As you will begin to notice in your job-hunting adventures, no two application processes are the same. When you’re preparing to apply to more than one company it is important to adjust your strategy accordingly.

Application processes tend to vary by company, industry, and job level. It could be difficult to know how to make these adjustments as an entry level applicant. One question that’s often asked from candidates is: What are recruiters looking for and how can you impress them?

At our Job Searching event in January, we invited a panel of industry experts to answer these questions as it pertains to the world of Software Engineering. In our discussion with Tony Burdett, Global University Relations Leader at the NCR Corporation, Heidy Garcia, Early Careers Recruiter at Expedia Group, Iona AlGhafli, TRACK Hiring and Onboarding Lead at General Motors, and Lei Young, Emerging Talent Strategist at Dell Technologies, we learn what it takes to get a job offer at their companies.

Resume Storytelling

When it comes to putting together your resume, it’s best not to overthink things. In our recent virtual event, Tony Burdett spoke about how “your resume is kind of like the story of who you are.” He emphasizes prospective candidates to concentrate on the top half of their resumes and really make an effort to make that part shine. If you are someone without much experience to write about, here is what Burdett suggests.

In addition to your engineering-related experiences, you’ll also want to list all the languages, skills, and tools you’ve worked with and be able to relate that knowledge back to your experience. Are you comfortable with JavaScript and list that as a skill on your resume? Then you must be able to talk about where you learned it and where you’ve applied it as well. As Tony Burdett said, it’s all about the “storytelling” aspect of your resume and how well you can discuss your capabilities and the experiences where they’ve come into play.

Research the Company You’re Applying To

When you’re first starting your career, you are going to be very eager to find a job. This being the case, you might make the mistake of applying to multiple companies at once without looking into them.

While this might seem like you’re saving time, in the end, recruiters can tell if you want a job for a paycheck or because you’re actually passionate about the position. For Iona AlGhafli of General Motors, she believes that what interests potential employees about a company is one of the most important questions that will be asked in an interview. It’s at this time when the recruiter can really get a good understanding of whether or not the candidate is actually passionate about the opportunity.

If you’re applying for a software engineering position, it is critical that you arm yourself with knowledge regarding that department and the recent applications or projects they’ve worked on. Maybe there is a developer whose work you admire or maybe there is a software they work on that no other company is working with. Whatever the case may be, just make sure you have concrete examples to reference during the application process.

Make Use of Every Opportunity to Meet & Learn

The companies our panelists work for (Dell Technologies, General Motors, the NCR Corporation, Expedia Group) are always giving potential candidates a chance to meet and learn a little more about them. In addition to virtual events hosted right here on WayUp, these companies are oftentimes frequenting college campuses for career fairs, info sessions, and more.

Every recruiter we’ve spoken with encourages students and prospective employees to find and attend as many of these events as possible. On the one hand, it gives you an opportunity to meet with recruiters face to face and make your first impression. On the other, it also gives you an opportunity to see if the company is a good fit for you and gives you something to talk about when you’re interviewing.

Whether it’s to get a leg up on the interview and application process or to see if you like an employer, company-sponsored events are incredibly conducive to getting a job that fits you.

Communication is Everything

Before, during, and after the application process, it is important to communicate in a very professional manner. The first thing you want to make sure you’re doing is being responsive. Whether it’s to schedule your interview or to thank the recruiter for their time, communicating promptly will show them that you are engaged and highly interested in the position. 

Tony Burdett recommends that applicants think of who they’re talking to as “people that might be potential networking contacts for the future” and to always leave the door open. 

After an interview, it’s best practice to reach out and thank the hiring manager and/or person you spoke with. However, only reach out once! We know how stressful it can be waiting to find out whether you got a job or not. Don’t let this stress cause you to trouble the recruiter with repeated emails asking about the status of your application as this could make things go south.

How to Negotiate an Offer

If an offer is made, there are four things you can do. You can accept, deny, negotiate, or ask for more time to consider. While those first two options are straightforward, it’s when you negotiate or ask for more time that you need to choose your words wisely.

