resumes & cvs: communicating the value of your phd/postdoc

Career Exploration Opportunities (CEO) Session 2: January, 21, 2016Communicating the value of your PhD/Postdoc Joe BucherStanford University

“How can you re-think or re-purpose your past experiences for future opportunities?”

Goals for today’s session

Review of hiring process • Recruiter behavior • Understand an industry hiring “Funnel” • What catches their attention?

Best Practices • What factors contribute to successful resume writing?

What is the value of YOUR PhD or Postdoc experience? • The transferable skills that you have developed.

Identify YOUR Next Steps

Exercise: YOU are the recruiter

In teams of 3 you are going to:

1. Review a job description

2. Examine resumes of 3 candidates

3. As a team, make recommendations for which candidates you will recommend to progress to the next level

Hiring Funnel

4

1

1,3,109 7

6,9

10

2, 3, 52-42,3,10

2,48

8

1

5

8

4,10

1-10

Capturing attention quickly According to research*, recruiters focused almost 80% of their resume review time on the following data points: • Name• Current title/organization• Previous title/organization• Dates (start and end dates for titles)• Education

*The Ladders used eye tracking software to study the behavior of 30 recruiters over a ten week period.

Comparing needs: Industry vs. Academia

Academia tends to focus on candidate’s:Credentials (Education, coursework, honors, grants, etc.)

Experience (Fellowships, research, and publications)

Knowledge (What you know)

Network (P.I., Advisor, and Letters of Rec)

Asks the question: What do you know?

Industry tends to focus on candidate’s:

Skills (work experience, hard/soft skills, and transferrable skills)

Achievements (what you accomplished, improved, created, etc.)

Quantification ($, %, and #’s)

Fit (Does candidate align with organizational values?)

Asks the question: What do you do?

2015 NACE Top 10 Transferable Skills

1. Work in a team structure2. Make decisions and solve problems (tie)3. Communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization4. Plan, organize and prioritize work5. Obtain and process information6. Analyze quantitative data7. Technical knowledge related to the job8. Proficiency with computer software programs9. Create and/or edit written reports10. Sell and influence others

Additional desired transferrable skills: Written communication, leadership, initiative, integrity, focus, perseverance…

Translating Science Into the Top Skills for Job Candidates (NACE)

Verbally communicate with Conferences, teaching,persons inside/outside the organization lab or presentations,

dealing with vendors

Work in a team structure Leadership positions, lab collaborations

Make decisions and solve problems Develop hypothesis, test,analyze results

Plan, organize, and prioritize work Project development

Obtain and process information Reading/preparingpublications

Resources to identify what employers seek

• Job description• Company web site• LinkedIn• Glass door• Informational Interviewing• Twitter • Blogs• Web sites • Books

Tips to improve your resume/cv

• Determine correct format • Utilize a summary of qualifications section to highlight key skills• Research company and job description • Utilize achievement statements to highlight your value • Use specific action verbs with short, quick-hitting bullets• Answers the question “So what”?• Concise• Multiple revisions for spelling and other errors

Summary of Qualifications

• Purpose• Implications• Value • Examples

Improving your “responsibilities”

Best“Increased reported customer satisfaction rate by 20% by providing effective training for more than 15 new employees in a six month period.” Better

“Trained more than 15 new employees over a six month period resulting in increased customer satisfaction.”

Good

“Trained new employees resulting in increased customer satisfaction.

OK “Trained new employees.”

Achievement statements

Recap1. Understand the perspective of the employer2. Tailor the resume by reviewing the job description, company web site, and

informational interviews for key words, skills, and experiences 3. Keep it concise, organized, and focused4. Achievement statements and quantification

4

1

1,3,109 7

6,9

10

2, 3, 52-42,3,10

2,48

8

1

5

8

4,10

1-10

Bibliography “The Ph.D’s Guide to a nonfaculty job search”, Wood, L. Maren, Chronicle of Higher Education- Link: shar.es/1nyf59

“Why you can’t get a job…Recruiting explained by the numbers”, Sullivan, John, ERE.NET Link: http://drjohnsullivan.com/why-you-cant-get-a-job-recruiting-explained-by-the-numbers/

“Keeping an eye on recruiter behavior”, The Ladders, Link:http://cdn.theladders.net/static/images/basicSite/pdfs/TheLadders-EyeTracking-StudyC2.pdf