So now is the messy-time with searches. For those who went to TPE they might be already inviting to campus or not yet able to invite to campus. Some are waiting until ACPA interviews to decide on campus invites. Some aren't bothering with ACPA placement and candidates here have missed out. Some don't yet have confirmed vacancies and have to wait until they do. You see- it's messy- for us, and for you. Have patience, it all starts to sort out over the next few weeks. In fact, as the domino effect kicks in and those current RD's who are applying for next-step positions start to get those jobs and resign from RD positions, we employers get to bring even more candidates to campus! This process can take a few months- and some of our best RD hires have come in June or July. So trust me when I say- things will work out, it just takes patience.
That said- some advice from this end for on-campus interviews and considering your future:
1) DO not accept an on-campus offer from a school you have no intention of working for. It wastes our resources and wastes your energy. It's not fair to us or to other candidates to take one of our valid campus spots if you already know that we are not the place for you.
2) Be selective- not desperate. Do not say yes to places just because you are feeling worried that no one else will want you. Be selective- this is a two-way street! You choose us as much as we choose you. So be choosy. Yes- going on campus can indeed help you decide if a place is right for you- but if you already know, campus is unlikely to change that. Consider what your "gut" tells you- and ask your closest friends/partner/family- when they heard you talking about XXX institution, how did you sound? Elated, excited, enthusiastic? Great!! Bland, monotone, talking yourself into it? No way!!
3) Navigate the process of when you go to campus carefully. Some campuses can do rolling offers, some cannot. Ask- we'll tell you (for the most part) and you'll want to consider that when timing your campus visit. If given the option- don't be the first to campus. Don't go right after your comprehensive exams (if you take them) or thesis defense. Do NOT serve on-call the night before you go on an interview- switch with a colleague! Respond quickly to our calls or emails- we might move on to other candidates in the meanwhile and you could lose out. If you interviewed with us at TPE, or are interviewing at ACPA- and YOU decide you are not interested in us any more, please do us the favor of telling us and withdrawing from our search before we call to offer you a campus visit.
4) Remember-you are "on" as a candidate from the moment you leave your house. Consider what you wear on the plane/train/in the car on the way there- you never know who you'll come across in your travels and you want to look professional-casual. You also never know when your luggage might get lost- try to do only carry-ons if you can so your clothing and toiletries are in hand on the plane! If you do have to check a bag, know that what you wear on the plane might be what you end up wearing to interviews if your bag gets lost.
The conversations you have, even if on the phone and "overheard" by those nearby- could also help or hurt your candidacy. If you are on the phone telling a friend that you are coming to XXX institution but aren't really excited about it and are using it as a practice school- you never know who might be around to hear you and drop a quick call to tell us that's how you feel. I have cancelled an interview with a candidate on-site because they told the shuttle driver they thought they could never live here, and the shuttle driver happened to be an RA in our department and told us what the candidate said. I checked in with the candidate, they admitted it, and we canceled and sent them right back home.
5) Bring any handouts, laptops, flashdrives or other materials with you on the plane- do NOT check them!!! Do NOT count on there being a copy machine anywhere near you once you arrive. Bring extra copies of your materials, and have any presentation saved in multiple formats. Some of us are very understanding, others of us are not so much. Coffee stains on handouts do happen- if you have extras then you are set, if you don't- you are explaining them away.
6) Remember to relax and truly be yourself. The campus interview is a time to show us more of who you are, for real- because hopefully the "real" you is who will come work for us, and I'd rather see that real you at the interview than two months later when you start work. If you are an introvert- show us that- in all the strength of the introvert! If you are a little liberal and funky- show us that too. You want us to choose the whole you, not the interview-you, show us and tell us who that "you" is and the process of mutual selection will continue to be successful for you.
7) Do NOT tell us how passionate and committed to Social Justice you are. Someone from TPE tweeted something that basically said "Oh- you're committed to social justice, let me introduce you to 1000 of your new best friends"...you get the idea. This is today's version of "I'm a people person". So don't tell us that you are committed- tell us what you've learned, done, and how you incorporate issues of justice and inclusion into your every day life and work. If you don't have that yet- spend the next few weeks before you graduate thinking about that and developing skills and answers to that question.
8) Be ready to ask us great questions- and have enough questions prepared to ask some of everyone you meet. We get it that by the end of the day all your questions have been answered, but, if I ask if you have any questions and you say "no"- it puts a small seed of wondering in my head. At the very least ask every person you meet why they chose to come to XXX institution AND then ask them what keeps them there. Ask them things like- if you could change a few things to make your work more meaningful what would you change? If you could do a few things that would enhance the experience of your students what would you implement/do? Ask questions that get people talking about them- these are your future colleagues and you should be choosing them as much as they are choosing you. You can't be choosy if you don't know anything about us.
