comm 202 t31 & t32 - resumes & cover letters
TRANSCRIPT
NAME CARDS OUT*If you do not have one, make one
COMM 202 T31 & T32Resumes & Cover Letters & Branding
Sarah Brennan
Agenda 1. Personal Branding
2. Resume Magic
3. Cover Letter Hook
4. Next Week
Course Outline
1Personal Branding
What is your brand?
What is your brand?
What is your brand?
If you had 30 seconds to describe yourself - personality, interests, skills - what would you say?
Write down 4-5 words that describe yourself best.
Permeate your brand throughout all your documents.
Your personal brand can change!
2Resume & Cover Letter
The Application
Process COVER EMAILIntroduce yourself
OR Follow Up
RESUME & COVER LETTERApplying
INTERVIEWGetting
FaceTime
MAKE IT RAIN
Secure the job
CANWANT
FIT
The Difference
Resumes
YOUCover Letter
EMPLOYER
Do you want the job? Are you passionate about this job, the company, the industry?
Would you get along with the people at this company? Does their culture align with your values and personality?
Can you do the job? Do you have the relevant skills and experience they're looking for?
CAN
WANT
FIT
First up… Resumes
Profile / Key Competencies
Education
Work / Volunteer Experience
PersonalForm
atting
Branding
Formatting
First Impression
Pick a colour scheme (if you don’t want black-and-white, which is also fine) and use white space wisely. Be concise with your resume page count.
Third Person
Always speak in third person and maintain a professional tone. No slang or personal pronouns (he/she, we/I).
Proofread
No grammar mistakes, typos, spelling errors - proofread then proofread again.
Be Consistent
Font size, font style, spacing, bullet points, alignment, punctuation, date & abbreviation format, hyphens vs dashes.
Header• Name (preferred name with
given name in brackets)
• Phone
• Address
• LinkedIn URL
• Social media handles(optional)
What You’ll Need in Your Header
ProfileWhat to Include• Your strengths
• Past experiences
• Interests
• Languages
• Technical skills
• * Required for the course but not all industries need a profile.
Key Questions• Does it match the job posting
(multiple references)?
• Does it provide a clear, convincing link to the rest of the resume aka is there proof?
What It Is• Summary of what to expect
in your resume in max 4 lines
Profile
EducationWhat It Is
• Summary of your schooling journey
What to Include• Degree (write it out fully) and
specialization
• GPA if necessary, indicate school scale
• Relevant courses (not a laundry list)
• Awards, scholarships (eg. Honour Roll)
• Exchange semester
• Expected date of completion
• Don’t include high school stuff unless you’re still in first year!
Key Questions• Does it match the
job description?
• Is there any ambiguity with the info provided?
Education
Work & Volunteer
Experience
What to Include• Accomplishment
statements as bullet points
• Brief descriptions of organization if necessary
• Reverse chronological order by end date
• Limit to one sentence (ideal length: two lines) and get rid of filler words
Key Questions• Are they achievement based?
• Do numbers quantify achievements when appropriate?
• Does language indicate familiarity with industry or company? Does it match the job description?
What It Is
• Collection of relevant experiences - the real meat
Accomplish (ment)
statements
SITUATION
TASK
ACTION
RESULT
LINK
Accomplish (ment)
statements
Flip the STARL stories for the RATS statement!
SITUATION
TASK
ACTION
RESULT
LINKSITUATION
TASK
ACTION
RESULT
Accomplish (ment)
statements
Decreased SavedMinimizedReduced
GeneratedEnhancedOptimizedEstablished
Words are powerful - choose wisely!
Quantitative vs qualitative resultsQUANT: How much? How many? Numbers and percentages
QUAL: Be descriptive - positive feedback, recognition, awards, promotion
Increased Attained Exceeded Surpassed
RESULT
Accomplish (ment)
Statements
RESULT
Are you using relevant skills?
Do your actions clearly demonstrate those relevant skills?
Do your results match up with your actions?
ACTION
Accomplish (ment)
Statements
RESULTACTION
Paint the context (who, where, how long).
Describe the challenge.
Be clear and concise with the level of detail.
TASK
Accomplish (ment)
StatementsResponsible for contacting corporate clients and organizing a tournament.
Duty-Based Statement Accomplishment StatementvsAchieved 85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience
Accomplish (ment)
Statements Achieved 85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience.
SITUATION
TASK
ACTION
RESULT
Accomplish (ment)
Statements Achieved 85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience.
SITUATION
TASK
ACTION
RESULT
Accomplish (ment)
Statements Achieved 85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience.
SITUATION
TASK
ACTION
RESULT
InterestsWhat It Is• A chance to showcase your
personality & stand out
What to Include• Side interests & hobbies
• Cool personal experiences
• Be fun, specific and stay appropriate
Key Questions• How do you want to be
remembered?
• Are you catering to your audience?
• Can you talk about each interest at length?
Interests
Branding Does this reflect your personal brand?
If the employer were to describe you based on your resume or cover letter, would they perceive you the way you want to be perceived?
Does this align with your employer’s brand?
Investment banks will look for different personal brands from advertising agencies. Are you tailoring the best and most applicable parts of yourself to the company?
3Cover Letter Hook
Opening
Skill Matrix
Closing
Formatting
Branding
Integration
The HookA Killer Opening• Includes a “hook”
• Genuine, personal, memorable
• Tailored to the employer
• Name drop where applicable
• Clear expression of the relevant skills/experiences
This is where you get to demonstrate WANT & FIT!
A Bad Opening• Can be applied to any
job, company or industry
• “Dear ____, I am applyingfor ____.”
The Hook
Action Items1. Bring 2 copies of Resume & Cover Letter Next Tutorial 2. Next Week Tutorial Location T31 — HA 334 T32 — HA 350 3. Register for TurnItIn T31 — 14613237 T32 — 14613315 Password: comm202crew
Action Items1. Bring 2 copies of Resume & Cover Letter Next Tutorial 2. Next Week Tutorial Location T31 — HA 334 T32 — HA 350 3. Register for TurnItIn T31 — 14613237 T32 — 14613315 Password: comm202crew
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