning your age, marital status or

children ; unless asked.

Include contact address

Permanent address (on the right hand column) Current address (on the left hand column)

Include your email address

Use a professional email address (under current address)
Dont use BIGBOY@HOT_MAIL.COM

Include your phone number

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The Objective Section

The career objective should be related directly to the

job for which you are applying. Make statement clear, concise, and to the point. Avoid usage of pronouns such as I and my in your objective.
Bad: I want to get a job

To attain an position in the computer industry. Good: To attain a challenging job in the computer industry working with database or network security. Avoid being overly specific to single company To attain a position at 3M Pharmaceuticals working on 7 Use objectives from the companys job Advertizement
Weak:

The Honors/Activities Section

This section should scream I am a leader

Should only contain honors and awards

earned .
It is preferred only academic or servicerelated items
Dont

include hobbies or activities not related to the job or your story. Dont include volunteer work unless there is a direct and positive link with the job or your story.
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This section is optional

The Work Experience Section

Dedicated to most recent and relevant employment
Format
Employer and location on the first line
Dont need name of supervisor, complete address, or contact

information
Position and time-span on the second line
Use only year, not month and year (avoids time gaps)

Each position should have at least two bullets

Explain role and contributions Dont emphasize duties but rather emphasize outcomes want Employers
Increased efficiency of by 20%

problem solvers

Improved user navigation experience on

Watch the tense

Current job uses present tense
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Former jobs use past tense

Some candidate may not have any work experience. In such cases they can be innovative and use headings such:
language proficiencies,
computer competency, special skills,

professional memberships,
and various accomplishments.

The candidate can think of any number of categories and use the one that is most suitable and is able to create an impact.
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The Relevant Courses Section

The keyword is relevant courses: example of
computer science graduate
Dont include Foundations of Computing

Dont include Algorithms and Data Structures

Focus on courses the are either unique or would

normally be considered elective

Computer Security Computer Graphics Artificial Intelligence Computer Networks

Database Systems
Data Mining
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Employers will assume you have had the

The Skills Section

This is where you emphasize your technical skills.
Not all resumes carry a section on skill. if you feel that some of the acquired skills can be suitably stated under various heading, proceed confidently.

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The Projects Section

Used correctly, this section can set you apart from other

new graduates.
Most new grads dont get the opportunity to use this section.

Show any lengthy, impressive, or relevant projects to

which you have made real contribution. Each project should have at least two bullets (focus on outcomes).

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Supporting Documentation Cover

Letter (1)
Why do I need to write a cover letter? Use the cover letter to focus attention on elements of your background that are particularly relevant to the company. Letter acts as your verbal introduction to the employer. Send it to a person, not a place. Avoid To Whom It May Concern, Worst case Dear Recruiter: First sentence should tell why you are writing
I am writing in regard to your posting listed on
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As you may recall, I spoke with you briefly at

This is with reference to your advertizement No.123

Supporting Documentation Cover Letter (2)

Highlight your skills
Use two to three paragraphs to given in-depth description

of your selling points. Each paragraph should be stand alone (could be moved to different location in text).

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The features that need to be kept in mind at the time of writing application letters are as follows:
Make your letter individualistic.

Highlight specific traits. Catch the readers attention. Innovate and apply strategies in the opening paragraph. Why should the reader read he letter and on the basis of that shortlist me as ne of the suitable candidates? Highlight your educational/professional qualifications. Sustain interest by spelling out your strongest qualification. The strongest point in favor of the 16 candidate is his on-job experience; which should be

Supporting Documentation References

Unless the employer asks for references, do not mention them.

Prepare a separate reference sheet

Use same paper as the resume itself Do not mail reference sheet with resume and cover letter Bring reference sheet (and resume) with you to any

interviews

Reference sheet is a stand-alone document

Should include your Header from the resume Try to arrange contact information in pleasing fashion

Use professional references only

Pick individuals that think highly of you Pick individuals that are familiar with your work
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Always ask your references before using their

Tips on Schnabel Resumes(1)

Most large employers will scan your resume into a central database

Tips to assist the scanning process Dont use italics, underlining, or graphics Use bold only for headers Use scanner-friendly fonts
Times New Roman, Courier, Helvetica, or Arial are

good examples

Use black ink on white background

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(2)
Posting Online
Common mistake formatting that doesnt make the trip Convert to text only Use PDF if allowed Proofread carefully after conversion If they ask about salary, leave it empty

If they force salary, be honest but dont shoot for the

moon

Emailing your resume

Attach resume as a PDF document (or Word document) 75 80% of companies are running Windows Test before deploy Send to friends, ask them to print it and send it back to you
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Resume Writing Tips (3)

A recent poll of technical recruiters and hiring managers asked for the top things they see on resumes and cover letters that make them less interested in speaking with a candidate. These make great examples of how not to write your resume. Use of the current "tense" in all jobs on the resume. Writing the resume or cover letter in the third person. Too many grammar and spelling mistakes. Use of tiny fonts (10 pt or less) so as to cram as much information into the resume as possible. Photos on resumes (this is a cultural preference). A listing of their personal interests and activities. Sending a resume attachment named 41808res.doc - use your name or descriptive label.

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7.

Resume Writing Tips

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Writing the resume using table formats (columns). Using a resume that is password protected (without sending the password). Including references - but not professional ones - just friends and co-workers. Having no contact information on the resume or including a phone number that is no longer valid. When a candidate's email address is not appropriate for the work environment. Example: BigFoxyMama@.com Resumes that are too long. Most seem to feel that general descriptions pertaining to work history for the last 10 years is sufficient. Resume stuffing, for example, listing of every software application you've ever touched as a "skill". Education written so its not clear if the degree was obtained. Job hopping, which could be contract positions but it's not

Tips For Cover Letter Success

The following tips are key in making a compelling statement explaining why a potential employer or Recruiter should call you for an interview. 1. Maintain consistency throughout all your career documents by utilizing the same heading and font as your resume. 2. Keep the cover letter to one page, be creative yet succinct and do not duplicate wording from your resume. 3. Make sure that the skills, knowledge and experience mentioned in the cover letter is found in the resume and can be defended at an interview. 4. Research the company using the Internet to strengthen your candidacy by alluding to how your skills relate to the job and the companys mission/vision and how excited you will be to work for the employer.
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Tips For Cover Letter Success

6. Explain the purpose of your letter. For instance, are you

writing as a result of: A referral from a contact? (If so, mention the persons name). An advertisement? To entice interest in your expertise? Connecting with a professional Recruiting service? Actively seeking a new challenge? 7. If sending via hard copy, avoid using coloured paper. If sending electronically, avoid incorporating shading and underlining which can cause problems when scanned. 8. Be prepared! Always send a customized cover letter to accompany your resume. 9. Proofread for spelling and grammar before signing and sending the cover letter.
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Good Examples

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Bad Example

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THE END

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