9) Relax, have fun, and when given a campus tour ask them to show you one or two hidden gems of the campus that people don't typically know about until they work there. Is there a greenhouse or arboretum, an amazing mural in a lounge somewhere, an archive in the library, an art museum...what's special there- what are they proud of and what does this campus value? That's what you will start to find out.
Enjoy the experience- and good luck!
The Employer
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
TPE On-site advice
If you are here in Philadelphia for TPE, here are a few things to consider:
1) Placement is laid out in a very strange manner- the candidate and employer waiting rooms and your mailboxes are a fairly far walk (and escalator ride) from the interviewing area. Give yourself time, and don't walk it too often in the hopes of finding something in your mailbox.
2) Be careful with your feet. Yes, I mean it. Hurting feet from new-ish shoes or walking more than you are used to in said shoes can really take a toll on your experience. Soak them at night, give yourself a gentle foot rub mid-day, and just consider ways you can protect them a bit while you are here.
3) There are lots of places to shop, eat, relax- find them. Don't everyone cram into the Market for each meal! You don't get to relax while you are there (recall from my previous post that you are "on" every moment). It is convenient, fun and there are lots of options, this is true. It is also true that there is much this city has to offer if you walk a street or two away from the convention center. Find the other good spots, sit down, relax and allow your body time to eat in peace.
4) Relax and don't get caught up in the competition that seems to arise among candidates. Don't tell anyone how many interviews you have and when they are. It isn't going to help your candidacy, and it isn't going to help your frame of mind. Last night while checking in I overheard so many candidates comparing their interview numbers! Some of the best people I know were intentional and selective, did maybe ten interviews- and landed the job of their dreams. You'll be better if you avoid the competition, avoid the intensity, stay focused and be selective!
5) Take a chance on a school that reaches out to you. Not all employers do it- search through resumes looking for excellent candidates- but some do. If an employer you never considered before invites you to interview, consider it. You never know when your best opportunity might drop into your mailbox- don't turn it down until you've at least thought it over and maybe done a first interview. Take the same chance on us we are taking on you. I have indeed overheard candidates speaking poorly about schools who solicited their application. Poor form, and rather closed minded. Be open to possibilities these next few days, and, stay true to yourself as well. If you are truly geographically limited then say no to that school across the country from where you want to be.
Good luck on Day 1!
The Employer
1) Placement is laid out in a very strange manner- the candidate and employer waiting rooms and your mailboxes are a fairly far walk (and escalator ride) from the interviewing area. Give yourself time, and don't walk it too often in the hopes of finding something in your mailbox.
2) Be careful with your feet. Yes, I mean it. Hurting feet from new-ish shoes or walking more than you are used to in said shoes can really take a toll on your experience. Soak them at night, give yourself a gentle foot rub mid-day, and just consider ways you can protect them a bit while you are here.
3) There are lots of places to shop, eat, relax- find them. Don't everyone cram into the Market for each meal! You don't get to relax while you are there (recall from my previous post that you are "on" every moment). It is convenient, fun and there are lots of options, this is true. It is also true that there is much this city has to offer if you walk a street or two away from the convention center. Find the other good spots, sit down, relax and allow your body time to eat in peace.
4) Relax and don't get caught up in the competition that seems to arise among candidates. Don't tell anyone how many interviews you have and when they are. It isn't going to help your candidacy, and it isn't going to help your frame of mind. Last night while checking in I overheard so many candidates comparing their interview numbers! Some of the best people I know were intentional and selective, did maybe ten interviews- and landed the job of their dreams. You'll be better if you avoid the competition, avoid the intensity, stay focused and be selective!
5) Take a chance on a school that reaches out to you. Not all employers do it- search through resumes looking for excellent candidates- but some do. If an employer you never considered before invites you to interview, consider it. You never know when your best opportunity might drop into your mailbox- don't turn it down until you've at least thought it over and maybe done a first interview. Take the same chance on us we are taking on you. I have indeed overheard candidates speaking poorly about schools who solicited their application. Poor form, and rather closed minded. Be open to possibilities these next few days, and, stay true to yourself as well. If you are truly geographically limited then say no to that school across the country from where you want to be.
Good luck on Day 1!
The Employer
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Don't say no to opportunities too soon!
