Resume Preparation and Interviewing Skills

Andrea Hough, VP Talent Acquisition

Demystifying the Process

• Applicant Tracking System (ATS)• Key word search – Often people are not looking

at your resume• Volume of resumes – 440,000 received by

ServiceMaster companies in 2013• Quality of candidates – Overqualified candidates• Lack of communication – Don’t take it personally

Your Resume

• Is the first meeting between you and the recruiter/employer

• Opts you in or out of the recruitment process

• Is your personal calling card for a potential new role

General Resume Principles

• Educates employer on desires, skills and abilities

• Create a custom resume for every position applied for, file by company in a three ring binder. Carry with you at all times.

• Don’t misrepresent or over exaggerate your background; Be able to support everything contained within your resume

• Focus on strengths, accomplishments, and anycost saving efforts to the company

• Cover letters are often not read. Only submit if requested.

Summary of your work background and/or job interest; Can also emphasize skills that you possess that aren’t obvious from your past work experiences

Sets the tone and helps confirm where you are and where you want to be

Can either be a short statement or bulleted list of your qualifications

Relate your existing skills to the job you are seeking

Objective/Summary of Qualifications

• Avoid over-generalized statements

• Avoid statements that focus on what the company can do for you only

• Make the statement as specific as possible

“A position allowing me to utilize my previous skills and experience in a different environment.”

“A position where I can gain experience working on computer issues.”

“A position which allows me to apply my six year background in customer service to a high volume customer base with complex issues.”

Objective/Summary of Qualifications

• Listed at the end of your resume if you have been in the workforce for more than five years

List highest level of education first High school can be omitted if you have

other levels of education Include: Degree, Major & Date of

Graduation Can include GPA for Master Level Degrees

(at least 3.5 & higher) Include pending graduation dates/

education without degrees obtained

Education

Work Experience

• Company Name, Company Summary, Job Title, Location, Dates of Employment

• DO NOT write out the following on your resume: [Responsibilities include or Duties include]

Use Action words to describe your duties

Focus on Accomplishments & Achievements in each role

Work Experience

• Examples Supervised a group of 8 Call Center Representatives for multiple

company brands with a call volume of...

Receives over 100 calls from customers with a variety of issues and complaints regarding service and contract agreement provisions; Resolves and updates database within a 24 hour reporting period

Recognized as the Employee of the Month three times in a six month timeframe (accomplishment)

Use crisp action verbs, adjectives, and nouns to describe your past positions

AnalyzedInfluencedManaged

NegotiatedSuccess

ResponsiveConsolidatedCustomized

FacilitatedLaunchedRevampedRemedied

SpearheadedOrganizedBroadened

Implemented

Adding Some Buzz Word “Flavor”

• Traditional Interviewing: Traditional hypothetical questions elicit rehearsed answers Traditional interview questions do not allow the interviewer to assess actual

abilities Inconsistent and lacks compliance

• Behavior-Based Interviewing: Past behavior is indicative of future performance Involves real talents, skills, and knowledge of the candidates Questions focus on the actual past behaviors of the

candidate Candidates give specific examples of past

performance Assures all candidates are asked the same

questions

Why Behavioral Interviewing?

Examples of Behavioral-Based Models

The CAR model of interview preparation provides you with a systematic way to practice and become familiar with behavioral-based interviewing

C – Circumstance

A – Actions

R – Results

C – Circumstance The letter C in the CAR acronym refers to circumstance. Describe a situation so that the employer can place

himself/herself in your shoes and understand the importance of the event you are relating. For example: “As advertising manager for The Campus Digest, Tuskegee’s student newspaper, I was

confronted with the fact that advertising revenue was significantly decreasing – many advertisers were not renewing contracts.”

A – Actions The letter A in the CAR acronym refers to actions. After setting the stage by describing the circumstance, tell

the interviewer the specific actions you took to resolve the problem. For example: “I designed a promotional packet and compared the benefits of advertising in The

Campus Digest with other advertising media in the area. I also set up a special training session for the account executives to discuss competitive selling strategies.”

R – Results The letter R in the CAR acronym refers to results. PLEASE understand that your interview goal is to

demonstrate a results-oriented background. Connect your accomplishments to the position you are seeking. Even if the results didn’t turn out as you planned, tell the interviewer what you learned from the experience and what you would do differently next time.

For example: “As a result of my efforts in designing a promotional packet and sales staff training, we signed contracts with twenty former advertisers for daily ads and five for special supplements. We increased new advertisers by twenty percent.”

Examples of Behavioral-Based Models

• Make a list of your greatest accomplishments – Start this list today

• Align your accomplishments by skills and competencies• Analyze the type of positions for which you’re applying. Leverage

the actual job description. What skills are required by employers?• Know your resume. A resume is often the basis for

many questions.• Wherever possible, quantify your results. Numbers

illustrate your level of authority and responsibility.

How Can I Prepare for a Behavioral Interview?

• Be prepared to provide examples of when results didn’t turn out as you planned. What did you do then?

• Before starting the interview process, identify 2 to 3 of your top selling points and determine how you will convey these points (with demonstrated CAR, PAR, STAR stories) during the interview.

• Once employed, keep a personal achievement diary to help document demonstrated performance (CAR, PAR, STAR stories).

How Can I Prepare for a Behavioral Interview?

• Relationships & Networks

• “Please give me your best example of working cooperatively as a team member to accomplish an important goal.”

• “Please describe a time when you built a professional relationship outside of your own team. How did you gain that person’s trust?”

• “Please describe a time when you faced your most difficult challenge in working with someone else.”

• “Please describe a time when you used effective listening skills and probed a customer or colleague to understand their real needs.”

Behavioral Interview Questions

• Courage & Candor

• “Please describe a time when you disagreed with a decision.”

• Agility

• “Please tell me about a time when you were forced to change your day-to-day activities in light of an organization change or unexpected event at work.”

Behavioral Interview Questions

• Initiative & Foresight

• “Please describe a time when you took the initiative to do something without being asked.”

• “Please tell me about a time when you recognized a personal development need.”

• Results Orientation

• “Tell me about a time when you missed a business or project deadline.”

Behavioral Interview Questions

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Questions?

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