Building Your Resume & Letters of Recommendation

Transcription

1 Building Your Resume & Letters of Recommendation

2 From this workshop you will Understand the importance of a quality resume Identify proper and accurate resume writing techniques Write an effective and polished resume that will showcase your strengths Learn how to request letters of recommendation and your role in the process

3 Why it s important to have a good Resume Why do you think it s important to have a complete resume uploaded in Naviance?

4 What a resume does for you Purpose: It allows your recommenders to know what makes you unique Your recommender will be able to write a letter of recommendation for you that makes you stand out from the crowd. Many scholarships require a resume You can print your resume right from Naviance and use it for a job application Goal: To catch the eye of an admissions officer Gain admission to College/University of your choice

5 Identifying the Do s and Don ts Take a look at the resume in front of you. What mistakes do you see? Red flags?

6 Scenario: Given the following information, what makes this student stand out? 3.0 GPA 26 ACT 2 Honors classes

7 Given the following information, what makes this student stand out? 3.0 GPA 26 ACT 2 Honors classes Volunteer swim coach for disabled children Student Council Treasurer Works 28 hours per week at The Holmstad Varsity tennis team National Spanish Exam Honor Recipient

8 Let s take a look at a great resume! *Please write down the following steps to access your resume in Naviance: 1) Go to 2) Go to About Me Tab 3) Go to Interesting Things About Me and Click Resume 4) Click Add New Entry and complete each section

9 Identifying the Do s and Don ts Share resume do s and don ts that you already know!

10 Identifying the Do s Include education, achievements, skills, volunteer service, extracurricular activities, awards/certificates, leadership, and work experience Use action words to describe accomplishments The most effective resume style is the CHRONOLOGICAL format. When listing experience, start with your most recent and important experiences and work backwards Check for spelling and grammatical errors, and formatting inconsistencies

11 Identifying the Don ts Do not include clubs, sports, jobs that you quit prematurely Don t be too casual Do not lie on your resume Do not include references who don t know you well

12 Letters of Recommendation Obtain letters of recommendation ONLY if required by your colleges Not every college requires a letter of recommendation. Colleges are VERY specific. Make sure you follow directions! More is not always better

13 To Request a Letter of Recommendation Use Naviance to request a recommendation from a teacher who knows you best You may also give the recommender an addressed stamped envelope and ask them to send the recommendation directly to the recipient

14 Steps to Request a Recommendation First, complete your Resume in Naviance Speak to your teacher and find out if they are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you Let them know to which colleges they should submit their letter and the date required Submit the request in Naviance

15 Naviance Steps to Request a Letter of Recommendation 1) Go to 2) Log in 3) Go to Colleges Tab 4) Click Letters of Recommendation 5) Click Add Request 6) Complete required info 7) Click Submit Request

16 Naviance Procedures Step-by-Step Now let s do a tutorial in Naviance!

17 Common Mistakes You must indicate in Naviance if you are applying via Common App or directly to the institution If you are using the Common App, make sure you have matched your accounts and signed the FERPA waiver in the Common App. Do not submit recommendation requests in both the Common App and Naviance. Make sure you tell your teachers if you are applying via the Common App! THERE IS AN EXTRA FORM THEY MUST COMPLETE. Do not add letter of recommendation requests into Naviance until you have added the college you are applying to into Naviance.

18 Action Steps Check the status of your recommendation letter and transcript requests in Naviance. The standard turnaround time for submittal is 2 weeks. If you would like a letter of recommendation letter from someone other than a BHS teacher, speak with your counselor If you would like a recommendation from your counselor, please speak with them personally

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