uhaul

Written by: Connie Huber SHRM-CP PHR

We are all familiar with resumes. The goal of the resume has been to get an interview. Did you know resumes have been an employment practice for over 500 years? “While it is unclear who actually invented the resume, Leonardo Da Vinci is the first recorded person to use one. In 1482, Da Vinci wrote a letter to the Duke of Milan in an attempt to gain his patronage and support. Da Vinci’s letter listed his skills

KEYNOTE: Resume MythBuster Panel

Resume MythBuster panel had the privilege of having four of Phoenix’s finest resume experts including Brenda Cunningham (BC), Donna Tucker (DT), Martha Rockwell (MR) and Amanda Miller (AM) – all members of the Resume Writers Council of Arizona.

INTRODUCTION
QUESTION: Overview of you, your services and business. Biggest mistake you’ve seen on resume.
ANSWER:
BC: Brenda has received certifications in resume writing, coaching and established her confidence. Biggest resume error is where the resume lists everything. The document needs to be focused.
DT: Has participated by being on Board of National Resume Writers. Mistake has been where writer has written solely in paragraphs or bullets. Donna provided a comprehensive Job Search Guide here!
MR: Martha has over 20 years in sales and marketing. Martha loves what she does. Martha has come across resumes where there are job descriptions without any quantifiable results.
AM: Has been writing resumes since 1996. Her expertise is marketing, sales and project managers. Amanda describes herself as more of a generalist. A mistake she has seen is where the resume only has a name on it and missing all other relevant information,

QUESTION: Resume background and certification. What makes you an expert?
ANSWER:
BC: DT has the newest form of certification. Validation of skills by a larger community.
MR: A concern is getting and accepting the wrong information from those people who are not skilled or knowledgeable.
DT: The resume writer is going to know what words will be accepted by ATS.

MECHANICS/FORMAT
QUESTION: Most important things to have on a resume?
ANSWER:
AM: Most recruiters spend 6-10 seconds to read a resume. Be sure to include contact information, LinkedIn profile, and email address. There should be a short summary and value statement. There should also be an overview of experience. Be sure to avoid portraying
yourself as an old person. Include any degrees or certifications you have received.
MR: Job title on resume needs to be the same as the job you are applying for. A summary statement is helpful in your presentation to an employer.
DT: Give a summary or profile of what you can do. Avoid pronouns in your resume. Write in the first person. Talk about current or future job.
BC: Share the goals you have achieved in your roles. Font should be 10-12 while margins should be 1-1 ½“.

QUESTION: LENGTH OF RESUME
ANSWER:
MR: Resume should be 2 pages. If you have masters or extensive experience, the resume may go into 3 pages.

QUESTION: Number of years back should you go.
ANSWER:
BC:10-15 years
MR: Same.

CONTENT
QUESTION: Accomplishments-what they are, their importance, & how to incorporate. How someone with extensive work experience emphasizes soft skills.
ANSWER:
AM: Accomplishments are results you have achieved in performing your job. Your accomplishments should make you stand out from your peers and make you a highly desirable candidate. The resume should be sprinkled with accomplishments throughout the document. Ideally, there should be accomplishments for each role you have had and listed from the most impactful to the least.
Chronological resume is used more than a functional one. Functional should list 2-3 skills that the employer would like to see. Functional resumes are not good for Applicant Tracking Systems. In addition, functional documents do not parse information successfully.
DT: Accomplishments will demonstrate the candidate’s impact on company. Numbers give credibility to candidate. Accomplishments should be bulleted and listed in order of importance.
MR: Review job description of desired job. Tailor you resume to match the job. Your resume is your sales pitch.
DT: Can’t sell yourself for a job until you know the job description and company overview.

QUESTION: Number of resumes you need to apply for jobs.
ANSWER:
AM: Need only 1 resume with different versions. Your resume needs to be tailored to the open position.

QUESTION: How to handle employment gaps.
ANSWER:
DT: Share lack off work due to COVID. Indicate you were laid off. Add line to resume sharing what you have been doing since you have not worked. Volunteer your time and share details with hiring managers. Avoid focusing on negative. Give yourself time to breathe. Do those things you have been meaning to do.

QUESTION: Applicant tracking systems are awkward and plentiful.
ANSWER:
There are over 200 different applicant tracking systems. ATS reviews the resume for key words. DT: One of the best ways to get around ATS is to establish the desired skills for the job. Review your connections that work for the desire company. Use your connection as an entry to the company.
BC: Invest in yourself and career. Continue learning about you and your profession.

“The challenge in life, I have found, is to build a resume that doesn’t simply tell a story about what you want to be, but it’s a story about who you want to be.”-Oprah Winfrey

HIRING COMPANIES

MCKESSON
MARY MENARD, Human Resources Business Partner

Currently, McKesson is ranked 7th on the FORTUNE 500. McKesson is a global healthcare services and medical supply company dedicated to delivering better care. They support the entire healthcare system, including pharmacies, hospitals, health systems, biotech and life sciences companies, specialty care and oncology practices, physician offices, surgery centers, and long-term care and home health facilities. McKesson delivers pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and business services to each of these groups to create a world of better health. To learn more about the latest trends in healthcare, visit McKesson’s weekly blog, The Vitals: https://www.mckesson.com/blog.
During COVID employees are working from home. McKesson is one of Fortune’s most admired company and culture. Currently, there are several customer service positions available. Employees will find advancement and growth opportunities at McKesson. Please refer to McKesson’s career page for a listing of current openings.

UHAUL
NIJA PARKER, Corporate Partner

U-Haul was founded in 1945. U-Haul trucks and trailers can be rented anywhere in the US and Canada. 32,000 employees are nationwide. The company has the largest truck fleet in the world; 20,000 independent dealers and over 1,900 company-owned centers.
Benefits include medical, dental, vision and prescription. The company also emphasizes the health of its employees with its Healthier U program.
Current openings include positions in every field; contact center, customer service and sales; corporate, accounting and project planners; field, retail sales and customer service agents; and IT, software infrastructure software engineer. For additional details visit U-Haul.

WEALTH WAVE
JASON WISEMAN, Senior Marketing Manager

Wealth Wave presents alternatives for those who are not sure if they wish to return to a corporate employee role with a steady paycheck. Wealth Wave gives you an opportunity to exploit your own business or side gig. At the same time if you are hesitant about going all in towards being an entrepreneur, this organization is flexible enough so they can help you transition into something part time. Wealth Wave’s mission is to eliminate financial illiteracy to keep people from making easily avoidable financial mistakes.
And speaking of confidence, Wealth Wave is a big believer of building your self-development, so you’ll learn much about yourself along the way, including examining what you really want out of life. Sounds like a confidence booster that’s hard to beat – being able to build a business plan around what you really want.
Wealth Wave serves all families. As many of the top firms steer their associates away from serving low- and middle-income families to focus on helping the rich get richer, Wealth Wave sees vast opportunity. Wealth Wave has built their entire company around the chance to provide to every family the same type of financial education, tools, services, and personal care available to the rich. They serve young families, old families, average families, all families. That’s who they are.
More information here.

CLOSING

Jessica Pierce, Founder & CEO, Career Connectors, closed the meeting by thanking the day’s speakers & the volunteers. The next Career Connectors meeting will be a virtual event on
October 7, 2020 ; “Kickstart Your Job Search” presented by Kevin Dumcum. For additional information on this event & future events, please visit the Event Schedule.