Resume Writing Workshop 🔴 Day 4: Professional Experience

Key Concepts:

• Resume writing psychology
• Career profile/summary
• Highlight section
• Powerful bullet points
• Professional experience section (work history)
• Reverse chronological order
• ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
• Networking/Boss Hunting
• Case Study
• AI Prompts for Resume Writing
• Great Eight Accomplishments
• Housekeeping items (resume context)
• Employment Gaps
• Agism in Job Searching

1. Introduction and Motivation (0:00-1:55)

• The speaker introduces the session and plays a testimonial video from Michael McClean, a former boot camp participant.
• Michael shares his experience of feeling lost and burned out in his career before joining Andy's boot camp.
• He emphasizes the value of Andy's personalized guidance and the structured program, which helped him land a great new job.
• Michael highlights the importance of having access to someone with decades of experience who can provide specific advice.
• He concludes by stating that Andy turned his life around and he looks forward to continuing to work with him as a coach.

2. Welcome and Agenda (1:55-6:30)

• The speaker welcomes attendees to day four of the resume writing workshop 2025.
• He acknowledges returning participants and welcomes newcomers.
• He briefly describes his productive morning routine, including writing, laundry, exercise, and dog walking.
• He outlines the topics covered in previous sessions:
  • Monday: Psychology of resume writing, insider look at how resumes are evaluated.
  • Tuesday: Top portion of the resume (summary area), what to include and how to write it.
  • Wednesday: Writing powerful bullets and selecting impactful ones with a forward-looking view.
• Today's focus is on the professional experience section, which substantiates claims made in the career profile and highlights section.
• Tomorrow's session will cover AI and demo favorite prompts.

3. Session Structure and Resources (6:30-8:30)

• The speaker announces a change in format, starting with a case study followed by the professional experience section.
• Boot campers' questions will be prioritized.
• Replays will be available until Tuesday, October 7th.
• Attendees are encouraged to register to receive the resume content builder, a career diary that helps collect stories and format the resume.
• Support is available at [email protected].

4. Review of Yesterday's Session (8:30-13:00)

• The speaker asks attendees to share their favorite part of yesterday's session.
• Key takeaways mentioned by participants include:
  • Setting up bullets to handle interviewers' questions.
  • Good verbs vs. bad verbs (prompting impact vs. activity).
  • How to select the most impactful bullets.
  • The delta (change) and structure of a bullet.
  • The importance of community during the job search.
• The speaker emphasizes that employers value work experience more than education.
• He explains why November, December, January, and February are the best months to get a new job.

5. Case Study: TA Diane (13:00-48:00)

• The speaker introduces TA Diane, a boot camp participant, who shares her job search experience.
• TA had 20 years of public service experience but struggled to market herself.
• She tried applying for over 100 jobs on her own with no success.
• She sought out career coaches and found Andy's content to be the most substantive.
• She used Andy's strategies to network on LinkedIn, growing her connections from 15 to over 500.
• TA's requirements for her new job were: fully remote, higher pay, and private sector.
• She researched target companies, divisions, and hiring managers.
• She only applied to ATS systems after being requested by the hiring manager.
• She received five job offers.
• TA emphasizes the importance of having a strategy, targeting companies, and networking.
• She shares that she was transparent in interviews about her lack of technical expertise.
• She advises knowing your intro and wrap-up for presentations.
• She ultimately chose a position based on the hiring manager's integrity and the company's values.
• TA encourages others to not limit their ideas on what's possible and to believe in their capabilities.

6. Discussion of TA's Case Study (48:00-57:00)

• The speaker addresses questions about TA's networking strategies.
• He emphasizes the importance of generating a list of target companies and segmenting them.
• He defines networking as any activity aimed at getting in touch with anyone at those companies.
• He recommends boss hunting, teammate hunting, and recruiter hunting.
• He advises against filtering companies based on online reviews and encourages gathering intelligence through networking.
• He reiterates that TA did not waste time applying online.

7. Professional Experience Section: Introduction (57:00-58:30)

• The speaker transitions to the professional experience section of the resume.
• He emphasizes that this section substantiates the claims made in the career profile and highlights section.
• The best way to do this is in reverse chronological order.

8. Reverse Chronological Order and Company Information (58:30-1:03:00)

• The speaker explains the importance of reverse chronological order, allowing employers to see the candidate's evolution over time.
• He emphasizes focusing on where you worked, not just what you did.
• He recommends placing the company name on the left, followed by the title underneath.
• He suggests including a brief description of the company to provide context, especially for lesser-known brands.
• For well-known companies like Coca-Cola, specify the division or area of specialty.

