Top 5 Benefits of Creating a 'Master Resume'

A 'Master Resume' is a document that allows you to put every single career-related experience you can put on a resume onto a master document. The reason for doing this is to have everything you have ever done on a single document that includes a detailed explanation of the skills you developed during each experience; you are not limited by any page limit or word count and have the ability to put as many bullet points as possible for each experience. Creating a 'Master Resume' is a daunting task for anyone, but it is worthwhile and highly rewarding. Here are the top 5 benefits of creating a 'Master Resume'.

1. Allows you to quickly, and better tailor your resume for each job application

Job applications typically list a set of skills and experiences that they want their 'ideal' candidate to have. Sometimes it is easy to say that you have that skill, but actually listing everywhere where you have demonstrated that skills is crucial. With a 'Master Resume' you can have multiple bullet points for each position identifying different skills for each experience, so you can better identify your qualifications. It also allows for a much easier 'copy and paste' experience when tailoring your resume for each experience, as you can pick individual bullet points for each position to better address their qualifications.

2. Prepares you well for any job interview

Doing a full analysis of your skills and experiences prepares you well for almost any question, helps to answer the most dreaded and likely question of "tell me about yourself," and more importantly gives you confidence in your abilities. Instead of being caught off-guard when they ask you about your strengths and weaknesses, you can tackle that question knowing the full breadth of your skills and experiences.

3. A self-assessment in its own right

More of a soft benefit, a 'Master Resume' is a self-assessment in its own right. It puts everything in perspective in terms of what you have done, the skills and experiences you have gained, and your career pathway of start to present. It also better answers the question of 'what is your personal brand' as it allows you to begin to understand exactly what your personal brand is and how to further your brand. I'd encourage you to read our blog post about personal branding here and the importance of knowing yourself here.

4. Identifies gaps in skills and experiences

As much as it identifies skills, it also identifies gaps in skills and weaknesses - a perfect opportunity for you to fill those gaps! Knowing exactly what you have done will also tell you what you have not done, and you can then address those gaps and better yourself before that big job interview. 

5. It will help you create a better LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn in a lot of ways is like an online portfolio that identifies all of your relevant skills and experiences. Having a full in-depth knowledge of all your skills and experiences will help you create a better LinkedIn profile. You can have better SEO (search engine optimization) by identifying skills and experiences on your LinkedIn that you may not include on every resume you send out. Think of your 'Master Resume' as your LinkedIn profile template.

Anthony Mancuso

4th Year Honours Bachelor of Sport Management

Lead Career Assistant 

Volunteerism is more than Meets the Eye

As an employer, when hiring someone you need to know who they are as a holistic package because how much sense does it make to hire someone who knows nothing about you?  Volunteerism is a way to highlight the experience that you accomplish for the reason of that it’s what you’re passionate about. In my experience in my position as a Career Assistant, I have never heard of someone doing something out of the goodness of their heart that wasn’t passionate about their volunteerism area. Volunteerism is something that really does impact a person’s life from day to day. My personal purpose of volunteering and my career is because I aim to inspire and empower others to do great things and to me I want to make sure that I explain this in my resume through the volunteerism section. Let your employer know that you don’t care about the money only, rather that you do other things for the reason that you are just passionate.  Use the strategy of putting yourself in the employer’s shoes, would you really want to hire someone who has no volunteerism?

I (Anthony) actually received consideration for my seasonal employment because my employer was so intrigued by my volunteer section on my resume, as community involvement was a big area of focus for their organization. Thinking about it objectively, the best way to get something is to give something in return, and giving back to your community while also contributing to a cause you care about is a great way for employers in the community to give back to you... by offering you a position!
 

Some of the great benefits of volunteering

We offer a variety of resources for students looking to volunteer. Careerzone always has volunteer opportunities being posted for Brock students and Alumni to access, year round. There are both local and abroad opportunities being offered all the time. We also have a resource that offers a list of websites available to look at more volunteer opportunities. This resource can be found on careerzone on our online resource section, as well as in our resource centre. 



