Nuts & Bolts of the Search: Successful Resumes & Cover Letters Deconstructed

NADINE CHEUNG @nadinecheungBlogger and Editor of The Job Post Mediabistro Blog Network

#careercircus

First off, some tips

What’s the goal of the resume?

• A resume doesn’t get you a job.

• If you’re lucky, it gets you a meeting

Think of a single goal

Every word used in your resume and cover letter should focus on explaining how you can be a solution for the open position.

Tip #1:If you want the job, customize

Tailor your resume and cover letter for every single job you pursue

Evan created a master resume

EVAN DIERLAM

Brooklyn, NY 11205

e.dierlam@misplacedwords.com

EXPERIENCE

Production Coordinator - Weddings in Houston Magazine

March 2008 – December 2010

Repackaged and produced editorial content from the print edition for weddingsinhouston.com, utilizing an aspx-based

CMS, including cropping and optimizing images, cross-site linking and adding SEO keywords & descriptions

Created rich media email blasts and HTML newsletter templates through a custom CMS and commercial email sites,

including tagging with tracking links, inserting web-hosted images and formatting with in-line CSS

Created animated banner ads with clicktag and embedded links, using Adobe Flash with ActionScript 2 and 3

Created slideshows and IPIX virtual tours, and edited and converted videos for online use

Developed new magazine website from wireframes and hand-coded pages to user acceptance testing of aspx modules,

including pixel-to-pixel matching of PhotoShop layouts to xHTML non-table layouts with cross-site CSS optimization

Interacted with 300+ advertisers to traffic camera-ready ads and assets for in-house production of print and web ads

Managed all photography assets and credit information, from in-house photo shoots to submitted and purchased stock

Sourced, called-in and managed products and props for photo shoots and for editorial spreads

Added content and managed site changes for houstonweddingblog.com and houstonbridalshows.com utilizing WordPress,

including adding and testing plug-ins, creating static pages and modifying template pages

Added and updated copy and images within page layouts using InDesign and exported PDF files for upload on Insite

Created interactive PDF forms and archives using various field types and formulas, watermarks and custom cropping

Updated social media profiles with videos, photos, event notices and links to editorial content

Checked Epson proofs for color and bluelines for photo and product credit information, ad placement and page flow

Communications Coordinator – The ARC of New Jersey

May 2007 – July 2007

A non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Wrote press releases, interview outlines, speeches and informative editorial letters for newspapers across the state

Created and edited multiple internal and external monthly newsletters

Created informational and promotional collateral using organizational fact-sheets and in-person interviews

Created press kits and photographed various advocacy events

Managed organization information and photo assets for internal use and for response to media inquiries

Student Systems Technician – Sam Houston State University Computer Services

July 2006 – May 2007

Planned and executed Q/A Testing on Sakai, an open-source courseware management system, in order to assess

functionality and feasibility to replace Blackboard CMS

Installed and maintained test server for Sakai using Apache webserver and Tomcat on Fedora Core 6

Updated and managed version changes using subversion on a daily schedule

Debugged and modified JAVA code within project modules using Eclipse

EVAN DIERLAM – page 2

Production Manager – The Houstonian

August 2005 – December 2005

Worked with advertisers to gather ad materials and camera-ready ads

Created and modified print ads using QuarkXPress, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator

Recreated flattened ads and converted archived print ads from QuarkXPress to InDesign

Converted camera-ready ads to TIF format from Photoshop, Illustrator, PDF files, Word, Publisher and PowerPoint

Utilized Baseview AdForce, run-sheets and InDesign to dummy out ad holes on all news pages

Organized archived photos and graphics for production desk on network servers

Wrote hard news articles, covered campus events and wrote features and reviews as needed

Student Systems Technician – Sam Houston State University Computer Services

January 2005 – August 2005

Planned and developed a network wide alert application using Visual Basic .NET

Utilized XML and Active Directory to share notice information across the network

Created interactive floor plans for computer labs using Visio, including Active Directory and service tag information

IT Contractor – Self-Employed

October 2001 – August 2003

HRIS Business Analyst – Best Buy Inc.

