Results tagged “internships” from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog

Avoiding Being a Cookie-Cutter Job-seeker In Your Resume and Throughout Your Job Search

on October 8, 2009 1:57 PM | Permalink

As a member of a new community of resume writers, career coaches, and other career experts called the Career Collective, I am posting this entry as one of many responses to the question, “Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?” I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, linked at the end of this entry. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

When I think of “cookie-cutter job seekers,” a couple of scenarios come to mind:

Do you use a Microsoft Word template as the basis for your resume? There’s nothing inherently wrong with these templates, and they can be useful to get started on your resume if you’ve never created one before. But consider how many thousands of people are probably using the same template. If you use one, your resume will not stand out. And, as useful as a template is for prompting you to plug in the appropriate information for your resume, I’ve found that these Microsoft templates are rather inflexible if you want to try to customize them to create a standout resume.

If you need prompts and organizing tools to get started with your resume, consider looking at samples created by talented and effective resume writers. You can find samples in many resume books, all over the Internet, and of course, here at Quintessential Careers. See our resume samples here. Also think about using worksheets, such as those we offer here to develop your resume. (But don’t be a cookie cutter by copying every aspect of a sample resume!)

The Cookie-Cutter syndrome is not limited to resumes. Take this story about a former student of mine who graduated last year. She is bright talented, had two majors and minor, and had completed several excellent internships. Alas, she graduated right about the time the economy melted down and struggled mightily to find a job.

I told her the best thing she could do is conduct informational interviews. Informational interviewing is a subset of networking and a highly effective way to get your foot in the door with an employer.

Several weeks after I gave her that advice, I asked her if she was doing informational interviews. She said she didn’t put as much stock in them as I did and wasn’t doing them.

Why? Did she have any real experience doing them? No. But because informational interviewing is not a well-known job-search technique and is out of the mainstream, she thumbed her nose at this approach.

How’s she doing now? She’s struggling to make ends meet by working a retail job and an entry-level office job. Both are far below the kind of job her college experience prepared her for. Sadly, she preferred to be a cookie-cutter job-seeker and simply employ the same methods every other job-seeker uses.

More Career Collective thoughts on avoiding being a cookie-cutter job-seeker:

Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.

Try to Quantify Accomplishments on Your Resume -- Even If You're a Student

Katharine

on July 19, 2009 1:22 PM | Permalink

This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:

Shreena writes:

I am applying for a summer undergraduate work placement in a large company of opticians. One of the questions of the application forms is as follows: “Provide details of key achievements in your current role including facts and figures and performance targets to indicate the business outcome that resulted.”

Do I need to write about my role as a student at university? There is no real business outcome that results from being a student.

The Career Doctor responds:

Thank you so much for asking this question. Everyone reading this blog who knows a college student should be sure that s/he reads my answer.

Most college students should leave college with two types of experience: actual work experience gained through internships and part-time jobs and practical experience gained through class projects and papers.

When writing their resume, most students don’t have too hard a time describing work experience, but one of the most common errors I see is that students often discount those class projects.

As the application states, the company is looking for your key achievements/accomplishments to date. If you have previous work experiences, list those along with their outcomes. But don’t forget about those class projects.

For example,at the university where I previously taught, many major courses required completing a project, often with a real client. For example, in a marketing research class, students might work with a local business in uncovering a problem and suggesting solutions.

When describing those student experiences, remember the same rules that apply to describing your work experiences: always try to quantify your descriptions, focus on outcomes and project objectives.

A sample explanation of a student project:

Market Research Project for DeLand Electronics
Developed detailed SWOT Analysis

Assisted in writing survey questionnaire

Managed survey mail-out to 1,000 residents

Compiled strategic solutions based on survey results

For more information, consider reading this article on Quintessential Careers: For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.

Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.

Try to Quantify Accomplishments on Your Resume -- Even If You're a Student

Katharine

on March 22, 2009 9:02 AM | Permalink

This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:

Shreena writes:

Do I need to write about my role as a student at university? There is no real business outcome that results from being a student.

The Career Doctor responds:

Thank you so much for asking this question. Everyone reading this blog who knows a college student should be sure that s/he reads my answer.

When writing their resume, most students don’t have too hard a time describing work experience, but one of the most common errors I see is that students often discount those class projects.

When describing those student experiences, remember the same rules that apply to describing your work experiences: always try to quantify your descriptions, focus on outcomes and project objectives.

A sample explanation of a student project:

Market Research Project for DeLand Electronics
Developed detailed SWOT Analysis

Assisted in writing survey questionnaire

Managed survey mail-out to 1,000 residents

Compiled strategic solutions based on survey results

For more information, consider reading this article on Quintessential Careers: For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.

Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.

Is a Two-Page Resume OK?

Katharine

on November 20, 2008 9:52 AM | Permalink

This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:

Vince writes:

I have a question about resumes. I am a manager with several years of experience with one company. I have been approached about a couple of interesting job opportunities that I want to explore, so I am working on my resume. I am having a hard time keeping my resume to one page and I was wondering if you could tell me whether it was OK to go to two pages. Thanks.

The Career Doctor responds:

It used to be there was a hard-and-fast one-page resume rule, but no longer — and especially not for someone with your experience.

Better than cramming all your information on one page, go to a second page. I recently saw a resume that was written in 9 point type (very small) with almost no margins… it looked like some densely worded document (which it was) that no one would want to read.

So, revert those page margins back to standard levels, and push that type size back up to normal viewing (typically 10-12 pt.), and go to a second page. Just remember two rules about doing so. First, make sure you have a header on the second page that identifies that is your resume (Vince Smith, p. 2) and make sure that you use at least half of the second page.

In fact, some resume experts now say that a resume should be as long as necessary, and the more senior a job-seeker, the longer the resume.

Other resume tips:

If you are a seasoned job-seeker, remember that you should really not include work experience older than 12-15 years. While the experience is valuable, the process to do the work has probably changed dramatically in that time.
You do not need to include every single work experience you’ve ever had; instead, showcase the experiences that best showcase the skills/accomplishments for the job you are seeking.
Always focus on accomplishments and how you contributed to the employer rather than on your duties and responsibilities. And quantify those accomplishments whenever possible.
If you’re a new college grad, a two-page resume is acceptable if you have a lot of internships and other work experience, although I still prefer to see most new grads with a one-page resume.

You can find lots more suggestions, tools, and helpful advice about resume preparation in this section of Quintessential Careers: Resume and CV Resources.

Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.

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