State-of-the-Art Resumes & Interviewing Strategies, #6049

EXPRL 220 Resume & Interviewing Strategies (2 credits)

Feb. 27, 28, Mar. 6, 7, 2009 - Friday 6pm-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm

BCC Main Campus, R210

Syllabus

Course Description & Learning Objectives:

In this course, you will develop a resume that represents your best qualifications for the job you are seeking. You will also practice answering common interview questions. Guest speakers will tell you what they really want to see on a resume and hear in the job interview. Class will include mock interviews.

You can expect to learn how to extract meaningful information from education and work experiences and write about them in your resume as well as speak about them in the interview. By taking this class, you will increase your confidence and understand the selection process from the employer’s perspective.

Instructor:

Jerry Bunce, gbunce@bellevuecollege.edu, 425-495-0294 (cell)

Text: Expert Resumes for People Returning to Work by Enelow and Kursmark

Date	Topic & In Class Activities	Homework-
2/27	Class Introduction and Handouts, roll call, introduce out-line of course (topics, schedule, attendance, homework, outcomes, etc.) and tonight’s agenda Where to begin? A look at hiring from employer’s perspective HIRING PANEL What do employers want on your resume and hear in your interview Employer Discussion Job Objectives WOIS Work on Job target worksheets Identify your strongest qualifications Should you include an Objective Statement in your resume?	If you have a resume that you are using now, email it to Jerry (gbunce@bellevuecollege.edu) or bring it to class on Saturday morning. A draft resume must be e-mailed to Jerry by Tuesday midnight. Jerry will make suggested changes to format. He will not change your words. He will use the tracking changes feature in WORD so that you can see the changes made. You can then use the accept or reject changes feature in WORD. Hand in Job Target worksheet.
2/28	TAKE ATTENDANCE · What came up as you thought about the hiring panel? Review of Objective Statements The anatomy of the resume and how we’ll go about writing it Writing the Work History Section of your resume. Documenting work history evidence using the SAR Formula The SAR method and practice writing SARS Skills summary statements (profiles) Styles of Resumes (functional vs. chronological) Writing the contact information and education sections of your resume, Look at contact & education section examples in the book Read the “Education, Credentials, and Certifications” section on pages 36-38 of the book Add “Extras to your resume”, pages 42-45 of the book INTERVIEWING The 60 second sell Interview role play: Tell me about yourself/why should I hire you? What are your strengths?	Read pages 1 – 36 of the large packet By Tuesday midnight: email Jerry your revised resume, NO TEMPLATES, Jerry will review this using the track changes feature in Microsoft Word and return it to you by Friday at noon.
3/6	TAKE ATTENDANCE · Practice Interviewing in small groups · MOCK INTERVIEWS! · What questions were asked? · Good answers
3/7	TAKE ATTENDANCE · What came up as you thought about the mock interviews? · What are your strengths? · Difficult topics · What are your weaknesses? Handling illegal questions Read “F.A.Q.s About Illegal Interview Questions” and “Legal vs. Illegal Interviewing Questions” Interview etiquette and tactics More Interview Practice 60 second sells in front of the class Read and discuss, Do you have any questions? And Questions to ask the interviewer Salary Negotiation Cover Letters Course Evaluations	Add your contact information and education sections to your resume and email your resume and a Cover Letter for a job that you have applied to or would like to apply to Jerry by Tuesday midnight. Please Note: THE FINAL RESUME & COVER LETTER SERVES AS THE FINAL EXAM OF THIS COURSE. The resume is worth 100 points and the cover letter is worth 25. Read any Interviewing section of the packet not covered in class.

HOMEWORK:

Your homework for this course will consist of reading the class handout, completing worksheets, working on your resume in sections, and preparing answers for interview questions.

Homework accounts for 50% of your grade. Resume drafts will only be accepted over email. Resume drafts should be emailed to your instructor. It will be critiqued using the “Track Changes” feature of Microsoft Word. Resumes created using a template or table formats will not be accepted.

Before turning in your homework, make sure you correct any spelling or grammar errors. All graded homework is to be handed in on time. You will only receive 50% of the points for any homework handed in late.

The following assignments will be graded based on the completeness and timeliness. The maximum point value is listed beside each assignment.

Job Target Worksheet, completed in class (25 points)

Resume draft emailed by Tuesday midnight (50 points)

Participation in the Mock Interview (50 points)

60 Second Sell in front of the class (50 points)

Final draft of resume emailed by Tuesday midnight (100 points)

Cover Letter emailed by Tuesday midnight (25 points)

Homework Total = 300 points

ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION:

Since this is a course in job search strategies, your attendance is vital to producing a winning resume and being prepared to answer tough questions in an interview. You will receive 50 points for each Friday that you come to class on-time and participate 100 points for each Saturday that you come to class on time and participate. You will receive only half of the points for any day if you miss a portion of that day.

Each Friday 50 points

Each Saturday 100 points

Attendance and participation total = 300 points.

Please note: If you miss an entire day of class with no notification of the instructor prior to the class you will receive an F and Fail the course!

Your instructor recognizes that there may be extenuating circumstances that cause you to miss portions of a class. Please inform your instructor in advance of any absences.

GRADING:

A total of 600 points is possible for the course

A=551-600 points

B=500 -550 points

C=451- 499-points

D=450-420 points

420 or under F – or if you miss an entire day of class with no prior notification to the instructor