NOTES from Meeting #13 - April 17th (SVC)

WELCOME to four new members:

Lisa Ball (Graphic Designer / Marketing Specialist)

Dale Cody (Creative Director, Interactive)

Shannon Monts (Account Manager / Project Specialist)

Jerome Thiebaud (Product and Marketing Manager)

ADMIN
Aquent 'breakfast club' at their office, April 23rd.

DAVE MILLER, from 24 SEVEN TALENT, was our guest speaker this week and provided his thoughts on "Rebranding your Resume." Notes below:

- Cover letters?? Yes!

Keep them brief and to the point: "My name is ___, and I've got experience in A, B, and C, delivering X, Y, and Z.

Dave suggested adding a quote from one of your LinkedIn recommendations to the bottom of your cover letter to provide additional back-up to your qualifications.

- As for resumes:

Include a summary statement.

Key words (which he recommends placing at the end of your resume) can provide info that shows you can 'check the boxes' for hiring managers.

Dave prefers a chronological resume that highlights the functional achievements.

PDF versions are great for designers, creatives - but they can't be read by automated systems. Word docs also allow for HR / staffing reps to cut/paste your resume into their formats.

Including "interests" on your resume could help you stand out and connect you with the hiring manager. In today's world of information technology, a quick check on LinkedIn could provide these connections.

Does age matter?? It shouldn't, but if you're worrying about dating yourself, leave off the dates from your Education section, and only include the most relevant experience. Summarize other info, if you need to, so that there aren't gaps.

Titles - if yours don't map directly to what you're applying for, consider adding a 'functional title' to the front to help explain. Example: Project Coordinator / Project Specialist II.

Create a .txt version of your resume by cutting/pasting into Notepad, and formatting so that it looks good but doesn't contain anything that could throw off an automated reader.

Spell out industry experience.

Dave's contact info: dmiller@24seveninc.com

CENTERSTAGE THEATRE - Great 2nd working session with the production company out of Federal Way. A lot to do, and we're excited about working with them.