4/18/2014
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The artful resume Dr. Joseph Barber [email protected]
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PLEASE NOTE:
This is an abridged version of the Artful Resume workshop that has been shortened and formatted for use as a handout. If you did not attend this program, but are
interested in the full content, then we look forward to seeing you the next time it is presented.
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The artful resume
A resume that paints a clear, concise, and compelling picture in the mind of the reader about what you can do, and how you do it
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University of Pennsylvania
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4/18/2014
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What we’ll cover
• How information is transferred and processed with submitted resumes (& during the interview process)
• Areas of miscommunication and misinterpretation in resume writing and reading
• How and why different people see the same types of information sometimes very differently
• How to verbalize and illustrate with more clarity the skills, experience, and knowledge you want to share
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YOU EMPLOYER
Are you communicating effectively?
RESUME
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YOU EMPLOYER
• Your descriptions do not match what you actually did • You are describing tasks not skills • You are assuming a common knowledge of experience • Your language is problematic (unclear, jargon, too specific)
RESUME
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University of Pennsylvania
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YOU EMPLOYER
• Your statements are misinterpreted • The reader pictures something different than you do • There is no shared contextual experience • The reader does not understand what is written
RESUME
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YOU EMPLOYER
INTERVIEW
Still opportunities for miscommunication and misinterpretation
Direct communication provides ability to address the issue
There is feedback
FEEDBACK
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University of Pennsylvania
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4/18/2014
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YOU EMPLOYER
I identified and creatively solved a longstanding scientific problem!
Real-time tailoring of language/examples used to promote understanding
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R
E
S
U
M
E
S
INTERPRETING YOUR
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YOU
“Assisted in 2 conferences”
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University of Pennsylvania
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4/18/2014
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YOU
“Assisted in 2 conferences”
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YOU
“Assisted in 2 conferences”
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EMPLOYER
Assisted in 2 conferences
“Assisted in 2 conferences”
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University of Pennsylvania
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#1 • Employers only have what you write • Employers cannot fill in any of the gaps • Employers cannot imagine you doing
anything you haven’t mentioned
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What employers are looking for
• Someone who can do the job
• Someone who understands their unique needs
• Someone who can speak the language
• Someone who fits
• Someone who can communicate
• Relevant keywords
• An excuse to put your application in the “no” pile
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What employers are looking for
• Someone who can do the job
• Someone who understands their unique needs
• Someone who can speak the language
• Someone who fits
• Someone who can communicate
• Relevant keywords
• An excuse to put your application in the “no” pile
And also…
• A way to interpret your experiences and skills using their own experiences and perspectives
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#2 • People often see the same type of
information differently • People understand what they see/read
using their personal and professional experiences
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WHY
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YOUR BRAIN
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbKw0_v2clo
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University of Pennsylvania
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4/18/2014
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Challenges to overcome
1. Miscommunication based on personal experiences and perspectives of the reader/observer
2. The brain’s ability to interpret the same information differently, incorrectly, or creatively
3. The difficulty accurately describing what you do
SOLUTIONS:
• Understanding our internal perspectives better
• Managing visual perceptions to focus on what is actually there so others can see exactly what you see
• Effectively communicating what we see/do
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COMMUNICATING WHAT YOU SEE to communicate what you do
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Similar v. Different
• About:
– Two separate internships
– Research projects
– Collaborations
– Research techniques
– Volunteer experiences
– Your role in teams
– PhD v. postdoc
– Classes you have taught
• Each different experience can be used to describe different skills and experiences – not the same
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University of Pennsylvania
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Think about context
• Context includes
– Where things are in space
– When events occur in time
– What the general environment involves
– Information needed to imagine oneself there in time and space
• No context
– Developed and planned student programs
– Collaborated with team as part of a student project
– Presented paper at conference
– Identified problem with research approach and communicated findings to supervisor
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Real-world resume challenge
The challenge you face is making the picture that someone draws of you in their mind, after having read
your resume, be the one you want them to have
RESUME = NOT
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DESCRIBING YOURSELF
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University of Pennsylvania
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Self-portraits
• Objective form and features that can still be described and interpreted differently
– A different vision for different environments or moods
– Certain key aspects often remain much the same
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Abstractism to realism
• Can we use the same approach for our skills and experiences?
– Do we have core elements that stay the same and aspects that can change depending on how we want to present ourselves?
– Are there different ways to look at your skills depending on context?
– Can you use different language to help your experiences seem relevant to others who have different perspectives?
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Skill self portraits
• What do you see when you look at yourself/your work
– Not feel
– Not think
• What skills do you see when you think about yourself and your experiences?