Brock also offers Volunteer Plus, a program designated to reward those who spend an ample amount of time volunteering during the year. Be sure to track all of your volunteer experience on Experience Plus to qualify! There are 3 levels:

Bronze: 30-40 hours
Silver: 41-75 hours
Golf: 76+ hours

All volunteer experiences can be recorded on your Experience Plus transcript! It may seem like a lot to volunteer for 76+ hours, but over the course of an entire year it is actually very minimal. Volunteer hours for Volunteer Plus are tracked from September 1st-August 31st, so you have all year including the summer to get involved!

Written by:
Tyler Harris
Career Assistant
3rd Year Psychology Major

Co-written and Facilitated by:
Anthony Mancuso
Senior Career Assistant
3rd Year Sport Management Major

Defining Interests - Work-Related or a Hobby?

Resume advice!

An interests section on a Resume, or your LinkedIn profile, can be a great way to help you stand out from the rest of the professionals in your field. Although some may believe that stuffing your resume with just work experience is the best way to go, employers do look for unique traits that help candidates to stand out. Whether those unique traits are Volunteer Experience, Professional Development workshops or training sessions, or Work-Related Interests and Hobbies, they can certainly give you that extra push that many candidates are otherwise lacking. Employers are always looking for personality, and asking themselves "what makes you special?" and having something to make you stand out, along with some relevant experience, can make you a prime candidate for a position.

There is a difference between a hobby and a work-related interest, and knowing the difference between the two can make or break the professional constitution of your resume or LinkedIn profile. The key factor to consider in this section is to think about what you are revealing about yourself. For example, writing "Varsity Basketball Player" in an interests and hobbies section does not tell the employer much, except for the fact that you might need significant time off, immediately putting you at a disadvantage to other candidates...It looks more like a hobby or a pastime. However, writing something more thorough and skill-revealing such as "Varsity Basketball Player, balancing a competitive mindset with proven teamwork skills" is much stronger as it identifies key skills that an employer may be looking for, making it a work-related interest. You can also put a date on these hobbies as well. Say if you have been playing Varsity Basketball for 4 years straight now, that indicates that you are dedicated and committed to your team and your role, and may indicate to the employer that you are less likely to quit if you are hired.


Say you are applying to be an Editor for your local newspaper. Stating in an Interests section that you are an avid reader and enjoy critiquing various forms of media (ex. Literature, film or music) lets the employer know that you truly enjoy activities related to what you are applying for, which will in-turn help you to enjoy and excel at your new role as an Editor. If you have a blog or a website where you post all of this information, directing the employer to that place will show evidence of your passion. Again, putting a timeline of how long you have been doing this can also be a benefit.

A hobbies and interests section can also be a great place to put other skills that are not required for the position, demonstrating diversity, something that many employers desire. For example, if you have computer-related skills such as HTML, C++, Java, etc., and do not have a Skills section on your resume, you can put them in the interests section.

To summarize, a Hobby and Work-Related Interests section on a resume can be a great tool if used correctly. Some important things to consider are:

- Always consider the significance of the interest/hobby. If it is not relevant and does not demonstrate anything to an employer, it may not be worth putting on your resume (e.g., Video Game enthusiast since 2001).
- Always consider what you are revealing about yourself in this section. Some hobbies and interests may give off the wrong impression and put you at a disadvantage.
- Do not be afraid to elaborate on these interests/hobbies! Let the employer know what skills you have developed/demonstrated in that interest or hobby, and if you have been doing it for a long time a date-to-date (2005-Present) may be useful!
- Interests and Hobbies demonstrate diversity. Diversity does not fully make up for a severe lack of related experience, but it will help differentiate you from the crowd!

