Welcome to the second Writing and Role-Playing Guild workshop! Today we will drift away from the usual topic by looking at resumes and staff applications. Don’t worry if you do not have work experience or if you’ve never created a resume before. Actually, you can include school activities, the papers you wrote at school you are proud of, a group project, and even volunteer work on a resume. Are you already an active member of the GC Forums? You can use that, too!
See? You have a lot of stuff to write about on your resume already.

So, today our focus will be on the content of a resume with a highlight on the different types of resumes and a popular networking site used by those who want to become more involved with their field or career of interest. Afterwards, I’ll give you my opinion on what the administrators are expecting to see in a great staff application.

There are multiple types of resumes.

• Chronological
  
• Functional
  
• Curriculum Vitae
  

LinkedIn uses the time-based resume, which orders your work experience chronologically. Another type of resume is functional, which categorizes your work experience by skill, functions, or strengths. Lastly, there is a CV, or curriculum vitae, which will only be used in certain professions, such as academia. A CV is a detailed record of your career and academic accomplishments and typically has no maximum on length.

But! The format, although it needs to be clean and easy to read, is not nearly as important as the content. The content demonstrates who you are, what experience you have, and how you would benefit the company if you were hired. So, let's focus on a website that will do the formatting for you, LinkedIn.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is often advertised as a networking site for working professionals, but don’t be afraid. You do not need to be a working professional to create an account or to use this site. LinkedIn is a great website for storing your digital resume, but it is even more valuable as a networking tool and a means to gather information about your field of interest.

Are you trying to determine if marine biology is what you want to do when you grow up, but you don’t really know any marine biologists? Here's what LinkedIn has to offer a budding marine biologist.

• LinkedIn has 33 groups of marine biologists and enthusiasts for you to learn from and talk with about your interests, hopes, and questions.
  
• There are also 149 results for volunteer work, jobs, and internships related to marine biology.
  
• Over 100 companies and university related to marine biology have a page on LinkedIn, so you can learn who they are and if they are hiring or if they have a university program that would be a good fit for you. Speaking of which, LinkedIn know provides a university ranking service.
  
• If you want to know what the top marine biologists are talking about, then go to Pulse for the latest news and insights from the top professionals in your field of interest. They have an app for that, too!
  

LinkedIn will walk you through their profile creation, so feel free to start that while I talk about some of the common features on a LinkedIn profile. A cursory scroll through the profile will display areas to talk about...

• work experience
  
• your volunteer experience
  
• your publications
  
• any organizations you have been a member of
  
• honors and awards
  
• certifications
  
• coursework
  
• languages
  
• your education
  

You can also display digital content, such as test scores, presentations, photos, documents, and videos. If you take a look at mine, I have copies of presentations I gave at conferences, blogs, and publications.

If you can’t fill it all in, don’t worry. Your profile doesn’t have to be complete, but it should have your full name, at the very least. When you upload a photo, I would recommend using a photo either of you engaging in your career of interest or your current profession, or a head shot of you dressed in clothing you would wear to a job interview.

The "Summary" section is vaguely similar to the introductory paragraph in your cover letter. The Summary describes, briefly, who you are, what you are interested in as a career, what you have done, and what you are capable of.

While you complete your first exercise for this workshop, here are some tips to keep in mind.

• Think about what your potential employer will know about the position you are applying for and the work you have done in the past that makes you a good fit for the position.
  

The person looking at your resume, even the hiring manager, will be reading about a variety of different backgrounds and experiences. It is not possible for them to have a good understanding of the type of work done by everyone at their own company much less everyone who may contact them wanting a job. They may have no experience with what the work you have done, so use words that will be accessible by everyone.

The best way to do this is by reading job descriptions for similar positions in your career field and to search for "characteristics of _____" on Google. This will give you a great idea of what the typical employer is looking for, the language typically used on resumes for your field, and will help you realize that your experiences are more applicable than you previously thought.