When you negotiate, it’s best to have another offer to use as leverage. Otherwise, you need to explain the reasons why you think you’re entitled to more money, whether that has to do with your experience or what you’re going to contribute to the company.

According to Iona AlGhafli, candidates should attach the offer they’re asking to match to their negotiation email. AlGhafli states that it’s important to “own the process” and not to beat around the bush or be indirect. 

In the case that you want some more time to make your decision on an offer, it is best to ask the recruiter how long you have rather than decide for yourself.

Don’t Stress Yourself Out

One of the last pieces of advice we got from our panelists, and this is something they unanimously agreed on, is not to let the application process stress you out. While it can be a nerve-racking endeavor, try to look at it with excitement instead of dread! It might seem like it at the time, but this is not the biggest decision in your life. Job opportunities will come and go, but the right one always finds you eventually!

One way to increase your chances of finding that perfect match is by keeping up with us on WayUp. Whether it’s our virtual events, blogs, or job boards, we’re here to help you get that offer. Stay tuned for more career tips and ways to land the job of your dreams!

The post What Are Software Engineering Recruiters Looking For on Applications? appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

It’s time to boil down your college experience into a one-page document that sells who you are to a stranger. Where do you list your major? How do you summarize your invigorating internship or great part-time job? What kind of file should my resume be?

We know it can be intimidating putting together your resume. Thankfully, Nyla Walker and Olutoyin Asubiojo, recruiters for our Students & Grads programs, are here to help. Check out their answers to five common resume questions that will help you build a career with real impact.

Q: Should I make my resume one page?

Nyla: Yes. Recruiters only look at resumes for about six seconds, so we need to find your information quickly. You’ll eventually get to a point in your career where you can have a longer resume but stick to one page while you’re a student or recent grad.

Q: How should I organize my resume?

Olutoyin: Put your school, major and graduation date at the top of your resume so we can figure out which of our programs best match your skills and start date. You can also add relevant coursework, research and academic honors.

Your jobs, internships and leadership roles should come next—in chronological order—giving us a glimpse at your relevant experience. Finally, you can have a separate section toward the bottom of your resume for extracurriculars like sports, volunteering and hobbies. 

Q: How do I describe my experiences?

Nyla: Use vivid descriptions, ranges or scales that show off your achievements, contributions and key results. Go deeper than listing a job description. Share how you improved parts of the company you worked for, and make connections between the job you want and the job you have. 

If you’re a cashier, tell us you’re a mathematician extraordinaire and share how you can solve problems quickly. Maybe you worked in retail and organized a sales event. That’s project management. You’ll find ways to tweak your resume for each opportunity you’re applying for.

Q: How should I format my resume?

Olutoyin: Save it as a PDF. This guarantees your resume format will look the same on different computers.

Q: Where can I get help preparing my resume and application?

Olutoyin: Visit our events page for information on workshops about resume building, explaining your career journey, interview preparation and more. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

The post Capital One Recruiters’ 5 Resume Tips for Students appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

You’ve heard resume and interview tips from friends, you’ve heard them from teachers, and you might have even heard them from people who claim to be job acquisition experts. But there is one particular group of people who will be able to provide resume and interview tips that are more valuable than everyone else’s, and that’s the person who is responsible for hiring you.

Unfortunately, people don’t really get the chance to ask employers what they consider a good interviewer to be or for tips on their resumes, at least not until the opportunity to get a job has sailed.

That’s why we did it for you. 

In our recent virtual event with Dell Technologies, we heard from the $100 billion, multinational tech company regarding what they are looking for on resumes and how to nail their interview process. Leading the virtual event was Human Resources Rotation Program Manager, Megan Evangelista, who offered her invaluable insight regarding resume tips and interview advice.

If you didn’t make the virtual event, that’s ok! The following are a few golden nuggets from Megan’s 5-step guide to help you land a job at Dell Technologies.

1. Resume 101

The first and most important tool you’ll need to sharpen for the application process is your resume. As Megan explained it, your resume is “that teaser trailer, that coming attraction opportunity for you to talk about yourself, your experiences, and get your reader excited and more importantly curious to hear more about you.”

