{"id":6737,"date":"2016-01-26T14:50:41","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T19:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=6737"},"modified":"2018-08-22T10:14:53","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T14:14:53","slug":"revisiting-the-resume-with-ketchums-talent-acquisition-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2016\/01\/26\/revisiting-the-resume-with-ketchums-talent-acquisition-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Revisiting the Resume with Ketchum’s Talent Acquisition Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I started to build a list of what employers <\/span>really<\/span><\/i> want to see (and not see) in a resume, I expected the answers to be the same. After a chat with resume expert and Ketchum\u2019s Talent Acquisition Manager <\/span>Serena Cohen<\/b> about what she looks for in a resume, I quickly learned that writing and organizing a resume is, like public relations, both an art and a science. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"13903383190_179c9e6ee2_o\"<\/a>Tailor your resume.<\/b><\/p>\n

Cohen says that traditional resumes are not a bad thing, but don\u2019t shy away from more creative designs, either. \u201cHaving print resumes for different companies is very important. [If you\u2019re applying for a] more creative industry, you can get a little more creative with the design of your resume, but that\u2019s really dependent on the company.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For public relations professionals, several factors should influence resume design including agency or corporate environments, as well as the specific job for which you\u2019re applying. If you\u2019re applying for a creative position and choose the creative design option, make sure your graphic design accentuates all the great work you have in your portfolio.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would use color and design if you\u2019re good at that stuff \u2014 if you have a visual eye. Don\u2019t try it if you\u2019re not an artsy, visual person because what happens is that you try but the execution doesn\u2019t look visually appealing. There are lots of templates you can use.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep it consistent with your personal brand.<\/b><\/p>\n

In line with the creative design route, your resume\u2019s colors, fonts, language and design aesthetic should be consistent with your other application materials. “Resumes are just one piece of your personal brand. Have your LinkedIn page completely updated with a smiling, front-facing picture, use keywords that are likely to come up in searches and have a personal website for people to read things you\u2019ve written. Maybe have your resume the same colors as your website,\u201d Cohen said. <\/span><\/p>\n

She also recommends you look at your social platforms as part of a holistic approach to personal branding. \u201cThink about your <\/span>whole<\/span><\/i> personal brand: Does it have your Twitter [handle] on it? Do you have 5,000 followers? Are you a blogger on the side? Include those links because they\u2019re things that a public relations professional will be looking at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Organize it effectively.<\/b><\/p>\n

Be careful to not get caught up in the design and bury the information recruiters most want to learn. When looking for an internship or full-time employment as a student, highlight your education and relevant work experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love it when you put your education first,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cI think education is the highlight of everything right now. Experience, like PRSSA, is great to put up at the top too. PRSSA is a well-known, well-respected organization.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Use strong, persuasive language.<\/b><\/p>\n

As public relations professionals, it is imperative you are able to communicate effectively on behalf of your future employer, so your application materials are the first test to see whether you can communicate effectively. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think what \u2018makes\u2019 a resume is simple, sophisticated, visually appealing and the right language to frame what you\u2019re offering. You don\u2019t want to use \u2018really strong at multitasking.\u2019 What does that even mean? I would rather hear \u2018wrote 25 press releases\u2019 or \u2018had a feature in New York Magazine,\u2019\u201d Cohen said. \u201cI want to hear stuff like that; there\u2019s more action.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From traditional to creative design, all resumes should be filled with action words, able to capture your brand and sell your services to your dream employer. \u201cI want to see you have what it takes to do the job you\u2019re applying for,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cSometimes people apply for jobs they\u2019re not really qualified for, but if you can articulate why you think you\u2019re skilled, that goes a really long way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What parts of Cohen\u2019s advice did you find most helpful? Which did you find most surprising? Let us know in the comments below, and don\u2019t forget to keep the<\/b> Internship Center<\/b><\/a> and <\/b>Career Resources Manual<\/b><\/a> in mind as you start your internship search.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Veronica Mingrone is the 2015\u20132016 vice president of career services, and a senior at the University of Florida. Follow her on Twitter <\/span><\/i>@veronica_min<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I started to build a list of what employers really want to see (and not see) in a resume, I expected the answers to be the same. After a chat with resume expert and Ketchum\u2019s Talent Acquisition Manager Serena Cohen about what she looks for in a resume, I quickly learned that writing and organizing a resume is, like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2892,2894],"tags":[33,300,76,2392,2422,595,2423,28,1546,363,226,2419,1804,2420,2421,1768,50,2418],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6737"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6737"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6742,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6737\/revisions\/6742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}