Sussex Warren In Transition SWIT RECAP

1/21/10
Wyndham

Attendees: Christian Hansen, Mitch Gouze, Mary Farah, Ellen Bonner, Kim Reitmeyer, Penny Vorce
Facilitators: Michele Underhill, Stephen Matthaey

Topic: Does Your Resume And Cover Letter Present You Well For This Position?

Activity: Collected 3 resumes and cover letters that were sent for position opportunities. As a group assessed and discussed how they effectively aligned the open position with the individuals experience, skills and qualifications.

Purpose of the Cover Letter and Resume:
The purpose of the cover letter is to get them to read the resume.
The purpose of the resume is to get the interview.

Analogy:
A job requisition is a Test. The cover and resume are the answers to the test. So…cue into the instructions and questions and make sure you answer them correctly and answer only what they are asking.

It’s the dating game…Who will the company choose? The company will choose the one that matches their needs, wants and interests and offers the greatest, best quality and interest.

Some major points:

Cover Letters:
o Do not put everything that is on your resume in your cover letter. You will not give them a reason to look at your resume.
o Your cover letter should be succinct about your reason for writing. 1st paragraph introduces position you are responding to and why. Lead into next paragraph which explains how your background aligns with what their looking for and what you can offer them. NOT what you want. And lastly, the positive reasons you wish to work for the company.
o Do not write lengthy covers. They will not read it through and definitely won’t look at the resume.
o Suggest T-Letters…left side is the Company’s job requirements/the right side is your qualifications. Take the 3-5 top qualifications and show how you meet them. Briefly explain specific measurable accomplishments that are examples of how you meet the requirements. Do not list those requirements that you are not matched to.

o Sign your cover letter with the same name on your resume. If using a nickname you can put in parenthesis next to real name on resume and then sign cover letter using nickname, i.e. . But there has to be a tie or a consistent name.

Your Resume:
o You should have a resume for every position applied for! YES…every job application requires a targeted resume. So apply for less and take the time to match the resume with the job.
o Your resume should entice them to bring you in for an interview.
o Don’t give all information about yourself and your experiences because there will not be any reason to meet with you. You have told them everything.
o Position Title should be accurate with what you want to be while also matching the job requisition. Be honest about whether it is a position that is suited to your background.
o Core Competencies-Should be bulleted vs. in narrative form and should match the requisition competencies.
o Use same terms in resume as in requisition including the “Position Title” at the top of your resume
o Record dates in a consistent format throughout resume, i.e. 2005-2009, 2000-2005
o Highlight accomplishments from last 10-15 years. Don’t date yourself.
o Remove anything that doesn’t relate to requisition.
o Put most important information, qualifications first. Least last.
o Your resume does not need to reflect who you reported to in previous jobs or your responsibilities in your last position.
o Make sure your resume lists your accomplishments as SARS/PARS. Situation/Problem, Action, Result. They should be measurable and specific measurements…not rounded
o Accomplishments need to be flipped to show a positive effect,i.e. instead of decrease turnover, increased retention…
o Pars/Sars should be linked to 4 things:
1. Profitability
2. Productivity
3. Employee Retention
4. Customer/Employee Satisfaction

o Group education, certifications, membership’s together but under their appropriate category, i.e. Education-BS Finance, MS Human Resources; Certifications-SPHR, CPA; Memberships-SHRM National, SMA Board Member.

Next Meeting:

February 18 @ 4:30 at the Wyndham in Mt. Olive.

Topic: PARS/SARS – What are they? How do we develop them? What do they apply to? What is their benefit?