Megan went on to detail how it isn’t enough just to list skills on your resume. Anyone can say they are analytical, detail-oriented, and a leader, but it’s how you describe your experiences and how those skills come to life that really proves you possess them.

Additionally, the way in which you organize and prepare your resume will go a long way as well.

2. Interview Prep

Once you have your resume locked down and prepared, you can move on to the interview preparation part. During the virtual event, Megan explained that the first and most important thing to do is research your audience. Reflecting on a past experience, Meg spoke about the bad impression it left when a candidate didn’t know anything about Dell.

“When I was a recruiter, there was nothing more disheartening to me than when I’d meet a student, and they were really excited, and then they would say, ‘so, what does Dell do?’”

Megan Evangelista, HR Rotation Program Manager

In addition to researching the company, it is crucial to know your resume, understand the role’s responsibilities, and lastly, prepare some questions to ask your interviewer that show you have an active interest in the position and did your research!

Finally, make sure you try to get a grasp on some of the questions they may ask you during the interview. Some of these questions might have to do with communication, analytical skills, technical skills, teamwork, or your work ethic, so be prepared with examples from all categories.

3. Practice

One thing that a lot of candidates tend to skip over or forget to do is practice, starting with your elevator pitch. A good elevator pitch will include your name, major and class year, education and character highlights, what your ideal role is, and why you want to apply for the company (Dell). 

The next thing you want to do is prepare examples for questions you might be asked. What Megan suggests using is the EAR method – example, action, result – when creating answers to questions.  

“If you’re going through an interview you’re probably not terribly relaxed so it’s a great structure to rely on when you’re responding to those sort of questions.” 

Megan Evangelista, HR Rotation Program Manager

Lastly, you want to rehearse. Grab a friend or family member and ask them to listen to your elevator pitch or to ask you some interview questions. Record yourself or even do it in front of a mirror until it feels natural. The more you test your preparedness the more at ease you will feel when the interview comes around!

4. Execute

The day of the interview has arrived and now it’s time to put your skills and all the preparation to the test. While the main theme of the execution phase is preparation, scenarios will differ if you are doing a virtual or in-person interview.

If it is in-person, you’ll want to remember to dress professionally, arrive early (15 minutes minimum), turn off your phone, and bring extra copies of your resume. If it is virtual, you’ll also want to dress professionally, turn off your phone, and log in 15 minutes early, but you’ll also want to double-check your WiFi connection and ensure you’re in a quiet space without distractions. 

“Finding a quiet space and taking a moment to breathe before you meet with anyone and really recenter yourself can really go a long way. So think about what centering and calming looks like for you and then make sure you’re prepared in advance.” 

Megan Evangelista, HR Rotation Program Manager

5. Follow up

Although many candidates may feel that a follow-up message is optional, in some cases, it could be the difference between someone saying “yes, let’s bring them in for another conversation” or “eh, we’ve seen enough.” 

In her experience as a recruiter, Megan made the point that although “it sounds very intuitive and maybe even a little bit old-fashioned to send thank you notes,” she can guarantee that they go a really long way and aren’t as commonly sent as you might think! 

Megan even recounted an instance when she was considering five different candidates for a role and the only one that sent her a follow-up email was the one that ended up getting the job. During the virtual event, Megan also provided us with a great template to use when sending a follow-up.

Summary

This 5-step guide to help you get a job at Dell Technologies can more or less be boiled down to three main features – preparation, practice, and execution. If you’re interested in getting a job at one of the most coveted technology companies in the world you will make this guide your bible and make sure you exercise those three features religiously.

If you do, you might just find yourself in the job of your dreams.

Dell Technologies Summer Series features virtual events that walk through early development tips, tricks, and skills to build your career early.

The post Dell Technologies Reveals 5-Step Process to Land a Job (Event Review) appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

If you’re on the hunt for a new job, having a solid, well-crafted resume or CV (curriculum vitae: latin for “the course of my life”) to hand in is a good place to start. But the difference between a resume and a CV is not well known—even to people who have to use them both.

