1 Workforce Operations: Professional Development Series Critiquing a résumé November 2016Hello and welcome to Workforce Operations: Professional Development Series. Today we will be focusing on Critiquing a resume. How knowing what to look for when reviewing a resume can tell you a lot about a potential employee

2 General Housekeeping InfoFirst time Go-To-Meeting© webinar users may wish to log on early as it can take time for software to load If you have difficulty joining the webinar, contact Deb Cusanno at or During the webinar, participants’ microphones should be muted A closed caption recording of this webinar can be found For additional tips to critique and create top notch resumes or view samples, visit careerconnections.nj.gov under the tab “Prepare”

3 Resume Basics: Style & AppearanceAt a glance, ask yourself; Does the candidate’s name stand out? Is there contact information? phone number, , address Visually appealing and concise? Consistent formatting? (No less than 11 pt. font size & same verb Verb Tense used throughout Is it no more than 2 pages? Digging deeper: Check for typos Ensure verb tenses are consistent Tasks should read as accomplishment statements Example: Performed detailed data analysis to produce accurate reports. First, take a look at the overall appearance of the resume The name of the potential hire should be clearly visible and should stand out with the candidate’s name and credentials clearly displayed. Is it visually appealing and concise. In other words do the margins and lines match up in a way that is not distracting to the reader? There should be clear breaks between sections so the page doesn’t appear crowded. Consistent Formatting (font & spacing) throughout? Is the potential hire able to express themselves in a clear and concise manner? Next Are their contact phone numbers listed? Do they give what times they can be reached at a particular number or which one is their primary mode of contact? If the job is requiring someone who lives in a certain geographic area, does this candidate live within the specified geographic area? Is their a professional one or does it look like one they created in middle school? Be on the lookout for any obvious typos or grammatical errors that catch your eye. Resumes should not exceed 2 pages. Once the resume has passed this initial test, you will want to review the content closely. Specifically, check for typos and grammatical errors. Ensure verb tenses are consistent throughout, with any current positions referred to in the present tense and previous positions referred to in the past tense. All tasks should read as action statements that begin with verbs and show what the client accomplished, not just what they did. Example: Performed detailed data analysis to produce accurate reports. Phrasing statements this way as opposed to just listing the task with no accomplishment shows what the employer will gain from hiring this client, not just what client did for a former employer.

4 Resume Basics: Focus & ContentKnow the difference between a job objective vs. key summary statement Chronological Experience Address work gaps Accentuate Leadership positions or educational credentials Project accomplishments Specific facts & figures Education & other training Next take a look at the job objective the candidate has provided. Does it mirror the goals and objectives of the job description and the industry in which client wishes to work? In place of a “job objective” have you suggested that a client include a key summary statement? (These are a few statements emphasizing key strengths that also speak to the job description.) Address significant gaps in timeline of their work history that you may wish to bring up to the candidate. Suggest creative ways to fill these if they engaged in any volunteering, education or caregiving during this gap. What about the Length of time at their various positions? Does it appear that the candidate is loyal to their previous employers or does it seem this individual tends to bounce around from job to job after only a short time in one place. If a candidate has shorter employment periods, suggest listing the positions by their year and not mention the month. For example: instead of October January 2013. Do experiences listed (chronologically – last job listed first) project the individuals accomplishments too? Including facts & figures of goals surpassed or projects brought in under budget & on time? Have they closed their resume with schools, degrees, areas of concentration, relevant academic experiences, courses & honors earned? If a particular degree was not yet completed, does it list it as something like “credits earned” or have they listed a degree that is not yet completed indicating they are a “candidate for a BS”? Note: If education is impressive or very recent , it should be at the top of the resume. If education is a candidate’s weakness, it should appear toward the bottom. Always structure the resume with the strongest topics at the top.

5 Focus & Content (continued)Other considerations: Resumes should be tailored to the job being applied for: Does it use industry keywords? Does resume lead with client’s strengths, & accomplishments? Does it highlight relevant experience? Is the work experience listed in ‘reverse’ chronological order? Resumes should be tailored to the industry the client is applying for. This can vary with each application they submit, so sometimes it helps to have a few versions of a resume.    The resume should feature industry keywords to trigger keyword searches some recruiters use to isolate a candidate with appropriate experience. Examples of this could be a specific computer program or system? A piece of equipment? A language or other terminology that may be important for them to know for a particular job or industry. For those with lengthy work history, only the most relevant experience should be mentioned. In these instances it is okay to break from chronology.

6 Resume Do’s DO clearly display your name and credentialsDO have a tailored job objective to the position you are applying for or better yet, a ‘key summary statement.’ DO have consistent formatting DO use accomplishment statements DO highlight relevant experience and credentials

7 Resume Dont’s DON’T have typos DON’T use an inappropriate emailDON’T be too verbose DON’T make the employer search for key skills and experience DON’T include personal information or TMI or any negative information DON’T make it longer than 2 pages

8 Conclusion Ask yourself the following questions before finalizing the resume: Is it clear who’s resume this is? Do skills/qualifications stand out? Are the format, font and text clear? Is it standard and professional? Would I hire this person? Did I and the client PROOFREAD it? …… PROOFREAD! PROOFREAD! PROOFREAD again! Have a third set of eyes proofread it too. Thank you for joining us today. This concludes the presentation which is the first in a series of practical LWD webinars to assist you in your work efforts. Join us on Dec. 23 for the next in the series, “Advising Jobseekers on the Federal Bonding Letter.” notification of the webinar is forthcoming.