Michael Laughter Briana Edwards

michael.laughter@gatech.edu briana.Edwards@gatech.edu

Georgia Tech Career Center

Resumes, Introductions, and Career Fair Prep

mailto:michael.laughter@gatech.edumailto:briana.Edwards@gatech.edu

Today's Topics:

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1. Craft a Resume

2. Prepare for the Career Fair

3. Create Introductions

Resumes

1. Shows what you're good at and where you've been

2. Highlights both technical and essential skills

3. Answers some questions recruiters have about your experience

4. Contains keywords and only noun and verb phrases to facilitate a "1-minute scan"

5. Provides sections of information in reverse chronological order to show highest levels of achievement first

What Does a Resume Do?

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1. Heading: name, phone, email, LinkedIn, portfolio/github (if applicable)

2. Education: reverse order, including transfer institutions and GPA (≥3.2)

3. Include certifications, study abroad, honors/awards

4. Aim for up to 3 bullets per school, remove HS after freshman year

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Heading and Education

Expertise (Grad Students Only)

1. Sets the tone for resume, typically 3 areas of competency

2. Should show bundles of technical/essential skill use

3. May contain topic(s) of research

4. Can correspond with job posting

5. Replaces Summary of Qualifications

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1. Work for compensation, both in your field and otherwise

2. Shows implementation of skills, duties, tasks, use verb phrases

3. Will be second resume section once you've had an internship, co-op, research assistantship, or shadowing experience

Experience

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1. Two types: technical and essential (human) skills

2. Organize into relevant categories, focus on 'keywords,' nouns only

3. Include procedures, protocols, abilities

4. List skills as soon as you begin to learn them (day 1 of class)

Skills

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1. Shows further knowledge in field and lab

2. Reveals combined work/study/direction

3. Contains data/analysis

4. Adds depth and nuance to knowledge base

Research (Grad focused, otherwise optional)

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1. Shows implementation of skills, usually from class

2. Showcase tasks, depth of work in topic area

3. Can be self-driven or assigned, group or individual

4. List as soon as you begin, update each semester

5. Generally focused on your major or area relevant to job you are seeking

Projects

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1. Volunteer work, campus or community involvement

2. Showcases essential skills implemented in club or community positions

3. Exhibits 'people skills' and humanity

Leadership

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1. Be concise and focus on quality over quantity. While a two-page resume can be needed as you gain more experience, you should be able to prioritize your experiences to include only those necessary to communicate your value proposition.

Resume Writing Tips

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2. Your resume is how you market yourself. Every word takes up real estate. Never use complete sentences, focus on WHAT/HOW you did something, with less on setting context. Focus on keywords.

3. Avoid standing out with fonts, formatting, or colors. Recruiters/hiring managers often give a one-minute scan. You want them to easily locate relevant information in a familiar format.

5. Tailor your resume content for specific jobs, as needed.

4. Work to continually expand your experience but remember to focus your resume on exposure not just expertise.

Career Fair Prep

Date: January 25 (Monday) and January 26 (Tuesday), 2021Time: 12:00pm -6:00pm ESTLocation: Virtual – Via CareerBuzz

1. Log In to your CareerBuzz account and REGISTER

2. Research companies attending

3. Research jobs posted by companies of interest

4. Plan to attend a Career Fair Virtual Platform Demo in January

Georgia Tech Career Center All-Majors Virtual Career Fair

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Date Event Time BlueJeans Link, if Virtual

1/13/21 Career Fair Virtual Platform Demo 12:00pm https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/tubjrzuw

1/19/21 Career Fair Virtual Platform Demo 5:00pm https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/petqyeku

1/20/21 Career Fair Virtual Platform Demo 11:00am The Bill Moore Student Success Center (in person)

1/21/21 Career Fair Virtual Platform Demo 4:00pm The Bill Moore Student Success Center (in person)

https://gatech-csm.symplicity.com/students/?signin_tab=0https://gatech-csm.symplicity.com/students/?signin_tab=0https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/tubjrzuwhttps://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/petqyeku

Get Ready To Shine

• Research company business model/mission

• Identify the company’s client(s)

• Examine outcomes, services, goods produced

• Analyze all tools/skills used by company

• Make notes about similarities between you/them

Do Your Research

• Compare company needs and your strengths

• Make changes to resume accordingly to illustrate how you possess their desired qualifications

• Prioritize your content according to company needs

Tailor Your Resume Prepare Yourself and Your Space

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• Set up your area with:• Printed copy of resume

• Paper/Pen

• Bright light on your face

• Minimal background

• Dress the part, head to toe

• Look at the camera, SMILE, make it a conversation

• Don't speak in paragraphs

Introductions

Two Components of Your Introduction

Part I: Initial Greeting

Should share some information about you, but only a low-level sales pitch.

