Creating a successful resume & Cover letter

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Why all the fuss about resumes?

What Is a Resume?
A resume is your commercial ad

Job hunting tool to network and get interviews

Provides opportunity for you to showcase your strengths A way to direct the interviewers attention to specific accomplishments and experiences

Impact of a Resume
Makes the first impression, but doesnt guarantee the job May prevent you from getting the job if not done right

Who Reviews Your Resume?

Recruiters
Hiring Managers

What is the MAIN PURPOSE of a Resume?

Primary Purpose: To get an interview.

Resumes help secure interviews - Interviews help secure jobs

Quick Facts
Recruiters typically spend 30 seconds or less reviewing each resume they receive
If it is not well formatted or too wordy it may be discarded

Why?..... Time!
As an example a typical job opening within Northrop Grumman can attract between 50 to 300 resumes The average Recruiter has 30 open positions they are recruiting for at a time (1,500 9,000 resumes) The average Hiring Manager has 5 open positions that they are hiring for at a time (250 1,500 resumes)

Quick Facts cont.

Reviewers look first for ways to exclude resumes, then for ways to rank the remaining resumes by qualification.

EXAMPLE: There are 50 to 300 resumes for a position 1st Review

1 in 10 survive 1 in 3 survive to Interview 1 in 3 receive an offer
What Does This Mean For Me? Your resume MUST be on target and demonstrate clearly that you are qualified!

2nd Review
Interview

What Do Employers Want?

Accomplishments Thinkers & Problem Solvers Leaders vs. Managers Confidence

Cultural Fit
Communication
Both Written and Oral

Technical Skills

3 things to consider as you begin the process

1. Conduct a Self/Job-Assessment 2. Draft using the three Cs Clear, Concise, Consistent 3. Request a Resume Review/Critique

Good Resumes Take Work! They are rarely perfect the first time around!

Conduct a Self/Job Assessment- Do your homework!

Do a sample job search

Evaluate job descriptions and qualities of a successful candidate How does that relate to your own capabilities?

Be honest in your self assessment

Can you do the job? Are you qualified for the job?

Take the time to know and understand your credentials and overall job objective and goal Use this information to help center the focus of your resume

Use the 3 Cs
When drafting your Resume use: Clear message with clean and simple language Concise statements allowing readers to quickly identify knowledge, skills and abilities Consistent easy to read format
General Document Formatting Tips Use an easily read font/pitch Times New Roman or Arial No smaller than 10 point font Keep page borders at 1 inch No less than .5 inches at the bottom Use bold typeface, underlining, CAPITALIZATION, and/or italics sparingly
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Request a Resume Critique

Dont be too proud or too embarrassed!
Ask to have people review & critique your resume Multiple sets of eyes allow for multiple perspectives/insight Resources Available: Career Services Faculty RA Internship Supervisor Friends Family

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Getting started: Resume Organization

The 30 seconds Recruiters spend reviewing a standard resume is on the top 5 of the first page

Contact Information
Objective (optional) Education

Experience
Recognitions/Awards Leadership/Organizations

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Contact Information
Name: include preferred name Address: both school and permanent
Dont forget City, State and Zip Code

Phone number: primary contact number with area code

Make sure voice message greeting is appropriate

Email address: avoid inappropriate words Website (optional): make sure content is professional or at least appropriate John Q. Adams
1234 America Way Nutley, NJ 23431 (555) 123-5234 (home) (555) 234-9393 (work) jqadams@gmail.com

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Using an Objective Statement

Pros Clarifies what you offer position and goal Can be tailored to fit the position you are applying for

Cons
Can close doors, rather than open them by sending the wrong message or unnecessarily narrowing your options

Recommendation Use only if it clearly and succinctly meets your career needs

Everything in your resume should support your objective

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Using an Objective cont.

If you are going to use an objective:
Be clear and concise Be specific about what youre looking for Summarize professional goal Dont be too general

To obtain a challenging engineering position where I can utilize my design, analysis and programming skills.

To obtain a full time engineering position involving RF/Microwave design testing.

