Resume and Cover Letter Writing 101

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Resume and Cover Letter Writing 101
Presented by University Career Center Unive
rsity of Maryland, College Park
3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing 301-314-7225
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Workshop Overview

• Importance of a powerful resume and cover letter
• Resumes
• Importance of a resume
• Dos and donts of resume writing
• Resume styles and writing techniques
• Cover letters
• Importance of a cover letter
• Key points in creating a cover letter
• Cover letter writing techniques
• Key thoughts about resume and cover letter
  writing
  
• Appendix with resume and cover letter samples

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Resume and Cover Letter the Dynamic Duo

• Cover letters and resumes are meant to be used as
  a
  
• team the resume gives the employer a snapshot
  of your
  
• qualifications, while the cover letter
• fleshes out your most relevant and meaningful
  experiences
  
• While information on your resume should be
  concise, the cover letter is
  
• your opportunity to show off and highlight key
  examples that make
  
• you a great candidate
• Both resumes and cover letters are most effective
  when targeted for a
  
• specific job, employers want to see that you have
  researched the
  
• position and have prepared a package that best
  represents your
  
• match in qualifications

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Why do you need a resume?

• Your resume is meant to get you past the initial
  screening so that you can
  
• have the opportunity to be interviewed
• Typically, only a handful of seconds is dedicated
  to each resume, you
  
• want yours to make the definite pile
• Developing more than one resume (reconfiguring
  and highlighting the
  
• pertinent experiences for each job) can lead to
  greater interview potential
  
• The more targeted a resume is, the greater the
  chance that it will make
  
• it through the screening process
• A resume cannot represent your qualifications,
  experiences and
  
• contributions completely
• Cover letters, interviews and follow-up are
  critical

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Dos of Resume Writing
Do be professional

• Maintain ½ to1 margins for an easier read
• Choose simple fonts, white, ivory or light gray
  paper and black ink
  
• Do not write your resume in the first person
• Choose a layout for your information that is
  easy to read

Do be careful

• Proofread and ask others to proofread to avoid
  mistakes
  
• Typos and misspellings decrease your chances of
  making the definite pile
  
• Pay attention to font types, font sizes, and
  bullets to ensure consistency

• Research the employer and the position
  description customize
  
• Focus on your job candidacy and provide
  information pertinent only to that
  
• Target your resume for the specific job,
  incorporate aspects of the job description
  
• Mention hobby/interests sparingly, unless linked
  to job in some way

Do be relevant
Do be specific

• Use s and s to describe the amount of people
  you
  
• supervised, the budget amount you worked with,
  etc.
  
• Be careful with abbreviations of tasks or job
  titles, do not assume that all who
  
• read your resume will figure it out for themselves

Do be truthful

• Keep values and ethics in check, think before
  padding your resume
  
• Do not embellish or misrepresent credentials,
  tasks, results or titles, you may jeopardize
  
• the interview or offer

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Donts of Resume Writing

• Highlight experiences that relate to your career
  objective,
  
• it is possible to transform a good experience
  into a substantive resume item
  
• Example Made phone calls Conducted targeted
  telephone research
  
• which led to nationwide analysis of tire market
• Dont lie, but dont sell yourself short either

Dont underestimate yourself

• Refrain from excessive use of superlatives such
  as dynamite, fantastic, incredible, etc
  
• Example Instead of calling yourself a dynamite
  salesperson, write that you were salesperson of
  the month for 6 months running

Dont overkill

• Use clear and concise wording to get your point
  across
  
• Avoid using slang and trendy words, be wary of
  jargony buzzwords such as
  
• optimized, augmented, and capitalized
• These words sounds great, but they say very little

Dont overuse jargon

• Leave white space on your resume, will allow the
  employer to
  
• read your resume more easily, will pick up the
  words you want seen
  
• Do not try to crunch every experience, activity,
  membership on your resume,
  
• choose and customize your resume based on your
  objective for a specific
  
• employer

Dont cram
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Resume Writing Techniques Organization
Contact Information (usually found in header)
Includes name, address (permanent and current),
phone number(s), e-mail