This is why writing a resume is hard. Your resume will be different for each position you apply for. Each company, position, and person reading your resume will be different than the last, so the burden is on you to tweak your resume to make it fit in each new situation.

• Research the values and history of the organization where you want to work

The employers not only wants to know you will be a good fit for the position, but that you will also be a good fit within the company's culture. For example, my place of employment serves the military and a little bit of research will show that they share the same core values (service, loyalty, honesty, and integrity) as the U.S. military.

• Demonstrate your value as a worker or student when possible.

Did you improve a process at work? Approximately how many hours did you dedicate to researching and writing that paper? How many people did you supervise at work or manage during a group project?

An employer wants to know you will bring more value to the company than it will cost to hire you. Simply put, describe your accomplishments, and not a laundry list of job duties and responsibilities.

• Highlight your crossover skills

In other words, think of the characteristics that you can apply from one job to the next, even if the two positions seemingly have nothing to do with each other.

For example, a tutor can demonstrate the characteristics of a good manager. Both a tutor and a manager must demonstrate skills in written and oral communication, must be able to delegate responsibilities and ensure those responsibilities are carried through, manage the efforts of multiple persons, inspire confidence and a desire to improve, provide constructive feedback, and mitigate conflict or stressful situations.

Writing Exercises

Research

• Read job descriptions
  
• Google "Characteristics of a insert career interest here"
  

As described above, by reading job descriptions and learning about the characteristics typically expected of a worker in your career field of interest, you can become familiar with the language typically used in your field of interest. Also, it will help you figure out the best language to use when highlighting your crossover skills.

Create a LinkedIn Account
If you do not already have a LinkedIn account, create one and begin to fill in the basic information.

Now, for the writing exercise. I want you to begin filling in your LinkedIn profile, if you haven’t begun already. Either add a position in the “Experience” section or the “Volunteer” section or the “Education” section. Choose whichever is most comfortable for you to write about. If you need help, ask. While you write, I want you keep a couple of things in mind. You don’t need to describe a structured experience, like a job. You want to describe an experience that showcases your talents, perhaps a group project you did at school or a research paper.

As you may know, I used to be the Sailor Venus and Role-Playing Director on the Galaxy Cauldron forums for four years. I am going to share the knowledge I gained as a reviewer of staff applications, so you can create a quality application. As Sailor Venus, I reviewed Moderator, Role-Playing Moderator, and Role-Playing Administrator applications.

Here are some tips of when you write your staff application.

• Use a professional tone of voice in your application
  

The #1 complaint I heard while reviewing staff applications was that the staff application did not sound professional. Think about it, you are applying to be a representative of the forums, not just to be a staff member. Your application is your first example of the work you will conduct as a staff member. If your application is not quality or professional, then the administrators may worry you won't be either as a staff member.

• Describe yourself in the application as if the administrators do not know who you are
  

The Galaxy Cauldron Forums is a huge place with a lot of different areas, some of which the administrators may not have the chance to frequent often. Even if you are an active member, perhaps the administrators just haven't had the opportunity to interact with you a lot. Provide as much information about you as is appropriate, because the administrator may or may not know all of this information, even if it available as public record on the forum that you are a Party Planner or you are the #1 poster in the Crown Arcade.

Don't skimp on the details, just because you think they are obvious.

• If you have no experience as a moderator or administrator, don't leave that area blank
  

Admit you have no experience, but take the time to describe what responsibilities you expect will be asked of you. Demonstrating your familiarity with what a moderator or administrator will need to do on the forums can be very valuable on an application, even if you have no first-hand experience. It shows you already know what will be expected of you, you know what your responsibilities will be, and that you've given this all some thought.

• Describe your activity on the forums
  

So, maybe you have never been a staff member, but you do have some responsibilities on the forums and you do participate. Tell the administrators! Are you a Party Planner? Have you been on the Welcome Crew? Are you a top poster in the Crown Arcade? Did you win Role Player of the Month? Or did you help someone when they couldn't find how to change their user name?

