1 MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE

Targeting Your Resume

Highlighting your strengths and achievements by speaking the same language as the employer
Main Office: 3rd Floor Wilson Hall 540-568-6555 Recruiting Services: 1st Floor Sonner Hall 540-568-7379 http://www.jmu.edu/cap/

This handout contains an activity to help you brainstorm your experiences, identify where you have done them, and what the employer or graduate school you are applying to is looking for in an ideal candidate. Nine different transferable skill sets are identified: Communication/People Skills (pg.
2)

(pg. 7)

Creative Skills (pg. 4) Data/Financial Skills Helping Skills (pg. 6)

(pg. 5)

Management/Leadership Skills

Organizational Skills (pg. 9) Research Skills (pg. 10) Teaching Skills (pg. 11) Technical Skills (pg. 12) Underneath each skill set, there is a list of action verbs that can describe your

experiences related to those transferable skill sets. First, go through the document to brainstorm and identify your experiences. Check any action verb that you have experience doing, and then write in the text box to the far right of the page where you have experience doing this action. After you have completed the document with your experiences and save the document. For each position/graduate program you apply for, go through the document imagining you are on the selection committee for the position/graduate program. Check which action verbs you would like an ideal candidate to have experience with. When you have completed these steps, utilize the results to target your resume. Use the action verbs that you have experience with and the selection committee sees as desirable to begin the bullet descriptions of your experiences.
Action Verbs by Skill Categories referenced from QuintCareers.com www.quintcareers.com/action_skills.html

Communication/People Skills
Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Addressed Advertised Arbitrated Arranged Articulated Authored Clarified Collaborated Communicated Composed Condensed Conferred Consulted Contacted Conveyed Convinced Corresponded Debated Defined Developed Directed Discussed Drafted Edited Elicited Enlisted Explained Expressed Formulated Furnished Incorporated

Influenced Interacted

Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Interpreted Interviewed Involved Joined Judged Lectured Listened Marketed Mediated Moderated Negotiated Observed Outlined Participated Persuaded Presented Promoted Proposed Publicized Reconciled Recruited Referred Reinforced Reported Resolved Responded Solicited Specified Spoke Suggested

Summarized Translated Wrote

Creative Skills
Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Acted Adapted Began Combined Composed Conceptualized Condensed Created Customized Designed Developed Directed Displayed Drew Entertained Established Formulated Founded Illustrated Initiated Instituted Integrated Introduced Invented Modeled Modified Originated Performed Planned Revised Revitalized

Shaped Solved

Data/Financial Skills

Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Administered Adjusted Allocated Analyzed Appraised Assessed Audited Balanced Budgeted Calculated Computed Conserved Corrected Determined Developed Estimated Forecasted Managed Marketed Measured Netted Planned Prepared Programmed Projected Qualified Reconciled Reduced Researched

Retrieved

Helping Skills
Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Adapted Advocated Aided Answered Arranged Assessed Clarified Coached Collaborated Contributed Cooperated Counseled Demonstrated Educated Encouraged Ensured Facilitated Familiarized Furthered Guided Helped Insured Intervened Motivated Prevented Provided Referred Represented Resolved Simplified Supplied

10

Supported Volunteered

If you

Management/Leadership Skills
Action Verb Youve Done have experience, when? Employer Desires

Administered Analyzed Appointed Approved Assigned Attained Authorized Chaired Considered Consolidated Contracted Controlled Converted Coordinated Decided Delegated Developed Directed Eliminated Emphasized Enforced Enhanced Established Executed Generated Handled Headed Hired Hosted

11

Improved Incorporated Increased Initiated

Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Inspected Instituted Led Managed Merged Motivated Navigated Organized Originated Overhauled Oversaw Planned Presided Prioritized Produced Recommended Reorganized Replaced Restored Reviewed Scheduled Secured Selected Streamlined Strengthened Supervised Terminated

12

Organizational Skills
Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Arranged Catalogued Categorized Charted Classified Coded Collected Compiled Corrected Distributed Generated Filed Incorporated Inspected Logged Maintained Organized Prepared Processed Recorded Registered Responded Reviewed Routed Scheduled Screened Submitted Supplied Standardized Systematized Updated

13

Validated Verified

Research Skills

Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Analyzed Clarified Collected Compared Conducted Critiqued Detected Determined Diagnosed Evaluated Examined Experimented Explored Extracted Formulated Gathered Inspected Interviewed Invented Investigated Located Measured Organized Researched Reviewed Searched Solved Summarized Surveyed

14

Systematized Tested

15

Teaching Skills
Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Adapted Advised Clarified Coached Communicated Conducted Coordinated Critiqued Developed Enabled Encouraged Evaluated Explained Facilitated Focused Guided Individualized Informed Instilled Instructed Motivated Persuaded Simulated Stimulated Taught Tested Trained Transmitted Tutored

16

Technical Skills
Action Verb Youve Done Employer Desires If you have experience, when? Adapted Applied Assembled Built Calculated Computed Conserved Constructed Converted Debugged Designed Determined Developed Engineered Fabricated Fortified Installed Maintained Operated Overhauled Programmed Rectified Regulated Remodeled Repaired Replaced Restored Solved Specialized Standardized Studied

17

Upgraded Utilized