Resumes and Cover Letters… …that get you noticed! Computer Science March 2012 Erica Anderton Marketing Yourself Conduct market research to understand buyers’ needs Buyers Compare products to identify what best meets their needs Sellers Understand strengths of product to promote it effectively Products CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Getting an Employer’s Attention How will your application stand out from the others? CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Resumes ‘Rights’ Short phrases in bullet point form Clear headings & categories Relevant, detailed information Addressed to the employer’s needs Descriptive language - active verbs CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Descriptive / Active Language I assisted with running an expo for school leavers Coordinated bookings and payments for 70 booths at a school leaver expo I was part of an organising committee for a careers event Liaised with employers to secure 5 guest speakers from different industries CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Resume ‘Wrongs’ Graphics and borders Irregular fonts and cluttered layouts Irrelevant personal details Too long or too short Generic resumes (non-targeted) Spelling mistakes Claims not backed up CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers SKILLS & COMPETENCIES UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS • Well developed interpersonal skills • Excellent team player • Organisational and time management skills • Ability to problem solve and show initiative • Self motivated and adaptable CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Example Skill Statements • Contributed ideas and took minutes in committee meetings • Prepared a mail merge letter for 100 employers requesting sponsorship for a fundraising dinner. Secured sponsorship of $1500 • Developed resources and session plan for Year 12 School Science tutoring • Competent user of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint - used throughout tertiary studies for class presentations, assignments and group project work CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Building Evidence of Skills Tasks Value Relevance What did I do? What did I achieve? What skills do I have? Organised a managed the budget careers forum liaised with employers for engineering when I was the to secure 3 guest 2011 UEC Vice- speakers President organised venue and catering Organisational Liaising/Interpersonal Decision making CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers CV - Sample Sections Personal Details Christine (+Family Name) 24 Baker Street, Shenton Park WA 6008 (08) 9437 8564 0407 225 991 [email protected] CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Education Tertiary 2009 - current University of Western Australia Bachelor of Computer Science Majoring in Web Technologies and Systems • Distinction level average • Awarded Woolston Scholarship for highest overall mark in first year Secondary (Only include if recent and with significant achievements) CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Employment Aug 2009 – Sep 2010 Western Software Services, Perth Support Officer Responsibilities: • Researched software and hardware products • Tested new software before installation • Installed software and hardware systems • Developed and wrote training protocols for new staff • Updated recording system with support issues CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Discipline Related Employment Aug 2009 – Sep 2010 Western Software Services, Perth Support Officer • Researched software and hardware products • Tested new software before installation • Installed software and hardware systems • Updated recording system with support issues Other Employment Mar 2010 – current Shenton Park IGA Supermarket Sales Assistant • Balanced the cash register at end of service • Trained new staff and organised part-time staff rosters • Resolved difficult customer queries • Provided timely and efficient service in short staffed pressure situations CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Computer Skills Programming - Java, UML, C++ (Advanced) Data base - Oracle 9i (Intermediate) Website Development – Dreamweaver, Flash (Advanced) MS Office – Word, Excel, Access (Advanced) Communication Skills Oral presentations of reports and university projects Successful Liaison with 10 business groups to secure event sponsorship of over $10,000.00 Languages Indonesian - fluent speech and written Japanese – conversational CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Professional Memberships APESMA – Student Member Australian Computer Society - Member Extra Curricula Activities 2010 Inspire Student Mentor - visiting rural and remote schools to speak to Year 12 students about university study and life CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Interests & Hobbies Employers like to see that you are a team player and that you have interests outside of Uni! CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Referees • • • • • • Full Name Position Organisation Contact telephone Mobile Email CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Cover Letter Essentials Opening statement Current position Evidence of suitability Tailor your LETTER for each application you submit Motivation Conclusion CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Opening Statements “I am writing to you as I am interested in a career in Software Engineering with your company” “I recently attended a Careers Talk given by Mr Smith your Software Manager and was particularly interested in……..” “My research of the Games Development sector has led me to approach your organisation with a view to being considered for Contract Project work.” CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Current Position “As a graduating student in Computer Science, I am interested in developing a career in the production field …” “Currently I am in my final year of a Bachelor of Computer Science Degree at the University of Western Australia, majoring in Software Management