Resumes & Cover Letters. Career Center for Vocation & Development

Transcription

1 Resumes & Cover Letters Career Center for Vocation & Development 1

2 Resume Writing Your resume, along with a cover letter, is an introduction to a potential employer. The purpose of the resume is to create interest in you and, hopefully, result in an invitation to an interview. A well-crafted resume will highlight your skills and accomplishments, and demonstrate why you are the best candidate. To compose your resume, follow the recommended steps below: STEP 1 Before writing your resume, answer the following questions: Who will be reading my resume? What skill set is the employer looking for in my resume? How can I demonstrate my skills and experiences to a potential employer? The content and design of your resume should reflect your responses to these questions. You may have several resumes containing the same basic information but presented or packaged in a way that targets specific positions or opportunities. STEP 2 Research the area of work you are interested in and read job descriptions. If you were to pursue a specific position, what skills and experience would the employer or recruiter expect? To find out what skills are needed for a particular occupation, check out the following resources: My Plan ( After creating a free account, search through the Careers tab for descriptions of various occupations. VAULT Career Research Library - (go to Career Center website, and click on Vault Online Career Library listed on the left sidebar) O*Net ( STEP 3 An employer is interested in the transferable skills you have developed that match the job description. Transferable skills are qualities or abilities sought by a majority of employers which are useful in multiple areas. Take the time to list all of your work experiences (both paid and unpaid), involvements with clubs, organizations, and service projects. Develop a list of your accomplishments, skills, and personality characteristics. This will help you match your skills and abilities to the position requirements. From your experiences, identify the skills that will benefit the employer. Transferable skills demonstrate to the employer your extensive range of abilities including: Communication (verbal and written) Critical thinking Problem-solving Leadership Teamwork Multicultural understanding Motivation Integrity 2

3 STEP 4 You are now ready to write your resume. Time to invest in quality resume paper! Remember to place the most important and relevant information near the top and to the left. Arrange your information according to importance to the reader. Many resumes begin with an objective that describes the type of position you are seeking. Since many new graduates have not accumulated a significant amount of work experience, the most important information to the employer is the education of the applicant. List the degree received, name and address of college, and date of graduation. Include in this section certifications, awards, honors, study abroad experiences, and GPA (if higher than 3.0). In the Experience section, include brief descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments. Use sentence fragments that begin with action verbs. Once you complete your resume, submit it to the Career Center to be critiqued. If needed, talk about improvements with a Career Counselor. Resumes should be printed on good quality paper in white or a light neutral color. *Sample Action Words (from How to Say it in Your Job Search, Kaplan 2002) achieved administered analyzed appointed approved assigned attained awarded built collaborated communicated composed conceptualized conducted consulted controlled coordinated crafted created cultivated customized delivered designed documented enforced evaluated expanded expedited facilitated formulated fostered founded generated granted improved initiated integrated investigated introduced launched maximized minimized mentored negotiated operated originated overhauled participated piloted presented produced progressed promoted ranked rated recruited redesigned reduced reengineered reorganized represented researched resolved restored restructured revamped revitalized secured selected spearheaded streamlined trained utilized validated wrote Templates Some word processing programs offer resume templates that provide preset formats. While convenient, templates can be difficult to modify (for example, changing margins, spacing, or placement of information). As you gain more experience and want to add information to your resume, it may be difficult to work within the parameters of the template. Therefore, it is often easier to create your resume from scratch so that you are free to change it as you wish. 4