The administrators want to know this, because it shows you have taken a responsibility for how GC is seen by others and you've demonstrated that you care about GC and its members. There might not be a section on the staff application for this, but don't hesitate to add it or send it as a follow-up in a PM to NQS (or Small Lady for moderator applications or Sailor Uranus for RPG staff applications).

• If you make a recommendation to improve the forums, make sure that recommendation isn't already in effect or being implemented
  

If you suggest something that is already in effect, then it makes it look as if you are too lazy to come up with something new or that you don't know the forums well enough. Ask a staff member in the appropriate section if they know if your idea is already in effect or if it is being planned. Let them know you are going to make that recommendation in your staff application.

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Here is an example of a staff application for the moderator position.

VBabe wrote:

Username: VBabe

Website/Tumblr: I do not have a website or Tumblr. I do have a fanfiction.net account, if that is what you wish to view.
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/65179/Chmia

Best alternative contact information (in the case PMing fails):
Cellphone: (281)914-1103
Email: cat.archery@yahoo.com
Skype: rqg390

How many hours a week can you dedicate to GC and your section?:
I will commit to dedicating at least thirty minutes each day, and during Monday through Wednesday, I plan on committing an hour (or more) after I get out of work while I wait for my husband to return from his job.

I will be honest, because I know this will come up during the application review process. Since stepping down as Sailor Venus, I have not been active and, truth be told, I was not active as Sailor Venus. During my time as Sailor Venus I had a lot of unexpected (and some planned) events that prevented me from being an active staff member. This is no longer the case and my life is no longer as hectic.

Yes, I have not been active as a member. I believe this is because I no longer had the drive that being a staff member, being part of a larger community that is necessary to keep an even bigger community running. Although you have nothing to base this on other than my promise and honor, I honestly believe I will be an active moderator. If you wish me to prove this in some sort of fashion, then please let me know and I will be happy to oblige.

Were/Are you a member of an online forum of any kind? I have been a member of the Galaxy Cauldron since 2011. Prior to the Galaxy Cauldron I participated in a variety of anime-based RPGs, but the Galaxy Cauldron is the first and only online forum I have belonged to.

Do you have experience as a Mod on any of them? Yes, I have experience as a moderator on Court Intrigue, an online Sailor Moon RPG.

If yes please list what your duties were/are and how long you held the positions:
As a moderator of Court Intrigue I managed the timeline of events, which was a running synopsis of the RPG. Other duties included: the review of character profiles, the correction of spelling and grammatical errors in site-official content, RPG plot creation, and I also made myself available to the members to answer questions, provide helpful advice on character creation and interaction, motivate member participation, and address member concerns and comments.

I have not been a moderator on the Galaxy Cauldron. Many of you are likely familiar with my prior work as an administrator on GC, but I would be happy to elaborate on my past duties and responsibilities as Sailor Venus if you wish for me to do so. Part of these duties did involve coordinating and training the Rainbow Crystal Moderators, so I do have knowledge of the expectations and responsibilities of a moderator on the GC Forums.

Why would you like to have a Mod position on GC?
I would like to support the environment that the staff have created on the Galaxy Cauldron. The Galaxy Cauldron is a wonderful place for all Moonies and as a moderator I would help to contribute to the warm, friendly atmosphere that has been cultivated since the founding of the forums.

I also truly miss being a part of the staff, because it is a personally enriching experience that forces you to grow. As an administrator I learned to negotiate difficult issues with members and, above all, provide a conclusion to those issues that benefited the entirety of the forums. I learned that word choice can be critical, especially in avoiding and mitigating those sorts of situations. And, most importantly, I learned that you do not have to see someone face-to-face on a regular basis for them to become one of your closest friends. As a moderator, I would hope to share these sorts of learnings with our members as my own small effort to keep the Galaxy Cauldron an open, welcoming place.

What are your specialties? (i.e. graphics, CSS, HTML, experience, knowledge of SM, etc.)  Show examples if you can (i.e. graphics, websites you've created, etc.)
My specialties lie within my extensive experience with the Galaxy Cauldron based upon 4 years of membership. I am familiar with the environment that the site administrators want to create and preserve within the Galaxy Cauldron for all its members and I am familiar with how my role as a moderator would be used to support that environment.

