CONFIDENTIAL

McKinsey Mentorship Program

Resume Session

Mentorship program training material

October 23, 2010

1

AGENDA

Activity Time

• Opening and experience sharing

– What are the key challenges you face while writing resume and cover letter?

• Resume writing– What do we look for in your resume?– How to improve your resume?– Resume critique

• Cover letter writing– What do we look for in your cover letter?– How to improve your cover letter?

11:00 – 11:20

11:20 – 12:00

12:00 – 12:20

2

AGENDA

Activity Time

• Opening and experience sharing– What are the key challenges you face while writing

resume and cover letter?

• Resume writing– What do we look for in your resume?– How to improve your resume?– Resume critique

• Cover letter writing– What do we look for in your cover letter?– How to improve your cover letter?

11:00 – 11:20

11:20 – 12:00

12:00 – 12:20

3

YOU SHOULD HAVE 4 KEY TAKEAWAYS ABOUT WRITING A STRONG RESUME / CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) AFTER TODAY’S SESSION

Change your mindset

Assess your profile and understand recruiters

Learn effective communication: Action, Context, Result

Understand overall resume structure

11

22

33

44

4

MINDSET CHANGE IS THE FIRST STEP OF STRONG RESUME WRITING

From:

•“This is what I have done”

•“I need to tell you every details in my life”

•“Been there, done that”

To:

•Understand key qualities which recruiters are looking for and highlight relevant point

•One page with different aspects covered and relevant to the recruiter

• Impact and result driven

Resume is a communication tool

between you and the recruiters

5

BEFORE WRITING THE RESUME, MAKE SURE YOU ASSESS YOUR PROFILE AND UNDERSTAND THE RECRUITERS

StrongEntrepreneurship- Almost bought by Yam.com

- Created 1st classical music website in Taiwan

NTU, 4th year

StrongLeadership- Self funded and made a profit

- Led a team of 10 volunteers

- Held a camp for 100 high school students

NTU, 3rd year

Slightly weak

Artistic- 1st place in school competition

- Member of photography club

NTU, 2nd year

AssessmentSkills addressedAccomplishmentsTaskTime

Assess your profile

Assess your profile

Understand the

recruiters

Understand the

recruiters

Booz Allen McKinsey Delloite Bearing Point

part of the management

consulting oldguard

Client-commited and result-

oriented

collegial and down-to-earth

environment

strong IT services

combines strat. Consulting

with implementation

Great and Smart People executable strategies that

Delloite helps implement.

100% in-client work

significant IT Capabilities world's most successful and

influential management consulting

firm

deep expertise in operations

consulting

no travel/home

balance

reputation for developing

workable solutions based on

very thorough analysis.

famous for its strong culture and

network (McKinsey way to do

things)

focus on maitaining the

work/l ife balance

serves both government and

corporate clients

primarily focused on strategy and

operations work

employee input into career

path decisions

strong reputation in s trategy,

operations,

organizations/leadership, IT

working primarily with client's top

management

global presence with

experience in 20 industries

Tecnhology-focused Really large:

Present all over the world

Alumni Network & Great placement

Research is strong

From public

information

Learned from

social events

Re-visit your profile

• Does that matter?• Is it significant?

• What skills can you demonstrate?

Profile your recruiters

• What is the company culture?

• What kind of people they are looking for?

• What skills are required?

6

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN CANDIDATES

Top students in all major universities who possess the following qualities:

Problem

solving

Personal

impact

Leadership Drive &

aspiration

•Intellectual capacity

•Quantitative capability

•Practical orientation

•Personal initiative

•Teamwork

•Entrepreneurship

•High standards of excellence

•Energy

•Persistence

•Presence

•Communication

•Empathy

7

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE TWO ACHIEVEMENTS?

“Managed a team to reconcile number of SKUs offered by client.”

“Designed and launched the 2002 Honda localization Program.”

• How was the team managed?• How big was the team?• Who decided on this action?• What was the effect?

SO WHAT?

• What did you really do?• What is “Honda localization

Program”?• Is this a big deal?SO WHAT?

Perhaps you understand the details of your achievements pretty well…

…yet your recruiters might have many questions in their head

8

A STRONG STATEMENT OF ACHIEVEMENT NEEDS TO COVERACTION, CONTEXT, AND RESULT

“Identified number of SKUs as a critical performance driver and achieved 20% increase in category profitability by directing a 10-member team to execute SKU rationalization strategy”

“Coordinated a cross-functional team in the design and development department to localize Honda’s manufacturing in China. Managed $44 million in equipment and met all budgetary and timeline oriented milestones.”

• Action: Active verb / skill employed

• Context: Background information

• Result: Impact of the action

Revised bullet pointsWriting principles

9

RESUME IS COMMONLY STRUCTURED AROUND 4 SESSIONS

Education background

• Schools attended• Degree and

major(s)• GPA• Academic awards

and certifications• Test scores

(e.g.,TOEFL, GMAT)

Work / internship experience

• Previous jobs, both full-time and part-time

• Research positions/TA experience

• Internships

Extracurricular activities

• Student clubs/organizations

• Professional societies

• Competition and awards

Other skills / additional info

• Languages• Certifications• Computer skills

(e.g., excel, powerpoint)

