Resumes CVs and Interviews

Resumes, CVs, and Interviews : 

Resumes, CVs, and Interviews How to get the position you want?

GSU Office of Career Services : 

Who and Where? Mrs. Dorsey Baldwin Williams Center COST Advisement Center What can they help you with? Resume & cover letter reviews Co-ops, internships, JOBS Mock Interviews Career counseling GSU Office of Career Services

Resumes : 

Short, simple, & visually attractive Center your name/contact info on the TOP Short career objective (1-3 sentences) Education Special events – research, co-ops, internships. Describe your research project, your major accomplishments, skills (1- 2 bullets) Resumes

Curriculum Vitae or CVs : 

Longer than a resume Contains detailed information of your education, honors, skills, affiliations, and other details. Used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions. It is also applicable when applying for fellowships or grants. Sample CV Curriculum Vitae or CVs

A Recruiter’s Top 10 List : 

1. Degree earned 2. Work experience 3. General technical experience (chemistry, biology) 4. Communication skills 5. Interpersonal skills 6. Collaboration skills 7. Leadership skills 8. Problem-solving skills 9. Talent for Innovation 10.Specific job skills – instrumentation, industry-relevant topics, etc A Recruiter’s Top 10 List

Google, Facebook & MySpace : 

Did you know that recruiters will Google you as part of the pre-screening process? Did you know that recruiters and human resources personnel will look at Facebook & MySpace as part of the background check? Does your Facebook or your MySpace reflect the kind and type of employee that you will be? Google, Facebook & MySpace

Common Types of Interviews : 

Situational or selection Focuses on your accomplishments, talents and ambitions Behavioral or Attitudinal Focuses on behaviors and attitudes Specially designed questions that target what & how you reacted in a situation Not how you think you would handle a situation Most interviews will be a combination of these types of questions Common Types of Interviews

Situational Interview Examples : 

Tell me about your educational background What are your career ambitions? What do you consider your major accomplishments? What are your strengths? Your limitations? Why should we hire you? What can you do for our organization? What college courses did you get the most out of? Why? Which classes did you find most challenging? Describe your worst teacher How do you think your education contributed to your development? If hired, how do you see your future with us? Why did you decide to apply for this job? What do you think is likely to make the difference between success & failure in this job? Situational Interview Examples

Behavior Based Examples : 

Describe how you handled a difficult situation with a roommate or a lab partner. Did you ever encounter angry customers in your last job? How did you handle them? Our company values independent judgment. Tell me about a time that you made a decision on your own. What were the results of this decision? Would you do anything differently, knowing the outcome? What was the accomplishment over the last year that you are most proud of? What did you do? Why is this significant to you? Tell me about your most demanding class project. How did you assemble the info that you needed? Did you hand in the project before the due date? Did you get any help from your instructor? Every job has its busy and slow periods. Tell me about the busiest time you’ve had recently, in a job or at school. Now tell me about the most recent slack time that you faced. It’s important that our employees keep up to date on technical information. Tell me about the best new idea you picked up recently that you were able to use in your work or your education. When did this occur? Where did you find it? How were you able to apply it? What was the result of the application? How often does this happen to you. Behavior Based Examples

How to become a MEMORABLE interviewee : 

Research the company! Wear “dress for success” clothes Psych yourself up! Smile! Arrive 15 minutes early Get directions Don’t trust Google Maps Have a list of questions ready Maintain eye contact & good body language Be a good listener Thank the interviewer at the end of the session Follow up with a thank you note How to become a MEMORABLE interviewee

Watch-outs for Interviewees : 

Never answer a question with a simple Yes/No answer & stop. Use the opportunity to elaborate on your skills & experience Be succinct, businesslike, and stop when you’ve answered the question. Don’t ramble. Use positive language: challenge or opportunity instead of problem Manage your tone of voice – be upbeat, confident, and convey a sense of energy & excitement. Don’t whisper Use good body language – maintain eye contact, smile, lean forward in your chair, do NOT cross your arms or look at your watch Watch-outs for Interviewees

How to become comfortable with interviewing : 

PRACTICE!!! The Career Services center holds mock interviews. Use this service! Ask a friend to interview you. Use a tape recorder to see how you sound when you answer. Better yet, videotape your interview & critically evaluate your performance How to become comfortable with interviewing