Remember if you ever need any help on your resume, cover letter, CV, or anything career-related, feel free to drop by the Career Resource Centre between 9-4:30 Monday-Friday for FREE career advice!



Anthony Mancuso
Honours Bachelor of Sport Management - Year 3
Senior Career Assistant

Upcoming Career Events!

To mark the beginning of 2014-2015, Career Services has lots of opportunities for students to find employment and to get involved in volunteering around Niagara! Two major events that are coming up are the VolunteerFEST held at Brock University, and also the Shop For Jobs Fair held at the Pen Centre shopping mall.

Whether you want to make some extra money while at school or if you just want to volunteer for a little while, these events could help you find what you are searching for! Participating in experiences such as volunteering or employment not only add to your resume but also help you become a well rounded person that knows how to manage their time efficiently.

VolunteerFEST is an event for all students looking for opportunities to get involved in the community. This event is partnered with Student Life and Community Engagement at Brock, along with the Brock University Student Union. With a great number of companies and programs attending the event, you are bound to find something that interests you! VolunteerFEST will be held on Thursday September 11th from 10am-2pm in the Guernsey Marketplace. If you are looking to add some experience to your resume, come check it out!

Shop for Jobs Fair is an event held at the Pen Centre shopping mall for students looking for employment close to Brock University. Although it is not on campus, the Pen Centre is a short drive or bus ride from Brock. Stores all around the mall will set up tables on September 16th from 12pm-6pm for students to approach and drop their resumes off to. You should be prepared to have an interview right on the spot so make sure you dress interview-appropriate and have lots of resumes with you! Also, make sure you bring a reference list to hand to the employer after the interview.

How to use your Resource Centre

Throughout the summer, university and college students have time to involve themselves with experiences and research about their specific degrees and career goals. Many universities and colleges have a department to assist students with gaining this information. I strongly suggest any student to visit their Career Services department often to learn more about opportunities, events, and experiences you can be a part of. They hold lots of value for your future. At Career Services and the Career Resource Centre at Brock University we offer many services for students to use such as resume/cover letter reviews, portfolio reviews, mock interviews, and many print resources and online resources they can access. Here are a few reasons why you should visit your Career Services department:

• They are made up of people who know what you are going through and can help you start your career path and reach your goals
• Most services are free of charge (like resume reviews, cover letter reviews, and portfolio reviews)
• They have many resources, books, and magazines to read and take home so you can gain knowledge in your desired field
• They know where to find the best online resources for job searching and networking
• They can give you tips for personal branding and social networking, so you can use them as a job-seeker
• Lastly, they are friendly and want to see their students succeed after graduation!

For the next few weeks I will be discussing different career resources that we offer to students such as magazines, books, articles, and a variety of guides. Stay tuned for this information!

Welcome Summer!

I hope everyone is enjoying spring and summer so far! My name is Alysha, I will be working as a Career Assistant throughout the summer and will become a Senior Career Assistant this coming September. I am super excited to start blogging with the Brock community (and other career seekers as well!) and hopefully give everyone some helpful information!

There are some interesting topics coming up for the blog throughout the summer such as: Career Planning, New Grads Info, and Faculty Specific Information for those looking for careers in their field. With all that action happening on the blog, I would also like to remind you guys about our resource center at BrockU!

Summer Hours:

The Career Services resource center will be open throughout the summer months. We are open 9am - 4pm from Monday to Friday. There will be a 30 minute gap from 12:30pm-1pm where we will close for lunch. You can find us on the first floor of the library J.

Feel free to visit us at the resource center for any career assessment resources, information about job postings, a resume or cover letter review (no appointment necessary!), or any other questions you may have associated with your future career. I would love to be able to help students throughout the summer to build and develop their career goals.  Summer is a great time to catch up on updating your resume, your portfolio, and doing further research on the potential careers you may want to pursue!

Thanks for reading! I look forward to sharing many tips with you throughout the summer J.


