cse - ise 300 writing for the job search marianna savoca career center
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CSE - ISE 300Writing for the Job Search
Marianna Savoca
Career Centerwww.stonybrook.edu/career
Presenting Yourself Professionally• Persuasive• Concise• Action-oriented• Targeted• Flawless
Resume• NOT a LENGTHY DESCRIPTION of all
your responsibilities• It is PERSUASIVE – selling your
qualifications • Critical elements:
– Educational background– Related skills & experience
(projects) – Quantifiable accomplishments
Good resume vs. great resume
• College experiences
• Description of responsibilities
• Education / courses
• Technical skills• Class projects• Work experience• Community
service• Clubs / activities• Leadership roles
• A FOCUSED summary that outlines your qualifications for a targeted position.
• A description of your ACCOMPLISHMENTS as they relate to your objective.
• Use the STAR model – Situation / Task– Action– Result
How To Begin• THINK FIRST – “What have I
done?”• WRITE NEXT – write it all down• THINK MORE about what you’ve
done1. What have I accomplished?
2. What problems have I solved?
3. What difference did I make?
4. What measurable impact did I have?
Developing Your Draft• Use S.T.A.R. & ACTION VERBS• SITUATION /TASK: I noticed that
children’s videos were displayed on the 3rd shelf – too high for kids to see.
• ACTION: I recommended to my manager that we move those videos to a lower shelf.
• RESULT: Weekly sales of children’s videos increased by 25%
Good ExamplesWork Experience: • Sales Associate, Blockbuster Video, Port Jefferson,
NY- Increased weekly income from children’s rental videos by
25%.- Named “Associate of the Month” September 2007
Community Service: • AmeriCorps Volunteer, Tutoring Center, Brentwood,
NY- Tutored five children, ages 8-10, in reading twice weekly. - All five children increased reading level by one grade.
• What are your STARs?
More Good ExamplesSkills:• Perl/CGI, PHP, Ruby, JavaScript• AJAX, CSS, XHTML, XML, JSP• Java, C++, C, C#• Photoshop, Eclipse, Dreamweaver, MS Office
Projects: CSE 305: Principles of Database Design• Received a “A” in the course.• Designed relational database to support
online stock trading system using MySQL, JSP, and Java Servlet.
MUST HAVE• Your contact information! • Objective or summary• Education – reverse order (SBU first)• Technical Skills• Related Experience (work, internships)• Related Projects• Leadership / Activities / Volunteer
Is this a good example? OBJECTIVE: • A position with vertical growth that will allow me to
use my skills and attain financial success. EDUCATION:• Bronx High School of Science, Diploma 2006• Stonybrook University, NY 11794 – CSEACCOMPLISHMENTS:• Took part in numerous team projects.• Served as a CHOICE Peer Educator.
How about this?COLLEGE ACTIVITIES• President, Alpha Alpha Alpha 2007-2008• Program Coordinator, 2008--2009• Opening Week Chair, 2007• Student Activities Board, 2006-2008• NSBE, 2007 – present
Cover Letters…Are:• Proof of your
writing ability• Specific – to the
employer and to the position
• Concise & focused• Addressed to a
person• Your opportunity
to describe why you’re a fit for the job
Are NOT:• Always
necessary (eg. OCR does not require)
• A template to use for every employer
• A wish list of things you want in a job
• A repeat of what appears on your resume
Use Your Career Center• IT/ Engineering Drop In Hours: Monday 10:00am – 12:00pm• Resume review Drop Ins: M, T, R, F 1:00pm – 4:00pm (NOT Wed)
• Job & Internship Fair – FRIDAY OCT 8th 2010• Post your resume on ZebraNet and apply, apply! • Use other Career Center services for your job search or
graduate school application process.• http://www.stonybrook.edu/career