1. Name, Major, Year

2. Brief explanation of interest/skills related to major OR industry company is a part of

3. Brief request:

1."Interested to learn more about opportunities at _____. (company name)

2."Interested to learn more about _______. (position you know they are hiring for)

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Goal: Make a good first impression and communicate your skills and experience that make

you someone worth remembering

TMAY (Tell Me About Yourself)

Part II – Response

More thorough, when asked to introduce yourself or asked a follow up after initial greeting (skip any items you've already shared).

1. Name, major, year

2. Why you chose your major (don’t overthink it)

3. Technical skill, illustrate how/why/what you’ve done with it

4. Essential skill, illustrate how/why/what you’ve done with it

5. DISTILLATION: Describe yourself with pair/trio of skills

1.“I can put ___ with ___ and ___, which means. . .”

6. Ask what the company has available for someone with your skillset

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Always Say Thank You

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1. Always write down names/titles/emails during conversations

2. Use a three-sentence model for your note

• Thank the person in your first line and remind them the specifics of your conversation.

• State “I remain interested in this position because I have ___, ___, and ___, which you’ll need.”

• Finish with brief good will sentiment, “Hope to hear from you soon/If you have any questions. . .”

3. Send it within 24 hours

Upcoming Events:

Career Fair Bootcamp II – December 10th 5:00pm

By attending this workshop, obtain necessary insight on how to develop your cover letter and receive interview tips. The Career Fair Bootcamp is a three-event series.

Career Fair Bootcamp III – December 11th 5:00pm

By attending this workshop, obtain necessary insight on how to evaluate a job offer, and negotiate a salary coming out of theCareer Fair. The Career Fair Bootcamp is a three-event series.

Stay tuned, we have a whole set of new events coming your way to prepare you for the Spring Career Fair January 25th and 26th. More details to come soon!!

Follow the Georgia Tech Career Center:

LinkedIn GT Career Center

Instagram GT_Career_Center

Upcoming Events and Additional Resources

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http://careerfair.gatech.edu/spring2021https://www.linkedin.com/company/gt-career-center/https://www.instagram.com/gt_career_center/

Questions

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Appendix

TMAY Formula Option

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1. Hi, I’m _____, a _____ year, majoring in _____. I chose my major/research because ______. [I want to make an impact in the field of ___ by ______.]

2. In my research/internship/co-op at ____, I used ____(technical skill) to ____, for the purposes of ____. (Provide another sentence of details here as needed.) I was part of a team that ____. We also used ____(another technical skill) to ____(task). I researched ___ by ___ and used ___ to ___. (Add another sentence of details.)

3. I also picked up ____ (essential skill, such as communication or leadership) at ____ and was able to use it to ____(task).

4. I can be an effective addition to your team because I can put the technical skills of ____ and ____ with a needed skill such as ____ (essential skill).

5. What do you have for someone with my (emerging) abilities?

TMAY Example 1

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1. Hi, I’m _____, a third year CS major. I chose my major because I really wanted to learn how computers can create new possibilities for solutions to some of society’s problems. I am conducting research in the field of AI, specifically by working with configuring networks.

2. In my internship/research assistantship at ____, I used Java and JavaScript to create a debugging app that would eventually be for external users. I was part of a team that collected relevant data in order to streamline the debugging process. The data portion of our work took months, and I am crafting the final report.

3. I have picked up important communication skills because I am writing a report that will be read by a non-technical audience.

4. Distillation: I can be an effective addition to your team because I can use Java and Python and my knowledge of data analytics, along with a much-needed skill, which I have: report writing for a large audience.

5. What do you have for someone with my (emerging) abilities?

TMAY Example 2

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I’m a mechanical engineer because I want to know how things work; I like the logic of it. (WHY?) I’m interested in robotics, which began when I was in a high school project creating a robotic arm. (SKILL) I also taught myself to code two summers ago. (SKILL) And I’m an excellent writer, and also speak conversational Spanish. (SKILL)

I’m open to all types of engineering, but I especially am interested in sustainability, and I want to use mathematical principles and logic to solve energy renewal problems. (ADJUSTED ASPIRATIONS)

I think all of that work means I can benefit you as an intern. May I provide you with more details?