Alysha Kooter
Career Assistant 
Concurrent Education: Visual Arts and English 

6 Ways to Make the Most of Your Summer Vacation

1. Work a Part-Time or Full-Time Job: 
This is the most obvious way to spend your time in the summer but its also beneficial for more reasons than getting you out of the house. Starting to build up your financial savings is a really important part of working as a student. It will also help ease the stress of rent payments and textbook purchases in the fall. And of course making some extra cash can always go towards something special for yourself - like a trip! Check out Career Zone for the latest job postings for Brock students!

2. Volunteer:
Volunteer work will spice up your resume and allow you to get some experience that might not be accessible as a part-time job. Volunteering can occur both locally and abroad, so don't feel like you need to stick around in St. Catharines to get some volunteer experience.You can track your volunteer hours to put towards your Volunteer Plus certificate!

3. Work on your Portfolio
You know all of those papers you have been hoarding in your desk for the past few years? Why not organize them into something useful! Career Services can get you started on developing your own Career Portfolio this summer. This is a great way to physically document your academic, volunteer, work, and extra-curricular activities that you have completed during you time at Brock. After you have created your Career Portfolio, consider bringing it to your next job interview!

4. Update your Resume
Take advantage of having no (or less) courses than normal and spend some time going through your old resume and make a brand spankin' new one! If you need some help getting started, stop by Career Services and we will be more than happy to give you some templates to work with. You can also bring in a printed copy of your resume for us to review. If you would like to start working on your resume at home then visit the resume development section of our website.

5. Take some Spring/Summer Courses
Enrolling in a few summer courses will alleviate some of the stress you will have during the following school year since you might be able to take less classes (double check this with your academic adviser!). You could also take a course in the summer that caters to an interest of yours that you couldn't normally pursue during the school year. To see the current spring/summer course listing check out the newly posted list here! 

6. Go Somewhere You Have Never Been Before 

This could be a new country or that new restaurant down the street that you've been meaning to try but never had time to. New experiences keep boredom at bay and allow you to develop new interests as well as likes and dislikes. They also make you a more interesting person to talk to! Allow time in the summer for personal growth and exploration!
 
We are still open during the exam period and would be more than happy to help you make the most out of your summer! Stop by Career Services if you have any questions or would like us to review your resume/cover letter/CVs! Best of luck on the rest of your exams/assignments! We're almost done!

Ashley Paolozzi, Lead Career Assistant
4th Year History of Art (Honours)

Tips for Finding a Summer Job

It's time for the scramble...everyone is worried about how they are going to make money over the summer break! Well, Career Services has a few tips and resources that you may find useful to give you an advantage in landing that great summer job!

Here are some great job search sites for on and off-campus jobs:

• CareerZone
• Brock Dining Services
• BUSU
• Brock Human Resources
• Faculty and Department websites

Here are some government job search websites:

• FSWEP
• Service Canada
• Experience Program (OPS-wide)
• Ontario Government Summer Student Hiring
• Summer Job programs
• City of St. Catharines
• City of Welland
• City of Niagara Falls
• City of Grimsby
• City of Hamilton

Summer Camps:

• All About Summer Camps
• Ontario Camps Association
• Our Kids go to Camp
• Online Summer Camp Directory

Additional Sites:

• Talent Egg
• Summer Jobs
• RAMP

You can also check out the Find a Job section of our website for more online job boards to help in your search. 

Tapping into the hidden job market is also an excellent strategy...you can use some of the business and community directories in our Occupational Research section to get the contact information and/or address of local businesses and organizations and then contact them even if they do not have not posted a job opening on a job board.

Final Tips:

• Start early - summer jobs are posted now!
• Have a plan - focus on what type of job you want and target your search
• Practice your interview skills and be confident in your ability to talk about your skills and achievements. Check out our blog post about interview preparation, or come into the Resource Centre for help!
• Update your resume and understand how to customize your resume and cover letter 
• Come see us for a free, drop-in review session!