So, what is the difference between a resume and a CV? And when should you use a resume versus a CV?

For Americans—especially when it comes to internships and entry-level positions—you’re almost always going to be using a resume. The exception to this is academic and research-based roles and positions.

However, for people in the UK, Ireland, and other English-speaking countries, CVs are generally the go-to. Other European countries generally use the CV, too (although it’s slightly different for Germans).

However, even with the limited scope of CV usage in the United States, it’s worth knowing the differences between the two. If you want to work outside the United States one day or apply for an academic post, then it’s important to know what a CV is and when to apply with it.

We’ve put together some helpful indicators to help you establish which to use and when.

Length

While both CVs and resumes are there to demonstrate your suitability for a role, the first of main difference between them is the length.

Typically, a resume is a more concise summary of your achievements. They should never be any longer than a page.

A CV is usually two pages in length and offers a more comprehensive overview of your academic and employment history.

Purpose

Regardless of whether you submit a CV or a resume, recruiters often have lots of applications to sift through, so it’s important to try and stand out from the crowd.

A resume is a snapshot of some of your career highlights, important skills, and most notable achievements. You can use it to emphasize certain skills or attributes that a particular job might require, meaning employers can quickly decide whether to proceed with your application.

A CV should provide detailed information on your employment history so that a potential employer can gauge how much experience you have and your achievements so far. The level of detail should give them enough to gauge how suitable you might be for the role and provide them with talking points for interview.

Information And Layout

Resumes are flexible documents, whereas CVs usually are not. There are times when you should make a custom resume for a certain job or industry. CVs will stay the same regardless of job or industry, because they’re supposed to fully capture your professional and academic history.

On a resume, it is in your gift to choose what experiences you feel most important to include, and what order to feature them in. Remember, a resume is intended to grab the attention of its reader immediately, so keep this in mind when providing brief summaries of your most impressive achievements and experience.

Information on a CV should be listed in reverse chronological order, with your most recent or present employment at the top. Some of your experience will carry more weight than others, so while you’re advised to provide a full list of your previous positions, you should expand on the more relevant experiences and bullet point the rest.

A CV will also usually include a full list of your education, awards, voluntary or extra curricular interests, any evidence of a specialist subject and personal references. A personal profile can be used at the top of the document to summarize your skills, ambitions and achievements.

A CV is fairly static (though it’s recommend to amend it to each job description) and can be added to as and when you acquire more experience, whilst a resume may be changed accordingly depending on the job you are applying for.

Things To Remember When Writing A CV Or Resume

While there are distinct differences between a CV and a resume, there are certain things you should always do on both.

Tell The Truth

Whether you’ve been asked to submit a CV or a resume, it’s vital to tell the truth about your experience and skills. Employers will want to draw upon certain aspects of your employment or academic history, and you’re likely to be caught out if you’ve been economical with the truth.

Emphasize Your Assets

It’s important to use both a CV and a resume as your first shot at impressing a recruiter. Selling yourself is important if you want to bag yourself that job, so be sure to use either document to your advantage and make them see why you’re right for the job.

Proofread And Edit

It goes without saying, but every professional document should be proofread and edited before submission. Ask a friend or family member to look over your CV or resume in case they spot any errors you’ve missed.

For more resume tips, check out WayUp’s full guide to crafting resume and for more CV help check out PurpleCV.

Author: Andrew Arkley is the director of PurpleCV and has personally reviewed over 10,000 CVs!

The post What Is The Difference Between A Resume And A CV? appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

Product Management is all about organizing workflows to ensure that the limited, precious time of an engineering team is spent on the project with the highest possible gain for the company. As you might guess, being a Product Manager is a job for people with extreme attention to detail, organization skills, and vision. You’ve got to have a sense of the user experience, the engineering process, and—most important—what changes to both of those will mean for the company’s health.