No kidding- this one deserved a special little post of it's own. A candidate applied to us less than two weeks ago. Our search committee just met in the past few days and finalized our list of candidates we want to interview at TPE. We made contact with those candidates and invited them to schedule with us. Not an unusual way of going about this endeavor.
Today I received an email from a candidate letting me know how disappointed she was that we took so long to contact her, that clearly our institution didn't move quickly enough for her and that she was withdrawing from our search because she had already been contacted by so many other employers who were clearly more interested in her.
Now- I get it that some of you feel really confident about your candidacy. I understand that someone probably advised her to take this approach in her search. However, please remember that every employer has their own procedures to follow, their own processes, their own preferred approaches. Some of you might not be contacted until you arrive at the placement conference and if you haven't left yourself some time for those opportunities that come close to or while on site, you might just regret it.
Trust the process- and don't say no too quickly!
The Employer
Today I received an email from a candidate letting me know how disappointed she was that we took so long to contact her, that clearly our institution didn't move quickly enough for her and that she was withdrawing from our search because she had already been contacted by so many other employers who were clearly more interested in her.
Now- I get it that some of you feel really confident about your candidacy. I understand that someone probably advised her to take this approach in her search. However, please remember that every employer has their own procedures to follow, their own processes, their own preferred approaches. Some of you might not be contacted until you arrive at the placement conference and if you haven't left yourself some time for those opportunities that come close to or while on site, you might just regret it.
Trust the process- and don't say no too quickly!
The Employer
Let the great adventure begin- from the moment you pack your suitcase!
It doesn't need to be said, yet it needs to be said- you are "on" from the moment you pack your car, pack your suitcase, step foot from your current place of residence and head out for a placement conference. We in student affairs are everywhere, and we don't always wear our profession on our sleeves (ok sometimes we do but not always!) and you never know who that person is you exhibit road rage toward as you drive down the highway headed to Philadelphia, or Baltimore. We are at rest stops, airport lounges, restaurants along the way. We are on your train, your flight, your shuttle to and from the airport. In short- we are everywhere, we are listening, and you just never know who you'll find across from you at your next interview table.
You are ON from the moment you pack your suitcase. Don't forget it, don't slip up, don't assume such familiarity that you drop your professionalism. Do take breaks off by yourself, do find the public library and tuck into a corner to relax alone, do walk through an art gallery or museum- find time to refresh your inner self, rebuild your patience stores, and reflect on everything that is happening at full speed around you.
Think very very carefully about your consumption of alcohol- we see it, rumors spread like wildfire, and you do not want to be the person everyone is talking about the next morning.
Interview teams are given lectures about not talking about candidates anywhere other than at their tables or behind closed doors. You should follow the same practice. I can't tell you how many times I've visited someone in the candidate lounge and heard horrific and immature commentary from candidates about the places they just interviewed. I don't care how fashion forward you might be- don't you dare comment publicly on the attire of an employer or interview team! I've also overheard candidates telling each other who their "safety schools" are, and in once case it was my previous institution and I had no problem letting that institution know not to waste their time any more on that candidate. Lesson learned? I do hope so- don't talk about us publicly and we won't talk about you.
Do not be afraid to look at a nametag- believe me, we are too.
Do not pretend to remember us if we act like we know you- ask us to remind you of who we are, it happens to all of us.
Do not get caught up "selling yourself" so much that you forget what is authentically you and sell a package that is fake- we'll figure it out nearly as fast as our students will if you come to a campus interview.
Do not forget that this is a small small professional world- we know each other, we talk to each other, and if you fib a little about your experiences or how hot you are as a candidate- we find that out too.
Do bring your whole, real, true self. We want to interview YOU- not your supervisor or mentor, not who you hope to be someday- the you who you are today.
And remember- that YOU who we want to get to know, is the you who is on- from the moment you pack your suitcase.
The Employer
You are ON from the moment you pack your suitcase. Don't forget it, don't slip up, don't assume such familiarity that you drop your professionalism. Do take breaks off by yourself, do find the public library and tuck into a corner to relax alone, do walk through an art gallery or museum- find time to refresh your inner self, rebuild your patience stores, and reflect on everything that is happening at full speed around you.
Think very very carefully about your consumption of alcohol- we see it, rumors spread like wildfire, and you do not want to be the person everyone is talking about the next morning.