and Systems…” “My current work as …” CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Evidence of Your Suitability “Through my part time employment I have developed skills in ….. • Communicating with customers to identify needs and make suitable recommendations of purchases • Researching, implementing and analysing software test results • Ability and discipline to work alone or in a team • Report writing and business communications” CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Evidence of Your Suitability “As the UWA Student representative for the Young Computer Society Committee UWA, my responsibilities included: • arranging committee meetings and taking minutes • booking venues and organising catering • organising industry guest speakers” CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Motivation “ I would welcome the opportunity to work and acquire first-hand experience with a company at the leading edge of games development.” “ Working for Parker Solutions would be very appealing as I would love to contribute to the pioneering research and development you do regarding medical diagnostic equipment.” CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Conclusion “Please find enclosed a copy of my resume. I am available to discuss this application at your convenience.” “Thank you for your time and consideration.” CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Proofread & Review FEATURE FILMS ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Addressing Selection Criteria The position requires the ability to demonstrate a sound level of competency in the following areas: Achievement of Outcomes The proven ability to prioritise, monitor and co-ordinate personal (and team) workload(s), and problem solve with minimal supervision (or independently) to achieve results. Communication Skills Demonstrated communication skills (both written and verbal) and interpersonal skills including the ability to build and maintain positive relationships and resolve conflict with stakeholders (at all levels). Underline key words and think of where, when and how you’ve demonstrated them Research Skills The ability to collect, analyse and present information in order to solve problems. CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Common Selection Criteria • Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively • Good organisational and administrative skills • Proven ability to work as part of a team • Analytical, conceptual & problem solving skills • High level interpersonal skills CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Creating a Statement Factual statement I am an enthusiastic team worker. Whilst participating on joint projects at university within my Computer Science degree, I tended to initiate and encourage others to develop strategies and time-lines for completing projects. Within group tutorials I researched our topics before class and actively participated in group activities and discussions. My involvement at this level resulted in our team projects being well prepared, presented on-time, and achieving excellent grades. My lively participation in tutorial groups has been favourably acknowledged in feedback from the program co-ordinator. CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Writing up S T Situations or experiences where you have demonstrated your skills & qualities Tasks you have undertaken that may relate in some way to the tasks involved in the job you are applying for A Specific examples that reflect the way in which you Act or behave in certain situations R Results or outcomes of your actions that show their effectiveness and quality CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Example #1 Communication Skills – written and oral I possess well developed oral and written communication skills which I have utilised throughout my working career. At XYZ Corporation I was required to liaise regularly with people at all levels and prepare written documents. I enjoy writing and have received good feedback about my writing style. CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Example #2 Demonstrated ability to work well in a team During my past two professional positions I worked as a part of close, interdependent, multi-discipline teams. During this time I developed important skills in teamwork including: • the ability to help the team come to a workable decision and implement strategies to achieve decisions, demonstrated by my facilitation of a recent research planning day, resulting in a thorough, innovative team planning report • how to communicate openly and productively, specifically the ability to communicate opposing ideas in a respectful and thought-provoking manner • flexibility in undertaking tasks when other members had a heavier workload by volunteering to take on some of their data entry and administrative tasks so that the overall flow of work could be maintained CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Helpful Hints • Facts not beliefs • Don’t write a thesis! • Relevant, concrete examples • Link to the duties/tasks of the position • Don’t just list experiences • Focus on actions & outcomes • Proof read CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Useful Resources UWA CareerHub – look at the ‘Useful links’ and the ‘Career & Job Resources’ sections Application review service (4 working day turnaround) Resume, letter, selection criteria & application guides (Reid Library – details on our website) CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Beating the Competition Ensure your documents are: Well laid out Relevant to employer’s needs Expressed well Interesting to read Correct in spelling & grammar Individual & original CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers Career advice Resume reviews Job search workshops Career mentoring Graduate & vacation jobs Employer events Casual and part time jobs UWA CareerHub (jobs, web links, resources, events) www.careers.uwa.edu.au CAREERS CENTRE Real help. Real advice. Real careers
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