13 Part 5 And Chapter 13 Pp336-369.Pdf

13
Building Careers
As Stephanie Sykes will tell you, getting the job that’s right for you takes more than sending
out a few résumés and application letters. Before entering the workplace, you need to learn
as much as you can about your capabilities, what employers seek, and the job marketplace.
Understanding Today’s Dynamic Workplace
The workplace today is changing constantly.1 The attitudes and expectations of both
employers and employees are being affected not only by globalization, technology, diver-
sity, and teams but also by deregulation, shareholder activism, corporate downsizing, merg-
ers and acquisitions, outsourcing, and entrepreneurialism (people starting their own
business or buying a franchise).2 These factors affect the following aspects of the workplace:
• How often people look for work. Rather than looking for lifelong employees, many
employers now hire temporary workers and consultants on a project-by-project basis.
Likewise, rather than staying with one employer for their entire career, growing num-
bers of employees are moving from company to company.
Building
Careers and
Writing Résumés
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
“Experienced recruiters will
spend no more than two minutes
deciding who they want to con-
sider further for pre-screening. So
all the more reason to be clear,
simple, and direct in your appli-
cation and résumé. With the
advent of social media and its
increasing use as a recruitment
tool – applicants should exercise
caution in managing their online
‘brand’.”
—Stephanie Sykes,
President and Owner,
Stephanie Sykes HR Solutions Inc.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you will be able to
❶ List eight key steps to finding the ideal opportunity in today’s job market.
❷ Explain the process of planning your résumé, including how to choose the best
résumé organization.
❸ Describe the tasks involved in writing your résumé and list the sections to consider
including in your résumé.
❹ Characterize the completing step for résumés, including the six most common for-
mats in which you can produce a résumé.
Stephanie Sykes—a former human resources practise leader at BCE, now running her
own HR services company in London, Ontario—provides recruitment and human
resource planning to attract and retain talented employees. Bell Canada receives more
than 60 000 applications each year. “What stands out in an application,” says Sykes, “is
clarity and simplicity. Tell me why you want to work for the company and what you will
bring to it. Technical skills show through easily but remember that most companies are
also looking for people with leadership skills or potential.”
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E ❶
List eight key steps to finding the
ideal opportunity in today’s job
market.
Numerous forces are changing today’s
workplace.

CHAPTER 13: BUILDING CAREERS AND WRITING RÉSUMÉS [337]
• Where people find work. Fewer jobs are being created by large companies. One
expert predicts that soon 80 percent of the labour force will be working for firms
employing fewer than 200 people. Moreover, self-employment seems to be an increas-
ingly attractive option for many former employees.3
• The type of people who find work. Employers today are looking for people who are
able and willing to adapt to diverse situations and who continue to learn throughout
their careers.
What do all these forces mean to you? First, take charge of your career—and stay in
charge of it. Understand your options, have a plan, and don’t count on others to watch
out for your future. Second, understanding your audience is key to successful communi-
cation, so it is essential for you to understand how employers view today’s job market.
WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR IN JOB APPLICANTS Given the complex forces in the
contemporary workplace and the unrelenting pressure of global competition, what are
employers looking for in the candidates they hire? The short answer: a lot. Specific expec-
tations vary by profession and position, of course, but virtually all employers look for the
following general skills and attributes:4
• Communication skills. This item isn’t listed first because you’re reading a business
communication textbook. Communication is listed first because it is far and away the
most commonly mentioned skill set when employers are asked about what they look
for in employees. Business leader Iain Black, CEO of the Vancouver Board of Trade,
says effective communication skills give applicants a “sustainable competitive advan-
tage.”5 Tools and technology change or become obsolete, but the skills of being able
to write clearly and present effectively last for a lifetime. Improving your communica-
tion skills will help in every aspect of your professional life.
• Interpersonal and team skills. You will have many individual responsibilities on the
job, but chances are you won’t work all alone very often. Learn to work with others—
and help them succeed as you succeed.
• Intercultural and international awareness and sensitivity. Successful employers
tend to be responsive to diverse workforces, markets, and communities, and they look
for employees with the same outlook.
• Data collection, analysis, and decision-making skills. Employers want people who
know how to identify information needs, find the necessary data, convert the data into
useful knowledge, and make sound decisions.
• Computer and electronic media skills. Today’s workers need to know how to use
common office software and to communicate using a wide range of electronic
media.
• Time and resource management. If you’ve had to juggle multiple priorities during
college, consider that great training for the business world. Your ability to plan proj-
ects and manage the time and resources available to you will make a big difference on
the job.
• Flexibility and adaptability. Stuff happens, as they say. Employees who can roll
with the punches and adapt to changing business priorities and circumstances will go
further (and be happier) than employees who resist change.
• Professionalism. Professionalism is the quality of performing at the highest possible
level. True professionals strive to excel, continue to hone their skills and build their
knowledge, are dependable and accountable, demonstrate a sense of business eti-
quette, make ethical decisions, show loyalty and commitment, don’t give up when
things get tough, and maintain a positive outlook.
A great way to get inside the heads of corporate recruiters is to “listen in” on their profes-
sional conversations by reading periodicals such as Workforce Magazine (www.workforce.com)
and blogs such as Fistful of Talent (www.fistfuloftalent.com) and The HR Capitalist
(www.hrcapitalist.com).
Follow the online conversations of
professional recruiters to learn what
their hot-button issues are.

[338] PART 5: EMPLOYMENT MESSAGES AND JOB INTERVIEWS
Adapting to Today’s Job Market
Before you limit your employment search to a particular industry or job, do some advance
preparation. Analyze what you want to do, what you have to offer, and how you can make
yourself more valuable to potential employers. This preliminary analysis will help you
identify employers who are likely to want you and vice versa.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO? Economic necessities and changes in the marketplace
will influence much of what happens in your career, of course; nevertheless, it’s wise to
start your employment search by examining your values and interests. Identify what you
want to do first, then see whether you can find a position that satisfies you at a personal
level while also meeting your financial needs. Consider these questions:
• What would you like to do every day? Research occupations that interest you. Talk
to people in various occupations about their typical workday. You might consult rela-
tives, local businesses, and former graduates or contacts.
• How would you like to work? Consider how much independence you want on the
job, how much variety you like, and whether you prefer to work with products,
machines, people, ideas, figures, or some combination of them all.
• How do your financial goals fit with your other priorities? For instance, many
high-paying jobs involve a lot of stress, sacrifices of time with family and friends, and
frequent travel or relocation. If location, lifestyle, or other factors are more important
to you, are you willing to sacrifice some level of pay to achieve them?
• Have you established some general career goals? For example, do you want to
pursue a career specialty such as finance or manufacturing, or do you want to gain
experience in multiple areas with an eye toward upper management?
• What sort of corporate culture are you most comfortable with? Would you be
happy in a formal hierarchy with clear reporting relationships? Or do you prefer less
structure? Teamwork or individualism? Do you like a competitive environment?
You might need some time in the workforce to figure out what you really want to do
or to work your way into the job you really want, but it’s never too early to start thinking
about where you want to be.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER? When seeking employment, you must tell people
about who you are. So you need to know what talents and skills you have, and you’ll need
to explain how these skills will benefit potential employers. Follow these guidelines:
• Jot down 10 achievements you’re proud of. Think about what skills these achieve-
ments demanded (leadership skills, speaking ability, and artistic talent may have
helped you produce a successful presentation). You’ll begin to recognize a pattern of
skills. Which of them might be valuable to potential employers?
• Look at your educational preparation, work experience, and extracurricular
activities. What do your knowledge and experience qualify you to do? What have
you learned from volunteer work or class projects that could benefit you on the job?
Have you held any offices, won any awards or scholarships, or mastered a second
language?
• Take stock of your personal characteristics. Are you aggressive, a born leader? Or
would you rather follow? Are you outgoing, articulate, and great with people? Or do
you prefer working alone? Make a list of what you believe are your four or five most
important qualities. Ask a relative or friend to rate your traits as well.
HOW CAN YOU MAKE YOURSELF MORE VALUABLE TO EMPLOYERS? While you’re
figuring out what you want from a job and what you can offer an employer, you can take
positive steps now toward building your career. First, look for volunteer projects, tempo-
rary jobs, freelance work, or internships that will help expand your experience base and
Examine your values and interests.
To determine what you have to offer,
carefully examine your skills,
education, experience, and
personality traits.

skill set.6 You can look for freelance projects on Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) and numer-
ous other websites; some of these jobs have only nominal pay, but they do provide an
opportunity for you to display your skills.
Also consider applying your talents to crowdsourcing projects, in which companies and
nonprofit organizations invite the public to contribute solutions to various challenges.
For example, crowdsourcing.org (www.crowdsourcing.org) posts articles and projects
involving crowd funding, cloud labour, community building, open innovation, and
crowdsourcing sites.7
These opportunities help you gain valuable experience and relevant contacts, provide
you with important references and work samples for your employment portfolio, and help
you establish your personal brand (see the following sections).
Second, learn more about the industry or industries in which you want to work,
and stay on top of new developments. Join networks of professional colleagues and
friends who can help you keep up with trends and events. Many professional societ-
ies have student chapters or offer students discounted memberships. Take courses
and pursue other educational or life experiences that would be difficult while work-
ing full time.
For more ideas and advice on planning your career, check out the resources listed in
Table 13.1.
Building an Employment Portfolio
Employers want proof that you have the skills to succeed on the job, but even if you don’t
have much relevant work experience, you can use your college classes to assemble that
proof. Simply create and maintain an employment portfolio, which is a collection of proj-
ects that demonstrate your skills and knowledge. You can create a print portfolio and an
e-portfolio; both can help with your career effort. A print portfolio gives you something
tangible to bring to interviews, and it lets you collect project results that might not be easy
to show online, such as a handsomely bound report.
An e-portfolio is a multimedia presentation of your skills and experiences.8 Think of
it as a website that contains your résumé, work samples, letters of recommendation, rel-
evant videos or podcasts you have recorded, blog posts and articles you may have written,
and other information about you and your skills. Be creative. For example, a student who
was pursuing a degree in meteorology added a video clip of himself delivering a weather
forecast.9 The portfolio can be burned on a CD or DVD for physical distribution or, more
commonly, it can be posted online—whether it’s a personal website, your college’s site
(if student pages are available), a specialized portfolio hosting site such as Behance
(www.behance.com), or a résumé hosting site such as VisualCV (www.visualcv.com) that
offers multimedia résumés.
As you assemble your portfolio, collect anything that shows your ability to perform,
whether it’s in school, on the job, or in other venues. However, you must check with
Make yourself valuable to employers
by keeping samples, broadening your
experience, and constantly improving
your skills.
Collect samples of your work in a
portfolio.
TABLE 13.1 Career Planning Resources
RESOURCE URL
Career Rocketeer www.careerrocketeer.com
The Creative Career http://thecreativecareer.com
Brazen Careerist www.brazencareerist.com
The Career Key Blog http://careerkey.blogspot.com
RiseSmart www.risesmart.com/blog
The Career Doctor Blog www.careerdoctor.org/career-doctor-blog