Interview teams are given lectures about not talking about candidates anywhere other than at their tables or behind closed doors. You should follow the same practice. I can't tell you how many times I've visited someone in the candidate lounge and heard horrific and immature commentary from candidates about the places they just interviewed. I don't care how fashion forward you might be- don't you dare comment publicly on the attire of an employer or interview team! I've also overheard candidates telling each other who their "safety schools" are, and in once case it was my previous institution and I had no problem letting that institution know not to waste their time any more on that candidate. Lesson learned? I do hope so- don't talk about us publicly and we won't talk about you.
Do not be afraid to look at a nametag- believe me, we are too.
Do not pretend to remember us if we act like we know you- ask us to remind you of who we are, it happens to all of us.
Do not get caught up "selling yourself" so much that you forget what is authentically you and sell a package that is fake- we'll figure it out nearly as fast as our students will if you come to a campus interview.
Do not forget that this is a small small professional world- we know each other, we talk to each other, and if you fib a little about your experiences or how hot you are as a candidate- we find that out too.
Do bring your whole, real, true self. We want to interview YOU- not your supervisor or mentor, not who you hope to be someday- the you who you are today.
And remember- that YOU who we want to get to know, is the you who is on- from the moment you pack your suitcase.
The Employer
Monday, February 28, 2011
Your cover letter
This post will be more short and sweet because, well, your cover letter must be short and sweet. Anyone with say five or fewer years of full time (not counting graduate work) experience shouldn't be thinking of submitting a letter longer than one page. Those with several positions on their resume, a couple of institutions you've worked at, and some amazing experiences might get away with a page and a half. No one really (except maybe a VPSA or applicants for Director positions that are beyond the "we're calling this a Director but it's really an entry level position") should have more than a page and a half or so of a cover letter.
Your cover letter should give me an entry point, a peek into who you are, a little more information than what is on your resume. Do not use it to re-list things on your resume. Don't waste too many lines telling me how you found my position posting and why you found yourself compelled to apply for this particular job. Don't write fluff to fill in the space. Do use concise language, strong sentences and tell me what you will and can do, not what you might our could do if you worked for me.
Three paragraphs will do it:
1) If you address the letter to the "Career Counselor Search Committee" then you don't need to tell me again you are applying for the Career Counselor position. If you feel the need to remind me what position you are applying for, the make it short. "Please accept my materials as application for the XXX position." Don't bother telling me where you found it posted- chances are I've posted it in lots of places, and where you found it won't matter to your candidacy. Some employers do collect that information for their search records- if they ask you then tell them but don't waste the space in your cover letter. Your first paragraph should be for to maybe five lines of text at most- give me a strong sentence or two about who you are, what you believe about the work you do, and why once I read your resume I will think you are the best candidate out there.
2) This paragraph is your chance to summarize how you meet the qualifications listed for the position. Do not summarize your resume, recent positions etc. Tell me your philosophy and approach, tell me what skills and strengths you offer, tell me how you fit what we are looking for. That's it- ten to twelve or so lines of text should get the job done.
3) Closing- summarize again for me why you are amazing, what you will bring that is unique or original or just special. Do NOT invite me to interview you, do NOT say anything that sounds desperate nor overconfident. Do let me know if you are a candidate at a placement conference, and tell me if you are not so that I don't have to write you and ask.
This is the place to neatly inform us of any strange things from your resume- you took a year off to travel and do service work in Africa, you left the field to take care of an aging parent who recently passed away, you worked several years in a corporate setting before returning to your true passion which is educating and supporting students- you get the idea. One sentence, explain it, and be done.
The best cover letters do indeed use bullets, summaries, less text, plenty of white space, 11-12 point font, good margins, and show me you can highlight your strengths without falsely pumping yourself up. Be solid, be confident, be strong and you'll be a great candidate.
The Employer
Your cover letter should give me an entry point, a peek into who you are, a little more information than what is on your resume. Do not use it to re-list things on your resume. Don't waste too many lines telling me how you found my position posting and why you found yourself compelled to apply for this particular job. Don't write fluff to fill in the space. Do use concise language, strong sentences and tell me what you will and can do, not what you might our could do if you worked for me.
Three paragraphs will do it:
1) If you address the letter to the "Career Counselor Search Committee" then you don't need to tell me again you are applying for the Career Counselor position. If you feel the need to remind me what position you are applying for, the make it short. "Please accept my materials as application for the XXX position." Don't bother telling me where you found it posted- chances are I've posted it in lots of places, and where you found it won't matter to your candidacy. Some employers do collect that information for their search records- if they ask you then tell them but don't waste the space in your cover letter. Your first paragraph should be for to maybe five lines of text at most- give me a strong sentence or two about who you are, what you believe about the work you do, and why once I read your resume I will think you are the best candidate out there.
