Career Prep and Job Seeking

• Remember: The interview starts with the first phone call/email.
  • When responding to the initial call or email about coming in for an interview, be polite and clear. Go to a quiet place to reduce background noise.
  • Voicemail greeting should state your phone number clearly. First and last name—even better.
  • Use a plain email address (e.g., firstname_lastname@gmail.com).
• Dress appropriately.
  • Overdressing is better than underdressing!
  • Err on the conservative side. Don’t draw too much attention to yourself (excessive jewelry, tattoos, etc.)
• Leave early. Plan for unexpected delays on the way to the interview.
• Walk in and introduce yourself with confidence.
  • Stand tall, head up, look forward.
  • Shake hands with each interviewer. Introduce yourself with first and last name.
  • Don’t just sit anywhere. Wait for direction.
• Eye contact is key.
• Maintain good posture. No resting elbows!
• Use your voice.
  • Don’t talk in monotone. Convey different emotions with your voice. If something about the job excites you, sound excited when you talk about it!

• Bring copies of your resume—one for yourself.
  • You can refer to it for quick inspiration.
  • It allows you to follow along with the interviewer.
• Bring a notepad.
  • Questions & answers ready for quick reference.
  • Jot things down to circle back to them later.
  • Gives you a focal point if you are thinking. (Instead of looking around.)
• Consider what they are really asking.
  • Some questions are designed to get a sense of your attitudes and behaviors.
  • Example: “What would you identify as a weakness in your job performance?”
  • Avoid being overly negative or apathetic. Address the issue, but show that you are aware and taking steps to improve.
  • “In the past I have had issues with multitasking, but recently I’ve been working to improve in this area by planning better ahead of time and by asking for help when necessary.”
• Stumped?
  • Ask for a few moments while you think about the question.
  • Ask if you can come back to that question later.
  • No matter what, don’t sound nervous. Remain calm and conversational (maybe add a little humor?).
  • Even if you don’t give the “best” answer, the interviewer may remember that you don’t cave under pressure.
• End of the interview— the interviewer usually asks, “do you have any questions?”
  • Always answer, “YES.”
  • Have a list of questions ready and/or circle back to questions that you jotted down during the interview.
  • Shows that you’re interested, confident, and really looking to be part of the organization (not just to collect a paycheck).
  • Always ask about next steps and/or when you should expect to hear back.

• Send a “thank you” note when you get home.
  • Email the interviewer(s) individually, thanking them for their time and consideration.
  • If you only know one email address, be sure to include something like, “Please thank Ms. ____ and Mr. ____, as well.”
• Send a follow-up call or email, if you don’t hear back within the timeframe given.
  • Use the opportunity to reiterate your interest in the position.
• Offered the job? Great! Now’s the time to discuss salary and benefits.
• Offered a second interview? Back to practicing! Use your notes from the interview to come up with new strengths/accomplishments to discuss, address any weaknesses in your first interview performance, and emphasize any points that were not made.
• Want to decline? Be sure to leave the door open. Emphasize your interest in the company, but that a different position might be a better fit. Interviewers will remember you!
• Not offered the job? It happens. Not everyone is the perfect fit.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask what you are lacking in relation to the chosen candidate. They may not respond, but if they do, such feedback is invaluable.

• brainstormed
• constructed
• designed
• engineered
• envisioned
• fabricated
• illustrated
• produced
• shaped
• visualized

• accommodated
• adapted
• adjusted
• altered
• amended
• balanced
• converted
• grew
• improvised
• tailored

• assisted
• collaborated
• contributed
• cooperated
• mediated
• participated
• partnered

Sometimes a resume is optional: Include it anyway because it

• demonstrates how seriously you take the position;
• is something you can keep on hand to summarize your strengths & accomplishments;
• will better prepare you for questions during interviews and boost your overall confidence.

