Molly’s Resume How-to: The Preparation Period

Recently, I realized that I was relying entirely on the internet for information and guidance on writing my resume and cover letter.  Every single question or stall in the process, there I was googling an answer.  The problem?  Every single person has a different opinion on how to create a resume and they always include a hearty amount of “Do’s” and “Dont’s”.  I am certain that I have read ALL of these blog posts, opinion columns and “Ask the Recruiter” websites.  Also, I rounded out my readings with more than a few visits to my University’s Student Career office and the local Rapid Resume Review sessions.  Finally, I have decided that with the creation of my 50th resume this year (a milestone, obviously) I have now reached Resume How-to Pro Status.  What follows is my own method, in detail, for writing a resume.

Preparation

Every job posting will typically list the Job Description, Responsibilities, Requirements/Qualifications and a small miscellaneous information section, that might include Salary, Working conditions or Benefits.  First off, find a job that you like where you meet the majority of the qualifications and I will show you how to satisfy the rest

The Qualifications will list a number of things.

1. Personal Qualities/Strengths:

– The company expects you to have these qualities and strengths because they are important for the position and they fit the company’s culture.

– If you believe you have a quality listed, then think of an experience or situation in which you developed or demonstrated this quality and then write it down.

2. Educational Background:

– Degrees, diplomas, seminars, colloquiums, certifications, courses, lectures, online course and self/independent study.

– If they ask for a specific educative background (that you do not have) and it is not followed with “or a related field” or “or an equivalent combination of education and experience”, then you may need to reconsider if you are qualified enough for the position.

– I do not like to follow the “fake it till you make it” mantra so if there is a job that you are extremely passionate about and you do not want to give up on it but you are not exactly qualified for it, then find out what would make you qualified.  If you have the time before the deadline, then read up on the topics and learn what you can, this is known as “Self/Independent Study”.  I would not suggest listing it on your resume but feel free to casually mention it in your overview or cover letter.

– It is also possible to search for seminars, colloquiums, lectures or even webcasts that will provide information pertinent to the job you are applying.  You could list these items under Professional Development and describe how the information you attained can be applied to the desired position.

– If there is a lot of time before you must apply, investigate the online courses available.  There are a lot of free certification courses that you can take online with Ivy League schools and you can find these courses at www.edx.org or you can google search, “Open Courseware” or “Open Learning Initiative” for specific schools that you are interested in.  These courses can be a great way to get some extra education without having to fork out the money and the bonus is that you will get a certificate with your name on it as well as the name of a fancy school.

3. Experience:

– Your experiences cannot be faked but you have probably been confronted with situations that you may have previously deemed insignificant while they are actually quite applicable to this position.  Thus, after reading through the experiences necessary, dig deep for specific experiences.  If it requires experience over a specific length of time, remember that it does not have to be a single, continuous experience.  It can be accumulated experience over three, six or 12 months or even longer.

– Keep in mind that the length of your experience can show stability and focus.  Listing a number of one month commitments can indicate an inability to stick with one task unless you can explain or prove that the project was only short term.

When you have found a job, look at the Qualifications section and categorize it into three sections: Experience (X), Personal Qualities/Strengths (P) and Education (ED).  I have done this below with a Program Assistant, Development position I found on the Canadian Red Cross website.  As you can see I have delegated the information into one of the three sections.

I am not particularly qualified for this position as my education was heavily math and physics based.  However, if I really wanted to apply to it, this is how I would use my experiences, education and general knowledge so that I satisfy all of the qualifications.

Education:

• Coursework in Political Sciences and International Relations: completed courses in Canadian Economy and Politics, Global Relations, Canadian Crime and Punishment and the Justice System.
• Professional Development: Project Development Workshop, member of my University Social Justice group.
• Skilled in numerous computer systems and associated software.
  • Windows: Microsoft Office Suite; prepared and evaluated scientific information using excel, prepared reports with Word and produced presentations using Power Point.
  • Mac: Experienced with all iWorks software programs.
  • Ability to create dynamic presentations with Prezi
• Fluent in both oral and written English communication.  Ability to read, speak and write at an intermediate level in Spanish; four semesters of University Spanish.  Able to speak conversational French.

Experience

• Completed a three month project to develop a Swimming Program for children with unidentified development disorders.
• Two years maintaining and improving procedures in an aquatic facility in order to effectively manage aquatic program information
• One year as a Farmers’ Market Coordinator, developing and maintaining a budget and keeping Market projects organized and on task.
• Canadian Citizen since birth

Personal Qualities/Strengths

• Ability to manage a fast-paced, dynamic aquatic environment as a Shift Supervisor.
• Capable of learning on the job and producing quality work with timely results.
• Strong interest in socio-cultural and economic sustainability demonstrated by my commitments to the University’s Student Sustainability Service and Office of Sustainability.

I suggest that you write it down as I have shown above, this will help to keep your resume focused.  You NEED to show that you meet the qualifications or else the recruiter or recruiting program will not give your resume the attention it deserves.

This is definitely the first step to creating a rocking resume.  I know from experience that after the 20th resume, this will get to be very easy and almost second nature.  I am not saying that my way is the best but I have had A LOT of interviews for positions that most would think I am under-qualified.

Stay Limitless,

Molly