Non Academic Resume and Cover Letter Workshop by Dr. Karen ...

Non Academic Resume and Cover Letter Workshop

Dr. Karen KelskyWith Dr. Darcy Hannibal and Dr. Maggie Gover

of The Professor Is Inwww.theprofessorisin.com

Welcome!Plan for today’s workshop:• Where to find job postings• The applicant sorting process• The importance of building a professional network• Resume elements• Tailoring the resume• The cover letter• Common job application mistakes to avoid• Additional information and help for your job search

@professorisin Academic job seekers: [email protected] Non academic job seekers: [email protected]

A Word of Self-Introduction

I was on tenure track (UO, UIUC); Anthro and E. Asian StudiesGot tenure; became Department HeadLeft the academy in 2009In 2010 I started The Professor Is In (theprofessorisin.com)What I do for a living: I work directly with clients (almost 4000 so

far) on cover letters, CVs, teaching statements, postdoc applications, job talks, book proposals, grants, etc.; also Interview Preparation and Negotiation Help; I lead online webinars; I write a weekly advice column for Chronicle Vitae, I speak on campuses. I run a post-academic wing with a team of advisors, and I have written a book.

@professorisin [email protected]

The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. Into a Job

Covers the competitive record, search committee psychology, job documents, interviews, campus visit, job talks, negotiating, as well as grant-writing, and the post-academic transition.


Post-Ac Contributor IntroductionTPII Post-Ac Consultant Darcy Hannibal, Ph.D.• Social science and science background• 2.5 years adjuncting and running a data consulting business• 2011-2015: Project Scientist Staff job at a research center

at UC Davis.• Laboratory Manager for a large NIH-funded research lab• Hiring and supervision of PhD lab staff

TPII Post-Ac Consultant Maggie Gover, Ph.D.• Ph.D. Communications• Director of Graduate Student Professional Development,

UC Riverside


If You Live Tweet:

#HWWPhD16


Non-Ac Transition is Brutally Hard

Academia is more than a job; it’s a way of lifeAcademia is also an identityAcademia is also a cult-like environment

The value judgments are rigid and unyielding

Leaving the cult means cutting deep roots and community


Think Like an Entrepreneur

“Graduate students need to apply to their career preparation the same entrepreneurial spirit they apply to their academic research. By thinking more like an entrepreneur… and less like an apprentice, graduate students can better prepare themselves for a range of fulfilling and meaningful careers.” ~

James M. Van Wyck, IHE 1/26/16


Whydoacademics feelwehaveno skills?*

We’re identified by our narrow knowledge (expertise) rather than our broad competencies

Our skills are obscured by CV categoriesWe spend all our time with people

who have similar skillsFeedback focuses on critique,

not affirmationSurrounded by know-it-alls.

Margy Horton, editor, founder ScholarShape; in Targeting Your Skills for a Post-Ac Career (TPII webinar); image from Ph.D. Comics


Where to Find Job PostingsGeneral• LinkedIn.com• Indeed.com• Idealist.org

Geographic limitations• Use location and mile radius filters on the general sites• Target key employers in your area

• Regularly check their job postings

Industry or field specific• This will take some research on your part


Applying to Jobs through Ads Alone• To get from a pool of 50-100 or more, to a long short list

of <15 requires a project of rejection.• The sorting:

1. 3-5 for interviews2. <10 to consider if the above don’t work3. No

• Their bias is to REJECT.

• Bottom Line: If you don’t grab and hold them in the first 6 seconds, you’re toast.


Applying to Jobs through Contacts• The hiring manager is hoping their contacts will provide

an already vetted and low risk hire

• In a pool with many unknown candidates, those with known recommenders will get more individual attention and often a first look.

• “Does this person seem as good as Joe Schmooze tells me she/he is?”

• Their bias is to VERIFY.

• This also gives you leeway to break some resume rules


Means To a Job• A solid resume and cover letter are necessary, but not sufficient• You Need a Network of Professional Contacts. • Today we will work on your resume and CL, but don’t rely on this

alone• Start building your network now

• LinkedIn• Who do you know (who knows someone) in the industry you’re

transitioning too• Professional organizations and meetings• Informational interviews with people in your targeted post-ac area

• Ask them about their experience, their path, and what makes people successful in this field (do not ask for a job)


What is a Resume?*

A marketing document introducing your skills to a potential employer

Identify employer and position needsDescribe how your background makes

you uniquely suited to fulfill these needsDo so in a way that is reader friendly

*Contributed by Maggie Gover, Director of Professional Placement, UC Riverside, TPII Postac Expert

The Resume• Develop a “master resume” as an inventory of your experience

and skills, but never submit this to a job• Resumes for jobs will be reduced to:

• Include only experience and skills relevant to the specific job• Use terms in the job ad

• Short sections with breaks between them• 1-2 pages maximum (shorter is better)

• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)• A computer or human using the ATS will do the first cull• Very error prone and easily thrown off by formatting

irregularities• Follow the rules to avoid an early cull!


