Digging Inside the Portfolio. Part 3: The Resume

Along with your cover letter and letters of recommendation, the resume is also a piece inside your portfolio you will want to perfect.  The resume stands as the key document in showcasing exactly what experience you have done in the past and what you are capable of bringing to the table in the future.

I  1. Include relevant contact information. This is extremely important because you want a potential employer to be able to contact you if they wish to set up an interview!  If you start sending out applications while you are still living at school but you know you are moving home immediately after graduation, put your home address on there.  Also, make sure your email and cell phone number are easily visible because they will more than likely get a hold of you this way. You don’t want an employer to pass you up because your contact information was not easily accessible.

2. 2. Include specific information. When listing your past experience whether it be an internship or job you have held, or courses and projects you have completed while in school, be specific. Lay out exactly what tasks you were given, what you learned, and what you are capable of doing. Employers want to know EXACTLY what your skills are.

3. 3.  Keep the formatting easy to read.  You want your resume to be a visual representation of yourself and employers will think of it this way. You do not want it looking cluttered, unorganized or hard to read.  Keep the font simple and the text size readable, and make sure the different sections are easily set apart from each other.  You want your resume to look as polished as you will look in person when you come in for that interview!

Posted By: Kayla Molczan

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Digging Inside the Portfolio. Part 1: The Cover Letter

Along with a portfolio of relevant work you’ve done, you will also need to perfect your cover letter and resume before you graduate so they are ready to go when you come across jobs you are interested in.   Employers get hundreds upon thousands of applicants with decent cover letters and resumes so you will need to do something different to stand out amongst the crowd.  Research shows an employer spends an average of five seconds looking at a resume before they decide whether to throw it out or not.  The goal: to stay out of the trash!

Let’s first focus on the Cover Letter!

1. Know who you are addressing.  Never say “To whom this may concern” because it is vague and will not inspire a connection between you and the employer.  Also make sure you use appropriate titles and prefixes when addressing their name.

2. Spell check until the cows come home.  Misspelling even the simplest of words can cost you the job.  Remember, employers are getting tons of resumes so they need one simple way of sifting through them.  Correct spelling and grammar is one easy criteria they use to decide if you are a yes or a no.

3. Be specific.  Do not send a generic cover letter to multiple employers.  Read over the job description for the position you are applying for and the overall company and include things in your resume that shows you did this.  Showing the employer you have done your homework and actually researched the company will put you above the rest.

Posted By: Kayla Molczan

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The Value of a Professional Portfolio

Image via WikipediaAn item you can bring to an interview that can give you a major leg up on competitors is a strong, relevant portfolio.  Brining in examples of your previous work can show employers you are prepared and organized, while at the same time it gives you a platform to talk about your greatest achievements with tangible, visual aids.  

Depending on your interview or profession, you can use either a three-ring binder with plastic page protectors or a leather bound, briefcase style portfolio with three-ring binder and pockets within for displaying your work.  These can be purchased at Wal-Mart, Staples or any other office supplies stores and can range from 15 to 50 dollars depending on the quality.  

Once you have selected the format of your portfolio, it's time to start filling it with relevant pieces.  Some elements that are essential to include in your portfolio are copies of your resume to give to a potential panel of interviewers, cover letter, business card if you have one, reference contact page, letters of recommendation, college transcript, and at least five pieces of work that you are most proud of and are related to the job you are interviewing for. 


Quick Tips:

1. Choose your example work wisely and do not be afraid to go over it and make corrections to your original work. Make it relevant to the interview.  
2. Keep your portfolio organized and to the point.  Look at this as a summary of your greatest achievements.    
3. Place labels and tags on pertinent information you want to bring up during your interview.
4. Practice talking about the pieces in your portfolio to your friends before your interview.   
5. Have copies of selected pieces to give to employers.  

Posted By: Taylor Ray

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Network! Network! Network!

Finding a job equals a massive headache.  One way you can reduce the stress and anxiety of landing your dream job is to network as much as you can while you aren’t in a rush to find a job. Beyond maintaining relationships with professionals you have already made, it is also important to develop new ones with professionals at places you would actually see yourself working.  Try utilizing the informational interview to start these relationships. 

The Informational Interview:  Pick out a few dream job employers and contact them either via e-mail or phone.  If you are looking to meet a local professional, stop in their office and speak to them.  Be dressed appropriately and have your contact information handy to give to them.  Let them know you are interested in their line of work and ask for the opportunity to schedule a time to meet and pick their brain for ten or fifteen minutes max.  After the interview, send them a thank you card or e-mail and stay in touch over the course of your senior year.   In your thank you, refer back to an interesting topic you discussed in your meeting to remind them of who you are.    

Questions to Ask: Ask about what they do and how they came to be in their position. Ask them questions about their experiences, try to relate them to yours, and bring up your own to make yourself memorable.  It is also beneficial to ask about their hiring process so you are more aware of how things will run once you want to apply for a job.

Stay in contact with these professionals and maintain your relationships!

Posted by: Taylor Ray

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Prepare Your Facebook for Visitors

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeOne of the key things employers look at before hiring or sometimes even considering to interview you is your Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and any other form of social networking site you use on a daily basis.  The trick to keep these pages active is to clean them up and use them just like any company or organization would, to market yourself.  Look at these pages as advertisements for you! 

Market Yourself: Always fill out the information about yourself, but remember to keep the important information somewhat confidential (full name, address, etc.).  This will help keep you safe from identity theft, creepy stalkers and those you don’t want to find you online.   

Be smart about your photos: If you’re over the age of twenty-one having a beer in your hand while smiling with your friends isn’t going to portray a negative image, however a photo of you falling over at bar with puke spilling out of your mouth is. Monitor the photo’s you upload and are tagged in.   

Be smart about what you write:  Whether it is a comment on a status, tweet or wall post be aware that everyone can read it!  While in an interview for an internship last year with a public relations firm, my interviewee pointed out to me that employers are digging deep into our sites and monitoring what potential employees are writing on others walls beyond. 

Set your security to HIGH: Facebook is constantly changing the security protocol of their site, so it is important to check your settings out every once in a while.  Go in depth to check who can see your posts, wall, information, groups, photo albums and etc. 

While these items may seem tedious and unnecessary they definitely are important to your success at landing that first job.  Remember to utilize your page to make you stand out, stay informed and connect with professionals and past colleges.   

Posted by: Taylor Ray

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