September 1999 – September 2001

Interacted with internal and external clients to assess project requirements and plan long-term solutions

Created surveys and data-collection applications using Microsoft Excel and Outlook with VBA

Developed front-ends for databases, including data-entry templates and interactive reports

Automated routine querying and reporting tasks using Microsoft Access, Excel and DOS Batch with FTP Scripts

Queried and updated SQL Servers using ODBC and SQL Server tools, and queried db2 using JCL

Queried, analyzed and created reports using Microsoft Access and Excel with VBA

Programmer / Analyst – Sinclair Service Assessments

February 1998 – May 1999

Mystery shopping company, which at the time serviced USPS, HEB grocery chain and a multiple fast-food chains

Developed full lifecycle Visual Basic applications with strong database concentration using Microsoft Access and xBase

Created Crystal Reports using multiple tables and custom formulas to display data in user-readable formats

Automated routine tasks using VBA and DOS Batch

Utilized Microsoft Office with VBA and interacted with external databases

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism December 2009

Sam Houston State University – Huntsville, TX

Minor in Advertising Graphic Design

Job description

Evan created a one-page, tailored resume that got him the job!

Tip #2: Show them you are human

Sometimes that means being experimental

Be experimental

Mediabistro reader Lorin Munchick recently landed his dream job as Business Development Director at Max Borges Agency, a PR firm in Miami

Lorin’s experimental cover letter

Greg,I wanted to reach out and make a connection after doing some cyber stalking and seeing that Max Borges is looking for a Biz Dev pro. After I did some due diligence on what your team is all about, I realize I need to be in that position. I do have a solid job now: good team, industry trend setting products, double-digit growth yearly, but my passion has been, and always will be, new technology.

I can't wait to scan my RSS feed from MacRumors and Daring Fireball first thing in the morning or read my Flipboard while grabbing a sandwich at lunch. I want to bring my A game to your group, a skill set of creating relationships and growing business proven across several industries. The singular focus at MBA of consumer technology is a truly unique selling proposition, one that I would love to champion.

Having experience both at national level agencies in NYC and with Apple gives me a great foundation to help grow your business. Enjoying the South Florida lifestyle and having a healthy man-crush on Dwayne Wade, there's no place else I want to be more than Miami.

I've attached a top line resume to this email, and hope to get together soon to discuss the possibilities of working together in the future.

All the best, Lorin

Tip #3Balance being human with being aware of keywords

• Many companies use resume-scanning software that searches for keywords

• Even those that don’t use scanners often have humans who scan resumes for key phrases.

Use key words effectively

Valerie balanced her strategic, keyword-oriented resume with a

very humanizing cover letter

She recently landed a senior-level job at the vacation rental website HomeAway.com as Director of Customer Service, overseeing a team of 200+ people.

Valerie’s cover letter opening

Dear Hiring Team,

I’m excited to speak with you about the Director of North American Customer Operations opening at HomeAway. I’ve had the pleasure of working with members of your executive team (Lynn Atchison and Carl Shepherd) during my prior tenure at Hoover’s, and I’m equally excited about the prospect of playing a key role within Jeff Mosler’s Customer Experience team.

After outlining her experience, she closed her letter this way

On a personal note, I was raised in a household where the coffee can on top of the refrigerator stored every available extra dollar, used by my parents to take my sister and me around the world on many travel adventures. Those memories have shaped my ongoing passion for travel experiences.

Tip #4:Know the company you’re pursuing

• And create materials that are appropriate for that business

Tyler included a QR code

The QR code directed users to Tyler’s site…

…where he made a simple video pitch

Tip #5:Don’t make careless mistakes

• Take enough time to check grammar, spelling, and all facts

Thank you!

Read Nadine Cheung’s career coverage on

mediabistro’s blogs, including:

FishbowlNY

MediaJobsDaily

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