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Education
List most recent education first
List all PhD, Masters, Bachelors

List school, degree and major List all degrees achieved

Example, double major and minors

List expected graduation date List GPA if 3.0 or higher

Major GPA listed if over 3.0 and your overall GPA is under 3.0
Currently working towards a degree? Example: University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA MS, Computer Science Expected Spring 2011 GPA: 3.2

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Experience/Skills
List employer, location, responsibilities Internships Related work experience Other work experience If possible, show relevancy to position applying to Relevant coursework Classes, projects, labs, etc. Dont list GE courses or course numbers Use action or power words Emphasize any leadership roles List computer skills
Languages, OS, software, etc.

Work/Internship Experience Must Include:

Job Title Company Name & Location (City, State)

Dates of Employment
Responsibilities with Accomplishments

Hardware skills
Logic analyzer, soldering, oscilloscope, etc.

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Experience cont. Make Sure You Show Accomplishments NOT Tasks!

Expectations/Tasks Monitor inventory levels Tested software code Responsible for surveying orders Led Robotics team

PAR Statements Describe Accomplishments

P = The Problem, challenge, situation, or task you faced A = Specific Actions you took to resolve or improve the situation R = The end Results of your actions (Quantify with numbers, percentages, or dollars when possible)

PAR
Accomplishments-

Example:

Redesigned service processes, increasing responsiveness 50% and reducing queues 50%

Re-designed inventory tracking process. Lowered inventory levels by 20% Successfully completed testing of code for phases 1 and 2 allowing for timely delivery of product to customer Surveyed orders and made sure all repairs are done on schedule which resulted in 98% of repairs completed on schedule Led team of 5 in Robotics competition, placed 3 of 20 teams

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Recognitions & Awards

Accomplishments/Awards
Academic distinctions Cum Laude and above Honor rolls Presidents list, Deans list, etc. Scholarships and recognition Presidential scholars, merit scholars, etc. Honor societies Eta Kappa Nu, Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, etc. Class ranking 1st in class, top 10 students, etc. Competitions Best design project, school competitions, etc. Publications

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Leadership/Organizations
Leadership/Organizations
Engineering societies SWE, ASME, IEEE, ASCE, SHPE, NSBE, etc Community services Religious groups Tutoring students Clubs and organizations Robotics, Amateur Radio, marching band, etc Intramural sports

Get involved! These things can really set you apart add uniqueness!

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Summary: Things to Remember on your Resume!

Contact Information should be Correct and Complete Use Clear Fonts 10-12pt for body Times or Arial Fonts Print Resume on Good, Plain White Bond Use a bullet format listing the most important points first Begin with action words and keep tenses consistent Accomplishments over Responsibilities or Duties Numbers and Quantifiers help showcase your accomplishments

Mimic Company Language Use Keywords from the job description

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Summary: Things To Avoid on your Resume

Fancy Paper or Fonts
Bold, Italics, Underlining

More than 2 Pages, if possible

Typos and Grammar Errors Graphics and Photos Missing Dates or Information Passive Verbs Do not stress the obvious, stress the unique Buzz Words, Slang, Acronyms

Avoid embellishing or exaggerating work experience

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Formatting Examples: Bad Resume

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Formatting Examples: Bad Resume

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Formatting Examples: Good Resume

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Formatting Examples: Good Resume

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Bringing It All Together!

Vocabulary Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation Error free Short, crisp statements Bulleted lists Consistent tenses/formats Avoid slang Keep it simple Spell out acronyms Avoid repetition Voice

Avoid using I or referring to yourself as Mrs. Jones Use active voice to express accomplishments

Common Action Verbs Achieved Demonstrated Executed Identified Implemented Motivated Organized Pioneered Revamped Revived Revolutionized Started Volunteered

Appearance/Design Most relevant information on top Easy to read font Clearly labeled sections Ample white space

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Cover Letter
Address the receiving person properly
Spell the name correctly

Talk about Yourself

Dont be too lengthy 2, 3 paragraphs max
1st Paragraph-Purpose Statement 2nd Paragraph-What sets you apart 3rd Paragraph-Close

Can be in Email Format Check spelling and grammar!!!

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