Chapter 13

Applicant tracking system (ATS)

Software that helps organizations automatically post job openings, screen résumés, rank candidates, and generate interview requests.

Big Five

An assessment tool which groups people into five personality types (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism).

Career e-portfolio

The professional electronic portfolio is a purposeful collection of digital files and documents showcasing the accomplishments of a students' academic career. Some e-portfolios are built like personal websites and feature sophisticated media.

Chronological résumé

A résumé that lists work history job by job, starting with the most recent position.

Cover letter/letter of application

A letter of application used to (a) introduce a résumé, (b) highlight the candidate's strengths in terms of benefits to the employer, and (c) gain an interview; may be solicited or unsolicited.

Elevator pitch

A concise speech that job seekers give in 60 seconds or less describing who they are and what they can offer.

Functional résumé

A résumé that focuses attention on a candidate's skills rather than on past employment; also called a skills résumé.

Headline

In the context of LinkedIn, a type of tagline or branding slogan, a short phrase that sums up a user's professional self. It should include keywords in the field and a brief description of what the job seeker wants.

Hidden job market

Jobs that are never advertised or listed.

Letter of application/cover letter

A letter of application used to introduce a résumé, highlight the job seeker's strengths in terms of benefits to the employer, and gain an interview; can be solicited or unsolicited; also called a cover letter or cover message.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

A useful tool for self-analysis before a job search measuring personality, interests, skills, and values; divides people into four temperaments (guardian, idealist, rational, and artisan).

Networking

Developing a supportive system of person-to-person contacts during a job search; involves meeting people and talking to them about your field or industry so that you can gain information and possibly open doors to job vacancies.

Open job market

Jobs that are advertised or listed.

PDF (portable document format)

A file type invented by Adobe that condenses documents while preserving the formatting and graphics.

Plain-text format

An electronic version of a résumé that is saved with .txt file type; suitable for e-mailing or pasting into online résumé bank submission forms.

Profile statement/summary of qualifications/résumé summary

A bulleted list at the top of your résumé that lists the candidate's most impressive qualifications; also called summary of qualifications or résumé summary.

Reskilling

Continuous education and (re)training required to remain relevant and employable in the workplace.

Résumé padding

Adding false or exaggerated information to boost an applicant's credentials for a job.

Résumé summary/profile statement/summary of qualifications

A bulleted list at the top of your résumé that lists the candidate's most impressive qualifications; also called summary of qualifications or profile statement.

Summary of qualifications/résumé summary/profile statement

A bulleted list at the top of your résumé that lists the candidate's most impressive qualifications; also called résumé summary or profile statement.

Video résumé

An opportunity to expand employment possibilities that enables job candidates to present their experience, qualifications, and interests in video form; candidates can demonstrate their public speaking, interpersonal, and technical skills more impressively than they can in traditional print résumés.