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Landing the interview: How to get to the top of the rsum piie
By Kyle Potvin
Recendy, I worked with a client to fill two open positions. One job tliat we posted on Craig?list yielded more than 1 (X) resumes in thefirsthour alone. With so many talented people searchingforwork, it is more important than ever to focus on the basics as well as to infijse your application with memorable details. Yourfirstgoal is to land on the top of their stack of resumes and make it to the interview phase. Many job seekers lose their competitive edge by not paying attention to easy details. Here are some tips to help your rsum stand out from the rest: Follow directions. Read the job description carefully. If it asks for references, send them. If it says to submit writing samples, do so. Use the job description as a checklist before sending out your rsum. If, for some reason, you can't address one ofthe requests, explain why in your cover letter. Provide a cover letter. Due to the sheer volume of submissions, most rsum readers only spend seconds reading your documents before making a judgment. A well-written and thouglitful cover letter provides a more personalized pitch than a rsuni alone and increases your odds of progressing to the next round. Highlight specific points ftom your experience that illustrate why you are the best candidate. Keep your letter professional but don't be afi^d to add personality. Show passion. In my recent search for candidates, I was shocked by how many people never mentioned the hiring organization in their cover letter. Job seekers were so concerned with selling themselves that they forgot the cocktail party rule: Don't just talk about yourself.This may be your only chance to make a connection. Research the potential employer and create a sharp pitch that shows you actually gavt thought to this position venus others. For instance, if you arc ^sS^sit applying to a nonprofit, discuss why this m y . SL-)I.I n\i.-(.-is ,il KUH iiiUTfstiug li.ipcause resonates with you and how you can penin^ in the food world or post stories help fulfill its mission. Yes, this niay be time that show you have an understanding of consuming, but just like media relations, key issues. A word of cautionrThis is not one targeted, strategic pitch can create the place to lament how desperately you better results than an unfocused approach. need a job or scrutinize your recent breakup. Blog and use Twitter. Social media is the new callirig card. Active involveJump off the page. To tRily stand nienli shows you are up-to-date with techout,be distinctive and have some ilin.Years ago, I pasted a paper fortune cookie "fornology while providing employers with a tune" onto my cover letter that was releglimpse of how you think. Use tools like vant to the job I was applying fbr.The bloj;^ andTwitter strategically. If you are company asked me to interview quickly looking for a job in the food industry, for after and I landed the job. Another instance, blog about restaurants in your example is a recent candidate who showed local area or focus on a specific arca you her culinary expertise by baking cookies are pa&sionate about, such as pastry makfixim the Iiiring oi^anization s cookbook and hand-delivered them to an impressed office staff. You don't need to be outrageous to stand out just bold. Tap relationships. In any sales endeavor, a trusted rcferral can push you ahead ofthe competition. It is no differcnt herc. Once you have identified a company or organization that you want to work with, think about who you know that could provide an introduction. Ask around. Check out Linkedin. Add a status update to your Facebook page. Send a tweet to your followers. More than ever, you have access to many networks use them. When a job posting resonates with you so much that you think,"This is the perfect job for me," then you should go for it. Sometimes the best way to evaluate a job opportunity is to go with your gut feeling.Then, focus on the basics and demonstrate passion and creativity to jump off of the page and into the interview. O

Kyle Potvin iV j mnpal al Splash Commiiilications (iiniit'.splashllc.cotnl, a consultancy ofcommunications specialists with experience wninn some of the uwtd's nu\<t I'isihl

Don't dodge these builets: How to use buileted iists on your rsum
By Joseph Priest
It's one ofthe most indispensable devices in FR writing and abnost no rsum would be complete without it, but strangely there are few guidelines for its use. Since the advent of electronic word processing, buileted lists have been a popular tool for job candidates as well as PR pros. Yet,The Associated I^ess Stylebook ofrs litde guidance on the best ways to use bullets. For instance. ii a document targeted for print media to use, is it advisable to set apart items with bullets or include them in whole sentences? Basic punctuation rules also can become muddied in bullets. Is it best to use commas, periods or no punctuation at all at the end of each bullet? 20 May 2009 TACTICS To help both new PR hopefuls create superior rsums and seasoned PR pros virite effective materials, here are guidelines taken fkim another authoritative stylebook.The C^lhicago Manual of Style, and other sources that PR pros should keep in mind when using bullets.

Use them sparingly

while buileted lists are ideal to neatly highlight a list f/ ^ ^ ^ of professional qualifica^^^ tions and experiences in rsums, remember that print media tends to avoid bullets because they rcquire morc space and formatting. More often than not.print journalists will convert bullets into a sentence, using commas or semicolons to separate items in a series. For this reason, use bullets judiciously to prevent print mediafimhaving to do more work than necessary to repurpose a PR news source.

introduced by a complete sentence followed by a colon. However, in a document such as a rsum, which is morc or less one long list, a buileted list can simply be introduced with a section title, such as "professional experience" or"education," and a subsection title, like "account executive. Company ABC, 2005-201 )8" or "B.A.,public relations."