employers before including any items that you created while you were an employee and
check with clients before including any work products (anything you wrote, designed,
programmed, and so on) they purchased from you. Many business documents contain
confidential information that companies don’t want distributed to outside audiences.
For each item you add to your portfolio, write a brief description that helps other peo-
ple understand the meaning and significance of the project. Include such items as these:
• Background. Why did you undertake this project? Was it a school project, a work
assignment, or something you did on your own initiative?
• Project objectives. Explain the project’s goals, if relevant.
• Collaborators. If you worked with others, be sure to mention that.
• Constraints. Sometimes the most impressive thing about a project is the time or bud-
get constraints under which it was created.
• Outcomes. If the project’s goals were measurable, what was the result? For example,
if you wrote a letter soliciting donations for a charitable cause, how much money did
you raise?
• Learning experience. If appropriate, describe what you learned during the course of
the project.
Keep in mind that the portfolio itself is a communication project too, so be sure to
apply everything you’ll learn in this course about effective communication and good
design. Also, if you have anything embarrassing on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social
networking site, remove it immediately.
To get started, first check with the career centre at your college; many schools now
offer e-portfolio systems for their students. (Some schools now require e-portfolios, so
you may already be building one.) You can also find plenty of advice online; search for
“e-portfolio,” “student portfolio,” or “professional portfolio.”
Building Your Personal Brand
Products and companies have brands that represent collections of certain attributes, such
as the safety emphasis of Volvo cars or the performance emphasis of BMW. Similarly,
when people who know you think about you, they have a particular set of qualities in
mind based on your professionalism, your priorities, the various skills and attributes you
have developed over the years, and how you do things. Perhaps without even being con-
scious of it, you have created a personal brand for yourself.
As you plan the next stage of your career, start managing your personal brand delib-
erately. Branding specialist Mohammed Al-Taee defines personal branding succinctly as
“a way of clarifying and communicating what makes you different and unique.”10
You can learn more about personal branding from the sources listed in Table 13.2. To
get you started, here are the basics of a successful personal branding strategy:11
• Write the “story of you.” Simply put, where have you been in life, and where are you
going? Whether you’re about to begin your career or are already well into it, writing or
updating your résumé is a great opportunity to step back and think about where you’ve
been and where you’d like to go. Do you like the path you’re on, or is it time for a
change? Are you focused on a particular field, or do you need some time to explore?
You might find it helpful to think about the “story of you”: the things you are pas-
sionate about, your skills, your ability to help an organization reach its goals, the path
you’ve been on so far, and the path you want to follow in the future (see Figure 13.1).
Think in terms of an image or a theme you’d like to project. Are you academically
gifted? An effective leader? A well-rounded professional with wide-ranging talents? A
creative problem solver? A technical guru? Writing your story is a valuable planning
exercise that helps you think about where you want to go and how to present yourself
to target employers.
Ensure you have permission for
portfolio contents.
Remove anything that might be
embarrassing on social networking
sites.
What’s your story? Thinking about
where you’ve been and where you
want to go will help focus your job
search.

• Clarify your professional theme. Volvos, BMWs, and Volkswagens can all get you
from Point A to Point B in safety, comfort, and style—but each brand emphasizes
some attributes more than others to create a specific image in the minds of potential
My Story
Where I Have Been
• Honour student and all around big shot in high school (but discovered
that college is full of big shots!)
• Have worked several part-time jobs; only thing that really appealed to
me in any of them was making improvements, making things work better
Where I Am Now
• Third year University; on track to graduate in 2016
• Enjoy designing creative solutions to challenging problems
• Not a high-end techie in an engineering sense, but I figure most things out eventually
• Not afraid to work hard, whatever it takes to get the job done
• I can tolerate some routine, as long as I have the opportunity to make improvements
if needed
• Tend to lead quietly by example, rather than by visibly and vocally taking charge
• Knowing that I do good work is more important than getting approval from others
• I tend not to follow fads and crowds; sometimes I’m ahead of the curve, sometimes
I’m behind the curve
Where I Want to Be
• Get an advanced degree; not sure what subject area yet, though
• Haven’t really settled on one industry or profession yet; working with systems of any
kind is more appealing than any particular profession that I’ve learned about so far
• Develop my leadership and communication skills to become a more “obvious” leader
• Collaborate with others while still having the freedom to work independently (may
be become an independent contractor or consultant at some point?)
• Have the opportunity to work internationally, at least for a few years
• I like the big bucks that corporate executives earn, but I don’t want to live in the
public eye like that or have to “play the game” to get ahead
• Believe I would be a good manager, but not sure I want to spend all my time just
managing people
• Want to be known as an independent thinker and creative problem solver, as
somebody who can analyse tough situations and figure out solutions that others
might not consider
• Are there jobs where I could focus on troubleshooting, improving processes,
or designing new systems?
What experiences from your past
give you insight into where you
would like to go in the future?
Where do you stand now in terms
of your education and career, and
what do you know about yourself?
What would you like your future
to be? What do you like and
dislike? What would you like to
explore? If you haven’t figured
everything out yet, that’s fine—as
long as you’ve started to think
about the future.
FIGURE 13.1 Writing the Story of You: A Private Document to Help You Clarify Your Thoughts
TABLE 13.2 Personal Branding Resources
RESOURCE URL
Personal Branding Blog www.personalbrandingblog.com
Mohammed AI-Taee http://altaeeblog.com
Brand Yourself http://blog.brand-yourself.com
Cube Rules http://cuberules.com
Jibber Jobber www.jibberjobber.com/blog
The Engaging Brand http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com
Brand-Yourself http://blog.brand-yourself.com

buyers. Similarly, you want to be seen as something more than just an accountant, a
supervisor, a salesperson. What will your theme be? (What do you want to be known
by?) Dependable hard worker? Strategist? Get-it-done tactician? Technical guru?
Problem solver? Customer service specialist? Inspirational leader?
• Network. Major corporations spread the word about their brands with multimillion-
dollar advertising campaigns. You can promote your brand for free or close to it. The
key is networking (see pages later in this chapter). Build your brand by connecting
with like-minded people, sharing information, demonstrating skills and knowledge,
and helping others succeed.
• Deliver on your brand’s promise—every time, all the time. When you deliver qual-
ity results time after time, your talents and your professionalism will speak for you.
Finding the Ideal Opportunity in Today’s Job Market
Finding and landing the ideal job can be a complex process, with lots of stress and frus-
tration along the way. The good news is that it is all about communication, so the skills
you’re developing in this course will give you a competitive advantage. This section offers
a general job search strategy with advice that applies to just about any career path you
might want to pursue. Once you have analyzed your goals and what you have to offer,
you’ll need to begin by finding out where the job opportunities are, which industries are
strong, which parts of the country are booming, and which specific job categories offer
the best prospects for the future. From there you can investigate individual organizations,
doing your best to learn as much about them as possible.
Stay abreast of business and financial news. Subscribe to a major newspaper (print or
online) and scan the business pages every day. Watch television programs that focus on
business. Consult the National Occupational Classification (Human Resources Develop-
ment Canada, in print and online at www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC-CNP). View forecasts about
various job titles to develop ideas for a career. Check to see if your province has a Work
Futures site. For example, WorkBC (www.workbc.ca) lists employment opportunities in
the province.
Researching Industries and Companies of Interest
Learning more about professions, industries, and individual companies is easy to do with
the library and online resources available to you. Don’t limit your research to easily avail-
able sources, however. Companies are likely to be impressed by creative research, such as
interviewing their customers to learn more about how the firm does business. “Detailed
research, including talking to our customers, is so rare it will almost guarantee you get
hired,” explains the recruiting manager at Alcon Laboratories.12
Table 13.3 lists some of the many websites where you can learn more about compa-
nies and find job openings.
To learn more about contemporary business topics, peruse some of these leading
business periodicals and newspapers with significant business sections (in some cases,
you may need to go through your library’s online databases in order to access back issues):
• The Globe & Mail
• Canadian Business
• Report on Business
• Business 2.0 (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2)
• Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com)
• Fortune (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune)
In addition, thousands of bloggers, microbloggers, and podcasters offer news and
commentary on the business world. For example, The Toronto Public Library Career
Employers expect you to be familiar
with important developments in their
industries, so stay on top of business
news.

& Job Search Help Blog (www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/job-help/) provides excellent links to
employment search engines and job-posting sites. To identify some that you might find
helpful, start with directories such as Technorati (http://technorati.com) for blogs or Pod-
cast Alley (www.podcastalley.com; select the “Business” genre) for podcasts. Alltop (http://
alltop.com) is another good resource for finding people who write about topics that
interest you. In addition to learning more about professions and opportunities, this
research will help you identify essential keywords currently in use in a particular field.
You can also explore applications for smartphones such as LinkUp Canada, which
brings search engines to your phone, or Jobfinder, which aggregates jobs from multiple
job sites. Hire Android links together three major job search engines: LinkUp, Indeed,
and Simply Hired.
Translating Your General Potential into
a Specific Solution for Each Employer
Customizing your résumé to each job opening is an important step in showing employers
that you will be a good fit. From your initial contact all the way through the interviewing
process, in fact, you will have opportunities to impress recruiters by explaining how your
general potential translates to the specific needs of the position.
WEBSITE* URL HIGHLIGHTS
The Riley Guide www.rileyguide.com Vast collection of links to both general and specialized job sites for every career
imaginable. Don’t miss this one—it could save you hours of searching.
TwitJobSearch www.twitjobsearch.com A job search engine for Twitter; create an account and receive tweets about
industry postings.
CollegeRecruiter.com www.collegerecruiter.com Focused on opportunities for graduates with less than three years of work
experience. Some Canadian listings.
Monster http://home.monster.ca One of the most popular job sites with hundreds of thousands of openings, many
from hard-to-find small companies; extensive collection of advice on the job
search process.
CareerBuilder www.careerbuilder.ca One of the largest job boards; affiliated with more than 150 newspapers around
the country.
Jobster www.jobster.com Uses social networking to link employers with job seekers.
Careers in the Federal
Public Service
www.jobs.gc.ca The official job search site for the Canadian government.
Eluta www.eluta.ca Searches company career pages and by postal codes.
Service Canada Job
Bank
www.jobbank.gc.ca Free job posting for employers; good service for entry-level and service jobs.
Net-Temps www.net-temps.ca Popular site for contractors and freelancers looking for short-term assignments.
Workopolis www.workopolis.ca Canada’s largest job-related site; includes site for students.
Simply Hired and
Indeed
www.simplyhired.ca
www.indeed.ca
Specialized search engines that look for job postings on hundreds of websites
worldwide; they find many postings that aren’t listed on job board sites such as
Monster.
Dice www.dice.com Good source for technology jobs.
*Note: This list represents only a small fraction of the hundreds of job-posting sites and other resources available online; be sure to check with your college’s career centre for
the latest information.
TABLE 13.3 Selected Job Search Websites
An essential task in your job search is
presenting your skills and
accomplishments in a way that is
relevant to the employer’s business
challenges.

Taking the Initiative to Find Opportunities
When it comes to finding the right opportunities for you, the easiest ways are not always
the most productive ways. The major job boards such as Monster and classified services
such as Craigslist might have thousands of openings, but thousands of job seekers are
looking at and applying for these same openings. Moreover, posting job openings on
these sites is often a company’s last resort, after it has exhausted other possibilities.
Instead of searching through the same job openings as everyone else, take the initia-
tive and go find opportunities. Identify the companies you want to work for and focus
your efforts on them. Get in touch with their human resources departments (or individual
managers if possible), describe what you can offer the company, and ask to be considered
if any opportunities come up.13 Your message might appear right when a company is
busy looking for someone but hasn’t yet advertised the opening to the outside world.
Building Your Network
Networking is the process of making informal connections with mutually beneficial busi-
ness contacts. Networking takes place wherever and whenever people talk: at industry
functions, at social gatherings, at alumni reunions—and all over the internet, from Linke-
dIn to Facebook to Twitter. Networking is more essential than ever, because the vast
majority of job openings are never advertised to the general public. To avoid the time and
expense of sifting through thousands of applications and the risk of hiring complete
strangers, most companies prefer to ask their employees for recommendations first.14 The
more people who know you, the better chance you have of being recommended for one
of these hidden job openings.
Start building your network now, before you need it. Your classmates could end up
being some of your most valuable contacts, if not right away then possibly later in your
career. Then branch out by identifying people with similar interests in your target profes-
sions, industries, and companies. Read news sites, blogs, and other online sources. Follow
industry leaders on Twitter. You can also follow individual executives at your target compa-
nies to learn about their interests and concerns.15 Connect with people on LinkedIn and
Facebook, particularly in groups dedicated to particular career interests. You can introduce
yourself via private messages, as long as you are respectful of people and don’t take up much
of their time.16 Participate in student business organizations, especially those with ties to
professional organizations. Visit trade shows to learn about various industries and meet peo-
ple who work in those industries.17 Consider volunteering; you not only meet people but
also demonstrate your ability to solve problems, manage projects, and lead others.
Remember that networking is about people helping each other, not just about other
people helping you. Pay close attention to networking etiquette: try to learn something about
the people you want to connect with, don’t overwhelm others with too many messages or
requests, be succinct in all your communication efforts, don’t give out other people’s names
and contact information without their permission to do so, never email your résumé to com-
plete strangers, and remember to say thank you every time someone helps you.18
To become a valued network member, you need to be able to help others in some
way. You may not have any influential contacts yet, but because you’re actively research-
ing a number of industries and trends in your own job search, you probably have valuable
information you can share via your social networks, blog, or Twitter account. Or you
might simply be able to connect one person with another who can help. The more you
network, the more valuable you become in your network—and the more valuable your
network becomes to you.
Finally, be aware that your online network reflects on who you are in the eyes of
potential employers, so exercise some judgment in making connections. Also, some
employers are beginning to contact people in a candidate’s network for background infor-
mation, even if the candidate doesn’t list those people as references.19
Start thinking like a networker now;
your classmates could turn out to be
some of your most important business
contacts.
Put your network in place before you
need it.
Networking is a mutually beneficial
activity, so look for opportunities to
help others in some way.

