Resume/CV Tips. Career Transitions Center of Chicago.

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1 703 W. Monroe St Chicago, IL Phone (312) Resume/CV Tips Your resume/cv doesn t get you the job but it is necessary for opportunity and advancement. In this written communication, you position your education, credentials, past experience and accomplishments for future opportunity. Well-crafted and targeted, it can get you an interview and direct the interviewer s attention to what distinguishes you for a particular opportunity. Developing your own resume/cv is well worth your investment of time, attention and effort. Here are some tips for an effective resume in today s job market: Build Your Case Know where you are headed. Don t include superfluous information. Information should meet requirements (chronological work history, education, publications, etc.), and build a case for the opportunity you seek. Edit Well - Be rigorous in your editing and make sure to double and triple-check for mistakes. Be aware of font size and spacing, making sure the text is easily legible. The format should be consistent and conducive to a given industry or field. Focus on Distinction - A quick glance at a resume determines whether a candidate is worthy of further evaluation and an interview. A results-focused resume/c.v. stands a greater chance of being read because it speaks to your contribution. Tell Your Story Highlight the Circumstance, Action(s) and the Results (C>A>R) that speak to achievement and value-added. The best predictor of your future promise is past performance evidenced by results. What did you do that made a difference? Be E-ffective - The Internet has changed the way we communicate and this holds true for job search and career management. Be active on LinkedIn. Be smart in s and outreach. Save a version of your resume/c.v. in pdf for . Plain text or HTML work best for online postings/submission and can also be included in the body of an for job applications online.

2 Resume Tips (continued) - Now You Are Ready Step 1: Create Your Resume /CV Confirm career focus/desired and most suited positions/roles you will pursue Create CARs. Ensure key accomplishments (bullets) are prioritized, relevant and articulated using results-focused statements Research to determine what pertinent information and format is expected in your particular field. Solicit feedback to make sure your resume communicates a compelling case to a prospective employer Step 2: Create Supplemental Marketing Materials Create a cover letter/ (never /send a resume without a good cover letter or ) Create a template for thank-you and follow-up (handwritten, , US mail) to send to prospective employers, connectors and individuals with whom you connect through informational interviews (c. 70% of job seekers fail to send a thank you or follow-up; make it a consistent practice in your job search) Be professional in all communication - Plan communications and use them purposefully. Always and in every communication, be professional, appropriate and courteous. Use direct connection - Now more than ever it is critical that you leverage your social and professional network to help you make a direct connection with a target organization. In your cover letter, be sure to mention any contacts you have within the organization or the names of professors or consultants who have referred you. Clearly convey your value - If you are responding to a specific job advertisement, speak as directly as possible to the role, responsibilities, and qualifications, tailoring your cover letter/ and your resume to highlight the salient points in your experience and skill set that speak to the needs of the employer. If you are applying blindly to an opportunity, be sure to do your research and speak as best you can to fit. Work with Your CTC Coach Identify questions and areas of focus to strengthen your resume and search communications.