Jami Coughler, Senior Career Assistant
4th Year Public Health [Honours]; BA: Sociology [Honours] '11

Review Services: How We Can Help You!

Happy February!

Today's blog post is a friendly reminder of the services we have available for the Brock University community for both undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni and university staff.

Reviews Include:

• Resumes
• Cover Letters
• Curriculum Vitaes
• Letter of Intents/Personal Statements
• Portfolios

We require that you bring a hard copy of your documents into our office. We are unable to provide evaluations on the computer - this includes on your personal laptop. Without a printed copy we will be unable to do the evaluation. No exceptions. It is also helpful if you bring in a copy of the job posting for the position you are applying to. If you are applying for graduate school and you want us to review your letter of intent/personal statement we require the information that the university is asking you to discuss in order to ensure you are receiving the best service possible.

If you are unable to travel to the main Brock campus we welcome emailed resume evaluations (career@brocku.ca). However, if you are able to come into the Resource Centre we recommend that you meet with us in person.

Career Services a drop in service so no appointment is required to meet with us. If you are currently in the process of developing a resume and you do not have a working copy we still encourage that you come and meet with us so that we can assist you with getting started.

Reviews take between 10-15 minutes and we require that you are present for the duration of the review. We are located in the Learning Commons in the library beside the Reception desk. Our hours are 9:00-4:30 from Monday to Friday. Hour changes will occur for both Reading Week and the summer and we will update you with these changes as soon as we are aware of them.

Ashley Paolozzi, Lead Career Assistant
4th Year History of Art (Honours) 

Personal vs Career Related Interests

“I’m really interested in playing the accordion, should I put that on my resume?”

When it comes to listing interests on your resume or CV it is always good to know the difference between personal interests and  academic or career related interests. For example, a personal interest could be playing the accordion. This is a unique personal Interest but it doesn’t bring a whole lot to the table in terms of transferable skills or knowledge. A career related interest would be something to do with your field or a specific research interest. I will use myself as an example! I am in Tourism and Environment and my specific career related interests are sustainable waste management solutions, and implementing eco strategies at smaller tourism destinations. This allows prospective employers or  schools to see where my focus is, and learn a little bit more about my academic personality.  When you are writing your resume, some personal interests may not be pertinent to include.  Employers don’t need to know everything you do in your down time, but if you feel that an interest really speaks volumes about who you are and what you have to offer then by all means include it. Academic or research interests are always valuable if they are specific and descriptive. If you have any questions about what to include in your resume or CV come in to the career services center for a free review! Please be sure to have a printed copy of your document for us to use J

Career-Zone! What is it good for? Absolutely everything!

Career-zone is your one stop shop for career related resources, events, job postings and more.

The job posting board on career-zone can be configured to show all job/internships/volunteer positions or only on campus positions. Local companies and businesses within brock both paid and volunteer are posted in one convenient location.  Upload your resume and cover letter directly to career-zone to create an application package and apply for jobs right on the website. BAM! Want to see a sample resume from someone in your program? We have those on career zone too!

 The events tab is the place to find out what career related events are happening and when. Events are shown in a calendar format which makes it easy to see what’s happening every day. See something you like? Click on the event for more information or to register.

The resources section of career-zone connects you to special services that are only available to brock students. Websites such as www.careercruising.com, www.typefocus.com, and www.goingglobal.com, are offered to Brock students FREE of charge. Through them you will find valuable career assessments which can be a valuable tool and a great first step in your career planning process.  Come in to see a career assistant to learn more about this awesome resource!

Need help writing a resume or cover letter? The workshops tab is a great place to start. Our helpful workshops cover resume writing, cover letter writing, interviewing basics, and portfolio development. Once you have the basics down come on in to the career services center with a hard copy of your document and have a career assistant review your documents for free.