It’s an amazing field that’s right on the corner of tech and business. You build a unique skillset that paves the way for a rewarding, independent, and lucrative career. Product Management is also a field that translates well into entrepreneurial endeavors and roles in more traditional corporations.

However, because it’s a relatively new field, you might not notice many internships or entry-level jobs. That makes it hard to say you have experience in it. It also makes it important to really nail the limited opportunities you find. When you do get your shot, you’ve got to put your best foot forward with the right resume. The proper Product Manager resume will show that you understand the field and are passionate about working in it.

Here’s how to make one.

It’s About Projects, Not Just Experience

Product Managers are constantly working on different projects and micro-projects to implement specific features, bug fixes, and new designs. They’re the people who decide on what and when the engineers are actually going to work. So, experience both completing projects and managing others in the process is the single most impactful quality on a Product Manager resume.

This means that your experience working as a cashier at your local deli is, perhaps, less important than the time you organized a dance-a-thon for colon cancer research with your school club. So, arrange your experience accordingly. It might seem strange to put a large-scale extracurricular project or even a school research project in the “experience” section of your resume, but these kinds of experiences show a hiring manager you’ve got a strong grasp of the actual content of a Product Manager’s work.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be showcasing your previous internships and jobs. Those should come first on your experience list. However, you might want to rephrase how you describe them. Highlight projects you led and executed and use metrics if possible. For example, “Organized and executed phone call campaign including scripting, sourcing leads, and post-campaign analytics.” Or even, “Rewrote website copy viewed by 20,000+ daily users.”

Stuff that doesn’t seem like Product Manager or “tech” experience can actually be quite effective at demonstrating your ability to handle the specific duties of a Product Manager or Associate Product Manager.

Independently Sought-Out Tech & Business Knowledge Is Valuable

Because Product Management is a field that’s between tech and business, you probably didn’t go to school for both of those things. Given that knowledge of both project management techniques AND software engineering are involved in the process of being a Product Manager, you’re going to want to demonstrate an interest in both fields.

The best way to do this is to seek out knowledge on your own and, if possible, take online or in-person courses (even free ones) outside of school or work to demonstrate that you’re really interested in becoming a master of the craft. Plus, the extra knowledge will help you get through interviews and application statements.

For business and related majors, try taking online courses in coding like those available in Codecademy or Coursera. When completed, these can be put on your resume. For tech people, try researching and finding courses in management techniques. If you can’t find an actual online course, read a book about the subject and put it in your “interests” or “hobbies” section on your resume.

Pro tip from a WayUp Product Manager: Learn about JIRA, the most popular product management software on the market. You should also learn about one of the most widely used project management methods, Agile. Both are key terms in the industry and knowledge of them will always be essential.

Interpersonal And Communication Skills Are Essential

Beyond all the technical aspects, Product Managers are coordinators, go-betweens, and middle-people. Communication and interpersonal skills are, therefore, essential parts of the package. This is another skillset you should be highlighting in your resume.

In the description of each of your previous jobs or internships, emphasize any interdepartmental communications you had to handle. If you were a business analyst, you could say, “Served as a vital go-between for the data and management teams.”

These are skills that are valuable on every resume, but for a Product Manager resume, they’re essential. Placing an emphasis on the ability to be a resource for people across departments and even outside the company is really important. These are particularly valuable skills and listing them demonstrates a deeper understanding of the Product Manager’s responsibilities and goals.

Making The Perfect Product Manager Resume Isn’t Hard

Always keep in mind the responsibilities of the job. Making the right Product Manager resume shouldn’t be a great challenge. It takes plenty of tweaking (and perhaps some extra homework). But there’s nothing on a perfect Product Manager resume that’s impossible for a student or recent grad to truthfully list.

Always remember that resumes are the first (and often last) chance you have to make an impression. Plus, recruiters and hiring managers take an average of six seconds with each resume they view. So, you’ve gotta make these key Product Manager skills stand out front and center. Don’t waste time with a long objective or mission statement. Just show them the skills and the focus.

Want to prep for that interview you’re definitely going to get with your shiny new resume? Check out interview tips and everything else you need for career success on the WayUp Guide.