Resume Elements• In the following order with simple font and clear headings:

• Name and contact information• Include LinkedIn profile URL

• Work Experience• Education

• Other optional elements:• Certifications• Skills list (only list those relevant and evident in work

experience)• The order reflects the importance of these elements

• One common mistake is to put a skills or summary section at the top

Pro-tip for rule breakers: Check out Five Resume Rules You’ll be Glad You Broke by Liz Ryan of the Human Workplace


A Recent Real Life Job Ad


Job Ad Word CloudFree web tool you can paste job ad word into at: http://www.wordclouds.com/


Our Fictional Post-Academic Job Applicant


Work Experience


Education


Skills• Only list those evident in your work experience and relevant to the

job ad• Do not put it at the top.


Language-Communication

○ Described ○ Wrote○ Interviewed ○ Listened○ Edited ○ Expressed○ Interpreted ○ Facilitated○ Negotiated ○ Persuaded○ Presented


Language – Research and Planning

• Predicted ○ Extracted ○ Created ○ Defined○ Theorized ○ Developed ○ Identified ○ Calculated○ Imagined ○ Organized ○ Gathered○ Set Deadlines ○ Solved ○ Analyzed ○ Set Goals ○ Assessed


Language-Human Relations

o Developed relationships ○ Cooperated○ Delegated ○ Sensitively… ○ Represented○ Conveyed ○ Asserted ○ Provided ○ Enlisted○ Motivatedo Shared o Counseled


Language--Management

o Initiated ○ Sold ○ Handled○ Made Decisions ○ Coordinated○ Managed Conflict ○ Managed○ Implemented ○ Taught○ Enforced ○ Coached○ Attended (to) ○ Advised○ Met (goals, quotas) ○ Promoted


Another Example of CV to Resume Transition….

Specific Job

The Student Wellness Center (SWC) at the University ofSeattle is seeking a full-time Mental Health Educator.The Mental Health Educator is the main liaison betweenthe Student Wellness Center and the CounselingCenter. The MHE is responsible for Assessing the efficacy

of mental health programming for the campus’s 8,000 students; Planning and implementing mental health programs; Supervising student peer groups; Maintaining an annual programming budget of $45,000; Reporting mental health outcomes to the Dean of Students, the SWC and the Counseling Center

Omit…• References until after you’ve been interviewed• Names of advisors, committee members, profs you TA’d for, etc. • Possibly: Career goal statement • Summary or profile statement (Unnecessary, wastes real estate,

does not showcase your qualifications)• Do include this at the top of your LinkedIn profile

• Elevator description of who you are as a professional.• Publications section

• These get summarized as a bullet in the relevant work experience, IF RELEVANT

• Pictures, graphics, borders, special paper


The Cover Letter• These get even less attention than the resume

• 1 to 1.5 pages• Shorter is better• Short paragraphs, with clear breaks in between them

• If applying over email, the email is your cover letter, so don’t attach one separately

• Do your research on the employer and have something to say about what you can do for them

• Do your best to find out who the hiring manager is and address it to them• Public institutions often try to make this impossible

.@professorisin [email protected]

Elements of the Cover Letter• Salutation• Paragraph 1: Who you are professionally, what you can

do for them, why you are interested in the job and/or employer. Limit to 3-4 sentences at most.

• Paragraph 2: How will you or can meet the most critical duty or qualification for this hire, as you have identified it either through your conversations with the hiring supervisor or a careful read of the job description.


Elements of the Cover Letter

• Paragraph 3 (possibly 4): Point them to the evidence in your resume that you have the experience to get the major duties of the job done. • If you can cover it in just one paragraph, then don’t

add a fourth.• Closing paragraph. Keep this very short, 2-3 sentences. If

you have nothing more to cover that wasn’t in the previous paragraphs, then simply say how it would be a pleasure to join their team and you look forward to learning more about the position and their organization.

The Cover Letter

• Traditional: Connect your resume to the job ad• Interpret the evidence in your resume

• Problem focused:• Requires you figure out what is most important to

them, what problem can you solve• What is their “business pain” and how can you sooth it

• Limit emotional language (“enthusiastic,” “passionate,” etc) • 1x each in opening, middle, and closing paragraphs is

a good limit

Traditional Cover Letter Approach• The resume is the evidence; your cover letter interprets that

evidence• Explicitly and succinctly connect your skills and

accomplishments to the employer’s needs.• Example: “My success obtaining $##K through X granting

institution gives me the experience to fund Eco-Cool Nonprofit’s projects.”

• To keep it to a page you probably can’t cover every qualification in the job ad.• Prioritize the most advanced, talent-dependent, hard-to-

train, or rare qualifications.


Traditional Cover Letter Example• Jane contacted the hiring manager

• Social and economic news content areas they want to expand.

