Write clear emails and documents, present and run meetings, work well on teams, and navigate résumés, interviews and networking.

Professional Communication & Teamwork

Find one real job or apprenticeship posting you would like to apply for, and save a copy of it.

Highlight the required skills, the main tasks and any keywords the posting repeats.

List your experiences, projects, courses and volunteering that honestly show those skills.

Choose a simple one-page layout with clear headings: contact details, optional summary, skills, projects, experience, education.

Write 2-3 bullets per entry in the form "action verb + what + how + result", with honest numbers where you have them.

Reorder sections and bullets so the strongest matches to the posting come first. Remove anything that does not help.

Add a link to a portfolio, GitHub or project write-up, and check that it opens in a private browser window.

Export to PDF with a clear file name, and ask someone to proofread it.

## Why it matters

Your résumé is often the first thing an employer sees. Recruiters and hiring managers usually scan a résumé quickly before deciding whether to read it properly, and many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to store and search applications. A clear, tailored one-page résumé gets you to the interview. A generic one, however impressive your experience, often does not.

For entry-level STEM roles, a portfolio (projects you can show) often matters as much as the résumé. They work together: the résumé makes the claim, the portfolio proves it.

## The core idea: tailor to the posting

A résumé is not a list of everything you have done. It is an argument that you fit **this** job. So start with the job posting, not with your history.

1. Read the posting and highlight the **required skills**, the **main tasks** and repeated keywords (for example "SQL", "data cleaning", "PLC troubleshooting", "customer communication").
2. List your experiences, projects and courses that show those things.
3. Put the strongest matches near the top, using the same words the posting uses where they are true for you.

Never claim skills you do not have. Interviewers will ask about anything on the page.

## A simple one-page structure

```text
NAME
City, Region | email | phone | portfolio or GitHub link | LinkedIn

SUMMARY (optional, 2 lines)
Entry-level data analyst with SQL, Python and Excel skills, focused on
cleaning messy data and explaining results clearly.

SKILLS
SQL (joins, aggregation) · Python (pandas) · Excel (pivot tables,
XLOOKUP) · Tableau · Git

PROJECTS
Bike-share demand analysis | Python, pandas | github.com/...
- Cleaned 1.2M trip records and found that weekday demand peaks at
  8 am and 5 pm, supporting a proposal to rebalance 40 docks.
- Wrote a 2-page summary with three charts for a non-technical reader.

EXPERIENCE
Sales assistant, City Hardware | 2024-2026
- Tracked weekly stock levels in a spreadsheet and flagged low items,
  reducing out-of-stock complaints on popular products.
- Trained 3 new staff on the till and returns process.

EDUCATION
Certificate / degree, school, year
Relevant courses: Statistics, SQL Fundamentals
```

For entry-level candidates, **projects can go above experience** when they match the job better. Education goes higher if it is your strongest qualification.

## Writing strong bullet points

Each bullet should show an **action** and a **result**, with numbers where you honestly have them. A useful pattern is:

> Action verb + what you did + how + result.

Weak:

```text
- Responsible for the lab inventory.
- Worked on a website for a club.
```

Stronger:

```text
- Reorganised the lab's reagent inventory into a shared spreadsheet
  with expiry dates, cutting time spent searching for stock.
- Built a 5-page website for a student club with HTML and CSS,
  used by about 200 members to find event dates.
```

Start with verbs like *built*, *analysed*, *tested*, *reduced*, *trained*, *automated*, *documented*, *repaired*. Skip "responsible for", which describes a duty, not an achievement. If you have no exact number, describe the scale or the outcome honestly ("for a team of 6", "used every week").

Non-technical jobs count. Retail, food service, tutoring and volunteering show reliability, customer communication and teamwork. Phrase them in terms the posting values.

## Formatting for people and for software

- **One page** for entry level. Cut older or less relevant items first.
- **Simple layout**: clear headings, one or two fonts, consistent dates. Many tracking systems read plain layouts more reliably than complex designs with text boxes, tables or graphics.
- **Save as PDF** unless the posting asks for another format, and name it clearly: `Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf`.
- **Proofread** carefully, then ask someone else to proofread. Typos are an easy reason to reject.
- **No photo, age or other personal details** unless it is normal where you are applying; in many countries, including the US and the UK, they are left off.