• Other special skills not mentioned

A B C D

10

• To show details of graduate work and college/tertiary education. Start with the most recent one. Include your school, degree, major, grades, and any major academic prizes or awards. Specify key dates. You should also include any significant academic projects (e.g. senior thesis, major research work, papers) that can help to illustrate your academic ability as well any oversea academic experiences.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A RESUME/CV – EDUCATION BACKGROUND

Content

Sample

Do not include high school work

International exchange program /oversea experience is also appropriate to mention

Include degree, major, grades with specific dates

Include awards of significance, including dates

A

11

• If you have work experience, emphasize what you have achieved in each major role beyond your key day-to-day responsibilities. We are most interested in the impact you have had in your career (e.g., major changes in a professional environment because of your direct involvement). You may also describe unique skills and experiences that will help us understand your strengths.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A RESUME/CV – WORK/INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Content

Sample

Start each sentence with a verb

Be specific about your role and responsibilities

Specify impact/achievement, even better if it can be quantified

B

12

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A RESUME/CV – EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Content

Sample

Focus and be very specific about impact

Demonstrates leadership…

…as well as commitment

Quality over quantity is key

• Include any organizations, activities, or clubs outside of work. It should help us understand you as a person, and show your strengths that can also be leveraged in a professional setting. Qualities we are looking for includes but is not limited to:– Leadership– Entrepreneurship– Commitment– Achievement and impact oriented

C

13

• Include any foreign languages that you have at least business conversational ability. It is a good idea to rate yourself as basic, conversational, or fluent.

• Note any professional certifications such as CPA or CFA• Distinguish yourself from your peers by

– Highlighting excellence outside of work and academics– Showcasing other achievements (e.g., sports, other hobbies)– Identifying a shared interest between you and your recruiter

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A RESUME/CV – OTHER SKILLS / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Content

Sample

Do not include computer skills if not appropriate for job (e.g. programming languages for McKinsey)

Be very specific about skills

D

ADDITIONAL · Fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese, English, conversational in Japanese· Trained in both female and male roles in Chinese opera; lead vocalist in a pop band· Guest host on radio for a high-tech talk show, "Morning! Technology;" Mar - May 2002

Talking points during interview. Easy to remember

14

SAMPLE RESUMES FORMAT– A GOOD EXAMPLE

Provide contact information

Format your resume in a professional manner

Sequence the activities – start from the most recent one

15

GENERAL TIPS AND COMMON ERRORS

• Tailor your resume/CV by employer – one version is never enough

• Keep your resume in one page

• Lay out your prior jobs (if any) in reverse chronological order, with your most recent role at the top

• No unexplained gaps – you should be able to explain any gaps in your career or educational history

• Length of each bullet point: 3 lines maximum

• Avoid “overly creative” with formatting. Neatness, reasonably sized font (e.g., size 10 or larger) and line spacing, good amount of margin space all contribute to initial impression

• Don’t forget to check grammar and spelling

• List dates for key position and activities

• Quality over quantity

• Avoid using jargon. Ask friends with different backgrounds to proof read the resume for you. A good resume should be straight forward and easy to understand by most educated people

• Include your name and contact details at the top, with daytime and evening phone numbers and e-mail address

16

AGENDA

Activity Time

• Opening and experience sharing– What are the key challenges you face while writing

resume and cover letter?

• Resume writing– What do we look for in your resume?– How to improve your resume?– Resume critique

• Cover letter writing– What do we look for in your cover letter?– How to improve your cover letter?

11:00 – 11:20

11:20 – 12:00

12:00 – 12:20

17

WHAT IS A “COVER LETTER”?

•Cover letter is an enhancement to your resume which allow you to state your objective, goals, and personal fit for a position

•While the perfect cover letter does not guarantee you an interview, a bad cover letter can quite easily remove you from the interviewing process. Even if the letter is only briefly scanned by an interviewer, mistakes can cost you opportunities

18

BE READER CENTRIC AND SUPPORT YOUR CLAIMS

Be reader centric

Be reader centric

Support your claims

Support your claims

• Keep the focus of your cover letter on what you can contribute to the employer rather than on what the job would do for you

• The point of your cover letter is to sell your skills and get recruiters’ interest in you

• Writers often make strong statements about their strengths without concrete support

• Using examples is a good way to support your claims

• Make sure your support/example is relevant to the professional context

19

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIMS IN COVER LETTER

Before:

"I am a very responsible person and would do an excellent job for youin this position.“

After:

"I am a very responsible person. For example, when I worked for XYZ, Inc., I was in charge of new customer accounts and, after three months, allowed to work independently without any supervision. Nine months later I was commended on my performance appraisal for being 'diligent, hard-working and responsible.' Because you've indicated

responsibility is a key component of this job, I believe I would do an excellent job for you."

Claim

An example to

support the claim

Ensure the claim and example is relevant to

the employer

20

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A COVER LETTER

Sample

Letter head and format• Make your cover letter professional and business-like• Provide key contact information here

Opening paragraph• Explain the rationale of your application and introduce yourself• Indicate the purpose for your letter• Indicate any common acquaintances, referrals, or prior contacts if

any

Context• Explain why you are interested in the firm and highlight your

strengths as a candidate• Cite examples of where you have displayed the requisite skills• Refer to relevant skills, experience, and knowledge; demonstrate

your understanding of the organization

Conclusion and follow up• Reiterate your desire of joining the firm and add a “look forward to

hearing from you”-type statement• Express appreciation for consideration• Indicate when you’ll follow-up if necessary• Never exceed one page

21

Thank You!