• Focused on this in 2nd paragraph• Two broad skills areas:

• Content Editing and Writing: focus of 3rd paragraph

• Advanced Spanish Language skills: focus of 4th paragraph

• Do not sign and scan in your cover letter.

• It is not needed• The scanned signature can through off the

ATS• If the text is not searchable, you just made

it harder for the hiring manager to scan your letter.


Problem Focused Cover Letter Approach

What can you do to meet a specific need or problem facing the employer? • In the business world, the overused phrase for an unsolved

problem or unmet need is “pain point.” • Can you identify what “pain” they need soothed and make

this central to your cover letter?• Find the pain by doing your research or thinking about

universal and vexing problems for that field.• For public sector jobs this might be impossible since

your ability to contact them is usually limited• Liz Ryan of the “The Human Workplace calls them “pain

letters” and if done well, effective.


Problem Focused Cover Letter Example• Never more than a page• Opening paragraph is simply a “hook”

• Jane has done her homework• Second paragraph

• Jane understands the major problem or “pain” the job must solve or “sooth”.

• Third paragraph• Jane has done this before and got results.

• Closing is simply an invitation to talk more.• Stick strictly to this format and keep short

when:• There is no job posting to apply to, but

you know this person is the hiring manager for potential future jobs.

• Use this format or hybridize with traditional format when:

• Applying to a job posting


Brainstorming for Body Paragraphs

Connection between yourself and this particular company:Why are you interested in this company? Have

you worked, interned, or had interactions with this company in the past?

What is interesting to you about this particular job?What is unique about you that this employer might

find valuable?

Brainstorming for Body Paragraphs

Explaining weaknessIf there are gaps in your resume, why are they

there?Are you changing careers? Why? What are you

hoping to find in this next career?

The “overqualified” issue…. Not what you think.

The Most Common Mistakes Applicants Make

1. Graphics and borders2. Overdone formatting that makes the resume busy and too

precious3. Telling, Not showing4. Too much irrelevant content5. Too much detail6. Too long7. Talk about yourself and your interests too much8. Letterhead—usually not appropriate9. Self-selecting out and not applying because you don’t fit the

job ad 100%@professorisin [email protected]

Guides for Your Job Documents

The Post-Ac’s Guide the Resume at: http://theprofessorisin.com/2016/04/18/the-post-acs-guide-

to-the-resume/The Post-Ac’s Guide to the Cover Letter at:http://theprofessorisin.com/2016/05/31/the-post-acs-guide-

to-the-cover-letter/Watch for regular blog post by TPII post-ac consultants at:

http://theprofessorisin.com/pearlsofwisdom/An upcoming guide to building your professional network

will be posted soon.


Thank You!

And best of luck on the market….


Work With Us

1) Individual editing of your job documents (schedule with a post-ac consultant at: [email protected]

2) LinkedIn profile review and editing3) Help you identify your skills and accomplishments4) Post-academic/Out-academic transition5) And so much more

1) A full list of services can be found at: http://theprofessorisin.com/post-ac-services/

2) Consultant profiles can be found at: http://theprofessorisin.com/the-post-ac-team/


“The DIY Career”*

“Good jobs” are going extinct. Consider the DIY/Entrepreneur route.

Think of your interests/hobbies/obsessions that make time disappear. Reach back into past. What work have you done that can be refashioned and applied to other fields? Don’t censor.

What real-life problems do these skills solve?

Can you monetize these skills?

Manage risk by starting small: a side gig during evenings and weekends.

*Josh Boldt, Chronicle Vitae@professorisin [email protected]

From Identity to Skills: My Case

Skills (partial list):Japanese language WritingJapanese cultural expertise EditingAnalysis Public speakingEthnography Social media

But Also Hobbies: Japanese paper crafting

And Weird Obsessions: The job market and professionalization


My Jewelry Business


The Improvisational Element

My jewelry business didn’t make much money.But….It freed my mind from the academic cultIt taught me:• How to build a website• How to run Paypal• How to set rates and deal with money• How to market and advertise• How to think like an entrepreneur

Meanwhile, working part time at UO McNair Program… @professorisin [email protected]

Putting It Together

Skill growth from McNair Program work: Graduate student professionalization and the job search

Real-World Problem: The jobs crisis in academia

Aptitude: Independent, risk-taker

Acquired Skill (from jewelry): Running an online business

Linkage: Business offering job market help@professorisin [email protected]

What’s Stopping You?

Boldt: Fear? Procrastination? Time?

Karen: Academics are risk-averse and tied to institutional validation; validate yourself.

"If you can only conceive of yourself as a professor, then you have condemned your labor to the mercy and whims of others” (Nate Kreuter, Inside Higher Ed)

Beware shame--your own and others’ shaming based on the rigid value judgments of the academy


“When You Go on the Non-Academic Job Market”

When in Academia Tumblr 1/14/14

But, it doesn’t have to be this way…@professorisin [email protected]

Non Academic Resume and Cover Letter Workshop by Dr. Karen ...

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