• Job Opportunity for Which You Are Applying
• Personal Profile
  Who are you? How do you fit that job?
• Personal Information
  Name
  Address
  Email address
  Cell phone
  Home phone
• Education
  Name of each school
  City and state
  Dates attended
  GPA (if excellent)
  Certification or degree
• Recent Places of Employment*
  Your title
  Name of company or institute
  Address
  Dates of employment
  Duties and accomplishments
• Key skills
• Presentations and/or publications
• Awards and honors
• Professional and/or service organizations

*In order to apply online, you might need your supervisor’s name, title, company address, email and/or phone number.

• Less is more!
• Avoid overusing different font sizes, font types, bold, italics, underlining, and other stylistic options.
• Use 10 – 12 point font throughout. (You can go a bit bigger for contact information.)
• Stick to a formal font type: Times New Roman or Arial are great choices.
• White space is good!
  • White space keeps things organized and easy to read.
  • Leave blank lines between different sections.
  • Set page margins to 1” – 0.5”.

Chronological

• Most common resume type.
• Work history is given priority.
• Listed in reverse chronological order, starting with current or most recent.
• Education and other experience is typically placed underneath.

Functional

• Skills, achievements, and other important highlights are given priority.
• Education typically placed at top, work history placed toward the bottom.
• Best suited for:
  • New graduates with little relevant work experience, -OR-
  • Those with much experience & who have accomplished much in their field.

• The number of pages may depend on your work experience in relation to the job opening.
• A second page is okay:
  • General rule – if your next page is LESS THAN HALF full, pare down to the fewest amount of pages possible.
  • Example: If the second page has only four lines, find a way to reformat so that the resume is only 1 page.
• Tight and focused is better than wordy and irrelevant.

• List jobs in reverse chronological order, present or most recent job first.
• Going back 1-15 years is okay, especially if you feel an older job is particularly relevant to the job you are applying for.
• If you held many similar jobs during that time, avoid listing all of them. Stick to the most recent 5 years.
• List your duties & accomplishments for each job title. 3-5 bullet points is perfect.
• Be sure to use action verbs at the beginning of each sentence and avoid using “I”.

• Like the resume, it’s a great selling tool.
• Informs the reader (employer) why you are interested in this specific position for this specific company.
• While the resume is usually generic (can be sent to multiple employers), the cover letter is tailored to a specific job opening and specific company.
• Makes the employer want to read your resume.
• A summary of your best qualities and skills in relation to the specific job you are applying for.

• Your name and contact information:
  • Formatted the same way it is in your resume.
• Who you are and what you do (or hope to do):
  • Introduce yourself and inform the reader of your reason for writing.
  • Include the job title and job code, if applicable.
• Why you are writing:
  • State that you hope to gain an interview.
  • Example: “I am confident that my skills and experience will grant me an interview.”
• Indicate where the resume is located:
  • Attached to an email? Uploaded separately? Enclosed (hard copy)? Indicate this.
• Signature:
  • If supplying a hard copy, make sure to sign it. It looks professional!

• Your contact information (header)
• Date
• Company contact information under header
• Re: line:
  • Great place to put job name and code.
• Address line–“Dear [name]”:
  • If the name of the reader is known, use it!
  • If not, “Dear Hiring Manager.”
• Introduction:
  • A concise paragraph summarizing your interest in the position and your qualifications.
• Body:
  • 1-2 short paragraphs highlighting your qualifications and accomplishments.
  • Choose these based on the job posting.
  • Do company research! Based on your experience, what specifically would benefit the company’s mission?
  • Can do this in a bulleted list, but DO NOT copy/paste from the resume.
• Conclusion:
  • 1 paragraph
  • Indicate where your resume is located.
  • Why you are writing (usually to get an interview).
• Close the letter.
  • “Respectfully”; “Sincerely”

• 1 page
• 1” margins
  • If necessary, 0.5” margins are okay, but on left and right ONLY)
• 10-12 point font size
  • Formal font type (Times New Roman; Arial)
• Paragraph style
  • Single spaced lines with a space between paragraphs
  • Keep sentences short but informative
• If bullets are used, these should only be for part of the body. Be sure to conclude with a paragraph.
• Header (your contact information) should match the resume header.