Seeking Career Counselling
Your college’s career centre probably offers a wide variety of services, including individ-
ual counselling, job fairs, on-campus interviews, and job listings. Counsellors can give
you advice on career planning and provide workshops on job search techniques, résumé
preparation, job readiness training, interview techniques, self-marketing, and more.20
You can also find career planning advice online. Many of the websites listed in Table 13.1
offer articles and online tests to help you choose a career path, identify essential skills,
and prepare to enter the job market.
Avoiding Mistakes
While you’re making all these positive moves to show employers you will be a quality
hire, take care to avoid the simple blunders that can torpedo a job search—not catching
mistakes in your résumé, misspelling the name of a manager you’re writing to, showing
up late for an interview, tweeting something unprofes-
sional, failing to complete application forms correctly,
asking for information that you can easily find yourself
on a company’s website, or making any other error that
could flag you as someone who is careless or disrespect-
ful. Assume that every employer will conduct an online
search on you. Busy recruiters will seize on these errors
as a way to narrow the list of candidates they need to
spend time on, so don’t give them a reason to toss out
your résumé.
Planning Your Résumé
Although you will create many messages during your career search, your résumé will be
the most important document in this process. You will be able to use it directly in many
instances, adapt it to a variety of uses such as an e-portfolio or a social media résumé, and
reuse pieces of it in social networking profiles and online application forms.
Developing a résumé is one of those projects that really benefits from multiple plan-
ning, writing, and completing sessions spread out over several days or weeks. You are
trying to summarize a complex subject (yourself!) and present a compelling story to
complete strangers in a brief document. Follow the three-step writing process (see
Figure 13.2) and give yourself plenty of time.
Before you dive into your résumé, be aware that you will find a wide range of opinions
about résumés, regarding everything from appropriate length, content, design, distribution
methods, and acceptable degrees of creativity to whether it even makes sense to write a tra-
ditional résumé in this age of online applications. You may run across examples of effective
résumés that were produced as infographics, interactive videos, simulated search engine
results, puzzles, games, or graphic novels—you name it, somebody has probably tried it.
When you hear conflicting advice or see trendy concepts that you might be
tempted to try, remember the most important question in business communication:
What is the most effective way to adapt your message to the individual needs of each
member of your audience? An approach that is wildly successful with one company
or in one industry could be a complete disaster in another industry. A design that says
“clever and creative” to one recruiter can shout “amateurish gimmick!” to another.
Your infographic résumé might look awesome but get rejected by an automated
résumé scanner that can’t make sense of it. Your best approach will be to try to think
the way they think—then apply the principles of effective communication you are
learning in this course.
Don’t overlook the many resources
available through your college’s
career centre.
Don’t let a silly mistake knock you out
of contention for a great job.
Follow these people to a new career
Alison Doyle maintains a great list of career experts to follow
onTwitter. Go to http://real-timeupdates.com/bce6 and click
on Learn More. If you are using MyBCommLab, you can
access Real-Time Updates within Business Communication
Resources.
REAL-TIME UPDATES
Learn More by Visiting This Website
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E ❷
Explain the process of planning
your résumé, including how to
choose the best résumé
organization.
You will see lots of ideas and even
some conflicting advice about
résumés; use what you know about
effective business communication to
decide what is right for your résumé.

Analyzing Your Purpose and Audience
A résumé is a structured, written summary of a person’s education, employment back-
ground, and job qualifications. Before you begin writing a résumé, make sure you under-
stand its true function—as a brief, persuasive business message intended to stimulate an
employer’s interest in meeting you and learning more about you (see Table 13.4). In other
words, the purpose of a résumé is not to get you a job but rather to get you an interview.21
Once you view your résumé as a
persuasive business message, it’s
easier to decide what should and
shouldn’t be in it.
Three-Step Writing Process for Résumés
FIGURE 13.2
❶ Plan ❷ Write ❸ Complete
Analyze the Situation
Recognize that the purpose of your
résumé is to get an interview, not to
get a job.
Gather Information
Research target industries and
companies so that you know what
they’re looking for in new hires; learn
about various jobs and what to
expect; learn about the hiring
manager, if possible.
Select the Right Medium
Start with a traditional paper résumé
and develop scannable, electronic
plain-text, PDF, and online versions, as
needed. Consider using PowerPoint
and video for your e-portfolio.
Organize the Information
Choose an organizational model that
highlights your strengths and
downplays your shortcomings; use the
chronological approach unless you
have a strong reason not to.
Adapt to Your Audience
Plan your wording carefully so that
you can catch a recruiter’s eye within
seconds; translate your education and
experience into attributes that target
what employers ind valuable.
Compose the Message
Write clearly and succinctly, using
active, powerful language that is
appropriate to the industries and
companies you’re targeting; use a
professional tone in all
communications, including email.
Revise the Message
Evaluate content and review
readability, and then edit and rewrite
for conciseness and clarity.
Produce the Message
Use effective design elements and
suitable layout for a clean,
professional appearance; seamlessly
combine text and graphical elements.
When printing, use quality paper and a
good printer.
Proofread the Message
Review for errors in layout, spelling,
and mechanics; mistakes can cost
you interview opportunities.
Distribute the Message
Deliver your résumé, following the
speciic instructions of each employer
or job board website.
FALLACY FACT
The purpose of a résumé is to list all your skills and
abilities.
The purpose of a résumé is to kindle employer interest and generate an
interview.
A good résumé will get you the job you want. All a résumé can do is get you in the door.
Your résumé will always be read carefully and
thoroughly.
In most cases, your résumé needs to make a positive impression within 30
or 45 seconds; only then will someone read it in detail. Moreover, it will
likely be screened by a computer looking for keywords first, and if it doesn’t
contain the right keywords, a human being may never see it.
The more good information you present about yourself in
your résumé, the better, so stuff your résumé with every
positive detail you can think of.
Recruiters don’t need that much information about you at the initial
screening stage, and they probably won’t read it.
If you want a really good résumé, have it prepared by a
résumé service.
You can certainly seek out formal or informal help, but if you have
succeeded in this course, you have the skills needed to prepare an effective
résumé yourself.
TABLE 13.4 Fallacies and Facts About Résumés

As you conduct your research on various professions, industries, companies, and
individual managers, you will have a better perspective on your target readers and
their information needs. Learn as much as you can about the individuals who may
be reading your résumé. Many professionals and managers are bloggers, Twitter
users, and LinkedIn members, for example, so you can learn more about them online
even if you’ve never met them. Any bit of information can help you craft a more
effective message.
By the way, if employers ask to see your “CV,” they’re referring to your curriculum
vitae, the term used instead of résumé in academic professions and in many countries
outside Canada. Résumés and CVs are essentially the same, although CVs can be much
more detailed. If you need to adapt a Canadian-style résumé to CV format, or vice versa,
career expert Alison Doyle offers advice on her website, www.alisondoyle.com.
Gathering Pertinent Information
If you haven’t been building an employment portfolio thus far, you may need to do
some research on yourself at this point. Gather all the pertinent personal history you
can think of, including all the specific dates, duties, and accomplishments from any
previous jobs you’ve held, as well as educational experiences—formal degrees, skills
certificates, academic awards, or scholarships. Also, gather information about school
or volunteer activities that might be relevant to your job search, including offices you
have held in any club or professional organization, presentations given, and online
or print publications. You probably won’t use every piece of information you come
up with, but you’ll want to have it at your fingertips before you begin composing
your résumé.
Selecting the Best Medium
You should expect to produce your résumé in several media and formats. “Producing
Your Résumé” on page 360 explores the various options.
Organizing Your Résumé Around Your Strengths
Although you will see a number of ways to organize a résumé, most are some variation of
chronological, functional, or a combination of the two. The right choice depends on your
background and your goals.
THE CHRONOLOGICAL RÉSUMÉ In a chronological résumé, the work experience sec-
tion dominates and is placed immediately after your contact information and introduc-
tory statement (see Figure 13.4). The chronological approach is the most common way to
organize a résumé, and many employers prefer this format because it presents your pro-
fessional history in a clear, easy-to-follow arrangement.22 If you’re just graduating from
college and have limited professional experience, you can vary this chronological approach
by putting your educational qualifications before your experience.
Develop your work experience section by listing your jobs in reverse chronological
order, beginning with the most recent position. For each job, start by listing your offi-
cial job title, the employer’s name and location, and the dates you held the position (write
“to present” if you are still in your most recent position). Next, in a short block of text,
ideally in a list, highlight your accomplishments in a way that is relevant to your readers.
This may require “translating” the terminology used in a particular industry or profession
into terms that are more meaningful to your target readers. If the general responsibilities
of the position are not obvious from the job title, provide a little background to help read-
ers understand what you did. See Figures 13.3 and 13.4 for examples of ineffective and
effective approaches.
Thanks to Twitter, LinkedIn, and other
social media, you can often learn
valuable details about individual
managers in your target employers.
The chronological résumé is the most
common approach, but it might not be
right for you at this stage in your
career.