 

This is only a few of the great resources you can find on career-zone. Be sure to take a few minutes and explore how career zone can work for you. Need help? The career services team is always here for you just drop by between 9-4:30 Monday to Friday.

Faculty of Social Sciences

Hello to all the Social Science people out there! Might I say it is a great faculty to be apart of. If you are wondering what you can do with your Social Science degree, Career Services can help!

For starters, Career Services has a Degree Exploration Guide for every Social Science program. These are great resources that can show you various jobs you could do with your degree, and job search resources. Specifically, the information on DEGs include: Career Options, Degree Specific Skills, Business and Employer Directories, Professional Associations, Internships and Volunteering, Further Education and Entrance Exams, and Career and Job Search Resources.

Once you have chosen some jobs that are of interest to you, make sure you research them so you know what to expect working in that field. A great place to start is on Career Cruising, which can be accesed by logging into Career Zone with your student log in. You can also research job outlook, wage expectancies, and much more on the Working in Canada Government Website.

If you prefer comming into the Resource Centre and sitting down with a great book, Career Services has many books that are degree/job specific. Some Titles include:

 

 

Once you have figured out what career you are ready to commit to--yes you have to do this eventually--check out Career Services' many recommended job boards which can be found on our Career Services website.

Your next step is resume writing. Check out Career Zone's Social Science resume samples. These will help get you started with all your resume writing needs.

You are almost there! Your final step to getting the job of your dreams is to nail that interview. Career Zone also has online interview prep workshops you can complete. Or, come into the Resource Centre to take a look at our print resources. If you are looking for a real interview feel, you can always book a mock interview with our Resource Coordinator and Faculty Liaison. This is a great way to receive feedback on what you can improve on and what you did well.

Now, the rest is up to you. Good Luck Social Science Majors!

Nella Paris
Senior Career Assistant
Psychology Major (Honours)

Career Planning - Taking Action!

Your next step in the career planning process is to do something about it! This step involves actively seeking employment in a position or company that you would like to work in. The following are some key steps to landing meaningful employment:

1.      Know Yourself – You should have already completed this step during the other stages of career planning, but if you haven’t, do it NOW. This step allows you to become familiar with your strengths and assets which you will then highlight in a cover letter, resume, and in your interviews!

2.      Prepare Your Resume – Your resume is something you should be proud of and not something to be thrown together at the last minute. Your experiences should reflect your accomplishments and skills that you think would make you the most desirable candidate for the position you are applying to. Career Services offers an online workshop – The Basics of Resume Writing  – through CareerZONE ("Workshops" tab), as well as free drop-in resume reviews in our Resource Centre during our hours of operation. We offer one-on-one assistance and advice about how to improve your resume and how to best highlight your achievements. We also have resume templates in our Resource Centre that can help you in formatting your resume to ensure it is professional and up to par with employer expectations. 

3.      Tailor Your Cover Letter – Yes…your cover letter needs to be tailored to each and every job you apply for…ALWAYS! Writing specific cover letters for each job may seem like hard work, and it may very well be, BUT Career Services has tons of resources that can help you! Our Basics of Cover Letter Writing workshop, also on CareerZONE, and our drop-in cover letter review services, can assist you in highlighting how exactly you meet the employer’s expectations, as well as how you would fit in with the company, in a tailored cover letter. By using the job posting and company website you can get a lot of crucial information that will make this process much easier. Our cover letter templates and sample can help you with format and content, after that it’s just a matter of “responding” to the job posting by specifying how you meet the employer’s criteria with concrete examples from your experiences!

4.      Be Professional – Make sure you always act professional when meeting with potential employers - they want to know that you would take the job seriously and would represent the company well. Stop by the Resource Centre to learn more about appropriate attire and how to act during interviews and career events! In addition, remember that in these high-tech times, employers are now turning to social media to help them get to know candidates and employees – Hint: be professional even on your Facebook because you never know who might stop by to check out what you are really like! In addition, do a quick Google search of yourself to see what comes up because employers will be doing this as well!