9. Mini Career Profile and Title Information (1:03:00-1:07:00)

• The speaker suggests including a mini career profile at the company level, especially for those with long tenures.
• This can highlight aggregated major accomplishments that spanned multiple positions.
• Underneath the company information, include the title and a mini summary of housekeeping items for that title.
• The summary should provide context and quantify or contextualize the position.

10. Bullets and Housekeeping Items (1:07:00-1:10:00)

• The speaker differentiates between bullets (impactful accomplishments) and housekeeping items (mundane tasks).
• Housekeeping items provide context, while bullets showcase achievements aligned with the Great Eight.
• He recommends limiting bullets to three per title.

11. Resume Template and Examples (1:10:00-1:16:00)

• The speaker refers to the resume template, which provides guidance on filling in each section.
• He provides examples of housekeeping items from his own resume, such as describing the company and the scope of his role.
• He contrasts these with bullets that highlight specific accomplishments and their impact.
• He emphasizes shrinking the real estate for older experiences.

12. Title Variations and Company Acquisitions (1:16:00-1:20:00)

• The speaker addresses situations with nondescript titles.
• He suggests including the actual title and a description of the role or using a more descriptive title with a note about the internal title.
• He provides guidance on how to handle company acquisitions, using "doing business as" or "formerly doing business as."
• He emphasizes choosing the option that markets you best.

13. Consulting Experience (1:20:00-1:24:00)

• The speaker addresses how to present consulting experience, especially when sandwiched between larger companies.
• He recommends focusing on the value provided and including sample clients.
• He advises against being overly concerned about smaller numbers.
• He emphasizes the importance of having a complete history of all projects and their data.

14. Returning to the Workforce and Employment Gaps (1:24:00-1:26:00)

• The speaker provides guidance on how to address employment gaps, such as those due to family caretaking.
• He suggests including a brief explanation in the career profile and highlighting volunteer work.

15. Resume Mistakes and Action Items (1:26:00-1:30:00)

• The speaker outlines common resume mistakes:
  • Thin margins and tight fonts.
  • No excitement at the top (poor career profile).
  • Word vomit (excessive adjectives).
  • Exceeding two pages.
  • Symbols and tables.
  • Misspellings.
• He recommends reading the resume carefully and removing unnecessary words.
• He suggests using the resume content builder to brainstorm and collect data on projects.
• He emphasizes focusing on business value and aligning accomplishments with the Great Eight.

16. Conclusion of Professional Experience Section (1:30:00-1:32:00)

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychology of resume writing.
• He encourages attendees to select the best scenes from their life to entice employers.
• He announces the upcoming Q&A session and encourages attendees to share the session.

17. Q&A Session (1:32:00-2:55:00)

• The speaker answers a wide range of questions from attendees, covering topics such as:
  • Including musical experience when transitioning to instructional design.
  • Handling health crises and career gaps.
  • Using months vs. years for dates.
  • Explaining gaps in career history.
  • Presenting contractor experience.
  • Including relevant work history.
  • Addressing word vomit in the career profile.
  • Handling multiple jobs.
  • Addressing agism.
  • Tailoring resumes for different positions.
  • Using AI for resume writing.
• He emphasizes the importance of aligning experience with the desired role and testing different approaches.
• He shares success stories of boot camp participants who have landed jobs after reworking their resumes.

18. Program Details (2:55:00-3:05:00)

• The speaker provides details about the job search coaching program, including:
  • Assets: tools, templates, videos, and instructions.
  • Live group coaching.
  • Online support with direct access to the speaker.
  • Andy AI.
  • Community platform.
  • Lifetime access.
• He describes the structure of the program, including the job search boot camp and point solution products.
• He emphasizes the importance of understanding the entire blueprint before starting the job search.

19. Closing Remarks (3:05:00-3:08:00)

• The speaker thanks attendees for their participation and encourages them to continue learning and improving.
• He announces the upcoming AI session and Q&A session.
• He reminds attendees that the replays are available until Tuesday.
• He encourages those interested in the boot camp to email [email protected].

Main Takeaways/Synthesis:

This workshop session provides a detailed guide to crafting an effective resume, focusing on the professional experience section. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychology of resume writing, tailoring the resume to the desired role, and showcasing accomplishments that align with the employer's needs. The session also highlights the value of networking, seeking guidance from experienced coaches, and utilizing AI tools to enhance the job search process. The case study and Q&A session provide practical examples and address common challenges faced by job seekers. The speaker's emphasis on testing different approaches and continuously refining the message underscores the importance of a data-driven approach to job searching.