I also have extensive experience with role-playing, which may have limited use within this section of the forum. In addition, I have used my limited knowledge of Python to create games for the Galaxy Cauldron to enjoy (with Sailor Mercury’s help, thank you).

http://www.thegalaxycauldronforums.com/t10629-sailor-moon-memory-double-moon-bash-edition

State any ideas you have for the Section you are applying for and GC in general. Please be as detailed as possible.

The Galaxy Lounge is a vibrant section of GC that allows for our members to be themselves, even when they are going through the worst of times. You can find a support network within the Galaxy Lounge that isn’t found in other areas of the forums. The Community Billboard serves to expand our Sailor Moon community and spread goodwill with other forums outside of GC. I would like to continue to foster that, because these are important features of our forums.

Some areas of the Galaxy Lounge have less activity than others, such as the Meets and Gatherings section. It would be beneficial to create a short list of anime and comic conventions in the United States and elsewhere for the upcoming year, for those of us who may not be familiar with what conventions are being held. Members could contribute to this list as they learn of new conventions.

And, although this is not a new idea, I would endeavor to reply to every request for assistance (in The GC Library and Study Hall). I noticed a few threads that asked for help, but no one responded.

I would also like to have a (pinned?) thread in the Gamers Lounge of the games used in The Event Hall or created by our members. And, this would not be a new idea, but the Billboard Spotlight started by Tuxedo Mistress was an awesome idea and it should be continued. I think it would be cool to also do that in the merchandise section, especially if we can get member reviews of the spotlighted product.  

I confess, I am not active in the Azabu-Juuban Arcade section, but I do have an idea. I would like to feature one game-thread once or twice a month (preferably a game-thread that needs some extra attention or is just about ready to wrap up) to boost activity. The winner of the featured game-thread will get a special sticker for winning while that game-thread is featured.

Do you have any questions for me? I do not have any questions for you, but thank you for asking.

List the top 3 sections you would prefer to mod in order of your favorite one first. (Only answer this if multiple sections are available)

Community Billboard/The Star Garden
Azabu-Juuban Arcades

An elevator speech is a short, well-practiced summary of who you are, what you are looking for, and how you can benefit your future employer. In other words, imagine you are riding in an elevator when the hiring manager for the job you just applied for walks onto the elevator. You have an extra 30 seconds to remind the hiring manager who you are and impress him or her. What would you say to the hiring manager before he or she steps off the elevator?

An elevator speech should take about 20 to 30 seconds to say out-loud, which is about 80 to 90 typed words. Let's try to write an elevator speech in a few steps.

- Introduce yourself by saying your full name and what you do. - Say what you want to do. - Talk about your biggest success and how that success contributed positively. - Say why you are interested in the person listening to you. - End with a call to action that the listener must respond to.

Here's an example... Take note of how the example also weaves in praise of the company of interest and demonstrates the speaker has researched the company.

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Guess what? This also serves as a great summary paragraph at the top of your resume or in your LinkedIn account! Just be sure not to include a question in your resume/LinkedIn profile. If you place this in your resume or in your LinkedIn account, then rewrite your concluding sentence, so it does not sound like a rhetorical question. For example, I might rewrite that last sentence in my elevator speech to "I am interested in becoming an analyst at your company, so I can help your company remain the provider of choice for the military community."

Bump! The Galaxy Cauldron is accepting applications for the administrator positions of Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter. Reviewing this thread is sure to help. (:

Just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this because I now have a LinkedIn profile and this whole thread helped me so much with making my first resume tonight. Thanks again!

@ Sailor Pluto
Thank you, that is exactly what this thread is for and I am glad it was useful for you. Let me know if you have any questions or problems.

And, on a different note, I added an example staff application for the moderator position.

Thank you Cat! I think an example will be really helpful. :3

Bump!

Bump!