| March Greetings from Tufts Grad Career Services
This month we'll help you create resumes that beat the ATS robots (otherwise known as Applicant Tracking Systems) and prepare stories for challenging behavioral interview questions. For more about interviewing, negotiation, and other essential career topics, check out our Grad Student Career Guide.
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| Spotlight on ... STAR Stories for Interviewing You may be familiar with using the STAR framework to answer behavioral interviewing questions. It stands for Situation (give context with a brief bit of background info) -- Task (talk about what you had to do to address the problem or situation) -- Action (tell what you actually did and the skills you used) -- and Results (share what happened and what you achieved or learned). Many interviewers are not well prepared to answer common behavioral questions such as "Describe a project where you worked as part of a team" or "Tell me about a time when you resolved a conflict." Use the tips below to prepare 6-8 stories from your experiences and increase your interviewing confidence.
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| FAQ of the Month
I'm applying for a job, and I'm aware that my resume may need to get through a computer screening process before it reaches an actual person. Have any tips for beating the resume robots? It's true -- If you're applying to a position with a larger employer, chances are you'll meet an ATS, or applicant tracking system. These systems use keywords and algorithms to screen resumes and make a first cut before the documents reach human eyes. Good news, though: You can beat the machines when you know how they work! Here’s how ... - Pay close attention to the job description and use the employer’s lingo. This isn’t a word-for-word repetition of the description; rather, you’ll take note of various keywords and incorporate those items into your document. Pasting a job description into a site like wordclouds.com can help you quickly zero in on important elements of a position by identifying frequently used words. That said, don’t go overboard by cramming in too many instances of a particular word. Aim for 2-3 mentions at most.
- Focus on concrete skills. Soft skills like communication and attention to detail are wonderful, but the ATS is generally seeking industry-specific hard skills, relevant position titles and other credentials that mesh with the job description. Use a Summary of Qualifications section in lieu of an Objective statement to convey your strongest competencies at the top of your resume
- Keep the formatting simple. Steer clear of abbreviations, logos, graphics, headers/footers and any fancy formatting. Spell out any acronyms and use a standard resume font, e.g., Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
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Upcoming Career Webinars Webinars take place at 1 pm ET (UTC+5) on Wednesdays and are led by Tufts Alumni Career Services staff. All you need is a phone and/or a computer to participate. - March 13 -- Ace That Interview!
- April 24 -- Salary Negotiation: Ask for it!
- May 8 -- Job Search Success Secrets
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| Featured Listings in Handshake & Beyond
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| Developing Conversational Fluency
Open workshop series for international graduate students on alternating Mondays and Wednesdays
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| Career Fairs, Events & Special Opportunities
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| Grad Career News is a publication of the Tufts Career Center Grad Career Services is a resource for MA and PhD students in Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. Contact us for assistance as you navigate your career path. In-person, phone, email and Skype appointments are available.
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