## Portfolios

A portfolio shows your work. It should match your target role:

- **Software and web**: 2–4 projects on GitHub or a personal site, each with a README that explains what it does, how to run it and what you learned.
- **Data**: notebooks or reports that state a question, the data, the method and the conclusion, with clear charts.
- **Design**: case studies that show your process, not just final screens.
- **Engineering, lab and trades**: photos or write-ups of projects, labs, builds or repairs you did (with permission and no confidential details), plus certifications and training records.

Quality beats quantity. Two well-explained projects are better than ten unfinished ones. Link the portfolio near the top of your résumé.

## Common mistakes

- **One résumé for every job.** Tailor at least the summary, skills order and top bullets.
- **Duties instead of results.**
- **Dense two-page layouts** for an entry-level role.
- **Broken or private links** to the portfolio.
- **Exaggeration.** It usually comes out in the interview.

## Quick recap

- Start from the posting; match its skills and words where true for you.
- One page, simple layout, PDF, proofread twice.
- Bullets: action, method, result, numbers where honest.
- Back up claims with a small, well-explained portfolio.

## Try it

Open the Do tab. You will pick a real posting and draft a one-page résumé tailored to it.


Draft a one-page résumé tailored to a real job posting, backed by a small portfolio.

Résumés and portfolios

How To Write A Resume With Little or No Work Experience - Resume Template

Tips For How To Write A Better Resume (From A Recruiter's Perspective)

For each question, pick a real story from school, a job, volunteering or a personal project.

Write each story under four headings: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Keep Situation and Task to one or two sentences each.

Make the Action the longest part, written with "I" statements that show what you did.

End each Result with an outcome (a number if you honestly have one) and what you learned.

Reduce each story to a few keywords on a note card.

Answer each question out loud from the keywords only, timing yourself. Aim for 1-2 minutes per answer.

Record yourself or practise with a friend, and ask them one follow-up question per story, such as "What would you do differently?"

Write two questions you would ask an interviewer about the work itself.

## Why it matters

Most technical interviews include behavioural questions, such as "Tell me about a time you...". Employers ask them because past behaviour is a reasonable guide to future behaviour. They want to know how you handle deadlines, mistakes, teamwork, conflict and learning new things. Candidates with strong technical skills often lose offers here because their answers ramble or stay vague.

The STAR method gives your answers a clear shape, and preparing a few STAR stories in advance makes interviews far less stressful.

## The core idea: STAR

STAR stands for:

- **Situation**: the context, briefly. Where were you, and what was going on?
- **Task**: your responsibility or the goal. What needed to happen, and what was your part?
- **Action**: what **you** did, step by step. This is the longest part.
- **Result**: what happened, ideally with a number, plus what you learned.

A good STAR answer takes about one to two minutes. Spend roughly 15% on Situation and Task together, 60% on Action and 25% on Result.

## Worked example

Question: "Tell me about a time you had to deal with a tight deadline."

Rambling answer:

```text
Oh, that happens a lot. In my last project we always had tight
deadlines, so I just worked hard and made sure we got everything done.
I'm good under pressure.
```

STAR answer:

```text
Situation: In my final-year group project, we were building an app
to track lab equipment bookings. Two weeks before the demo, our
teammate who handled the database left the course.

Task: I volunteered to take over the database work on top of my
front-end tasks, so we could still demo a working app.

Action: First I listed what the database still needed and found that
only three of the eight tables were finished. I asked the team to
cut two "nice to have" features so we could focus. I followed a
tutorial to learn the parts of SQL I didn't know, built the remaining
tables, and wrote a short test script to check bookings couldn't
overlap. I posted a progress update in our group chat every evening
so nobody was surprised.

Result: We demoed on time with all core features working, and we got
the second-highest grade in the class. I learned to cut scope early
instead of hoping to do everything.
```

Notice the "I" statements in the Action. Interviewers want to know what you did, not what "we" did. Mention the team, but be clear about your own part.