2) This paragraph is your chance to summarize how you meet the qualifications listed for the position. Do not summarize your resume, recent positions etc. Tell me your philosophy and approach, tell me what skills and strengths you offer, tell me how you fit what we are looking for. That's it- ten to twelve or so lines of text should get the job done.
3) Closing- summarize again for me why you are amazing, what you will bring that is unique or original or just special. Do NOT invite me to interview you, do NOT say anything that sounds desperate nor overconfident. Do let me know if you are a candidate at a placement conference, and tell me if you are not so that I don't have to write you and ask.
This is the place to neatly inform us of any strange things from your resume- you took a year off to travel and do service work in Africa, you left the field to take care of an aging parent who recently passed away, you worked several years in a corporate setting before returning to your true passion which is educating and supporting students- you get the idea. One sentence, explain it, and be done.
The best cover letters do indeed use bullets, summaries, less text, plenty of white space, 11-12 point font, good margins, and show me you can highlight your strengths without falsely pumping yourself up. Be solid, be confident, be strong and you'll be a great candidate.
The Employer
Monday, February 21, 2011
Your Resume
So the placement conferences are coming at us full speed ahead (TPE is only 17 days away!). You've probably sent out some resumes by now and if not it's perfectly ok, there is still plenty of time!
A few tips for your resume:
1) Lose the "Objective"- it takes up space on your resume, you've already told me your objective in your cover letter, and really we all get it that your objective is to get a job. Way too much time and energy is put into perfecting that one sentence summary of why you are applying, and it's perfectly useless. Remove it.
2) Simplify- make your font easy on the eyes and large enough to read comfortably (lots of us employers need reading glasses so don't make it any harder for us to read). Less than 11 point font is too small, which of course depends on the font you choose- some 11pt is smaller than others.
3) Your name should be fairly large, centered, at the top. Don't do anything fancy here- just put your name. A slightly more unique font is just fine, don't go all crazy with the font- you want me to be able to read and remember your name.
4) Your address and contact information should be one line, centered, under your name and in a smaller font. As I've said before you should have an email that is NOT your current work email, and you should NOT use your current work phone number! Don't waste space by stacking your contact information like an address label- it's virtually unimportant but still necessary so don't waste the space. If you are a current grad or in a live-in position consider using a PO box instead of any possible residence hall address. It's easier to forward from a PO box should you receive any mail from employers once your assistantship has ended, and you spare yourself from your (sometimes nosy) mail sorters seeing all your mail from employers as well.
5) I like the dates down the right side of your resume. I get it- not everyone prefers that, and as I've said before all employers have our own preferences. However, having your dates down the right side of your page allows my eye to flow easily and find them all without searching. Don't make me search for information! I am reading hundreds of applications a year, sometimes a hundred in a week- you do the math, if I'm trying to read a hundred applications on top of my regular work load I don't have time to dig deeply to find information, make it easy for me! Tab your dates of employment to the right column and I know where to find them, bury them in lines of text and my brain skips right over them.
6) Get your GPA off your resume- it absolutely does not matter any more. It didn't matter once you got into graduate school and it matters even less now. I can't tell if you will be an amazing area coordinator by your 3.75 gpa in undergrad...and if you don't have a 4.0 in grad school then don't tell me otherwise! Deans list- doesn't matter, Magna Cum Laude- doesn't matter. Sorry to tell you- but get it off your resume and gain back some blank space.
7) Blank space- be sure there is some of it! Too much text, too many bullets, too much bold and italic- curses of the blank space. We all know the trick of shrinking the font and the margins so you can squeeze in one more line- don't do it. I am much more likely to read deeply a resume that allows for breaks for my eyes and my brain.
8) Cut it down- seriously seriously down. We use far too many words to try to tell our story. Resumes that are text heavy hurt my eyes. The ones that are loaded with too much text I have a gut reaction to- pretentious. Who do you think you are to have to cram that much onto a resume- seriously, did you do that much amazing work in grad school or in your first RD position? I doubt it. In fact, I have yet to see a resume from anyone where they loaded it with too much text and I thought "wow, this is a rock star candidate". The best resume's I've seen use a few strong words that capture the experience, skills or competency gained. I'm a wordy person, but not on my resume.