THE FUNCTIONAL RÉSUMÉ A functional résumé, sometimes called a skills résumé,
emphasizes your skills and capabilities, identifying employers and academic experience
in subordinate sections. This arrangement stresses individual areas of competence rather
than job history. The functional approach also has three advantages: without having to
read through job descriptions, employers can see what you can do for them, you can
emphasize earlier job experience, and you can de-emphasize any lengthy unemployment
or lack of career progress. However, you should be aware that because the functional
résumé can obscure your work history, many employment professionals are suspicious of
it.23 If you don’t believe the chronological format will work for you, consider the combi-
nation résumé instead.
THE COMBINATION RÉSUMÉ A combination résumé meshes the skills focus of the
functional format with the job history focus of the chronological format (see Figure 13.5).
The chief advantage of this format is that it allows you to focus attention on your
The functional résumé is often
considered by people with limited or
spotty employment history, but many
employers are suspicious of this format.
Lareine Chan
5687 Crosswoods Drive, Richmond, BC V5S 2T1
Home: (604) 273-0086 Office: (604) 273-6624
I have been staff accountant/financial analyst at Inter-Asian Imports in
Vancouver, B.C., from March 2012 to present.
• I have negotiated with major suppliers.
• I speak both Cantonese and Mandarin fluently, and I was recently
encouraged to implement an electronic funds transfer for vendor
disbursements.
• In my current position, I am responsible for preparing accounting
reports.
• I have audited financial transactions.
• I have also been involved in the design of a computerized model to
adjust accounts for fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
• I am skilled in the use of Excel, Access, HTML, and Visual Basic.
Was staff accountant with Monsanto Agricultural Chemicals in
Shanghai, China (October 2008 to March 2012).
• While with Monsanto in Shanghai, I was responsible for budgeting
and billing.
• I was responsible for credit-processing functions.
• I was also responsible for auditing the travel and entertainment
expenses for the sales department.
• I launched an online computer system to automate all accounting
functions.
• Also during this time, I was able to travel extensively in Asia.
I have my Master’s of Business Administration with emphasis on
international business, which I earned while attending University of
British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., from 2006 to 2008.
Bachelor of Business Administration (2001–2006), earned while attending
Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Organizes
information
chronologically
but hides that
fact with
awkward format
Fails to combine
accounting expertise
with international
experience in the
minds of employers
by stating it in an
overall objective
Uses bulleted lists
ineffectively:
• Lacks parallelism
• Lacks logical
organization
• Often highlights
wrong information
• Uses the word “I”
too often
• Uses too many
unnecessary words
(such as “I was
responsible for”)
• Fails to highlight
important skills by
breaking them out
into a separate list
Includes too many
words in educational
information and lacks
parallelism
Lacks informative
headings through-
out, making it
difficult for
potential employers
to find work-related,
educational, or
skills information
easily
Fails to draw
reader’s attention
to important
points
• Fails to provide
the sort of
specific
information on
duties and
accomplishments
that catches an
employer’s eye
• Fails to use concise,
active language
consistently to
describe duties
Ineffective Chronological Résumé
FIGURE 13.3
A combination résumé is a hybrid of
the chronological and functional
résumés.
If you don’t have a lot of work history
to show, consider a combination
résumé to highlight your skills while
still providing a chronological history
of your employment.

SU M M A R Y OF QUALIFICATIONS
• Master of Business Administration, International Business
• Seven years of experience in accounting for international trade
• Fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, and skilled in use of accounting software
EXPERIENCE
Financial Analyst, INTER-ASIAN IMPORTS (Vancouver, BC)
March 2012–present
• Preparing accounting reports for wholesale giftware importer ($15 million annual sales)
• Auditing financial transactions with suppliers in 12 Asian countries
• Creating a computerized model to adjust accounts for fluctuations in currency exchange
rates
• Negotiating joint-venture agreements with major suppliers in China and Japan
• Implementing electronic funds transfer for vendor disbursements, improving cash flow,
and eliminating payables clerk position
Staff Accountant, Monsanto Agricultural Chemicals (Shanghai, China)
October 2008–March 2012
• Handled budgeting, billing, and credit-processing functions for the Shanghai branch of
an agricultural chemicals manufacturer
• Audited travel and entertainment expenses for the sales department
• Assisted in launching an online system to automate all accounting functions
EDUCATION
Master of Business Administration, International Business, University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, British Columbia, 2006–2008
Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland
and Labrador, 2001–2006
Combines
accounting
expertise with
international
experience in the
minds of employers
by stating it in a
summary of
qualifications
Makes each
description
concise, easy to
read, and
informative:
• Avoids the word
“I” throughout
• Uses no
unnecessary
words
Includes inform-
ative headings
throughout,
making it easy
for potential
employers to find
work-related,
educational, or
skills information
Highlights
important skills
by breaking them
out into a list in a
separate section
Organizes
information
chronologically
and emphasizes
that organization
with format
Draws reader’s
attention to
important
points:
• Provides the
sort of specific
information
on duties and
accomplishments
that catches an
employer’s eye
• Highlights
duties and work
achievements
in bulleted lists
• Uses active
language to
describe duties
LAREINE R. CHAN
5687 Crosswoods Drive
Richmond, BC V5S 2T1
lchan@telus.net
Home: (604) 273-0086 @LareineChan
REFERENCES
Meghan McCandless
Manager
Accounting Division
Inter-Asian Imports
4312 Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V5J 2T4
604 669 1276
mmccandless@interasian.com
Dr. Anna Wilson
Professor
International Business
University of British Columbia
1200 Westbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1B4
604 222 8943
awilson@interchange.ubc.ca
SKILLS AND INTERESTS
Fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin CPR, Industrial First Aid, Level C
Travelled extensively in Asia Reading, Tennis, Skiing
Excel, Access, HTML, Visual Basic Volunteer, Big Sisters of Canada
Effective Chronological Résumé
FIGURE 13.4

capabilities when you don’t have a long or steady employment history, without raising
concerns that you might be hiding something about your past.
When Erica Vorkamp developed her résumé, she chose not to use a chronological
pattern, which would focus attention on her lack of recent work experience. As Figure 13.5
shows, she used a combination approach to emphasize her abilities, skills, and accom-
plishments while also including a complete job history.
As you look at a number of sample résumés, you’ll probably notice many variations
on the three basic formats presented here. Study these other options in light of the effec-
tive communication principles you’ve learned in this course and the unique circum-
stances of your job search. If you find one that seems like the best fit for your unique
situation, by all means use it.
Erica Vorkamp
993 Church Street, Mission, BC V5R 1P8
(604) 885-2153
evor@shaw.ca
OBJECTIVE To obtain a position as a special events coordinator
SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES
• Plan and coordinate large-scale public events
• Develop community support for concerts, festivals, and the arts
• Manage publicity for major events
• Coordinate activities of diverse community groups
• Establish and maintain financial controls for public events
• Negotiate contracts with performers, carpenters, electricians, and suppliers
SPECIAL EVENT EXPERIENCE
• Arranged 2015’s week-long Arts and Entertainment Festival for the Public Library,
involving performances by 25 musicians, dancers, actors, magicians, and artists
• Coordinated a 2014 Parent Association Carnival, an all-day festival with game booths,
live bands, contests, and food service that raised $7600 for a local school
• Organized the 2013 Western Convention for 800 members of the Canadian Figure Skating
Officials, which extended over a three-day period and required arrangements for hotels,
meals, speakers, and special tours
• Served as chairperson for the 2012 to 2014 Children’s Helpline Show, a luncheon for 450
that raised $5000–$6700 for children at risk
EDUCATION
• Diploma, Marketing Management, British Columbia Institute of Technology (Burnaby,
BC), 2013
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
• ScotiaBank (Langley, BC), 2013–2016, Operations Processor; tracked cheques with a
lost/stolen status, contacted customers by phone, registered payment amounts, verified
receipt reports, researched cheque authenticity, managed orientation program for
entry-level trainees
• BCIT Marketing Department (Burnaby, BC), 2011–2013, part-time Administrative Assistant
ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS
• Volunteer, Mission Public Library (two years)—Prepared podcast
readings for CNIB
• Slow pitch softball—player on community team (three years)
• Fitness and yoga enthusiast
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
• BCIT Marketing Department Award for Best Proposal (2013)
• Second in BC Provincial Figure Skating Championships (2010)
• Employee of the Month, ScotiaBank (May 2015)
Includes
work history
(even though
it has little
bearing on
job target)
because
Vorkamp
believes
recruiters
want to
see evidence
that she’s
held a paying
position
Includes
event
attendance
statistics
and
fundraising
results to
quantify
accomplish-
ments
Relates all
capabilities
and
experience
to the
specific job
objective,
giving
a selective
picture of
the
candidate's
abilities
Combination Résumé
FIGURE 13.5

Addressing Areas of Concern
Many people have gaps in their careers or other issues that could be a concern for
employers. Here are some common issues and suggestions for handling them in a
résumé:24
• Frequent job changes. If you’ve had a number of short-term jobs of a similar type,
such as independent contracting and temporary assignments, try to group them under
a single heading. Also, if past job positions were eliminated as a result of layoffs or
mergers, find a subtle way to convey that information (if not in your résumé, then in
your cover letter). Reasonable employers understand that many professionals have
been forced to job hop by circumstances beyond their control.
• Gaps in work history. Mention relevant experience and education you gained during
employment gaps, such as volunteer or community work.
• Inexperience. Mention related volunteer work and membership in professional
groups. List relevant course work and internships.
• Overqualification. Tone down your résumé, focusing exclusively on the experience
and skills that relate to the position.
• Long-term employment with one company. Itemize each position held at the firm
to show growth within the organization and increasing responsibilities along
the way.
• Job termination for cause. Be honest with interviewers and address their concerns
with proof, such as recommendations and examples of completed projects.
Writing Your Résumé
With the necessary information and a good plan in hand, you’re ready to begin writ-
ing. If you feel uncomfortable writing about yourself, you’re not alone. Many people,
even accomplished writers, can find it difficult to write their own résumés. If you get
stuck, imagine you are somebody else, writing a résumé for this person called you. By
“being your own client” in this sense, you might find the words and idea flow more
easily. You can also find a classmate or friend who is writing a résumé and swap proj-
ects for a while. Working on each other’s résumés might speed up the process for
both of you.
Keeping Your Résumé Honest
Estimates vary, but one comprehensive study uncov-
ered lies about work history in more than 40 percent of
the résumés tested.25 And dishonest applicants are get-
ting bolder all the time—going so far as to buy fake
diplomas online, pay a computer hacker to insert their
names into prestigious universities’ graduation records,
and sign up for services that offer phony employment
verification.26
Applicants with integrity know they don’t need to stoop
to lying. If you are tempted to stretch the truth, bear in
mind that professional recruiters have seen every trick in
the book, and frustrated employers are working aggres-
sively to uncover the truth. Nearly all employers do some form of background checking,
from contacting references and verifying employment to checking criminal records and
sending résumés through verification services.27 Employers are also beginning to craft cer-
tain interview questions specifically to uncover dishonest résumé entries.28
Frequent job changes and gaps in your
work history are two of the more
common issues that employers may
perceive as weaknesses.
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E ❸
Describe the tasks involved in
writing your résumé and list the
sections to consider including in
your résumé.
Learn to use LinkedIn’s résumé builder
See how to build and customize a résumé on Linked In and
then use it on other social networking sites. Go to http://real-
timeupdates.com/bce6 and click on Learn More. If you are
using MyBCommLab, you can access Real-Time Updates
within Business Communication Resources.
REAL-TIME UPDATES
Learn More by Watching This Video
Résumé fraud has reached epidemic
proportions, but employers are
fighting back with more rigorous
screening techniques.