## Common behavioural questions

Prepare at least one story for each theme:

- **Teamwork**: "Tell me about a time you worked on a team project."
- **Conflict**: "Describe a disagreement with a colleague and how you handled it."
- **Mistakes**: "Tell me about a time you made a mistake."
- **Problem solving**: "Describe a difficult problem you solved."
- **Learning**: "Tell me about a time you had to learn something quickly."
- **Initiative**: "Tell me about something you improved without being asked."
- **Customers or users**: "Describe a time you helped a frustrated customer."

Six to eight good stories can cover most questions, because one story can often be adapted. The deadline story above also fits "learning quickly" and "initiative".

## Where to find stories

You do not need professional experience. Strong stories come from:

- school, college or bootcamp projects;
- part-time jobs (retail, food service, warehouse, tutoring);
- volunteering, clubs and sports teams;
- personal projects, such as building a website, fixing a car or a computer, or a home lab.

Choose stories where you made a real choice and something changed because of it.

## Answering the "mistake" question

Many candidates fear "Tell me about a mistake". Interviewers are checking honesty and learning, not perfection. Pick a real but not disastrous mistake, own it without blaming others, and spend most of the answer on what you did to fix it and what you changed afterwards.

```text
Result: The report went out a day late, which I told my manager about
straight away. Since then I check my calculations against a second
method before sending anything with numbers in it.
```

## Delivering your answers

- **Practise out loud**, ideally with a friend or by recording yourself. Writing stories down helps; saying them is what matters.
- **Keep notes short**: a few keywords per story, not a script.
- **Pause before answering.** "Let me think of a good example" is fine.
- **Answer the question asked.** If the question is about conflict, the story should have a real disagreement in it.
- **End with the result.** Do not trail off. A short "...and that's what I learned" closes the answer cleanly.
- **Be ready for follow-ups** like "What would you do differently?"

At the end, interviewers usually ask whether you have questions. Prepare two or three about the work itself: "What would a typical first month look like?" or "How does the team review each other's work?"

## Common mistakes

- **No specific example**, only general claims ("I'm a hard worker").
- **Too much Situation**, so the Action gets rushed.
- **"We" all the way through**, hiding your contribution.
- **No result**, or a result with no learning.
- **Made-up stories.** Follow-up questions expose them quickly.

## Quick recap

- STAR: Situation, Task, Action (longest, in "I"), Result (with numbers and learning).
- Prepare 6–8 stories covering teamwork, conflict, mistakes, problem solving and learning.
- Draw stories from projects, jobs, volunteering and personal work.
- Practise out loud and prepare questions for the interviewer.

## Try it

Open the Do tab. You will write and rehearse STAR answers to three behavioural questions.


Answer behavioural interview questions with clear, specific STAR stories.

Interviews and the STAR method

Answering Behavioral Interview Questions Using the STAR Method

STAR Method - How to Ace Your Amazon Interview

Choose the role you want to learn about and write two things you want to find out.

Find one person in that role who has some connection to you: a friend of a friend, an alumnus, someone from a meetup, a professional society or an online community.

Write a request of 150 words or fewer that says who you are, why you chose them, asks for a 20-minute conversation about their experience (not a job), offers flexibility and gives an easy way to say no.

Check the subject line: does it state the ask and the time limit?

Prepare five open questions for the conversation, including "Is there anyone else you'd suggest I talk to?"

Send the request (or save it as a draft if you are not ready). Note the date, and plan one polite follow-up after one to two weeks if there is no reply.

Write a short thank-you message template that mentions one specific piece of advice, ready to send within a day of the conversation.

## Why it matters

Many jobs are filled through people who already know the candidate, or who were introduced by someone who does. Beyond jobs, the people you know help you learn which careers suit you, which skills matter, which employers are good and how to get past early-career obstacles. For licensed and trade careers, a mentor or a contact in a union, apprenticeship programme or professional society can explain the real path to a licence better than any website.

Networking is not about collecting contacts or selling yourself. It is about building honest, two-way professional relationships over time. Introverts can be excellent at it, because it works best in small, thoughtful conversations.