Punctuation polishes
In articles, don't use commas or semicolons at the end of each listed item. The bullet and line break at the end ofthe entry functions as punctuation to separate each item. As for periods at the end of bullets, don't use them unless the items are complete sentences. Examples: To set an out-of-office message, folCotititiiu'd Oft Page 22

Use section titles

In an article, a buileted list is best

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>career development

Big dreams, small town:

Creating a long-lasting, fuifiiling career in an undersized market
By Sarah Fuller
At various times in my career, I have considered relocating to a major metropoiitan area because of the number of PR positions available. However, my desire to move has been short-lived as ! realize that I have been able to build a solid, fulfilling PR career in a small town. Whether you live in a small city by choice or out of necessity, it is possible to construct a long-lasting and enjoyable P R career by using strategies that will pay dividends in undersized markets. locate other students who went to your school.These people are often willing to help fellow alumni with their job search. Also, make sure that you get to know your neighbors, the other parents at your child's school, local service providers, and. of course, PR professionals in the community. While face-toface networking should be your top priority, online social s networks such as * Facebook, Linkedin and MySpace also can be useful for gaining professional contacts. Just make sure that your profile pages on these sites contain suitable tontent for potential employers to view. Save the pictures of your social life for another forum. I continue to hear about more employers who surf the Web and look at someone's social networking profile, immediately ruling out that person as a potential employee because of something distasteful found online. All of this networking may take a lot ot effort, but it is well worth it when it helps people tliink of you first when a PR position becomes available. remotely, such as fi"eelance writing and copyediting. You may be offered smaller PR consulting jobs atfirst,but as you build your reputation, you will have more work opportunities.The key is to keep pusiiing forward until you build a sustain;ible career.

Stick together
Despite how few people work in public relations in small communities, strength comes from sticking together. Do everything that you can to foster camaraderie between the professionals in your community. Start an informal gathering, such as a quarterly lunch at a restaurant or travel together to a PRSA Chapter meeting in a larger city.Work with fellow PR practitioners to offer workshops on PR tools and techniques at your local library and promote awareness of the value of public relationsUse networking, flexibility and teamwork to enjoy a satisfying PR career while reaping the benefits of the slower pace of life you can find outside of an urban setting. O

Lifelong networking
Networking is a great way to grow your career and it is critically important in small markets. In less populated communities, individuals are able to get to know many other people who live and work around them-Therefore, employers are more inclined to hire people that they have previously met or that a friend recommends. Successful PR career growth requires consistent, sustained networking. Try to become an active participant in a variety of groups. And trade associations are a great place to start as they offer industry contacts.To find a trade association relevant to your interests, check the Encyclopedia ofAssociations, which lists more than 135,000 nonprofit member organizations worldwide. Look into volunteering with your local chamber of commerce and business-related civic organizations such as the Rotar>' club. Charitable and social organizations also offer the opportunity to meet new people while benefiting the community at the same time. Contact your alumni association to

way to do this is to show a business owner how valuable your services can be to the bottom line. Start by consulting on a particular project or issue and expand from there. By demonstrating to the business owner how you can help the company grow its market share,you illustrate your worth.

Be fiexibie
Flexibility is key in these markets. Instead of only holding a single PR position with one oi^nization, it may be possible to make a career out of combining several different jobs. For exaniple, you can work part-time for one company and also do consulting projects for several other businesses.To fill up your workday, offer to hold seminars on topics in which you have some expertise, such as working with the media or building a business using public relations. Also, consider teacliing courses for a local college or taking on work that you can do

Create opportunity
In small markets, there are only a handful of PR jobs and people often remain in these same positions for the duration of their careers. If you do not fall into this category, then create your own coveted position .The most effective

Sarah Fuller j.> a PRSA memha .mil iiitlnir ol tlie Ihwk ''Job Searches Beyond the Big Cities: l-inding F-mphymait in Medium to Smalt-Sized Markets. "B-tttail: ii.com.

Bulleted iists
Contiimi'd from Page 20

keypad lock control greater interior room

letter.The same applies to lists set off with letters.

Allows a single point of access Integration of legacy systems.

low these steps: In the main menu, select the "Tools" menu. In the "Tools" menu,select the "Out of Office Assistant" fianction. In the dialog box that appears, select "In the Office"or"Out of the Office" and compose a message. Click on the"OK"button to activate the changes. The new car model offers several enhanced features: improved fuel efficiency GPS navigation 22 May 2009 TACTICS

Up or down?
Except for complete sentences and lists divided by numbers or letters (below), there are no rules for beginning a bulleted item with a capitalized or uncapitalized word. A good guideline, though, is to capitalize the first letter of items that consist of several words or phrases, to add more force.

Don't make this mistake

Fin.iii)', the most common error with bulleted lists is lack of parallel structure. If the fint bulleted item is a noun, the rest of the items should be nouns. If the first item is a complete sentence, the rest of the items should be, and so on. Each item should be a continuation of the introductory sentence.

Correct
The solution provides these benefits: Faster time-to-market Lower cost , Single point of access Integration of legacy systems. V

By the numbers
If items in a list are numbered, a period should follow the numeral and * each item should begin with a capital

Incorrect
The solution provides these benefits: Provides faster time-to-niarket Lower cost

Joseph PrteSt i.* editor oftwlitK ivniiuniciition it Kctchum 'i .\eii'York office, wliere he co-wri a monthly style-aud-usage newsletter. He can lie rearhi-d at