Taylor, 28, worked in sales and merchandising for five years after getting her bachelor’s degree in 2014. In 2019, she went back to school to get her MBA with the goal of qualifying for more management roles. She’s expecting to graduate in December, 2021, but her program includes a summer work term from May to September, which Taylor is struggling to find.
Given the pandemic, Taylor is interested in working in technology or e-commerce. “I believe these two sectors are on trend with businesses’ demands and have increased in usage across all thriving industries,” she writes. “I have a passion for retail. Prepandemic, I would spend my time at shopping centres, and now I believe the trend for e-commerce (either via an application or website) has accelerated due to the virus.” Taylor would like to find a job placement working as a pricing analyst, in data analytics or supply chain management demand planning for a retail company. She would also consider working for social media and media organizations. Taylor’s ideal work environment is team-based, with a focus on collaboration. “I am most attracted to leadership or a corporate culture where feedback is given or team huddles occur once a week,” she explains. Her goal is to find a summer work placement that could lead to a full-time job once she completes her MBA.
We reached out to career coach Tami Cooper of Careers by Design and Zuleika Sgro, VP of people at Saje, to review Taylor’s resume and offer their advice.
THE RESUME
WHAT THE CAREER COACH SAYS
Ms. Cooper appreciates the clean and simple layout of Taylor’s resume. But she does have some suggestions for improvement. Rather than jumping into her education history, Taylor should start with a job title goal such as ‘Business Analyst’ or ‘e-commerce and Digital Marketing’ which will help her resume get picked up by applicant tracking software systems. Then, she should follow that with a short profile paragraph of five to 10 lines. “It gives an overall introductory summary of who she is and what she is offering,” Ms. Cooper says. “I like to call it the ’30-second sell’, ensuring that it contains keyword terminology from the job posting.”
Taylor should also add a “Core Competencies” section, listing 10 to 15 key skills that are pulled from job posting requirements of positions she’s interested in. “The core competencies listed should be relevant to the job posting requirements, then supported by the body of the resume with examples,” explains Ms. Cooper.
Under each employer, Ms. Cooper suggests adding a line describing the company’s products or services. “This gives the employer a better ‘visual’ of Taylor at work,” Ms. Cooper says. Then, the descriptions under each role should show how she progressed from one position to the next, highlighting measurable and tangible results achieved for each of her employers.
If Taylor is struggling to find positions through a traditional job search, Ms. Cooper suggests that she target specific companies that she is keen on working for. “E-mail or call the department she’d be best suited to and express her interest in being an intern for them,” Ms. Cooper says. “Even if they don’t have a formal internship program, they might create a role just for her.”
WHAT THE INDUSTRY EXPERT SAYS
Ms. Sgro says that Taylor’s resume is concise and clear. She can make it more compelling for e-commerce positions by adding more key performance indicators (KPIs) to her resume. “I would encourage her to expand her experience sections to include her major accomplishments and how they were measured as a KPI, in addition to outlining any results from this achievement,” says Ms. Sgro.
Ms. Sgro also emphasizes the importance of using a cover letter to further tailor her profile. “She should consider asking herself why a company would want to hire her, what she could accomplish and what she is passionate about,” says Ms. Sgro. “In addition, if she can link this to the company’s mission that is a great way for hiring managers to see how her personal passion matches with the company.”
Taylor can use her cover letter to offer more detail about her job placement requirements, such as hours required or timelines. Aside from applying to open positions, Taylor should also reach out to people in her fields of interest. “Networking via LinkedIn and other career associations is a great way to find job placements and roles in your industry,” says Ms. Sgro.
Once Taylor lands a job placement, she can increase her chances of transitioning into a full-time job after graduating by expressing this interest as she is applying. “Once she obtains her placement, she can look for opportunities to keep contributing and stay connected to key contacts,” says Ms. Sgro. “Many employers and employees gain so much value from being hired from a job placement since there is already a great awareness of the role and training.”
THE NEW RESUME
In her revised resume, Taylor added in an ideal job title of “Business Analyst” under her name, along with a profile statement that describes her education, history and career goals. Taylor also trimmed down her resume from two pages to one page and has adopted a new layout for this condensed version. She has also included 10 skills related to her career to further increase chances of her resume getting picked up by applicant tracking software.
INTERESTED IN HAVING YOUR RESUME REVIEWED?
E-mail us with your resume at globecareers@globeandmail.com with ‘Resume Review’ in the subject line and we’ll ask a career coach and an expert in your field to provide their feedback. Emails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Names and some details are changed to protect the privacy of the persons profiled. If you’re a hiring manager interested in reaching out to the person profiled, we encourage you to contact us. You can find all our resume reviews here.
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