4 Common Resume Mistakes 1. Focusing only on job duties One of the most common mistakes is to turn your resume into a boring list of job duties. Instead, use your job descriptions as an opportunity to show how you benefited the organization. Provide examples of how you made a difference in each position. Use results oriented statements. Did you receive an award or special recognition? What challenges did you face? How did you overcome them? 2. Objective statement is too general or flowery Be specific. Identify clearly the position for which you are applying. Be careful not to turn the objective into a rambling paragraph that takes up too much space on your resume. Short and succinct will be more effective. 3. Resume is too short or too long For most college students, a one-page resume is sufficient. The Career Center may be able to assist with formatting your resume if you are having trouble getting everything on one page. However, you may have enough experience to warrant a longer resume. If this is the case, do not try to condense the information to make it fit on one page. Doing this may cause you to eliminate important information. The most important guideline is that every word should sell the candidate to the employer. 4. Use of personal pronouns (I and me) Use action verbs to begin your job descriptions. Descriptive action words like: managed, supervised, responsible for, coordinated, etc., are more powerful when they come at the beginning of a description. 5. Use personal information Personal information cannot be used as criteria in the hiring process; therefore, do not include it. There are several exceptions to this rule. Some entertainment positions and jobs outside of the United States may ask for this type of information. Contact your Career Center if you have questions. 6. No key words (see next page for hints on creating a resume for scanning) Many medium and large sized companies use technology to scan and store resumes. The only hope you have that a human being will view your resume is if you use relevant industry buzzwords on your resume. These do not have to be in a separate section; rather, they can be sprinkled throughout the resume. Read job descriptions for positions that interest you to find key words that you can use in your resume. 7. References available... Employers know that you already have references. You do not need to add the line, "References available upon request." 8. Typos! One typo can torpedo your chances to get a job with an organization. Proofread your resume several times. Do not rely on spell check to catch everything. Ask a friend to proofread your resume. Have a Career Center professional read your resume. It needs to be absolutely perfect. 4

5 Creating Scannable Resumes 1. Remove all graphics; they confuse scanners. This includes italics, underlines, shadows, horizontal/vertical lines. Bullets can also confuse scanners. Replace bullets with asterisks. 2. Place your name on the first line and do not include any other text on that line. 3. Move all text to the left margin and remove tabs. Use the space bar to indent. 4. Use common and easily recognizable fonts, preferably sans-serif fonts (without the little "feet" on characters) such as Arial or Helvetica. A common serif font such as Times or Times New Roman can be used as well. 5. Keep all font sizes between points. 6. Use standard line spacing. 7. Keep "To" and "From" dates on one line. Use only a single date on college degrees. 8. Remove parentheses around area codes in telephone numbers and replace them with a hyphen. 9. Use white or light colored 8 ½ x 11 paper, printed on one side only. 10. Do not fold or staple. Content that Maximizes "Hits" 1. Use enough key words to define your skills, experience, education, professional affiliations, and other significant information. 2. Include concrete words rather than vague descriptions. 3. Expand to more than one page if necessary. Computers can handle more than one page and it uses all the information it extracts from your resume to determine if your skills match available positions. Make sure your name appears on every page. 4. Use jargon and acronyms specific to your industry. List all computer competencies. 5. If you have extra space, describe your interpersonal traits with key words like time management, dependable, high energy, leadership, sense of responsibility, and other synonyms from the Action Word List on page 3. Information compiled from Resumix, Inc. and Submit Your Resume to Messiah s E-Recruiting Site The Career Center will be posting all job information that we receive on our E-Recruiting site. You do not need to post a resume to view jobs or sign up for Career Center Workshops. To apply for jobs you will have to upload a resume into the E-Recruiting system. 1. Go to 2. Register (required on first visit only) / Login 3. Upload your resume into the system. It must be created in MS Word to upload properly. 4. Once you upload your resume, you can: * Apply to jobs that are posted on the site * Sign up for on-campus interviews * Submit it to major-specific resume books for employers to review 5

