Tips: Resumes - Part 1 of a 3 part series

Occasionally, I'll get asked how I managed to work my way into BBH NY and Campbell Mithun, and naturally, the conversation always leads towards three things: Resumes, phone interviews and personal interviews. More specifically, people ask me what I did or didn't do in regards to each of them.

Anytime I offer my advice, I emphasize that I'm not the authoritative person on any of the subjects, so I'm always glad when I can get the inside scoop from the people students need to impress - recruiters.

Susan Engle, Director of Human Resources at Mediasmith, recently spoke with students of San Jose State's advertising club about what students need to do to get noticed for entry-level positions. Though recruiting varies from shop-to-shop, Susan provided some solid info about what she looks for in an applicant.

Today, I'll share what Susan recommends students should do to make their resume more appealing. Check back later this week for tips on phone interviews and personal interviews.



Resumes:

1. Resumes should be one page - no more, no less
   
2. Always proofread your resume; Resumes/cover letters should always be free of grammatical errors. Though it sounds easy enough, you'd be surprised how many times I've seen resumes that have simple spelling errors that make you wonder - is this person actually in college? (oh man, like I should talk - I'm a horrid speller but because I know this, I proofread several times - unless it's on this blog :p)
   
3. Don't lie or inflate your resume - trust that a recruiter can sniff out a liar
   
4. The skills section counts! Susan explained that though there is software that students won't get training on while in college, she can judge if a student has the disposition to learn a new tool by how proficient they are with the software available to them
   
5. Incorporate buzzwords from job-postings into your resume
6. Include something about yourself - like a hobby. This allows the recruiter and applicant an opportunity to relax. My resume states that I have a mac'n cheese recipe that will make me famous - it ALWAYS gets brought up in interviews (yes, the pic is my MnC - drooling is completely appropriate)
   
7. Change your objective for the position - in other words, if you're applying for the position of media tracker don't leave that you're desperately wanting to work the dressing room of Urban Outfitters on your resume
   
8. Mention projects you've worked on only if you feel that they are stellar and wouldn't mind sharing them during a personal interview

I'll have the next post on phone interviews up by Wednesday, in the meantime, feel free to ask questions in the comments section.

Interns: Creating Your Spreadsheet

I've just finished giving two presentations to SJSU's latest batch of ad majors. The consensus: They're keeners.

That's a good thing, because if they want to break into the industry they'll need to poke and prod as much as possible to soak up all the info between now and when they graduate.

After I give a presentation I always walk away learning something about myself. During Monday's presentation I learned that I wasn't just "Lucky."

No dear reader - I worked my ass off. I really fucking did. Here's a list of what I did prior to landing my first internship with BBH NY:

• Applied (and got rejected) to the Vance & Betty Lee Stickell Internship Program. In the process, I put together my first professional resume and found my mentor.
  
• Visited NYC with SJSU's School of Journalism and Mass Communications. While I was there, I visited Deutsch, McCann Erickson, CNN and Good Housekeeping. I talked to people - at the agencies/at bars/on the subway. I always got a card & followed up with them.
  
• I spoke with an Account Planner from RPA that a friend of mine hooked me up with. He was the first person who really gave me an understanding of what planning was and introduced me to Jon Steel's: Truth, Lies and Advertising - aka, The Planners Bible.
• I absorbed as much information from AdAge, Creativity, AdWeek, my professors and anyone else who would give me the time of day.
• I volunteered at The Billy DeFrank GLBT center. I learned how to talk to a wide range of people from what many consider a homogeneous minority. You couldn't be more wrong.
  
• I called/emailed/pleaded with agencies throughout the US for two weeks straight. I would wake up at 5 am and start calling agencies on the East Coast and then work my way west. When I had reached the Pacific Time Zone, I would start over again. In the process I learned how to talk to receptionists, how to leave a voicemail, how to email HR reps, and how to use Excel.

The last bit is what I want to show you. Keeping a spreadsheet of agencies is a great tool for anyone who wants to land an internship (or even an entry-level job). Here's a snapshot of one I did last year (while waiting for MAIP's decision).


So the first thing you'll notice is that there is basic info: Agency name, location, telephone and address. This helps to keep things all in one place and prevents you from hunting websites for general contact info.

The next thing you'll need are columns with your contacts info: Contact name, their direct # and email (also take note of the Initial Date of Contact and how you contacted them). Knowing when you contacted people is imperative to not coming across as annoying but showing that you're persistent.

The next section includes: Feedback and notes. This is the section you use to document the details of your conversations and helps you list your next steps (following what the HR rep asks you to do is imperative to making a good impression). Make sure you document everything you talk about immediately after talking with an HR rep.

That said - get working on your spreadsheet and I'll post something juicy in the next day or two.