The post How To Make A Perfect Product Manager Resume (Even Without Prior Experience) appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

Getting a job in sales is about inspiring confidence in your ability to set meetings and close deals. Both of those things lead to the only metric that really matters: dollars of product/service sold.

That’s why numbers are the most important aspect of any sales resume. It doesn’t matter if they’re sales numbers or not. You want to use as many metrics as you can to show the scale and skill associated with your performance.

Beyond that, you want to prove that you have experience in customer-facing roles and the ability to steer business conversations in the right direction. Before you panic, we want to assure you there are plenty of ways to do this without having prior experience in a sales or account management position.

Here’s how.

Showing The Numbers 101

This step is pretty straightforward. You want to turn any written-out numbers (like “ten” or “thirty”) into actual numerals (“10,” “30,” “1,242”).

This does violate the normal conventions of written grammar, in which you only use numerals for larger numbers, but you’re looking for a job. Now’s not exactly the best time to quibble about grammar. (That is, unless you’re applying to be the copyeditor at the New Yorker, in which case, quibble away!)

But this is sales we’re talking about. It’s about showing that you can work with great volume to great success. Try turning your qualitative (descriptive) experience into numbers. Like, instead of “Data entry,” try “Organized more than 12,000 points of data for business team.”

Stuff that has nothing to do with sales or metrics can still stand out as a number.

Even a volunteer position can be turned into numbers. Take your volunteer gig as a political canvasser and transform it into hard numbers: “Executed on door-knocking campaign with more than 700 households visited” and “Raised $3,000 for the campaign of John Politics, Sr.”

The same can be done with club leadership experience. A great way to turn your extracurricular experience into relevant data for your resume would be to follow something like this example:

President of College Democrats

• Managed club with more than 30 annual meetings, 50+ members, and 5 annual conference events
• Oversaw administration of $10,000 budget
• Raised $12,000 for political causes, future club events, and speaker series

Numbers are a way of breaking up the long text of resumes and showing that you’re already thinking like a sales professional.

Show That You’re All About The Customer

Experience interacting with clients, customers, and potential money-spenders of any kind is really important for sales.

This can come in the form of a customer service or retail sales position, of course. But also jobs like cashier, technician, or even manual labor can be translated to customer service experience. Even something like a camp counselor can be great, because you had clients (the campers) and their parents (the customers).

If you phrase this type of experience (which is really common among college students and recent grads) the right way, then you can turn an irrelevant data point into a huge value-add for your resume.

A lot of sales positions involve cold-calling (making a phone call to people not necessarily expecting one), lead generation (tracking down the right people to buy your product, finding their info), and being persistent. There are ways that people in all types of positions do this

You’ve Got Six Seconds To Shine

Your resume has got an average of six seconds in front of a recruiter or hiring manager. And even that might even be a generous estimate.

You’ve got to hit these two points hard and fast if you want to get them interested. Put the numbers on early and often, because they interest sales recruiters in a big way. Plus, use the more text-heavy bullets to showcase your customer-centric attitude.

The best part is, if you can do this, you’ve just hooked your first customer. The rest is smooth sailing from there.

Ready to prep for all those interviews, negotiations, and first days of work to come? Check out more career tips at the WayUp Guide.

The post How To Make A Perfect Sales Resume: Numbers, Customers, And Hooking The Reader appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

When it comes to writing a resume, we know that one of the hardest parts isn’t just coming up with all of your prior work experience; it’s figuring out how to describe that work experience in a way that’s new, interesting, and exciting to anyone who reads it. After all, if your resume uses all the same descriptors everybody else’s, an employer may overlook your application and move on. The more detail you provide, the better.

Want to take your resume to the next level in no time? Feel free to download our list of vivid verbs below or via PDF HERE. Then head over to the WayUp Guide to check out our entire section on crafting the perfect resume and our blog to read up on 37 Small Changes You Can Make to Your Resume in the Next 5 Minutes.

The post 140+ Vivid Verbs to Make Your Resume Stand Out appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.