More than 90 percent of companies that find lies on résumés refuse to hire the offend-
ing applicants, even if that means withdrawing formal job offers.29 And if you do sneak
past these filters and get hired, you’ll probably be exposed on the job when you can’t live
up to your own résumé. Given the networked nature of today’s job market, lying on a
résumé could haunt you for years—and you could be forced to keep lying throughout
your career to hide the original misrepresentations on your résumé.30
Adapting Your Résumé to Your Audience
The importance of adapting your résumé to your target readers’ needs and interests can-
not be overstated. In a competitive job market, the more you look like a good fit, the
better your chances will be of securing interviews. Address your readers’ business con-
cerns by showing how your capabilities meet the demands and expectations of the posi-
tion and the organization as a whole.
Adapting to your readers can mean customizing your résumé, sometimes for each job
opening. However, the effort can pay off with more interviewing opportunities. Use what
you’ve learned about your target readers to express your experience in the terminology of
the hiring organization. For example, if you are applying for business positions after mili-
tary experience, “translate” your experience into the language of your civilian employers.
Composing Your Résumé
Write your résumé using a simple and direct style. Use short, crisp phrases instead of whole
sentences and focus on what your reader needs to know. Avoid using the word I, which can
sound both self-involved and repetitious by the time you outline all your skills and accom-
plishments. Instead, start your phrases with strong action verbs such as these:31
Translate your past accomplishments
into a compelling picture of what you
can do for employers in the future.
Draft your résumé using short, crisp
phrases built around strong verbs and
nouns.
accomplished coordinated initiated participated set up
achieved created installed performed simplified
administered demonstrated introduced planned sparked
approved developed investigated presented streamlined
arranged directed launched proposed strengthened
assisted established maintained raised succeeded
assumed explored managed recommended supervised
budgeted forecasted motivated reduced systematized
chaired generated negotiated reorganized targeted
changed identified operated resolved trained
compiled implemented organized saved transformed
completed improved oversaw served upgraded
For instance, you might say, “Created a campus orga-
nization for students interested in entrepreneurship” or
“Managed a fast-food restaurant and four employees.”
Whenever you can, quantify the results. Don’t just say
you’re a team player or detail oriented—show you are by
offering concrete proof.32 Here are some examples of
phrasing accomplishments using active statements that
show results:
See how an applicant tracking system handles your
résumé
Once you see how the system works, you’ll understand why
it’s so crucial to customize the wording on your résumé for
every job opening. Go to http://real-timeupdates.com/bce6
and click on Learn More. If you are using MyBCommLab,
you can access Real-Time Updates within Business
Communication Resources.
REAL-TIME UPDATES
Learn More by Reading This Infographic

Write Active Statements that
Instead of Show Results
Responsible for developing a new iling Developed a new iling system that
system reduced paperwork by 50 percent
I was in charge of customer complaints Handled all customer complaints and
and all ordering problems resolved product order discrepancies
I won a trip to Europe for opening the Generated the highest number of new
most new customer accounts in my customer accounts in my department
department
Member of special campus task force to Assisted in implementing new campus
resolve student problems with existing dining program that balances student
cafeteria assignments wishes with cafeteria capacity
Providing specific supporting evidence is vital, but make sure you don’t go overboard
with small details.33
In addition to clear writing with specific examples, the particular words and
phrases you use throughout your résumé are critically important. The majority of
résumés are now subjected to keyword searches in an applicant tracking system or
other database, in which a recruiter searches for résumés most likely to match the
requirements of a particular job. Résumés that don’t match the requirements closely
may never be seen by a human reader, so it is essential to use the words and phrases
that a recruiter is most likely to search on. (Although most experts used to advise
including a separate keyword summary as a standalone list, the trend nowadays is to
incorporate your keywords into your introductory statement and other sections of
your résumé.34)
Identifying these keywords requires some research, but you can uncover many of
them while you are researching various industries and companies. Study job descrip-
tions carefully to understand your target audience’s needs. In contrast to the action
verbs that catch a human reader’s attention, keywords that catch a computer’s attention
are usually nouns that describe the specific skills, attributes, and experiences an
employer is looking for in a candidate. Keywords can include the business and techni-
cal terms associated with a specific profession, industry-specific jargon, names or types
of products or systems used in a profession, job titles, and university or college degrees
and diplomas.35 For example, here are some sample keywords you might include if you
were in accounting:
Accountant, Receivables, Payables, Inventory, Cash Flow, Financial Analysis,
Payroll Experience, Reconciliations, Corporate Taxes, Activity-Based Budgeting,
Problem-Solving, Computer Skills, Excel, Access, Quick Books, Bachelor’s Degree
in Accounting, CPA, Articulate, Teamwork, Flexible, Willing to Travel, Computer
Skills, Networks, HTML, HMML, Simply Accounting
NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION Your name and contact information constitute
the heading of your résumé, so include the following:
• Name
• Physical address (both permanent and temporary, if you’re likely to move during the
job search process; however, if you’re posting a résumé in an unsecured location
online, leave off your physical address for security purposes)
• Email address
• Phone number(s)
• The URL of your personal webpage, e-portfolio, or social media résumé (if you have one)
• Your Twitter handle
Include relevant keywords in your
introductory statement, work history,
and education sections.
Be sure to provide complete and
accurate contact information;
mistakes in this section of the résumé
are surprisingly common.

If the only email address you have is through your current employer, get a free per-
sonal email address from one of the many services that offer them. Using company
resources for a job search is not fair to your current employer, and it sends a bad signal
to potential employers. Also, if your personal email address is anything like precious
.princess@something.com or PsychoDawg@something.com, get a new email address for your
business correspondence.
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT Of all the parts of a résumé, the brief introductory
statement that follows your name and contact information probably generates the
most disagreement. You can put one of three things here:36 You can choose to open
with a career objective, a qualifications summary, or a career summary. Whichever
option you choose, make sure it includes many of the essential keywords you identi-
fied in your research—and adapt these words and phrases to each job opportunity as
needed.
Career Objective A career objective identifies either a specific job you want to land or
a general career track you would like to pursue. Some experts advise against including
a career objective because it can categorize you so nar-
rowly that you miss out on interesting opportunities,
and it is essentially about fulfilling your desires, not
about meeting the employer’s needs. In the past, most
résumés included a career objective, but in recent years
more job seekers are using a qualifications summary.
However, if you have little or no work experience in
your target profession, a career objective might be your
best option. If you do opt for an objective, word it in a
way that relates your qualifications to employer needs
(see Figure 13.5).
Summary of Qualifications Instead of stating your objective, you might summarize your
qualifications in a brief statement that highlights your strongest points, particularly if you
have had a good deal of varied experience. Use a short, simple phrase:
Summary of qualifications: Ten years of experience in commission selling with record
of generating new customer leads through social media and community leadership
positions
Or, you could put a heading at the beginning of your résumé, “Summary of Qualifica-
tions,” and under it list three or four points summarizing the main reasons that the com-
pany should hire you. You may want to add together the months of experience you have
had in short, part-time jobs to get a total and express how that experience is transferable
to the professional environment you are entering. For example, if you had a number of
part-time jobs in restaurants and retail, each lasting several months, you might say “three
years of experience in hospitality and retail” and highlight it in the summary as follows:
You can choose to open with a career
objective or a qualifications summary.
Use a summary of qualifications
instead of an objective if you have
several key qualifications to highlight.
Find the keywords that will light up your résumé
This list of tips and tools will help you find the right keywords
to customize your résumé for every opportunity. Go to http://
real-timeupdates.com/bce6 and click on Learn More. If you
are using MyBCommLab, you can access Real-Time Updates
REAL-TIME UPDATES
Learn More by Visiting This Website
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor of Commerce, University of British Columbia
• Three years of experience in customer service in retail and hospitality
• Bilingual (French/English)
• Skilled in ofice and accounting software
The career objective or summary may be the only section read fully by the employer,
so if you include either one, make it strong, concise, and convincing. Make sure it includes
many of the essential keywords you identified in your research.

In Figure 13.6, Charlene Tang has used a “Highlights of Qualifications” section in her
résumé to emphasize the combination of her education and experience. Since she is an
applicant with both post-secondary education and several years of job experience, she
combines these key qualifications in the opening segment. In addition, since Charlene
immigrated to Canada recently, she wants to show she has improved her English through
English language training and through studying business once in Canada. These qualifi-
cations are less significant than her professional designation, but they show she has made
the transition to work culture in Canada. She also chose an English language instructor
for her reference to show that her language skills are strong.
Career Summary A career summary offers a brief recap of your career with the goal of
presenting increasing levels of responsibility and performance. A career summary can be
particularly useful for managers who have demonstrated the ability to manage increas-
ingly larger and more complicated business operations—a key consideration when com-
panies look to hire upper-level executives.
EDUCATION If you’re still in school, education is probably your strongest selling point,
so present your educational background in depth, choosing facts that match the position
you are seeking. Give this section a heading such as “Education” or “Professional Train-
ing.” Then, starting with the school you most recently attended, list the name and location
of each one, the term of your enrolment (in months and years), your major and minor
fields of study, significant skills and abilities you’ve developed in your course work, and
the degrees, diplomas, or certificates you’ve earned. If you’re working on an uncompleted
degree or diploma, include in parentheses the expected date of completion. Showcase
your qualifications by listing skills courses that have directly equipped you for the job you
are seeking, and indicate any scholarships, awards, or academic honours you’ve received.
The education section also includes off-campus training sponsored by business or gov-
ernment. Include any relevant seminars or workshops you’ve attended, as well as the certifi-
cates or other documents you’ve received. Whether you list your grades depends on the job
you want and the quality of your grades. If you choose to show a grade-point average, be sure
to mention the scale, especially if a five-point scale is used instead of a four-point scale.
Education is usually given less emphasis in a résumé after you’ve worked in your
chosen field for a year or more. If work experience is your strongest qualification, save the
section on education for later in the résumé and provide less detail.
In Figure 13.7, Alex Warren’s résumé devotes most of the space to education and
related activities since Alex is just entering the workforce and does not have a lot of work
experience. If you must rely mostly on your education at this stage in your job-hunting
career, don’t worry. Young workers have other advantages for employers, often bringing
enthusiasm and energy into the workplace. Notice that Alex conveys skills from his past
jobs that are transferable into an accounting job. He also keeps the main elements of his
résumé to one page, suitable for a young applicant.
WORK EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Like the education section,
the work-experience section focuses on your overall theme. Tailor your description to
highlight the relationship between your previous responsibilities and your target field.
Call attention to skills you’ve developed and your progression from jobs of lesser to
greater responsibility.
When describing your work experience, list your jobs in reverse chronological order,
with the current or last one first. Include any part-time, summer, or intern positions, even
if unrelated to your current career objective. Employers will see that you have the ability
to get and hold a job—an important qualification in itself. If you have worked your way
through school, say so. Employers interpret this behaviour as a sign of character.
Each listing includes the name and location of the employer. If readers are unlikely to
recognize the organization, briefly describe what it does. When you want to keep the
name of your current employer confidential, identify the firm by industry only (“a large
If education is your strongest selling
point, discuss it thoroughly and
highlight it visually.
In the work experience section,
include
• Name and location of employer
• What the organization does (if not
clear from its name)
• Your job title
• How long you worked there
• Your duties and responsibilities

Charlene Tang
#412, 692 High Street
Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N1
819-561-6740
chartang@gmail.com
HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
• Ten years’ experience in office administration, including one year in leasing
• Diploma in Business Administration plus Master of Economics
• Computer skills in MS Office and Simply Accounting
• Languages include Mandarin and basic French
WORK EXPERIENCE
Lease Administrator/Sales Coordinator 2015–2016
Atticus Financial Group, Sherbrooke, QC
• Prepare quotes and contracts
• Process and submit credit applications
• Follow up with customers and vendors via phone, fax, and email
• Report to management on application/funding status
Office Administrator 2001–2011
Tianjin Tax Bureau, Tianjin, China
• Managed and coordinated a high volume of financial documents
• Assigned work schedules and maintained department records
• Liaised with budgeting, accounting, and collections departments
EDUCATION
Diploma of Technology (Business Administration) 2014–2015
British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, BC. Graduated with Honours
• Accounting • Microsoft Applications
• Business Law • Business Communication
English Language College Preparation Program 2012–2014
Vancouver Community College, Vancouver, BC
Master of Economics 2003–2005
Bachelor of Economics 1997–2001
Tianjin Finance & Economics University, Tianjin, China
ACTIVITIES
Volunteering
Rob Svetic
Accounts Manager
Atticus Financial
823 Main Street
Sherbrooke, QC
Rob.Svetic@atticus.com
(819) 689-4319
• French Cultural Centre, Vancouver 2013–2015
• Tutor in Economics, Burnaby 2014–2015
• Run for the Cure, Vancouver & Sherbrooke 2014–2015
Jogging, reading, and watching movies with friends
Gretchen Quiring
Communication Instructor
B.C. Institute of Technology
3700 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, BC V5G 5H2
G.Quiring@bcit.ca
(604) 434-5734
REFERENCES
Résumé of Charlene Tang
FIGURE 13.6

