Power Boost Your Résumé
"What CARs drive who you are?"

Worksheet created by Sharon Williams of Job Rockit & Pi Sigma Epsilon, Miami University Chapter

Here is a sample page of how to gather the "right" information to create a CAR (challenge - action - result) scenario that showcases a transferable strength. Following are three CAR samples and how they should be written to create "impact" with hiring managers.

Project Title:
Position / Scope:
Start Date: Expenses:
End Date: Budget:
Team Size: Approx. Hours/Week:
Challenge (one sentence):
Action:
Results (quantifiable) and / or Knowledge Gained:
Evaluation (how would you rachet this project up for next-level results?)

Project: Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE)
* Competition Team Member (1 of 4) *


"As SIFE advisor, Tom's participation in SIFE shows a work ethic above and beyond the average student. ... His professionalism, intellectual ethic, and desire to exceed in all endeavors will make him a great asset to future employers." — Dr. David Iglehart, Director of Economics and Finance, Name of University

Challenge: To present to 35 CEOs how the university's SIFE team represented free enterprise through special projects executed during the academic year.
Action: Conceptualized innovative projects … examples include the following:
  1. "Learning with Lemons" -- Taught five classrooms of second graders the basics of free enterprise and economics in marketing a lemonade stand.
  2. City Mission -- Taught business skills, interviewing tips, and Internet access in the development of self-marketing abilities for the homeless.
  3. Bookstore -- Organized central location to buy/resell books saving students over $2,000.
  4. Marketing -- Served as B2B liaisons for local bookstore's "Advantage Program" to promote bulk sales program that saved organizations 50% off cover.
Results: Achieved Top 20 national status out of 840+ teams at the 2007 Kansas City exposition.

Directly responsible for educating 2,100+ people, with a reach of 36,500 totaling 400,000 gross impressions (as calculated through SIFE's media language regulations).


Project: Student Government Association - SGA
* Senior Class Senator, Delegate *


Challenge: To expose college students to once-in-a-lifetime, real-world financial experiences to exponentially enhance their education.
Action: Spearheaded and financed two separate trips — Chicago and New York — for upper-class finance students to experience the largest and most powerful financial centers in the world such as the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, New York Board of Trade, New York Mercantile Exchange, and Federal Reserve Banks.
Results: Created opportunities for 34 college students at the largest financial markets in the world.


Menard's
* Sales Associate *


Challenge: To meet predetermined monthly sales goals as a student with a full schedule of extra-curricular activities and an academic focus of maintaining an honorable GPA.
Results: Percentage of sales goal achieved:

Nov: 95% Feb: 87%
Dec: 118% Mar: 133%
Jan: 102% Apr: 103%