6 Your Name Here Length should be one page unless you have extensive experience College Address: Messiah College, PO Box 0000, Grantham, PA (Phone number) Permanent Address: 123 Street Address, City, State, Zip (Phone number) address (use discretion what image does your address convey?) OBJECTIVE Use concise language to describe the position you are seeking EDUCATION List degree here Graduation Date Name and address of college List GPA (3.3/4.0) and academic honors/scholarships if desired here RELATED Title of position, Name of organization Dates EXPERIENCE City and State Start in reverse chronological order, most recent experience first Keep font size between.10 and.12 Avoid decorative or embellished fonts that may not copy or scan well (Times New Roman or Arial are standard fonts.) Use good quality paper (white or light color.) Begin sentence fragments with action verbs to describe responsibilities and accomplishments Include examples of transferable skills such as teamwork, leadership, organization, and communication Title of position, Name of organization Dates City and State Be sure to list internships or field projects Include campus or other organization involvements that are relevant to the position List both paid and unpaid experiences that are related to the position you are seeking, but indicate if position was a paid experience WORK Job Title, Name of organization Dates EXPERIENCE City and State List other unrelated work experiences in this section Include the transferable skills utilized in this position RELEVANT SKILLS AND/OR ACTIVITIES List computer and other technical skills, foreign languages, and cross-cultural experiences. Include extracurricular activities and volunteer or service projects. Mention membership and leadership positions in related campus or professional organizations 6

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8 What is a Cover Letter? The cover letter is often your first introduction to a prospective employer. An effective cover letter will provide an introduction, explain the purpose of writing (to apply for a specific job or internship opportunity), and create enough interest to generate an interview. The letter should demonstrate your written communication skills, outline how your skills and experience match the employer s needs, and express your interest and enthusiasm for the position. Do not use a generic cover letter for each resume that you send; instead, compose a letter that responds specifically to the organization s needs. Most cover letters follow a general format, as follows: Your street address City, state, zip Date Name of person (if at all possible, obtain the name of a specific person) Title Name of organization Street address City, state, zip Dear : (First paragraph) Explain why you are writing and indicate the position for which you are applying. Tell how you heard about the position and the organization. The first paragraph should catch the attention of the reader and create interest in you as a potential candidate. (Second paragraph) Emphasize your skills and qualifications, and demonstrate how your experience meets the requirements for the position. Do not merely repeat the information listed on your resume, but expand on the experiences that are most relevant to this particular employer. Outline the skills you will bring to the position and communicate how you think you will contribute to the organization. (Third paragraph) Refer the reader to the documents you have enclosed, such as your resume, application, transcripts, etc. Close the letter by asking for an opportunity to meet to discuss the position. Provide contact numbers and the best way to reach you. Take the initiative and note that you plan to follow up with a phone call. Thank the reader for taking the time to consider your resume. Sincerely, (always handwrite your signature) Type your name here Enc. 8

9 SAMPLE COVER LETTER Jane Doe One College Ave Grantham, PA February 2, 2005 Fran Smith Director of Nursing Children s Hospital Boston P.O. Box Waltham, MA Dear Ms. Smith: I am writing to express my interest in a position as a registered nurse at your hospital. In May 2005, I will graduate from Messiah College with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. As one of the top pediatric hospitals in the United States, your hospital offers the opportunity to further develop my knowledge and skills, and to grow as a professional pediatric nurse. I would strongly consider any staff nursing positions that may be available. As indicated in my resume, I have worked with children in a variety of settings. These experiences, along with an excellent clinical rotation at Hershey Medical Center, have provided a broad foundational understanding regarding the issues of child health. In addition to my nursing skills, I will bring strong leadership and organizational skills gained through my extra-curricular involvement. Advisors, supervisors, and clinical instructors have commented on my ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously while maintaining a level of enthusiasm for the project at hand. I would be honored to join Children s Hospital Boston as a highly functional team member, able to contribute to the care of your patients in the manner you so clearly require of your staff. Thank you for giving my resume careful consideration. I will contact you early next week to see if we can arrange a time to discuss employment possibilities. If you prefer, you may contact me at or via at doe@internetprovider.com I look forward to speaking with you. Sincerely, Jane Doe Enc. 9