COMM 202Tutorial 5: Resume & CL Peer Review

LAPTOPS & PHONES AWAY! NAME TENTS OUT!T21 + T28

AGENDA For today

CourseTimeline

TAFeedback

Resume&CLPeerReview

ActionItems

Course Timeline

Reading break next week!

week 10week 7 week 9week 8

• tutorial: resume & cover letter peer review

• due: 2 copies of resume draft & cover letter draft & job posting

• tutorial: LinkedIn / networking

• due: LinkedIn due before class

• tutorial: event networking / informational interviews

• Due: cover letter & resume due Tuesday, March 7th

@ 2:00PM

• networking event on March 9th

reading break

Feedback time!Start. Stop. Continue.

Time to

Peer edit

The room setup

Ali

Instructions• Write your table number on ALL documents• Put all Resumes in a pile in the middle of the table• Get out your marking utensils!

EACH NEW SLIDE SECTION:PASS Resumes TO THE next table!

Let’s learn aboutFORMATTING

CL Formatting• Left aligned (NOT justified)• No indents on paragraphs • Bullet points vs. paragraphs • 2-3 relevant skills• Consistent font size (min. size 10)• Appropriate font• Margin sizes• Spacing between paragraphs• White space• One page

Resume Formatting• Titles formatted the same• Spacing is consistent• Margins are reasonable (≥1.5cm)• Phrases either ALL end in period or not• Dates

• Usually right-aligned• All have month and year, or just year• All months are abbreviated to same # of letters• Uses hyphens (–) OR dashes (-)

• Font:• Size is 10• Generally no more than two types of font

• Numbers under 10 spelled out (i.e. two vs. 2)• Bullets: same size/style, aligned• One to two pages

Take a look at both documents

Are they consistent?Header? Margins? Font?

Addressing the cover letterDate

Contact Name Title Company Address 1 City, Province Postal Code

Re: Position Title (reference number if given)

Dear [first name Last name], or Dear Hiring Manager/Committee,

Here are some examples

specific person(assume known marital status)

unknown person

SIGNING OFF THE RIGHT WAYSincerely, / Regards, / Best,

(Written signature if you want)

Your nameBcom Candidate 20XXSauder School of Business

Enclosed vs. Attached: Resume

Let’s look at theOpening

Trade Documents!

The opening• Expresses very keen genuine interest and/or

passion for position• Makes a clear expression of the

skills/experience matching the job description• Integrates genuine and unique primary or

secondary research indicating interest in firm• Name Drop (when applicable)• HOOK

The opening: BRANDING• Provides strong, insightful research that demonstrates

knowledge and interest in the industry or organization• Clearly illustrates how the candidate will “fit” into the industry

or organization

I want to belong to Devon Canada because its mantra “be a good neighbor” aligns with my goal of building relationships to enrich the area where I work and live. This desire, along with the skills I have gained from my previous work experiences in the Calgary energy industry, will allow me to make valuable contributions to Devon Canada’s initiatives.

Moving ontoSkills Matching

Skills Matching• Describes specific skills that are clearly matched to the job

description, referencing specific examples that leverage experiences and qualifications

• Experiences highlighted are specific and concise linking past experiences through transferable skills

• Results show success or strength in past experiences• STARL FORMAT (EMPHASIZING ACTION… LINK WHERE APPLICABLE)• TEAM EXPERIENCES – EMPHASIZING INDIVIDUAL VS. TEAM ACTIONS• SHOW ME, DON’T TELL ME

Skills Matching: LINK

I spent this past summer at Total E&P Canada, where I compiled and calculated

information for numerous government payment and application documents. I had

to prioritize my tasks and organize my progress as I updated versions of multiple

documents, and was constantly in correspondence with external auditors and

other departments. At Devon Canada, the accounting department faces

numerous deadlines and supports a variety of different parties. My ability to

efficiently manage multiple projects will be vital to my success.

And nowThe closing

Closing Effectively• Very clear reference to specific skills• Interest and request for meeting

Aka “call to action”• Graciously thanks the employer for their

consideration• TIE BACK TO HOOK/INTRO

ResumesMove documents to the next table!

Header and general • Name is preferred name with (given

name) in brackets• Phone and address are included• LinkedIn URL is personalized

• No personal pronouns (I, we, he, she)• Reasonable amount of white space

– is it easy to read?• Experiences listed in reverse

chronological order by start date

Profile• No more then 5 lines for key competencies (4 for profile)

• Can include languages

• Does it clearly and convincingly summarize strengths/experiences/skills?

• Does it match the job posting (multiple references)?

• Does it provide a clear, convincing link to the rest of the resume(i.e. is there PROOF elsewhere in the document?)

Profile

Education Section

• Does it clearly summarize education experiences (i.e. including academic projects / relevant courses / grades / awards)?

• Is there any ambiguity with respect to the info provided?

• Does it match the job description?

Education Section

• BCom not BCOMM• Start with the degree• List expected date of completion (either as “Completion: …” or

“Expected Completion: ...”)• No laundry lists of courses: only specific, relevant courses• GPA –score/%/letter grade, indicating the school scale• Key/relevant projects and awards: write in accomplishment

statement form

And nowWork experience

Move documents to the next table!

Experiences

• Are experiences achievement based?• Do numbers clearly quantify achievements where

appropriate?• Do statements have Accomplishment, Proof, Transferrable

skills, and Scope of Action?• Are the result verbs varied and strong?• Does language indicate familiarity with industry/company?

Does it match the job description?

Experiences Cont.

• Reverse chronological order by start date• You can include explanation sentences of

companies/experiences if necessary • Eliminate filler words• Written in third person• Keep it to one sentence (2 lines is best)• The elements of the RATS statement should be apparent

(but not necessarily in RATS order)

Examples…Removedambiguityfromtaxationbudget bycorrectlycodingover250invoices,throughtheresearchoftaxationlegislationandanalysisofarchivedinvoices forthecostcontroldepartment’sbudgetreport

Qualitative:ReducedstressamongnewBCom studentsbyprovidingacademicsupportandmentorship,throughthecreationofindividualizedexampreparationschedulesduringone-on-onecoachingsessions.

Quantitative:Doubledpreviousyear’snumberofappointmentswithnewBCom studentsbycreatingindividualizedexampreparationschedulesandbuildingauthentic,trust-basedrelationships duringone-on-onecoachingsessions

Onto theirInterests

Move documents to the next table!

interests• Do the interests show personality? Are they

specific? Are they relevant to the job (not always necessary)?

• Do they differentiate the candidate? Are they memorable?

• Be fun! And appropriate

*NOTE for the candidate: Be able to speak about these interests extensively!

Branding• Personal qualifications are well tailored to

requirements of job (clear 60-70% match)• Multiple words from job description are

included in resume (5+)• Interests section show personality and

relevant specific interests• There is strong evidence of CAN-WANT-FIT

match made

A note about Marking

ErrorsMinor errors lose you one point

Critical errors lose you two pointsThe max you can lose per document is 4 points (20%)

Error Minus one point Minus two points

Spelling mistake X

Grammar mistake X

Inconsistency X

Having positions in wrong order

X

Improper formatting (CL) X

Spelling name of addressee incorrectly

X

One last thing

Action items

• Sign up for office hours• Work on your resume & CL over break• Networking event: Thursday, Mar. 9 from 6-8pm• Career Peer Advising and BCC Coaching

appointments on COOL (also over reading week)• LinkedIn profile due (Check Blog!)* LECTURE after reading week