3 Tips for an Effective LinkedIn Profile Introduction - A compelling profile is essential for an effective Linkedin presence. Your profile represents you to the online networking world, and is the starting point for promotion, connection and opportunity. First step is to set-up a Linkedin account. LinkedIn offers good tutorials and helps. This document offers how-tos and best practices to help you use Linkedin as an effective branding and networking tool. Guidelines for Working with Your Profile Be honest. You want your profile to be read by colleagues, recruiters and prospective employers (especially if you are looking for opportunity). Avoid exaggerations or controversial claims that might call your credibility into question. Spelling and grammar count. Don t be super formal (off-putting); do be meticulous in spelling and grammar. Always be positive and gracious. Keep your profile updated all effort will be wasted if you don t stay current. Developing Your Profile - Once your Linkedin account is set-up you can access and edit your profile at any time by going to your home page, clicking on the title Profile and then on Edit Profile. You will see that each section of your profile has an Edit box beside it - just click on the one that you wish to update. Remember to save changes. On the Edit Profile page, the Linkedin profile tracker shows how complete your profile is. Once you have completed all the sections, your tracker should read 100%. Photograph Your photo should be nice-looking and professionally done ideally a head shot of the warm, positive, confident, professional you. The Professional Headline Box The professional headline box is the concise, oneline description that appears directly below your name. It is likely the first thing people see when they view your profile. Your headline will appear beside your name in search results, and also when you contribute to the Answers section of Linkedin. You don t have to use your actual job title as your professional headline, instead use key words that describes your value as a resource (this is about you, not just a position/job title). Post an Update This section is a useful way of regularly refreshing your profile and keeping it up to date. The purpose is to capture your connections attention and stay in touch with your network. Try posting an update once a month; more frequently if you: Have a recently written, or have been cited in articles or blogs provide links; Are you presenting or attending conferences or seminars again provide links; Are working on a project or activity relevant to your job and industry; Writing a blog you can alert your contacts to new posts; or Are looking for work, describe the kind of position you are looking for and examples of target organizations.

4 Education and Employment History List past employers and colleges/universities you ve attended (particularly if there is a strong alumni association). This will directly increased your number of possible connections. Be thoughtful. This isn t a resume upload. Describe your accomplishments, credentials and goals. Showcase your unique set of talents and experience. Ensure the information you include is accurate and understandable to people outside of your field, your organization or sector. Spell out acronyms. Include any official advisory or volunteer activities that are relevant; people will respect this breadth of activity. Recommendations Linkedin recommendations work like offline references. They allow others you have worked with (managers, colleagues, reports, clients/vendors, etc.) to speak to your value in action. Be selective include a handful of direct, meaningful recommendations. Done well, recommendations add credibility. They should be relevant to your brand promise and speak to your best work. What is it you want others to know? From the edit section of your profile, click on Get Recommended. Select the period of your employment history you want a recommendation for. Select which of your connections you wish to approach for a recommendation. Personalize the LinkedIn default message be courteous and respectful. Click Send Recommendations should be specific and succinct, related to a particular project or success. I worked with XX and she was professional doesn t speak to impact or results. Make it easy. Draft the recommendation. Also, offer to write a recommendation for someone you d genuinely recommend and return the favor to those who recommend you. Listing Websites- You can list up to three websites on your profile. This is where you d include your own professional website or blog site. As Linkedin is business focused, you likely wouldn t link to your Facebook page or other personal sites (unless businessrelated). Public Profile Address - Linkedin gives you your own public URL, which you can use to direct people to your profile by adding it in your signature or even include it in a bio or resume. You can customize this URL to include your name: Scroll down your profile to Public Profile and click edit. Click edit next to Your Public Profile URL. Type in your customized URL, e.g. if your name is Joe Bloggs, then you should customize your URL to say If you have a common name, you should customize your URL as soon as possible before someone else uses it. If your name has already been claimed, try including a middle initial or swapping your first and last names around.

5 Public Profile You also have the option of changing the settings that determine which parts of your profile are available to the public. Linkedin recommends that you select Full View to maximize your visibility and help others find you. However, you can deselect any elements of your profile that you do not want to be on full view. Save changes when you have finished. At the bottom of the page you have the option to view my public profile as others see it, which lets you see exactly how your profile will appear to other members. Summary The summary section is intended to highlight professional history use it to support your brand: Set out the high points of your career and explain how you have made a difference. Make the content top-line and interesting to draw viewers in ideally around 50 words. Use first person, be confident but not grandiose or boastful. Have someone review your summary before you make your profile public ensuring it connects w/ your audience. Specialties After the summary is a section where you can list your specialties. You should include tall the areas of expertise that you want to promote on Linkedin. Use keywords related to these specialties, to maximize the chances of people finding your profile when they search for the terms. If you are an accountant, for example you might list your keywords for work you do (and seek to do), such as: Management accounting Budgeting Forecasting Fixed assets Inventory control NEW Sections include Skills and Accomplishments Applications Linkedin gives you the option of adding a number of applications to help enhance your profile. Click add applications and you will see a list of available applications, and a brief description of their function. Click on your chosen application and you will be taken to a page with further information on that application. Select whether you want the application to appear on your home page and your profile. Click Add application. Personal Information Towards the end of your profile, there is a section on personal information. If you want to make it easy for prospective employers or connections to get in touch, then you d add your mobile number and address. Fields with a padlock symbol beside them give you additional options with regard to their visibility settings.