## The informational interview

An informational interview is a short conversation (usually 20–30 minutes) with someone who works in a field you are curious about. You ask about their work and their path. You are **not** asking for a job. That makes it easier for them to say yes, and easier for you to ask honest questions.

Good reasons to request one:

- You are choosing between careers, for example data analyst versus data engineer.
- You want to know what a typical day in a role really looks like.
- You want advice on which skills, certifications or programmes matter.

## Finding people

Start with people who have some connection to you:

- friends, family, former teachers and classmates;
- alumni of your school, college or bootcamp;
- people you met at meetups, career fairs or online communities;
- professional societies and local chapters (for example engineering, IT, lab science or trade associations);
- people whose posts, talks or projects you found useful.

A shared connection ("We both studied at...", "I enjoyed your talk at the meetup") makes a reply much more likely.

## Writing the request

A good request is short, specific and easy to accept. It covers:

1. **Who you are**, in one sentence.
2. **Why them**: the connection or what you noticed about their work.
3. **The ask**: a short conversation, with a time limit, about their experience, not a job.
4. **Flexibility**: a call or video chat, at a time that suits them.
5. **A polite exit**: make it easy to say no.

Example:

```text
Subject: 20-minute chat about your path into cloud engineering?

Hi Daniel,

I'm finishing an IT support certificate at Riverside College and
I'm exploring cloud engineering. I saw your talk at the City Cloud
Meetup on moving a small company to the cloud, and the part about
starting with backups stuck with me.

Would you be open to a 20-minute call in the next few weeks? I'd love
to hear how you moved from support into cloud work and what skills
you'd focus on if you were starting today. I'm not asking about job
openings, just your advice.

I'm free most weekday afternoons and can work around your schedule.
If now isn't a good time, no problem at all.

Thanks,
Leila Haddad
```

It is under 150 words, gives a reason, sets a time limit and removes pressure.

## During the conversation

- **Be on time and keep to the time** you asked for. Offer to stop when it is up.
- **Prepare questions**, for example:
  - "What does a typical week look like for you?"
  - "What surprised you most about this work?"
  - "Which skills do new people in your team most often lack?"
  - "If you were starting today, what would you learn first?"
  - "Is there anyone else you'd suggest I talk to?"
- **Listen more than you talk.** Take short notes.
- **Do not ask for a job.** If they offer help, accept it gratefully.

## After the conversation

- **Send a thank-you message within a day.** Mention one specific piece of advice you plan to act on.
- **Follow up later** with what happened: "I took your advice and finished the AWS free-tier labs. Thanks again." This turns a one-off chat into a relationship.
- **Offer something back** when you can: an article they might like, a thank-you on a public post, or help to someone else later.
- **Keep a simple record** (name, date, what you talked about, next step) in a spreadsheet or notes app.

## Mentors

A mentor is someone who gives you advice over a longer period. Mentorships often grow naturally out of good informational interviews, rather than from asking a stranger "Will you be my mentor?". Many schools, employers, professional societies and apprenticeship programmes also run formal mentoring schemes. Look for them, and come to each meeting with a specific question or a progress update.

## Common mistakes

- **Long, vague messages** with no clear ask.
- **Asking for a job or referral** in the first message.
- **Not preparing questions**, so the other person has to lead.
- **No thank-you or follow-up.**
- **Only reaching out when you need something.**

Not everyone will reply, and that is normal. People are busy. Send a polite follow-up once after a week or two; if there is still no reply, move on without taking it personally.

## Quick recap

- Informational interviews: short conversations to learn, not to ask for a job.
- Start with people connected to you; give a specific reason for asking.
- Request: who you are, why them, a time-limited ask, flexibility, an easy exit.
- Prepare questions, keep to time, thank them and follow up.

## Try it

Open the Do tab. You will find a person to contact and write an informational-interview request.


Write a short, specific informational-interview request and follow up well.

Networking and mentors

Designing Your Career: The Informational Interview

Informational Interviews: Best Questions to Ask

Tailor a résumé and portfolio to a posting, answer behavioural interview questions with STAR, and build a professional network.