Alex Warren
952 Oxford Street (204) 737-2954
Winnipeg, MB R3H 0S9 alex_warren@gmail.com
EDUCATION
Completed first year of Accounting Diploma, Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba,
September 2015–present.
Skills include
• Journalizing accounting entries, accounts receivable and payable
• Preparing financial statements and bank reconciliations
• Producing end-of-period reports and statements
• Using Word, Excel, Simply Accounting, Quick Books, and PowerPoint
Graduated, Kelvin Secondary School, Winnipeg, Manitoba, June 2015
WORK EXPERIENCE
Server, Salisbury House Restaurant, Winnipeg, Weekends
June 2013–present
• Serve up to 500 customers per shift accurately and efficiently and support others on
work team
• Handle cash of approximately $5000 per shift
Cleaner, Manitoba Historical Society, Winnipeg, Summers
2013–2014
• Cleaned museum five evenings per week
• Took care with valuable exhibits and worked with no supervision
SKILLS AND ACTIVITIES
• Organized, disciplined, hardworking
• Skilled in accounting software and spreadsheets
• Active in hockey and cross-country running
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Kelvin School Physical Education Award 2014
• Most Valuable Player—Western Canada High School Hockey
Championships 2014
• Canadian Hockey Referee Certification Level 3, 2013
Mr. Paul Black, Counsellor
Kelvin Secondary School
Winnipeg, MB
(204) 488-7815
pblack@sympatico.ca
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
• Hockey Coach for Grade 5 & 6 team at Grosvenor Elementary, 2013–2014
• Hockey Referee, River Heights Hockey Club, 2014–2015
• River Run water booth assistant, 2011–2014
REFERENCES
Johanna Vik, Manager
Salisbury House
Winnipeg, MB
(204) 488-1630
jvik@gmail.com
Résumé of a Young Applicant
FIGURE 13.7

video game developer”) or use the name but request confidentiality in the application let-
ter or in an underlined note (“Résumé submitted in confidence”) at the top or bottom of
the résumé. If an organization’s name or location has since changed, state the current
name and location and then “formerly. . . .”
Before each job listing, state your functional title, such as “salesperson.” If you were a
dishwasher, say so. Don’t try to make your role seem more important by glamorizing your
job title, functions, or achievements. Employers are checking on candidates’ backgrounds
more than they used to, so inaccuracies are likely to be exposed sooner or later. Also state
how long you worked on each job, from month/year to month/year. Use the phrase “to
present” to denote current employment. If a job was part time, say so.
Devote the most space to the jobs that are related to your target position. If you were
personally responsible for something significant, be sure to mention it; for example,
“Devised a new collection system that accelerated payment of overdue receivables.” Facts
about your skills and accomplishments are the most important information you can give
a prospective employer, so quantify them whenever possible:
Designed a new ad that increased sales by 9 percent
Raised $2500 in 15 days for cancer research
You may also include a section describing other aspects of your background that per-
tain to your career objective. If you were applying for a position with a multinational
organization, you would mention your command of another language or your travel
experience. Other skills you might mention include computer skills, and specialized soft-
ware or relevant equipment. You might title a special section “Computer Skills” or “Lan-
guage Skills” and place it near your “Education” or “Work Experience” section. If samples
of your work might increase your chances of getting the job, insert a line at the end of
your résumé offering to supply a portfolio of them on request.
ACTIVITIES, INTERESTS, AND ACHIEVEMENTS Many
employers are involved in their local communities and
would look positively on candidates who are active in their
communities as well. Your résumé should also describe
any volunteer activities that demonstrate your abilities.
Include the category “Volunteer Experience.” List projects
that require leadership, organization, teamwork, and coop-
eration. Emphasize career-related activities, such as “mem-
ber of the Student Marketing Association.” List skills you
learned in these activities, and explain how these skills are
related to the job you’re applying for. Include speaking,
writing, or tutoring experience; participation in athletics or creative projects; fundraising
or community-service activities; and offices held in academic or professional organiza-
tions. (However, mention of political or religious organizations may be a red flag to some-
one with differing views, so use your judgment.)
Including interests can enhance the employer’s understanding of how you would fit
in the company.37 For instance, candidates applying to Mountain Equipment Co-op may
want to list outdoor activities. Such information helps show how a candidate will fit in
with the organization’s culture.
Some information is best excluded from your résumé. Federal human rights laws pro-
hibit employers from discriminating on the basis of gender, marital or family status, age,
race, religion, national origin, and physical or mental disability. So be sure to exclude any
items that could encourage discrimination. If you want to highlight skills developed with
a political or religious organization, you could refer to it as a “not-for-profit organization.”
Finally, if you have little or no job experience and not much to discuss outside of your
education, indicating involvement in athletics or other organized student activities lets
Quantify your accomplishments
whenever possible.
Draw attention to key qualifications
by making them section titles; for
example, “Language Skills.”
Résumé advice from a PR insider
Public relations executive Jessica Bernot offers her thoughts
on how students can create effective résumés. Go to http://
real-timeupdates.com/bce6 and click on Learn More. If you
are using MyBCommLab, you can access Real-Time Updates
REAL-TIME UPDATES
Learn More by Listening to This Podcast
Nonpaid activities may provide
evidence of work-related skills.
Provide only the personal data that
will help you get the job.

employers know that you don’t spend all your free time hanging around your apartment
playing video games (which might be a plus if you are applying for a game developer
position). Also consider mentioning publications, projects, and other accomplishments
that required relevant business skills.
Note any awards you’ve received. Again, quantify your achievements whenever pos-
sible. Instead of saying that you addressed various student groups, state how many and
the approximate audience sizes. If your activities have been extensive, you may want to
group them into divisions such as “College Activities,” “Community Service,” “Profes-
sional Associations,” “Seminars and Workshops,” and “Speaking Activities.” An alterna-
tive is to divide them into two categories: “Service Activities” and “Achievements, Awards,
and Honours.”
REFERENCES Experts debate the value of putting references in a résumé. Some say that
putting them in is unnecessary and takes up valuable space since they are not used until
after the interview. In this case, bring reference information from past employment and
education to the interview. Ensure that you have the reference’s name, job title, company
name and address, telephone number, and email address. Also have the person’s permis-
sion. Talk to references about what they will say about you.
Others say that having references in the résumé shows you are organized and it may
make it easy for the recruiter to call references without any further communication with
you. Also, it may be possible to create a positive impression of the applicant if the refer-
ence named is impressive. If you do decide to put references in, since you are limited in
space, consider putting in two: one from work and one from education. Personal refer-
ences are not as persuasive.
Completing Your Résumé
Completing your résumé involves revising it for optimum quality, producing it in the
various forms and media you’ll need, and proofreading it for any errors before distribut-
ing it or publishing it online. Be prepared to produce several versions of your résumé, in
multiple formats and multiple media. These are discussed later in this section.
Revising Your Résumé
Ask professional recruiters to list the most common mistakes they see on résumés, and
you’ll hear the same things over and over again. Take care to avoid these flaws:
• Too long or too wordy
• Too short or sketchy
• Difficult to read
• Poorly written
• Displaying weak understanding of the business world in general or of a particular
industry or company
• Poor-quality printing or cheap paper
• Full of spelling and grammar errors
• Boastful
• Gimmicky design
The ideal length of your résumé depends on the depth of your experience and the
level of the positions for which you are applying. As a general guideline, if you have fewer
than 10 years of professional experience, try to keep your conventional résumé to one
page. For online résumé formats, you can always provide links to additional information.
If you have more experience and are applying for a higher-level position, you may need
to prepare a somewhat longer résumé, but aim for a maximum of two pages.38
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E ❹
Characterize the completing step
for résumés, including the six
most common formats in which
you can produce a résumé.
Avoid the common errors that will get
your résumé excluded from
consideration.
If your employment history is brief,
keep your résumé to one page.

Producing Your Résumé
No matter how many media and formats you eventually choose for producing your
résumé, a clean, professional-looking design is a must. Recruiters and hiring managers
want to skim your essential information in a matter of seconds, and anything that dis-
tracts or delays them will work against you.
Fortunately, good résumé design is not difficult to achieve. As you can see in Figures
13.6 and 13.7, good designs feature simplicity, order, effective use of white space, and
clear typefaces. Make subheadings easy to find and easy to read, placing them either
above each section or in the left margin. Use lists to itemize your most important qualifi-
cations. Colour is not necessary by any means, but if you add colour, make it subtle and
sophisticated, such as for a thin horizontal line under your name and address. The most
common way to get into trouble with résumé design is going overboard.
Depending on the companies you apply to, you might want to produce your résumé
in as many as six formats (all are explained in the following sections):
• Printed traditional résumé
• Printed scannable résumé
• Electronic plain-text file
• Microsoft Word file
• PDF file
• Online résumé, also called a multimedia or social media résumé
Unfortunately, no single format or medium works for all the situations you will
encounter, and employer expectations continue to change as technology evolves. Find
out what each employer or job posting website expects, and provide your résumé in that
specific format.
CONSIDERING PHOTOS, VIDEOS, PRESENTATIONS, AND INFOGRAPHICS As you
produce your résumé in various formats, you will encounter the question of whether to
include a photograph of yourself on or with your résumé. For print or electronic docu-
ments that you will be submitting to employers or job websites, the safest advice is to
avoid photos. Seeing visual cues of the age, ethnicity, and gender of candidates early in
the selection process exposes employers to complaints of discriminatory hiring practices.
In fact, some employers won’t even look at résumés that include photos, and some appli-
cant tracking systems automatically discard résumés with any kind of extra files.39 How-
ever, photographs are acceptable for social media résumés and other online formats where
you are not actually submitting a résumé to an employer.
In addition to these six main formats, some applicants create PowerPoint presenta-
tions, videos, or infographics to supplement a conventional résumé. Two key advan-
tages of a PowerPoint supplement are flexibility and multimedia capabilities. For
instance, you can present a menu of choices on the opening screen and allow viewers to
click through to sections of interest. (Note that most of the things you can accomplish
with PowerPoint can be done with an online résumé, which is probably more conve-
nient for most readers.)
A video résumé can be a compelling supplement as well, but be aware that some
employment law experts advise employers not to view videos, at least not until after can-
didates have been evaluated solely on their credentials. The reason for this caution is the
same as with photographs. In addition, videos are more cumbersome to evaluate than
paper or electronic résumés, and some recruiters refuse to watch them.40 However, not
all companies share this concern over videos, so you’ll have to research their individual
preferences.
An infographic résumé attempts to convey a person’s career development and skill set
graphically through a visual metaphor such as a timeline or subway map or as a poster
with an array of individual elements (see Figure 13.8). A well-designed infographic could
Effective résumé designs are simple,
clean, and professional—not gaudy,
clever, or cute.
Be prepared to produce several
versions of your résumé in multiple
media.
Do not include or enclose a photo in
résumés that you send to employers
or post on job websites.

be an intriguing element of the job-search package for candidates in certain situations and
professions because it can definitely stand out from traditional résumés and can show a
high level of skill in visual communication. However, infographics are likely to be incom-
patible with most applicant tracking systems and with the screening habits of most
recruiters, so while you might stand out with an infographic, you might also get tossed
out if you try to use an infographic in place of a conventional résumé. In virtually every
situation, an infographic should complement a conventional résumé, not replace it. In
addition, successful infographics require skills in graphic design, and if you lack those
skills, you’ll need to hire a designer (see Chapter 11 for infographic tools and tips).
PRODUCING A TRADITIONAL PRINTED RÉSUMÉ Even though most of your applica-
tion activity will take place online, having a copy of a conventional printed résumé is
important for bringing to job fairs, interviews, and other events. Many interviewers expect
you to bring a printed résumé to the interview, even if you applied online. The résumé can
serve as a note-taking form or discussion guide, and it is tangible evidence of your attention
to professionalism and detail.41 When printing a résumé, choose a heavier, higher-quality
A well-designed infographic résumé can be an
attention-getting part of a job search package in
some professions. However, an infographic résumé
should complement a traditional résumé, not replace it.
Provides an overview of Mark’s experience at the top
Shows Mark’s work life as a time line
Key skills and work tasks are highlighted in the
visual and simple legend
A ‘‘Mark by the Numbers’’ approach provides evidence
of Mark’s experience
The many ways to connect with Mark are strategically
placed near the top
An Infographic Résumé
FIGURE 13.8
Use high-quality paper when printing
your résumé.
Source: Used by permission of Mark Smiciklas.