• How can you illustrate your:
– Leadership
– Communication
– Creativity
– Initiative
Others do not have access to these inner states, and won’t be able to share these experiences
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– Team work
– Problem solving
– Project management
– Strategic thinking
University of Pennsylvania
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4/18/2014
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YOU
Minimizing confusion by painting a clear picture of your skills in action
Being clear, specific, illustrative, and relevant 31
Matching skills and job requirements
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Avoid the generic
Job ad states You state Problem…
Effective communication
I’m a great communicator
Does this illustrate communication?
Team player I’ve worked in several teams
With who, why, how, to what end?
Ability to problem solve
I encountered many problems with research and addressed them
What is your problem-solving approach?
Leadership I have been co-chair of this organization
What do you mean by leadership?
Passionate I am passionate about helping people
Can you help others experience this?
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University of Pennsylvania
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1 = leadership; 2 = teamwork; 3 = problem-solving; 4 = communication; 5 = analysis
1 1 1 1
1
1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1 1
1
1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1 1
1
1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1
2 2 2
2 2
2 2 2 2
2 2 2
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2 2 2 2
2 2
2 2
2 2 2 2
2 2
4 4
3 3 3 3
3 3
3 3 3 3 3
5 5 5
5 5 5
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5 5 5 5 5 5 5
5 5
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1 = leadership; 2 = teamwork; 3 = problem-solving; 4 = communication; 5 = analysis
1 1 1 1
1
1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1 1
1
1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1 1
1
1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1
2 2 2
2 2
2 2 2 2
2 2 2
2
2 2 2 2
2 2
2 2
2 2 2 2
2 2
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3 3 3 3
3 3
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5 5 5
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5 5
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Generic, unspecific description of skill
Pros: Using keywords from the job ad
Cons: Using same keywords as many other applicants
1 = leadership; 2 = teamwork; 3 = problem-solving; 4 = communication; 5 = analysis
University of Pennsylvania
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1 = leadership; 2 = teamwork; 3 = problem-solving; 4 = communication; 5 = analysis
Illustration of skill in action, and unique to you
1 = leadership; 2 = teamwork; 3 = problem-solving; 4 = communication; 5 = analysis
Words to avoid when being descriptive
• Assist
• Participate
• Attend
• Responsible for
• Duties include
• Helped
• Taught
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University of Pennsylvania
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Assisted in…
• Assisted in program planning and implementation
– Planned and implemented 3 neighbourhood public outreach projects by assisting the program manager in all aspects of project development.
• Assisted professor in book research
– Completed review of 170 journal papers on inflammatory disease mechanisms, and communicated a summary of findings to professor within two weeks
• Assisted executive director for two months
– Assisted executive director by scheduling appointments and updating contact list of donors.
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Participated in…
• Participated in training for website management
– Gained hands-on knowledge of content management system by participating on online training courses
• Participated in student team project
– Coordinated team member work schedules and task as part of a 5-member student team project developing a new planning report
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Attended…
• Attended two conferences
– Sought out subject matter experts at conference, resulting in one on-going international research collaboration
– Networked with researchers from engineering, biomedical, and social science disciplines to explore future research goals
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University of Pennsylvania
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Always relevant skills
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Project management
• Quick learning
• These cannot just be listed as fact
– Facts = PowerPoint, Word, SPSS, arcGIS, Spanish, Mandarin
– Skills need to be illustrated with the right “doing” words and enough context to make it all make sense
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LEADERSHIP What are commonalities of leadership experiences
Strategic vision, effective communication, goals and outcomes, identifying expertise in others, getting people motivated
What are leadership experiences?
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PROBLEM-SOLVING
• Seeing the problem first
• Developing creative solutions individually or as a team
• Utilizing resources (knowledge, equipment, people)
• Problems:
– Department
– Lab work
– Research
– People issues
– Committees
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University of Pennsylvania
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4/18/2014
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RESOURCES
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guides
RESOURCES
CV
resume
www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/writtenmaterials/
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samples
guides
RESOURCES
CV
resume academic
industry
consulting
Non-profit
www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/gradstud/resumesamples.php
www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/gradstud/cvsamples.php
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University of Pennsylvania
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4/18/2014
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samples
guides
online subscriptions
RESOURCES
CV
resume academic
industry
consulting
Wetfeet
Vault
Versatile PhD
www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/library/
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Non-profit
samples
guides
online subscriptions
critiques RESOURCES
CV
resume academic
industry
consulting
Wetfeet
Vault
Versatile PhD
Walk-ins
30-min appointments
Call 215 898 7530 50
Non-profit
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www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices
University of Pennsylvania
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