6 Additional Information Use the additional information boxes to provide further details that demonstrate your depth of skills and experience: List your qualifications and awards. Name the Groups and Associations you are members of. Add a link to your website s homepage and potentially to the section of your website more relevant to you or your specialty. Under interests, give some information about what you do out of work. People will find this interesting, and it will provide material that people can use to make contact. Avoid potentially divisive subjects such as your favorite football team, or activities that some people might find objectionable. Contact Settings You can specify how you would like other members to contact you whether anyone can contact you direct through the system, or whether you will only accept new contracts when they are introduced through one of your existing contacts. You can also specify which of a number of listed categories for contact.

7 Tips for the Use of Social Media for Job and Career Success Facebook Use it! In today s market, professionals need to be technologically savvy. LinkedIn is a given. Your profile, recommendations, postings and conversations should serve your positioning. When it comes to Facebook, career experts caution professionals what NOT to do. Used well, Facebook can help a job search and create career opportunity. Manage a Facebook presence that you d be pleased to have recruiters or prospective employers see providing them with a positive glimpse of work-life balance, healthy relationships and volunteerism. Focus on how your Facebook page complements Linkedin and leverage it. 1. Start with your photo. Post a quality close-up in professional or business casual attire. Review all of the photos you share and are tagged. Remove anything you wouldn t want a professional colleague, prospective boss or recruiter to see. 2. Update Profile, Privacy settings. Control what people may find out about you online but assume anything you post could be viewed. Facebook consistently adjusts the default settings to allow access to various parts of your profile. Monitor Facebook updates. Use Customize Settings and select the appropriate targets for each category*. Except for the bio and favorite quotation and website categories, restrict visitors to Friends Only. If you leave your bio and website open, anyone can access what you share about yourself. Consider contact information, such as an address. You never know when a recruiter may be using Facebook to identify candidates. Allowing your bio to be public will allow it to be searched by various applications that network for business, such as Jibe.com and SimplyHired.com s Facebook integration system. *Given constant changes, this may have changed since time of publication. 3. Include Work and Education information. Include keywords that can include job titles, specific skills, impressive software systems, any words that appear in job descriptions of interest to you include these just as you would in your resume and in your LinkedIn profile. To identify keywords, study job descriptions of interest and note words that describe what the employer wants; integrate into your Facebook profile.

8 4. Publish Status Updates for your professional network. Once your profile is appropriately secured, consider use status updates to position yourself as a subject matter expert. A smart career management tactic for use of LinkedIn, it serves on Facebook as well. Instead of posting your dinner menu and the score to your team s latest win, use your updates to appeal to friends who may be great networking contacts: Share links to articles in your field (and comment on them); Comment on news (related to your profession) and make a point to sound like an expert (avoiding controversy); Cite conferences, meetings of networking groups that interest you or that you are attending/leading; List relevant books you are reading; and Relay information learned in professional conversations. Others will notice and may take interest. 5.) Position yourself as open to opportunity. If you re in search, use your status update to highlight what you are learning about a specific topic, field or organization and interested in connecting with someone they might know. Be concise and don t complain about your job or the challenge of job search; don t use sarcasm or come across negatively. Bottom Line: Leverage Facebook for visibility and professional advantage. Be genuine, smart and at your best with friends, colleagues, recruiters and prospective employers.