1 Resume & Cover Letter WritingBased in part on Crafting Fitness Resumes By Diane Y. Chapman © 2017 NPTI Colorado | Slide 1 | Revision 5 (2/21/17) JR

2 Lecture Objectives After this lecture, students will:Understand the purpose of resumes & cover letters Recognize benefits of different organizational & delivery formats Know the absolute rules of resume writing vs. style preferences Remember the “do’s and dont’s” of resume writing

3 Resumes: What are they? Statement of facts about your history in the working world Summary of accomplishments, education and work experience Simply put, a resume’s purpose is to get you the interview!

4 Resumes There are various formats / ways to organize a resume:Chronological List everything in the order in which it occurred This seems to be the ideal choice for most job-seekers Functional Groups abilities/tasks performed together, rather than separating by job This format seems to have lost its popularity

5 Fitness Resumes: ElementsWho you are and where you can be found Name Address Personal Website address Personal phone numbers Cell phone numbers

6 Fitness Resumes: ElementsThe Details of Your Career State your desired career path so that the reader understands what you would like to do with your experience Include the what, when, where and hows, all summarized to the point. Include a concise presentation of accomplishments and activities

7 Fitness Resumes: ElementsThe Details of Your Career (continued) Employment experience Achievements Appointments and awards Certifications Affiliations Media experience Speaking/presentation experience Continuing education and training Education

8 Fitness Resumes Be CreativeBoast about yourself and let your personality shine through! Use impactful verbs: facilitate, instruct, construct, teach, provide, manage, promote, design, enhance, inspire, relieve, orchestrate, research, profile, develop, integrate, organize, hire, coach, coordinate, create, sustain, maintain, foster, initiate, supervise, oversee, monitor, sell, improve, increase

9 Resumes: Key AttributesContact info: Include phone, , website if applicable NOTE: Have a professional sounding for resumes Accomplishments: Don’t be bashful! Quintcareers.com

10 Resumes: Key AttributesEducation Include ALL relevant info regarding degrees, certifications, courses taken, etc. Appearance Should not be too crowded The “use 1 page” rule is great, but not at the expense of omitting key info Quintcareers.com

11 Resumes: Key AttributesAvoidance of typos/grammatical errors Have someone else proofread your resume Targeted and focused You should tailor your resume to EVERY job for which you apply Use the same words that are listed in the job description Quintcareers.com

12 Resume Writing Top 10 Resume Tips: Formatting and feelCorrect spelling, appropriate grammar, no missing words, and no typing mistakes Contact Information Customize the “objective” Include “career highlights” and qualifications 1. Based on the “Ten Tips for an Interview- Winning Resume” handout. 2. Make the tips relevant to a fitness applicant. 3. The “look” of resumes: Too crowded / too wordy / too many fonts / font tough to read / consistency in verb tense 1. Example: (scroll down) -Achieved master trainer status -Evaluating client’s progress Should be: -Evaluated client’s progress (Past jobs should be in past tense, current jobs should be in present tense. Avoid –ing )

13 Resume Writing Top 10 Resume Tips: 6. Former employer information7. Key contributions (quantify whenever possible) 8. Education statements 9. Awards and other “excellence” recognition 10. Personal achievements – other valuable info Based on the “Ten Tips for an Interview- Winning Resume” handout.

14 Resume Writing: NPTI StudentsDo NOT simply say, “NPTI CO Graduate” List ALL skills learned while at NPTI

15 Resumes: Best PracticesYOUR TURN: Workbook Exercise 1

16 Resume Writing: NPTI StudentsPEOPLE related Customers (new or existing) Employees (managing) FUNDS ($$) related Outside REVENUE (sales, account revenue generation) Internal COSTS (managed cost centers, expense accounts)

17 Resume Writing: NPTI StudentsSALES or MARKETING related Sales (inside / outside / telemarketing) Marketing (producing brochures, participating in trade shows, etc.) EXCELLENCE (in performance or competition) Anything you truly exceled at (e.g. won a marathon, Soldier of the Year, Employee of the Month, Eagle Scout, climbed every 14’er in Colorado, Black Belt, etc.) Anything you helped someone else excel at … a disabled athlete, significant weight loss, etc. Based on the “Resume Tips Handout”.

18 Resume Writing Express “relate-ables” in quantifiable termsDO NOT DO: “Managed employees” DO: “Managed 132 employees” DO NOT DO: “Managed a territory” DO: Managed a 3 county territory with $345,000 in annual new sales DO NOT DO: “Helped a friend lose weight” DO: Motivated a friend to lose 27 pounds (amount) and 4.5 inches of body fat (amount) over 6 ½ months (time)

19 Resumes: Getting SpecificYOUR TURN: Workbook Exercise 2

20 References Always list these on a separate pageAlways ask the reference (especially if you have had no contact in the last three months) Include an address and one phone number (not several phone numbers) Common courtesy: let the reference know how the job prospect turned out Any letters from references are great

21 Resume Writing New to the work forceNew to the industry / switching careers Why the switch to health & fitness NPTI experience First bullet point: use your experience here at NPTI. Stress your 200 hours of training, assessing, etc. For those switching careers –find TRANSFERRABLE skills – customer service, any business experience, etc. Be sure you realize all you can list on a resume from NPTI. Initial consultations, assessments, program design for beginners, intermediate, advanced clients, special populations, etc. You’ll be amazed at your “experience” for not working in the field yet.

22 Resume Writing Resume examples: White space, bullets, one font / no more than three font sizes (your name should be the largest font) Bring originals to the interview (not photocopies) for each person on the interview team Use good, 100#, watermarked, neutral colored paper printed on the correct side of the watermark Cover letter paper should match the resume paper The resume examples are on the NPTI website on the Student Doc Library, Business Information, Sample Resumes.

23 Try It Out Online Resume Template Recipe for “Perfect Fitness Resume”Visit all links listed. Fill in the info and demonstrate how to add info, see the result. I chose this one as it was pretty user friendly and you could view the results without paying (can’t download without paying though). Feel free to check other sources.

24 Any questions?

25 Cover Letters A Dozen Cover Letter Tips:Always include important information Make it personal—Address your letter to a specific person within the company Make the opening sentence catchy Write each letter to a specific job/company Describe your direct / indirect (relatable) skills as they relate to the job ANYTHING you mention should answer this question (from the reader’s perspective), “And why do I care about that?”

26 Cover Letters A Dozen Good Cover Letter Tips:Always type and proofread your cover letter before sending it out. The reader will JUDGE YOU by your grammar, punctuation, spelling, proper formatting. Be brief, use action words to describe your accomplishments. Be confident, creative and enthusiastic. Always keep a copy of every cover letter you send out. Call to Action: always request a response or an interview or some specific ACTION with a timeframe.

27 Cover Letters Cover Letter Examples: 1. Recent Graduate: 2. Career Change: Cover Letter Tutorial: Use the listed “cover letter” example to show two examples of a “good” cover letter. Point out what the writer did right as it relates to writing a good cover letter. Students can increase cover letter impact by viewing other sample cover letters (books and online resources) and even taking advantage of an online cover letter tutorial.

28 Cover Letters: Answer the WHY?YOUR TURN: Workbook Exercise 3

29 Employment Resources National Employment Resources:American Council on Exercise: NSCA Job Board: Exercise Jobs: Exercise Careers: Fitness Jobs: I-Hire Sports & Recreation:

30 Any questions?