Make Your Resume Stand Out

Whether you've drafted your resume before or don't even know where to begin, it's extremely important to always have a relevant and enticing resume on hand. Your resume is an essential component of personal marketing that gives employers a first impression of you, your experiences, and the reasons why they should interview you! It's one thing to have a correct format, but does your resume stand out from all the others for a specific job or internship application? Even if you feel you've perfected your resume, it should cater to each specific application, emphasizing how your skills and experiences will contribute to that specific company's organizational goals and values. This means doing research on the company beforehand, evaluating what that company is looking for in a candidate and communicating this in a clear and visually appealing way. Drafting a resume is a process, not a one time assignment! We've compiled a list of tips that will help you build your resume to it's maximum potential!

The use of action verbs and strong adjectives are important when describing your work experience. However, did you know that the nouns that you choose to use in your resume are growing increasingly important? This is because companies are implementing technology that scans resumes for keywords. This system identifies keywords that companies want to see within resumes for a specific position. Some systems even place weights on the importance of different words. While there is no sure way of discovering what the desired words are, there are techniques and guidelines to enhance your resume with the strongest choice of keywords.

When it comes to formatting there are three basic styles of resumes: chronological, functional, and a combination/hybrid of the two. In a chronological resume, education and work experience are listed in, you guessed it, chronological order, but starting with your most recent experiences. This format emphasizes the organizations you've participated, positions you've held, achievements, and what you were responsible for. It draws attention to your career progress you have made and is effective when your experiences and education line up with the position you are targeting. On the other hand, a functional resume focuses on the achievements you've made and skills you possess rather than titles, organizations, etc. However, this resume will most likely not be appropriate for your use as it is helpful when applying to positions which your education and work experience are not relevant to. This type of resume is categorized by skills such as communication, leadership, etc. that target the position you're applying to. A combination or hybrid resume focuses on functional areas highlighting skills and capabilities, but contains chronological work experiences including positions, dates, and organizations. 

There are many ways to format a resume and some are more appropriate for different positions or levels of experience. However, in general, your resume should always be a single sided page, an easy to read font (11-12 pt), and contain a clear white space of separation between sections to make for easy scanning. You can bold, underline, or use bullets to stress the importance of an accomplishment. Make sure to demonstrate how you personally completed objectives that furthered the organization's overall strategy and goals. Cite numbers when possible; tell the size of the team you managed or the amount of revenue you generated, etc. Only include relevant information that markets yourself effectively. Choose topic headings that are enticing and  inviting. Communicate the desirable personality traits you possess, but don't get too personal! Listing your age, gender, martial status, and religious or political views is completely unnecessary and should be left out. Also, don't state the obvious-employers know that you will be able to produce references or attend an interview! Make sure that you understand (and demonstrate your understanding of) that company's needs, priorities, what they seek in a candidate, and relevant vocabuary (those keywords again!). Don't use "I" or other pronouns and avoid unnecessary extra or repetitive wording.

After you're all done, proof read it several times and seek feedback from multiple friends and professionals (make an appt. with CCD!). You want to be fully confident that your resume effectively communicates the value you will add to a company personally and your individual qualifications for that position. If your resume stands out, it will earn you the chance to interview, the chance to really sell yourself.

This article from Daily Writing Tips contains 44 invaluable tips for resume design. It's definitely worth taking the time to read and consider. Get working on your resume today and good luck!

Career Profile: Marketing Manager

Hey iChoosers!
Each week we will be featuring an in-depth look into a specific career within different business fields. This week the field is marketing and the profession is a marketing manager!

It's an extremely involved role with a lot of responsibilities. The marketing manager is in charge of planning, directing, and coordinating marketing policies and programs for a company. They attempt to determine the demand for products and services offered both by their own company and its competitors. They try to identify potential customers and set pricing strategies that aim to maximize the company's profits or market share while maximizing consumer satisfaction.

While all job descriptions contain a degree of variation, the role of a marketing manager is often synonymous with the following job titles: Marketing Director, Marketing Manager, Vice President of Marketing, Business Development Manager, Marketing Coordinator, Account Supervisor, Business Development Director, Commercial Lines Manager, Commercial Marketing Specialist, Market Development Manager.

The Tasks of a marketing manager involve working with advertising and promotion managers to design marketing activities and policies that effectively promote products and services. They use their knowledge of markup and cost factors, establishment objectives, and market characteristics to identify, develop, or evaluate a marketing strategy. Marketing directors manager marketing and sales staff, overseeing the hiring, training, performance evaluations, and daily activities of the department. Marketing Managers even oversee the financial aspects of product development including research and development, expenditures, budgets, return on investment, and profit-loss projections. They craft pricing strategies that keep company objectives and customer satisfaction at a harmonious level. They generate comprehensive lists of product offerings and benefits, launch market research initiatives, and analyze research results.  Forecasting is an important part of the job; strategic planning is used to guarantee the sales and profitability of products, product lines, and services while analyzing business developments and market trends. They plan or participate in trade shows and a variety of other promotional activities, usually in conjunction with advertisers, developers, and production managers to market their products and services. Interaction with buying personnel is essential too; this communication gives them insight into the products and services that are predicted to be in demand.