9) Undergrad be gone! Unless you are a current undergraduate student applying for a bachelors level position- your undergraduate experiences have no place on your resume. Get them off- they don't matter any more! Ok- one caveat- you might have done something incredible as an undergrad (internship with the Chancellor, attended ACUHO-I's Stars College or the Student SJTI experience for example) and if so, give it one line of text at the end of your resume somewhere among the awards, presentations, professional involvement section. It should NOT warrant it's own subset of information with multiple bullets. Nothing from undergrad is that great- cut it and show what you've done since.
10) Your resume should be no more than two pages at the very very very most. If you are asked for a Vitae then it can and should be longer, a cover letter and resume package should contain no more than four total pages: cover letter (1 page), resume (no more than 2 pages), references (1 page). The less professional experience you have, the shorter it should be (I have around 20 very full years in student affairs and my resume is still only 2 pages long). I know you think you need to tell us everything about you in your cover letter and resume- not true. Give us a taste, tell us the important things, and then tell us more in your interview.
11) Use strong powerful words- catch my attention. I am often scanning resume's for words that meet our scoring rubric. If you've supervised, advised, developed and implemented, chaired, trained and so on then tell me that first. I am surprised by how many soft sentences are lobbed my way "had the opportunity to collaborate with my peers to supervise 8 student workers". Really?! I see nothing strong there- instead how about "Supervised 8 student employees in a team oriented highly collaborative work environment". Strong words up front.
12) Talk competencies- it's the hot new thing. All the national associations have competency models now- read them, and use that language in your cover letter and resume. We like competencies. It means you are already trained and have some skill in areas we are looking for. It means you'll be able to come in and get right to work without a lot of micromanaging supervision. Tell us that- competent in supervision of a highly diverse staff, competent in student judicial processes including educational sanctioning and peer review boards, competent in admininstrative tasks including room assignments, occupancy, budget management and program tracking. You get the idea, but don't overdo it- every line on your resume shouldn't start with "competent in".
13) Watch the position posting and use their words. Most postings give you clues about what we are looking for. We might do it in the minimum and preferred qualification sections, or the language we use in our summary of the position. Regardless you will see from our language what we prioritize in our candidates. Your job is to tell me how you fulfill them best. I can't read your mind, nor can I assume anything from your materials. If you don't tell me you've done extensive work to develop as a strong advisor, or even that you have experience advising a student organization then well, I can't assume it. If my position listings specifically indicate that candidates with experience supervising full time staff are preferred then you have got to tell me that the Coordinator of Student Activities you supervised was full-time or a graduate student. Spell it out- we give you as many hints as we can as to what we are looking for, it's tragic if you have the skills and experiences but don't tell us.
14) Everyone is looking for people who can work with diversity. This is not news, so whatever you have done, tell us, and tell us up front. Don't bury it at the end- if you've done a lot of trainings and presentations on racism in the LGBT community then you have GOT to put that in your cover letter, not at the end of page 2 in your "presentations" section! We are looking for it, so spell it out for us. If the only thing you have is a class you took, then you'd better tell us how that class impacted your work with students and what you've learned since and what you plan to do about it. (Note to self- if all you can say about your diversity experience is you took a class you are in serious trouble. You'd better think critically about why this is, what opportunities have you missed, how have you maintained your own ignorance to issues of diversity, inclusion, and justice? I can guarantee you'll be asked about it by someone. Do what you can to fix this problem now and in your next few years' of work).
Until next time,
The Employer
A few tips for your resume:
1) Lose the "Objective"- it takes up space on your resume, you've already told me your objective in your cover letter, and really we all get it that your objective is to get a job. Way too much time and energy is put into perfecting that one sentence summary of why you are applying, and it's perfectly useless. Remove it.
2) Simplify- make your font easy on the eyes and large enough to read comfortably (lots of us employers need reading glasses so don't make it any harder for us to read). Less than 11 point font is too small, which of course depends on the font you choose- some 11pt is smaller than others.
3) Your name should be fairly large, centered, at the top. Don't do anything fancy here- just put your name. A slightly more unique font is just fine, don't go all crazy with the font- you want me to be able to read and remember your name.
4) Your address and contact information should be one line, centered, under your name and in a smaller font. As I've said before you should have an email that is NOT your current work email, and you should NOT use your current work phone number! Don't waste space by stacking your contact information like an address label- it's virtually unimportant but still necessary so don't waste the space. If you are a current grad or in a live-in position consider using a PO box instead of any possible residence hall address. It's easier to forward from a PO box should you receive any mail from employers once your assistantship has ended, and you spare yourself from your (sometimes nosy) mail sorters seeing all your mail from employers as well.
