Putting the best you on paper.
What is a Resume?
A resume is a tailored document highlighting a person’s education, work experience, and skills. It is a summary of qualifications for a job, internship, scholarship, or other opportunity, and should be considered a marketing tool! Impress employers before you ever shake their hand by creating a flawless resume. Market your skills and experience so your potential employer can quickly see what you could bring to their organization. For more information and helpful tips and guidelines, download the Resume Writing handout.
Must-dos for resume writing:
- Keep your resume to one page.
- Use 10 to 12 size font in a professional style (no colors or fancy fonts).
- Include job title, organization, location, date, and a description of the skills you gained from each of your experiences in reverse chronological order.
- Make sure you’re positive and honest about your experience, skills and capabilities.
- Proofread – your punctuation, grammar and syntax must be flawless.
- Start each bullet point with an action verb. Check out the resume writing handout for a list of action verbs.
What is a Cover Letter?
Cover Letters are another important part of impressing an employer and creating your personal brand. The best way to entice an employer to read your resume is to write a cover letter that highlights specific reasons why you would be a good fit for the position. Download the Cover Letter Writing handout for more details and sample cover letter language.
Must-dos for cover letter writing:
- Address the letter to a specific person by name and title.
- Match the font style and size to your resume.
- Tailor your cover letter to the specific position and company.
- Highlight your specific experiences or skills that match what the employer is seeking.
- Focus on how you can benefit the company, not how they can benefit you.
For additional help with your resume & cover letters, visit the Career Development Center or schedule a review session in Handshake.