paper designed specifically for résumés and other important documents. White or slightly
off-white is the best colour choice. Avoid papers with borders or backgrounds.
PRINTING A SCANNABLE RÉSUMÉ You might encounter a company that prefers scan-
nable résumés, a type of printed résumé that is specially formatted to be compatible with
optical scanning systems that convert printed documents to electronic text. These systems
were quite common just a few years ago, but their use appears to be declining rapidly as
more employers prefer email delivery or website application forms.42 A scannable résumé
differs from the traditional format in two major ways: it should always include a keyword
summary (employers search on these terms to find promising candidates), and it should
be formatted in a simpler fashion that avoids underlining, special characters, and other
elements that can confuse the scanning system. If you need to produce a scannable résumé,
search online for “formatting a scannable résumé” to get detailed instructions.
CREATING A PLAIN-TEXT FILE OF YOUR RÉSUMÉ A plain-text file (sometimes known
as an ASCII text file) is an electronic version of your résumé that has no font formatting,
no bullet symbols, no colours, no lines or boxes, or other special formatting. The plain-
text version can be used in two ways. First, you can include it in the body of an email
message, for employers who want email delivery but don’t want file attachments. Second,
you can copy and paste the sections into the application forms on an employer’s website.
A plain-text version is easy to create with your word processor. Start with the file you
used to create your scannable résumé, use the “Save As” choice to save it as “plain text” or
whichever similarly labelled option your software has, and verify the result by using a
basic text editor (such as Microsoft Notepad). If necessary, reformat the page manually,
moving text and inserting space as needed. For simplicity’s sake, left-justify all your head-
ings rather than trying to centre them manually.
CREATING A WORD FILE OF YOUR RÉSUMÉ In many cases, an employer or job-
posting website will want you to upload a Microsoft Word file or attach it to an email
message. This method of transferring information preserves the design and layout of your
résumé and saves you the trouble of creating a plain-text version.
CREATING A PDF VERSION OF YOUR RÉSUMÉ Creating a PDF file is a simple proce-
dure, but you need the right software. Adobe Acrobat (not the free Adobe Reader) is the best-
known program, but many others are available, including some free versions. You can also use
Adobe’s online service, at http://createpdf.adobe.com, to create PDFs without buying software.
CREATING AN ONLINE RÉSUMÉ A variety of terms are used to describe online résumés,
including personal webpage, e-portfolio, social media résumé, and multimedia résumé. Whatever
the terminology used on a particular site, all these formats provide the opportunity to expand
on the information contained in your basic résumé with links to projects, publications, scre-
encasts, online videos, course lists, social networking profiles, and other elements that give
employers a more complete picture of who you are and what you can offer (see Figure 13.8).
A good place to start is your college’s career centre. Ask whether the career centre (or
perhaps the information technology department) hosts online résumés or e-portfolios for
students.
A commercial hosting service is another good possibility for an online résumé. For
instance, the free service VisualCV (www.visualcv.com) lets you build an online résumé
with video clips and other multimedia elements. This site is a good place to see numerous
examples, from students just about to enter the workforce full time all the way up to cor-
porate CEOs.43 Another important way to reach employers is to build a profile in a social
networking site such as LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). LinkedIn is quickly becoming the
most important place to have an online presence. The Notebook at the end of this chapter
provides tips on ways to use LinkedIn in your job search and career.
Some employers still prefer résumés
in scannable format, but most now
want electronic submissions.
A plain-text version of your résumé is
simply a computer file without any of
the formatting that you typically apply
using a word processor.
Make sure you verify the plain-text
file that you create with your word
processor; it might need a few manual
adjustments using a text editor such
as Notepad.
Many employers and websites want
your résumé in Microsoft Word or PDF
format.
You have many options for creating an
online résumé, from college-hosted
e-portfolios to multimedia résumés on
commercial websites.
Many employers check Facebook to
find out about the character of
applicants.

Regardless of the approach you take to creating an online résumé, keep these helpful
tips in mind:
• Remember that your online presence is a career-management tool. The way you
are portrayed online can work for you or against you, and it’s up to you to create a
positive impression. Most employers now conduct online searches to learn more about
promising candidates, and 70 percent of those who do have rejected applicants because
of information they dug up online.44 Images from Facebook can also help applicants,
however. Consider the example of a recruiter looking for a financial officer for a music
industry position. Concerned about how the financial applicant would fit with a com-
pany in the creative business, the recruiter found pictures of the applicant playing his
electric guitar on Facebook and saw that the applicant had a genuine interest in music.
• Take advantage of social networking. Use whatever tools are available to direct
people to your online résumé, such as including your URL on Twitter, LinkedIn, and
the “Info” tab on your Facebook page.
• During the application process, don’t expect or ask employers to retrieve a
résumé from your website. Submit your résumé using whatever method and
medium each employer prefers. If employers then want to know more about you, they
will likely do a web search on you and find your site, or you can refer them to your
site in your résumé or application materials.
Proofreading Your Résumé
Employers view your résumé as a concrete example of your attention to quality and
detail. Your résumé doesn’t need to be good or pretty good—it needs to be perfect.
Although it may not seem fair, just one or two errors in a job application package are
enough to doom a candidate’s chances.45
Your résumé is one of the most important documents you’ll ever write, so don’t rush
or cut corners when it comes to proofreading. Check all headings and lists for clarity and
parallelism and be sure that your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct. Ask at
least three other people to read it, too. As the creator of the material, you could stare at a
mistake for weeks and not see it.
Distributing Your Résumé
How you distribute your résumé depends on the number of employers you target and
their preferences for receiving résumés. Employers usually list their requirements on their
websites, so verify this information and follow it carefully. Beyond that, here are some
general distribution tips:
• Mailing printed résumés. Take some care with the packaging. Spend a few extra
cents to mail these documents in a flat 9-by-12 envelope, or better yet, use a Priority
Mail flat-rate envelope, which gives you a sturdy cardboard mailer and faster delivery
for just a few more dollars.
• Emailing your résumé. Some employers want applicants to include the text of their
résumés in the body of an email message; others prefer an attached Microsoft Word
or PDF file. If you have a reference number or a job ad number, include it in the sub-
ject line of your email message.
• Submitting your résumé to an employer’s website. Many employers, including most
large companies, now prefer or require applicants to submit their résumés online. In some
instances, you will be asked to upload a complete file. In others, you will need to copy and
paste sections of your résumé into individual boxes in an online application form.
• Posting your résumé on job websites. You can post your résumé on general-purpose
job websites such as Monster (www.monster.ca) and CareerBuilder (www.careerbuilder
.com), on more specialized websites such as Jobster (www.jobster.com) or Jobfox
Your résumé can’t be “pretty good” or
“almost perfect”—it needs to be
perfect, so proofread it thoroughly and
ask several other people to verify it, too.
When distributing your résumé, pay
close attention to the specific
instructions provided by every
employer, job website, or other
recipient.
Don’t post a resumé on any public
website unless you understand its
privacy and security policies.

(www.jobfox.com), or with staffing services such as Volt (http://jobs.volt.com). Before you
upload your résumé to any site, however, learn about its confidentiality protection.
Some sites allow you to specify levels of confidentiality, such as letting employers
search your qualifications without seeing your personal contact information or pre-
venting your current employer from seeing your résumé. Don’t post your résumé to
any website that doesn’t give you the option of restricting the display of your contact
information. (Only employers that are registered clients of the service should be able
to see your contact information.)46
Go to MyBCommLab for everything you need to help you succeed in the job you’ve
always wanted! Tools and resources include the following:
• Writing Activities • Document Makeovers
• Video Exercises • Grammar Exercises—and much more!
MyBCommLab®
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Check Your Progress
❶ OBJECTIVE List eight key steps to finding the
ideal opportunity in today’s job market.
The eight steps discussed in the chapter are (1) fig-
uring out the story of you, which involves describ-
ing your career so far and your future goals;
(2) learning to think like an employer; (3) research-
ing industries and companies to identify opportu-
nities; (4) translating your general potential into a
specific solution for each employer so that you
show you are a good fit for each opening; (5) taking
the initiative to approach companies; (6) building
your network so you and your connections can
help each other in the job search process; (7) seek-
ing career counselling if appropriate; and (8) avoid-
ing mistakes that can ruin your chances of getting
a job.
❷ OBJECTIVE Explain the process of planning your
résumé, including how to choose the best résumé
organization.
Planning a résumé starts with recognizing what it is:
a persuasive message designed to get you job inter-
views. Gathering the necessary information involves
learning about target industries, professions,
companies, and specific positions, and collecting
information about yourself. Choosing the best
résumé organization depends on your background.
A chronological résumé helps employers easily
locate necessary information, highlights your profes-
sional growth and career progress, and emphasizes
continuity and stability. Chronological format is the
approach employers tend to prefer. A functional
résumé helps employers easily see what you can do
for them, allows you to emphasize earlier job experi-
ence, and lets you downplay any lengthy periods of
unemployment or a lack of career progress. How-
ever, many employers are suspicious of functional
résumés. The combination approach uses the best
features of the other two and is often the best choice
for recent graduates.
❸ OBJECTIVE Describe the tasks involved in writing
your résumé and list the sections to consider
including in your résumé.
Adapting to the audience is crucial, because readers
are looking to see how well you understand their
businesses and whether you can present a solution
to their talent needs. The major sections to consider
including in your résumé are (1) your name and
contact information; (2) an introductory statement,
which can be a career objective, a qualifications
summary, or a career summary; (3) your education;
(4) your work experience; and (5) activities,
interests, and achievements that are professionally
relevant.
❹ OBJECTIVE Characterize the completing step for
résumés, including the six most common formats
in which you can produce a résumé.
Quality is paramount with résumés, so the tasks of
revising and proofing are particularly important. The
six common résumé formats are traditional printed
résumé, scannable résumé, electronic plain-text file,
Microsoft Word file, PDF
, and online résumé (which
might be called a personal webpage, an e-portfolio,
or a social media résumé).

Practise Your Grammar
Effective business communication starts with strong
grammar skills. To improve your grammar skills, go
to MyBCommLab, where you’ll find exercises and
diagnostic tests to help you produce clear, effective
communication.
Test Your Knowledge
To review chapter content related to each question,
refer to the indicated Learning Objective.
1. Why is networking an essential part of your lifelong
career planning? L.O.❶
2. How can you make yourself more valuable to
employers? L.O.❷
3. Why do most employers prefer chronological résu-
més over functional résumés? L.O.❷
4. Why is it important to find and use relevant key-
words in your résumé? L.O.❸
5. What are the advantages of a social media résumé?
L.O.❹
Apply Your Knowledge
To review chapter content related to each question,
refer to the indicated Learning Objective.
1. Some people don’t have a clear career path when
they enter the job market. If you’re in this situation,
how would your uncertainty affect the way you
write your résumé? L.O.❶
2. How should you present a past job that is unrelated
to your current career plans? L.O.❸
3. Can you use a qualifications summary if you don’t
yet have extensive professional experience in your
desired career? Why or why not? L.O.❸
4. Between your second and third years, you quit
school for a year to earn the money to finish col-
lege. You worked as a loan-processing assistant in
a finance company, checking references on loan
applications, word processing, and filing. Your
manager made a lot of the fact that he had never
attended college. He seemed to resent you for pur-
suing your education, but he never criticized your
work, so you thought you were doing okay. After
you’d been working there for six months, he fired
you, saying that you had failed to be thorough enough
in your credit checks. You were actually glad to leave,
and you found another job right away, at a bank doing
similar duties and earning positive reviews. Now that
you’ve graduated from college, you’re writing your
résumé. Will you include the finance company job in
your work history? Explain. L.O.❸
5. You’ve completed an attractive, professional-quality
online résumé but haven’t created a conventional
résumé yet. You run across an intriguing job oppor-
tunity for which the hiring manager asks interested
applicants to email résumés as Microsoft Word
attachments. You don’t want to let this opportunity
slip by. Should you email the manager a link to
your online résumé and explain that you haven’t
had time to create a conventional résumé yet? Why
or why not? L.O.❹
Practise Your Skills
ActiVitiEs
Each activity is labelled according to the primary skill
or skills you will need to use. To review relevant chap-
ter content, you can refer to the indicated Learning
Objective. In some instances, supporting information
will be found in another chapter, as indicated.
1. Career Management: Work-Related Preferences,
Self-Assessment L.O.❶ What work-related activities
and situations do you prefer? Evaluate your prefer-
ences in each of the areas listed in the table below.
Use the results as a good start for guiding your job
search.

