Need a Letter of Recommedation?
^{What's on a resume?}^{Should you list your references?

Should you let your references know who
might be calling them?

Should you let your references know the
result?

Does my resume have to fit on one page?

For more help on your resume ...

Are you prepared for success? What do you do
when they call?

Feedback please!}

^{Need a Letter of Recommendation?

I would be happy to consider writing you a letter.

You, however, probably don't need a B+ letter; therefore, I'll write only
if I can write a very strong letter.

I tend to write for people who have taken more than one course with me.
(Usually, it's hard to get to know someone well enough, except, perhaps
in a seminar or though a private readings course.)

If you would like to talk to me about a possible letter of recommendation,
please bring a copy of your resume. What's a resume?

After we talk, I may ask you to prepare a draft letter, writing as though
you were me writing about you. The purpose of doing so is to get you to
think about your strengths and about the best way to present them (as you
will have to on your resume and, hopefully, in person). Note, however,
that your draft letter is only a pedagogical exercise; be assured, I will
write my own letter.

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Want a job or internship? Get a resume.

What's a resume? (sometimes,
especially in academic circles, referred to as a vita or curriculum vita)

A resume, in a strategic sense, is a document that describes what you have
to offer a particular kind of employer. It, therefore, tells "your
story relative to the needs of the organization."(1)

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^{What's on a resume?}^{A resume includes facts about where
you've been and what you've done. These facts suggest that there is an
empirical or experiential basis for what the resume reader really wants
to know; namely, what personal attributes or skills will
you be bringing to the job? Therefore ...

After you list each thing (the job, internship, or, in general, the experience),
briefly answer the following two questions:

1) What does that experience indicate about
you; that is, what positive attributes of you were revealed in that experience?
(For example, if you were a "Hoods in the Woods" guide, you might
say that experience proved you thrive on challenges, even in the absence
of an organizational support system.)

(2) What skill did you acquire in that experience;
that is, because of that experience, what new (or heightened) skill will
you be bringing to your prospective employer?

An additional note on CONTENT ... Some prospective employers request the
submission of electronic resumes. When they do so, they probably are searching
the resumes for "codewords" and "catch phrases." Think
about (research if possible) theirs and yours.

Should you list your references?

Yes. Unlike academics, most employers operate in real time and they
want to move quickly. See someone you like, want to check out their references,
telephone them now, make a decision. (As opposed to contact you, have you
contact your references, etc.)

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^{Should you let your references
know who might be calling them?

Yes, unless you want them to be surprised and tongue-tied.

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^{Should you let your references
know the result?

Yes, especially if you think you might want to use them
again.

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^{Does my resume have to
fit on one page?

Would you want to work for anyone who thought so? But, on
the other hand, would you hire someone who needed more than two pages?

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^{For more help on your
resume ...

Talk to folks in Career Services; they're terrific.

Read:

Richard Bolles, What Color is Your Parachute? (See the CD-ROM version)

Yana Parker, The Damn Good Resume Guide

Check out the "Professional Web Resume" software from Pacifica
Software.

Check out the "Managing Your Career" column on the first page
of the second section of every Tuesday's Wall Street Journal.

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^{Are you prepared for
success? What do you do when they call?

If they like your resume, they probably will call. The call
may be to schedule your personal visit to them. More like, the call will
be to determine if they want to see you.

So ...

Be prepared for the call. (How do you tend to answer the phone?)

During the call (and, for that matter, during the personal visit), I think
there are really only two questions:

(1) Tell us about yourself? (This is code for: "What are the personal
attributes you will be bringing to this organization?")

(2) How do you see yourself fitting in here? (More code: "What can
you do for us?")

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^{Feedback please!

Comments about these "resume" pages?

Job/Internship experiences?

Success stories? ?

Leads for other students, including those in the next cohort? ["As
you climb the ladder of success, don't pull it up after you."]

Horror stories? ?

Paul
Dawson with your feedback.

My favorite (i.e., most scary) horror story was told me by a former Economics
colleague who left to join the business world. When interviewing college
seniors for possible jobs with his economic forecasting and consulting
firm, he asked the predictable question: "Where do you see yourself
in five years." The response of the Amherst and Smith graduating seniors
was equally predictable: "In your job!" The (actual) response
of the graduating Oberlin senior wasn't: "I hope to be emotionally
independent of my parents."

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^{1. 1 Hal Lancaster, "The
Standard Resume Still Has a Role in Job Searches," Wall Street
Journal, February 3, 1998, B1.}