Building Careers and Writing Rsums Prentice Hall 2008

Building Careers and Writing Résumés © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 1

Securing Employment in Today’s Job Market • Understanding the employer’s approach • Organizing your approach © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 2

Employment Search Process 1. Build toward a career 2. Prepare a résumé 3. Understand the interview process 4. Prepare for interview 5. Take the interview 6. Follow up and accept the offer © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 3

Employer’s Approach to the Recruiting Process • Look inside the company • Networking and personal references • Employment agency or search firm • Unsolicited résumés • Newspaper want ads © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 4

Organizing Your Approach • Track business news • Monitor financial news • Research specific firms • Build a network • Seek career counseling © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 5

Résumé Writing Process • Planning • Writing • Completing © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 6

Planning Your Résumé • Identify audience and purpose • Include pertinent information • Determine the best medium • Build on your strengths © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 7

What Employers Seek • • Results orientation Workplace achievements Versatility Signs of progress Standards of excellence Flexibility Communication skills © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 8

Areas of Concern • • • Frequent job changes Gaps in work history Level of experience Long-term with one company For-cause job termination Criminal or arrest record © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 9

Organizing Your Résumé • Chronological • Functional • Combination © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 10

Writing Your Résumé • Respect your résumé • Take your time • Review good models • Minimize frustration © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 11

Keep the Résumé Honest • Workplace references • Background checks • Credit histories © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 12

Adapting to the Audience • Consider the employer’s perspective • Build on past accomplishments • Stress your future potential • Translate skills and experience • Clarify educational achievements © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 13

Composing Your Résumé • Name and address • Career objective or summary • Academic credentials • Employment history • Activities and achievements • Relevant personal data © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 14

Completing Your Résumé • Revising • Producing • Proofreading © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 15

Common Résumé Problems • Wrong length • Amateurish • Hard to read • Boastful • Wordy • Generic • Too slick • Gimmicky • Poorly reproduced • Carelessly written © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 16

Producing Your Résumé • Printed traditional résumé • Printed scannable résumé • Electronic plain-text file • MS Word file • HTML format • PDF file © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 17

Printing a Traditional Résumé • High-quality paper • Crisp, clear image © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 18

Printing a Scannable Résumé • • Use sans-serif fonts Separate characters Avoid columns Avoid special characters Separate phone and email Use plain white paper Identify all pages Include a keyword summary © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 19

Digital Résumé Formats • Plain-text file • MS Word file • HTML version • PDF format © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 20

Proofreading Your Résumé • Headings and lists • Grammar and punctuation • Spelling and word choice • Paper and digital formats © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 21

Distributing Your Résumé • Postal mail • E-mail • Fax machine • Online • Personal website • Index service or job site © Prentice Hall, 2008 Excellence in Business Communication, 8 e 22