5) I like the dates down the right side of your resume. I get it- not everyone prefers that, and as I've said before all employers have our own preferences. However, having your dates down the right side of your page allows my eye to flow easily and find them all without searching. Don't make me search for information! I am reading hundreds of applications a year, sometimes a hundred in a week- you do the math, if I'm trying to read a hundred applications on top of my regular work load I don't have time to dig deeply to find information, make it easy for me! Tab your dates of employment to the right column and I know where to find them, bury them in lines of text and my brain skips right over them.
6) Get your GPA off your resume- it absolutely does not matter any more. It didn't matter once you got into graduate school and it matters even less now. I can't tell if you will be an amazing area coordinator by your 3.75 gpa in undergrad...and if you don't have a 4.0 in grad school then don't tell me otherwise! Deans list- doesn't matter, Magna Cum Laude- doesn't matter. Sorry to tell you- but get it off your resume and gain back some blank space.
7) Blank space- be sure there is some of it! Too much text, too many bullets, too much bold and italic- curses of the blank space. We all know the trick of shrinking the font and the margins so you can squeeze in one more line- don't do it. I am much more likely to read deeply a resume that allows for breaks for my eyes and my brain.
8) Cut it down- seriously seriously down. We use far too many words to try to tell our story. Resumes that are text heavy hurt my eyes. The ones that are loaded with too much text I have a gut reaction to- pretentious. Who do you think you are to have to cram that much onto a resume- seriously, did you do that much amazing work in grad school or in your first RD position? I doubt it. In fact, I have yet to see a resume from anyone where they loaded it with too much text and I thought "wow, this is a rock star candidate". The best resume's I've seen use a few strong words that capture the experience, skills or competency gained. I'm a wordy person, but not on my resume.
9) Undergrad be gone! Unless you are a current undergraduate student applying for a bachelors level position- your undergraduate experiences have no place on your resume. Get them off- they don't matter any more! Ok- one caveat- you might have done something incredible as an undergrad (internship with the Chancellor, attended ACUHO-I's Stars College or the Student SJTI experience for example) and if so, give it one line of text at the end of your resume somewhere among the awards, presentations, professional involvement section. It should NOT warrant it's own subset of information with multiple bullets. Nothing from undergrad is that great- cut it and show what you've done since.
10) Your resume should be no more than two pages at the very very very most. If you are asked for a Vitae then it can and should be longer, a cover letter and resume package should contain no more than four total pages: cover letter (1 page), resume (no more than 2 pages), references (1 page). The less professional experience you have, the shorter it should be (I have around 20 very full years in student affairs and my resume is still only 2 pages long). I know you think you need to tell us everything about you in your cover letter and resume- not true. Give us a taste, tell us the important things, and then tell us more in your interview.
11) Use strong powerful words- catch my attention. I am often scanning resume's for words that meet our scoring rubric. If you've supervised, advised, developed and implemented, chaired, trained and so on then tell me that first. I am surprised by how many soft sentences are lobbed my way "had the opportunity to collaborate with my peers to supervise 8 student workers". Really?! I see nothing strong there- instead how about "Supervised 8 student employees in a team oriented highly collaborative work environment". Strong words up front.
12) Talk competencies- it's the hot new thing. All the national associations have competency models now- read them, and use that language in your cover letter and resume. We like competencies. It means you are already trained and have some skill in areas we are looking for. It means you'll be able to come in and get right to work without a lot of micromanaging supervision. Tell us that- competent in supervision of a highly diverse staff, competent in student judicial processes including educational sanctioning and peer review boards, competent in admininstrative tasks including room assignments, occupancy, budget management and program tracking. You get the idea, but don't overdo it- every line on your resume shouldn't start with "competent in".
13) Watch the position posting and use their words. Most postings give you clues about what we are looking for. We might do it in the minimum and preferred qualification sections, or the language we use in our summary of the position. Regardless you will see from our language what we prioritize in our candidates. Your job is to tell me how you fulfill them best. I can't read your mind, nor can I assume anything from your materials. If you don't tell me you've done extensive work to develop as a strong advisor, or even that you have experience advising a student organization then well, I can't assume it. If my position listings specifically indicate that candidates with experience supervising full time staff are preferred then you have got to tell me that the Coordinator of Student Activities you supervised was full-time or a graduate student. Spell it out- we give you as many hints as we can as to what we are looking for, it's tragic if you have the skills and experiences but don't tell us.