Relax, be yourself, be professional, and don’t get discouraged if you don’t land your dream job after your first application! Job hunting can take time and you may have to work your way up to your ideal career, but following these steps will ensure you start with your best foot forward. Happy job hunting! :) 

 

Jami Coughler, Senior Career Assistant
4^th Year Public Health (Honours)

Services for First Year Students

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Brock University open house on Sunday!

For all of you future first year Badgers here is a list of the services available through Career Services that may be of interest to you during your first year at Brock!

• Resume and cover letter reviews and templates
• Information regarding on-campus and off-campus job postings and volunteer opportunities
• Degree Exploration Guides for each program with information on potential career options available after you have completed your degree
• Assistance with interview preparation
• Information on joining the Mentorship Plus and Med Plus programs
• Online career Assessment tools 
• And much much more!

Career Services is a drop in service located in the Learning Commons in the library. We are open from 9:00-4:30 from Monday to Friday during the Fall/Winter school term. If you would like to come and visit us this summer before you begin your first year we are open Monday to Friday from 9:00-4:00.

We hope to see you soon!

- Ashley, Sr. Career Assistant

Creating a Standout Resume

After explaining to students that there will be huge competition for jobs, especially if the posting is online, we are often asked “Well then how do I make myself stand out?”

This is a completely valid question. The answer? Well, unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer. Primarily, I would suggest calling the organization that you are applying to just to ask a couple questions. Doing this will allow the company to know your name which may subconsciously (sneaky, I know!) have them review your document more closely. I would also encourage you to network, network, network (it's super important). It is so much easier for employers to hire if they know you first. In fact, if you network enough, and an employer likes you, they may offer to chat with you about the position, foregoing the whole application process in the first place. You are making it so easy for them, if you do that right!

But... if you have decided  to apply to online postings, which, don't get me wrong,  is something you should totally be doing as well just to cover your basis, then I can offer you a couple of suggestions about what to include in your resume to make it stand out. Additonally, I can tell you things employers look for specifically and things that they hate to see.

Love:

1. Personalization- the more tailored you can make your resume (and cover letter for that matter) the better. It will show that you took the time to research the company which shows them that you are motivated and seriously interested in the position.

2. Achievement Statements- this format really makes it easy for them to see how you can impact their company by showing them obviously what you achieved in your past experiences. The achievement statement consists of three steps. They are:

1. Action verb: Presented in past tense
2. Steps or actions taken: These are the steps/actions you took to achieve something
3. End result: This is the impact/results of your action(s)

3. Relevant Experience and Skills - the most important thing you can show on your resume are the experiences and skills (technical/language) that you have which the employer is looking for. This will be different for each profession so do your homework and know what is necessary for the positions you apply to.

4. An easy to read layout - come on in to the resource centre located just inside the Library Learning Commons and we can show you what this looks like.
 

Hate:

1. Bad Grammar and Spelling Mistakes- this may seem like and obvious one, but it happens more times than you think. This goes for e-mail correspondences as well. Proofread!

2. To whom it may concern!  -This is a cover letter bugger, but this salutation is a huge no no. Try and find the name of the person doing the hiring or address the letter to the hiring comittee or human resources manager.

3. Too little or too much information- You want to try to avoid only stating your duties or overstating your accomplishments with paragraphs. Strike a good balance with the use of clear and succinct bulleted achievement statements.

 

These are some basic tips I can provide you with. Remember to do your homework on each of the employers and positions so that you can really be as specific as possible.

I hope that these tips can assist you in writing an awesome resume which employers will love to read. Whether you are applying online, in person, or giving in a resume at the interview (benefit of networking) employers will be able to see that your resume hits all the right things.

For a more extensive look into your resume come by the centre and we can help answer your questions.

Cheers,

Rosemary Tamburini,

Senior Career Assitant