Activity or Situation Strongly Agree Agree Disagree No Preference
a. I want to work independently. ________ ________ ________ ________
b. I want variety in my work. ________ ________ ________ ________
c. I want to work with people. ________ ________ ________ ________
d. I want to work with products or
machines. ________ ________ ________ ________
e. I want physical work. ________ ________ ________ ________
f. I want mental work. ________ ________ ________ ________
g. I want to work for a large organization. ________ ________ ________ ________
h. I want to work for a nonproit
organization. ________ ________ ________ ________
i. I want to work for a small family
business. ________ ________ ________ ________
j. I want to work for a service business. ________ ________ ________ ________
k. I want regular, predictable work hours. ________ ________ ________ ________
l. I want to work in a city location. ________ ________ ________ ________
m. I want to work in a small town or
suburb. ________ ________ ________ ________
n. I want to work in another country. ________ ________ ________ ________
o. I want to work outdoors. ________ ________ ________ ________
p. I want to work in a structured
environment. ________ ________ ________ ________
2. Career Management: Researching Career Oppor-
tunities L.O.❶ Based on the preferences you identi-
fied in the self-assessment in Activity 1 and the
academic, professional, and personal qualities you
have to offer, perform an online search for a career
opportunity that matches your interests and quali-
fications (starting with any of the websites listed in
Table 13.3). Draft a one-page report indicating how
the career you select and the job openings you find
match your strengths and preferences.
3. Message Strategies: Planning a Résumé L.O.❷
Identify a position in an interesting career field that
you could potentially be qualified for upon gradu-
ation. Using at least three different sources, includ-
ing the description in an online job posting, create
a list of ten keywords that should be included in a
résumé customized for this position.
4. Message Strategies: Writing a Résumé L.O.❸
Rewrite this résumé so that it follows the guidelines
presented in this chapter.
Sylvia Manchester
765 Belle Fleur Blvd.
St-Laurent, QC H8L 3X9
(514) 312-9504
smanchester@bce.net
PERSONAL: Single, excellent health, 5’7”, 136 lbs.;
hobbies include cooking, dancing, and reading.
JOB OBJECTIVE: To obtain a responsible position
in marketing or sales with a good company.
Education: BSc degree in biology, Dalhousie Uni-
versity, 2006. Graduated with a 3.0 average. Mem-
ber of the varsity volleyball team. President of
Dalhousie chess club.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Fisher Scientific Instruments, 2013 to now, field
sales representative. Responsible for calling on
customers and explaining the features of Fisher’s
line of laboratory instruments. Also responsible for
writing sales letters, attending trade shows, and
preparing weekly sales reports.
Fisher Scientific Instruments, 2010–2012, customer
service representative. Was responsible for handling
incoming phone calls from customers who had
questions about delivery, quality, or operation of
Fisher’s line of laboratory instruments. Also handled
miscellaneous correspondence with customers.
Medical Electronics, Inc., 2007–2010, administra-
tive assistant to the vice president of marketing. In
addition to handling typical administrative chores
for the vice-president of marketing, I was in charge
of compiling the monthly sales reports, using figures
provided by members of the field sales force. I also

was given responsibility for doing various market
research activities.
Halifax Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2004–
2006, summers, tour guide. During the summers of
my university years, I led tours of Halifax for tour-
ists visiting the city. My duties included greeting
conventioneers and their spouses at hotels, explain-
ing the history and features of the city during an
all-day sightseeing tour, and answering questions
about Halifax and its attractions. During my fourth
summer with the bureau, I was asked to help train
the new tour guides. I prepared a handbook that
provided interesting facts about the various tourist
attractions, as well as answers to the most com-
monly asked tourist questions. The Bureau was so
impressed with the handbook they had it printed
up so that it could be given as a gift to visitors.
Dalhousie University, 2004–2007, part-time clerk
in admissions office. While I was a student in uni-
versities, I worked 15 hours a week in the admis-
sions office. My duties included filing, processing
applications, and handling correspondence with
high school students and administrators.
5. Message Strategies: Writing a Résumé; Collabora-
tion: Team Projects L.O.❸, Chapter 2 Working with
another student, change the following statements to
make them more effective for a résumé by using action
verbs, concrete keywords, and parallel construction.
a. Have some experience with database design
b. Assigned to a project to analyze the cost account-
ing methods for a large manufacturer
c. I was part of a team that developed a new inven-
tory control system
d. Am responsible for preparing the quarterly
department budget
e. Was a manager of a department with seven
employees working for me
f. Was responsible for developing a spreadsheet to
analyze monthly sales by department
g. Put in place a new program for ordering supplies
6. Message Strategies: Writing a Résumé L.O.❸
Using your partner’s answers to Activity 5, make
the statements stronger by quantifying them (make
up any numbers you need).
7. Message Strategies: Writing a Résumé; Commu-
nication Ethics: Resolving Ethical Dilemmas L.O.❸,
Chapter 1 Assume that you achieved all the tasks
shown in Activity 5 not as an individual employee
but as part of a work team. In your résumé, must you
mention other team members? Explain your answer.
8. Career Management: Use of Facebook to Check the
Character of Applicants L.O.❶ Many recruiters and
managers are using Facebook, LinkedIn, and other
online spaces to find out more about applicants. Do
you think this is an ethical practice? Discuss in groups
of four and be ready to share your views with the
class. What should applicants do in response to this
practice? How can applicants manage their “online
personas”? In your group, prepare a list of suggestions.
After your class discussion, write a short reflec-
tion on your online persona. What can employers
learn about you online? How can you manage your
presence? Do you have a professional profile online?
9. MessageStrategies:WritingaRésuméL.O.❸ Develop
a LinkedIn profile for yourself at www.linkedin.com.
10. Career Management: Writing the Story of You L.O.❶
Using the example in Figure 13.1, think about what
you have done so far and what you hope to do next.
Write “the story of you” as a private document you
can use to help you start a career plan. Write an
email to your instructor sharing your story.
CASES
Apply the three-step writing process to the follow-
ing cases, as assigned by your instructor.
1. Career Management: Researching Career
Opportunities L.O.❶
Chances are you won’t be able to land your dream job
right out of college, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t
start planning right now to make that dream come true.
YOUR TASK Using online job search tools, find a job
that sounds just about perfect for you, even if you’re not yet
qualified for it. It might even be something that would take
10 or 20 years to reach. Don’t settle for something that’s
not quite right; find a job that is so “you” and so exciting
that you would jump out of bed every morning, eager to go
to work (such jobs really do exist!). Start with the job
description you found online and then supplement it with
additional research so that you get a good picture of what
this job and career path are all about. Compile a list of all
the qualifications you would need to have a reasonable
chance of landing such a job. Now compare this list with
your current résumé. Write a brief email message to your
instructor that identifies all the areas in which you would
need to improve your skills, work experience, education,
and other qualifications in order to land your dream job.

2. Message Strategies: Planning a Résumé L.O.❷
Think about yourself. What are some things that come
easily to you? What do you enjoy doing? In what part of
the country would you like to live? Do you like to work
indoors? Outdoors? A combination of the two? How
much do you like to travel? Would you like to spend
considerable time on the road? Do you like to work
closely with others or more independently? What con-
ditions make a job unpleasant? Do you delegate respon-
sibility easily, or do you like to do things yourself? Are
you better with words or numbers? Better at speaking
or writing? Do you like to work under fixed deadlines?
How important is job security to you? Do you want
your supervisor to state clearly what is expected of you,
or do you like having the freedom to make many of
your own decisions?
YOUR TASK After answering these questions, gather
information about possible jobs that suit your current
qualifications by consulting reference materials (from
your college library, or placement centre) and by
searching online. Next, choose a location, a company,
and a job that interest you. Write a résumé that matches
your qualifications and the job description; use what-
ever format and media your instructor specifies.
3. Message Strategies: Completing a Résumé L.O.❹
Creating presentations and other multimedia supple-
ments can be a great way to expand on the brief overview
that a résumé provides.
YOUR TASK Starting with any version of a résumé that
you’ve created for yourself, create an electronic presenta-
tion that expands on your résumé information to give
potential employers a more complete picture of what
you can contribute. Include samples of your work, testi-
monials from current or past employers and colleagues,
videos of speeches you’ve made, and anything else that
tells the story of the professional “you.” If you have a
specific job or type of job in mind, focus on that. Other-
wise, present a more general picture that shows why you
would be a great employee for any company to consider.
Be sure to review the information from Chapter 12 about
creating professional-quality presentations.
4. Career Management: Researching the Use of Twitter
for Job Search L.O.❶
With two classmates, have each person look up
“Twitter Résumés” to find out how Twitter might be
used by job seekers and employers. Look on sites
such as www.TweetMyJobs.com or other similar sites
that you can find. Report back in your group to
describe what each of these sites offers. Discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of using Twitter to find
jobs. What should a person know before subscribing
to a site that will tweet his or her résumé?
YOUR TASK Write a one-page report to your instruc-
tor about what you learned about tweeting résumés,
including your suggestions to fellow classmates about
Twitter résumés.
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION NOTEBOOK
LinkedIn and other social job search sites are revolu-
tionizing recruiting practices.47 Frequently, employers
are bypassing job boards such as Monster and using
LinkedIn and technologies such as Entelo and Talent-
Bin to sift through social data to find talent.48 In 2010
LinkedIn had 90 million members but by January 2014
had grown to 259 million, adding members at a rate of
two per second. You can’t afford not to be on LinkedIn.
Staying connected on the site even when you are not job
hunting can help you build your network and make
you a “passive candidate” for those companies seeking
talent in the “hidden job market” by searching for skill
sets using social technologies.49
As you plan the next stage of your career, make the
most of LinkedIn. Here are the basics:
• Embed in your profile keywords that employers in
your field would be searching. For example, if your
experience is in logistics, supply chain management,
asset management, capital budget, change manage-
ment, and continuous improvement are just a few of
the words you should include.
• Join groups related to your field, especially profes-
sional and alumni associations. Once in the group,
ask and answer questions and post resources to
build your reputation and make connections.
Tips for Using LinkedIn to Further Your Career

• Use the “Follow” function to keep tabs on companies
and people of interest. You can follow anyone in a
group that you belong to, or a company that is men-
tioned in your contact’s profiles. Or, use the “Com-
pany Follow” icon to receive updates and alerts.
• Ask for “endorsements” and recommendations from
co-workers or influential people who can vouch for
your expertise.50
• Take time to read the “Track the Jobs” section, and
if you see a job suited to someone you know, for-
ward it. If you receive notifications of someone get-
ting a job, send congratulatory notes to stay
connected.51
• Use “Advanced People Search” to look up someone
who has your dream job. Read their profile to see
how they got to that position—a kind of reverse
engineering for your own career path.
• If you have a blog, Twitter account, a website or
samples of your work, link them to your profile.
• Once on the job, use LinkedIn to research people
before going to meetings or calling on clients.
• Ask your first-level connections to introduce you to
a second-level contact—write polite notes to request
the introductions.
Applications for Success
1. LinkedIn provides users the ability to hide endorse-
ments that others have given them. Why might this
be an important feature from an ethical point of
view?
2. How can you combine your use of LinkedIn with
face-to-face networking and what advantage would
it bring?

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