14) Everyone is looking for people who can work with diversity. This is not news, so whatever you have done, tell us, and tell us up front. Don't bury it at the end- if you've done a lot of trainings and presentations on racism in the LGBT community then you have GOT to put that in your cover letter, not at the end of page 2 in your "presentations" section! We are looking for it, so spell it out for us. If the only thing you have is a class you took, then you'd better tell us how that class impacted your work with students and what you've learned since and what you plan to do about it. (Note to self- if all you can say about your diversity experience is you took a class you are in serious trouble. You'd better think critically about why this is, what opportunities have you missed, how have you maintained your own ignorance to issues of diversity, inclusion, and justice? I can guarantee you'll be asked about it by someone. Do what you can to fix this problem now and in your next few years' of work).
Until next time,
The Employer
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
What to do with breaks in your job history
I know I said my next post would be about cover letters and resume formatting, this however has arisen several times in the past few weeks and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to comment.
By breaks in your job history I mean of course those periods of time when you were not working, or were not working in a Student Affairs position (but were a barista, a server, a Target Cashier for example). Get it off your resume, but explain it in one or two lines of your cover letter. Unless you are going to try and claim that your time serving pancakes has helped you develop into a better supervisor, advisor, administrator or teacher, and trust me that would be a serious stretch, I don't need to see it on your resume. We all know that times are tough in the job market and that there are fewer and fewer positions to move up to after your first entry level job. We get it that life happens and you fall in love, fall out of love, deal with ill and ailing parents and so on. You are human, we are human- employers get it- so just tell us. Explain it succinctly in a line in your cover letter, and get your part-time gig off your resume.
Poorly done- folks who feel the need to take five bullets on their resume to explain in detail their responsibilities as a barista. Yes, seriously- five bullets to tell me you made a lot of drinks (I believe they said something about being able to multitask in a fast paced environment while retaining large amounts of ever changing information- translation- made lots of coffee drinks). Creative, sure, necessary- nope. If for some reason you don't heed my advice and absolutely must put these jobs on your resume please keep it simple, don't pad it to make it look like more than it was, and have someone review it before you submit. You make yourself look foolish, and make me wonder if you think I'm a fool- so keep it simple and if you can, cut it all together.
Examples I have seen recently that are well written:
"As you can see from my resume I have taken some time off from student affairs work (between XXX and XXX years)in order to care for an elderly parent who recently passed away."
"Upon finishing graduate school, while I continued my job search, I worked several part time positions near my home, none of which were in Student Affairs."
"After leaving the field in 2007 to pursue an interest in business, I realized my true fulfillment is working with college aged students and thus am returning to the profession at this time." (Note- when asked, this person's "business interest" was working at Target, but they sure framed it nicely didn't they!)
Next up- I promise we'll talk about cover letters and resumes. Until then- happy searching!
The Employer
By breaks in your job history I mean of course those periods of time when you were not working, or were not working in a Student Affairs position (but were a barista, a server, a Target Cashier for example). Get it off your resume, but explain it in one or two lines of your cover letter. Unless you are going to try and claim that your time serving pancakes has helped you develop into a better supervisor, advisor, administrator or teacher, and trust me that would be a serious stretch, I don't need to see it on your resume. We all know that times are tough in the job market and that there are fewer and fewer positions to move up to after your first entry level job. We get it that life happens and you fall in love, fall out of love, deal with ill and ailing parents and so on. You are human, we are human- employers get it- so just tell us. Explain it succinctly in a line in your cover letter, and get your part-time gig off your resume.
Poorly done- folks who feel the need to take five bullets on their resume to explain in detail their responsibilities as a barista. Yes, seriously- five bullets to tell me you made a lot of drinks (I believe they said something about being able to multitask in a fast paced environment while retaining large amounts of ever changing information- translation- made lots of coffee drinks). Creative, sure, necessary- nope. If for some reason you don't heed my advice and absolutely must put these jobs on your resume please keep it simple, don't pad it to make it look like more than it was, and have someone review it before you submit. You make yourself look foolish, and make me wonder if you think I'm a fool- so keep it simple and if you can, cut it all together.
Examples I have seen recently that are well written:
"As you can see from my resume I have taken some time off from student affairs work (between XXX and XXX years)in order to care for an elderly parent who recently passed away."
"Upon finishing graduate school, while I continued my job search, I worked several part time positions near my home, none of which were in Student Affairs."
"After leaving the field in 2007 to pursue an interest in business, I realized my true fulfillment is working with college aged students and thus am returning to the profession at this time." (Note- when asked, this person's "business interest" was working at Target, but they sure framed it nicely didn't they!)
Next up- I promise we'll talk about cover letters and resumes. Until then- happy searching!
The Employer
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