The tools of the marketing manager are your basic office equipment: laptop, desktop computer, fax machines,  PDA's & Smartphones, Scanners, and Photocopiers. The technology is more interesting! Analytic and scientific software includes programs like Lyris HQ Web-Analytics Solution, Nedstat Sitestat; Online advertising reporting software, and the all too familiar Minitab Software. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs like Oracle Siebel Server Sync, QAD Marketing Automation, Sage SalesLogix, and Salesforce.com Salesforce CRM are used. ClearEDGE software, Fast Track Systems software, Microsoft Access, and Structured query language SQL are all used for data base user interface and query software. Of course e-mail and photo/image editing software are essential and have many software options to choose from such as Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Outlook.

So what is it important for a Marketing Manager to know? Here is a simple list of the essential general fields that these managers are very knowledgeable of and skilled with:

-Sales and Marketing

-Customer and Personal Service

-English Language

-Administration and Management

-Communications and Media

-Computers and Electronics

This next part is important in your career research! Is this a job a good fit for you?

Read this next list of skills and abilities essential to a Marketing Manager profession and assess whether you possess them. If not, and this job seems to align with your passions, make a mental note of the skills and abilities you are lacking so you can focus on developing them specifically!

Skills: Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Persuasion, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Active Learning, Coordination, and Operations Analysis

Abilities: Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Fluency of Ideas, Speech Recognition, Written Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Originality, and Problem Sensitivity

Do the following activities involved in this profession appeal to your passions and skills?

Work Activities: Communicating with Persons Outside the Company, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, and Subordinates, Gathering Information, Thinking Creatively, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Team Development and Building, Problem Solving, Decision Making,  Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Working with Computers, and Developing Objectives/Strategies

Do the work styles of a Marketing Manager seem similar to your own?

Work Styles: Dependability, Attention to Detail, Cooperation, Integrity, Leadership, Initiative, Persistence, Achievement/Effort, Adaptability/Flexibility, and Independence

You're probably interested in the salary information so here it is! As of 2010 median wages were $54.23 hourly and $112, 800 annually. 59, 700 Marketing Manager job openings are predicted between 2008 and 2018.

All information is courtesy of  O*Net , but you can find more at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

Check back next week to learn about a profession in the Retail Supply Chain field, but never hesitate to do some research on your own time!

Take-Aways from the Oct. 14th, 2011 Monthly Meeting

So whether you were a member of the original iChoose Seminar offering or the most recent one to pass, you identified the themes among your skills, personality, and life experiences. However, now the question is, how have you applied them since? They should be shaping your career research and strategies! Each monthly iChoose meeting will serve as an extension of the research and strategy modules that you covered during the seminar. Maybe you've been slacking on your research, or maybe you've gained new insights and experiences that have shifted your career path. In any case, iChoose will steer you in the right direction with important updates and research tools.


Research Your Interests:

O*Net
O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers, and more!


Vault Career Guides
See why Forbes magazine calls Vault Guides CliffsNotes for Careers. Published since 1997 and based on reviews from thousands of employees each year, Vault Guides are THE source for insider insight on career information and employer reviews. Find out which industry and company is right for you. (You have full access to these through portal)


The Alumni Directory
A great resource for personal and professional networking. Use it to build networks of friends and colleagues, make valuable business connections, and promote yourself and your business.

Factiva
Respected Content—licensed content from seasoned Dow Jones journalists and the world's top media outlets, trade and consumer publications and business Web sites—filtered to reveal the best and most reliable results


Babson Concentrations
At Babson College, concentrations are an optional way for you to organize your advanced studies, and certify that your focus of study is on your final transcript.


Check Career Connections regularly for job and internship postings!! There are currently 27 internship postings, mostly related to finance and accounting due to the time of year. Thoroughly read through the weekly CCD e-mails to see which employers will be on campus and which jobs have been posted online!

Here are some other sites that you should explore!

Indeed
Find millions of jobs from thousands of company web sites, job boards and newspapers. one search. all jobs. Indeed.

Idealist
The world's best place to find volunteer opportunities, nonprofit jobs, internships, and organizations working to change the world since 1995.

Internmatch
Search and find your next internship in the largest database of college internships online.

Intern Queen
Lauren Berger is CEO of Intern Queen Inc, an online internship destination that helps students find and apply for internships while also educating them on how to make the most of their experiences.

One Day One Internship
One Day, One Internship is the insider's guide to unique and exciting internship opportunities for college students.


Look for more resources to come! Don't forget to mark your calendar for the next monthly meeting on November 8th to learn all about networking.

Self-Discovery at the September 30, 2011 iChoose Seminar

One of the most valuable take-aways from the iChoose program is the importance of self-reflection and discovery. iChoose uses a life line activity to create a framework for understanding how the overview of your life and work experiences shape personal passions and provide feelings of fulfillment. Although the acquisition of a career is in the future, reflection on the past reveals how major life events, influential people, and living environments all interact and build upon one another to determine your goals and values. Taking the time to connect the dots can reveal themes or trends that illuminate what path is right for your future. If you're not confident or aware of your passions, all there is to guide you is what you think you should be doing, if that's even clear. When you discover and reflect on what your life means to you and what you love to do, you'll be ready to set your sights on a meaningful career that provides fulfillment and excitement. This will grant you ownership of your career, making the conversion from dreams to reality much clearer, tangible, exciting, and personal.

Take a look at the life lines of September 30th's iChoose class. As you can see no two are alike in content or design! Most people found that sharing and explaining their life's progression aloud to someone else, in combination with peer feedback, provided new insights into their life's themes. On the other hand, listening to other peoples' personal influences, joys, challenges, and work experiences was inspiring and mind-opening. While the life line activity is fantastic, self-discovery is a continual process that requires constant reflection on your past and thorough analysis of what you experience with each passing day.