Career Objective Brief and specific. Type of
position you are seeking? Using which skills in
what area? Matches job for which you are applying
Education Begin with the most recent degree and
major. May also include relevant courses, GPA
and honors
A resume may include the following content
Experience List position, firm, location, dates.
Using action verbs, describe activities and
accomplishments. Include full/part time,
internships, etc.
Honors/Awards/Publications List any awards
received, especially pertaining to employment you
are seeking or long term goals
Skills List computer (hardware and software),
foreign language proficiency, etc.
Professional organizations/Extracurricular
activities List memberships (offices and dates
held), relevant activities not covered under
experience
Other pertinent information Special licenses,
certificates. Exclude information about hobbies,
family and interests that is irrelevant
References Do not include references on your
resume. Phrase available upon request is
optional, employers know the information is
available
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Resume Writing Techniques Language

• Do not use the first person pronoun
• Substitute the action verb for I
• Ex I managed.becomes Managed

Use of First Person

• Action verbs show a can do attitude begin all
  job descriptors with action verbs (Managed,
  Created, Assisted, Initiated, etc)

Action Verbs

• Resumes call for crisp statements, is it often
  acceptable to omit articles such as the, a , an
  
• Bullet your statements to add power

Sentence Fragments

• Readers are impressed with content more so than
  fancy language, go easy on adjectives and other
  modifiers
  
• KISS (Keep it Simple, Sweetheart!)

Simple Language

• Clump related duties together and organize
  logically by title (Ex. Training and Recruiting
  Manager training duties first then recruiting)

Progression of Descriptors
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Why do cover letters matter?

• Cover letters help establish a personal
  relationship with the reader
  
• They create a mutual interest between reader and
  writer
  
• They draw on job description to define
  qualifications and experiences that fit the
  professional needs of the employer
  
• They may lead an employer to consider you for an
  interview even if your resume is not exactly on
  target
  
• Cover letters must answer 2 main questions
• Why you are interested in the position?
• How you do qualify for the position?
• What can you contribute?
• (Use specific resume points and expand to show
  examples of abilities)
  
• When creating your cover letter, keep in mind
  that
  
• Research is critical Demonstrated knowledge of
  the potential employer makes your total
  resume/cover letter package more effective
  
• Customization is important. Like your resume, a
  targeted cover letter builds a better case for
  the applicants match with the open position

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Structure of a Cover Letter
Return Address/Your Address The address should
be aligned with the rest of the text (generally
left)
Date Written out ex. April 18, 2002

• Name and Address of the Recipient The following
  should be included in this sequence
  
• Line 1 Persons full name (always make an effort
  to know the name rather than just Human
  Resource)
  
• Line 2 Persons Title
• Line 3 Department
• Line 4 Company Name
• Line 5 Street Address
• Line 6 City, State, ZIP code

Salutation Dear Mr., Ms., Dr., etc
Opening 1 short paragraph that announces the
purpose of the letter and gives the reader a
reason to read on
Body 2-3 paragraphs telling the reader why you
are interested and why you are qualified
Closing 2-3 sentences thanking the reader and
defining next steps/follow-up
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Cover Letter Opening, Body and Closing
Ms. Jane Student 10 Terp Drive City, MD 20748
April 18, 2002 Mr. John Benefit Human
Resources Manager Human Resources Division Shell
Shock, Inc. 19 Saddle Street City, MD 20748
Dear Mr. Benefit Opening/Introduction Bo
dy Closing Sincerely, Jane Student
Jane Student
Opening/Introduction Reference previous
conversation or correspondence, if there has been
any. State how you found the job were you
recommended by a person the employer may know?
Briefly state your current situation why are
you interested in the job? Mention company name,
job title, etc. customize.
Body Define your accomplishments and how they
relate to the job. Elaborate on experiences on
your resume that connect with the
qualifications/experiences the employer seeks
be specific and customize. Show that you have
researched the company, Ex. Shell Shock, Inc.
has a long standing tradition of great customer
service, my experience as a . . . will contribute
to You may also explain large gaps of
unemployment.
Closing State the action you expect from the
recipient and/or the action you will take. Offer
specific time frames for the action, Ex. I will
follow-up with you in two weeks. Thank the
reader for his/her time and consideration.
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Key thoughts about resume and cover letter writing
? When writing resumes and cover letters, pay
attention to grammar, spelling, typos, relevance,
specificity, and flow. If scannable, pay special
attention to scannable format ? Cover letters and
resumes are meant to be used as a team always
submit both ? Do your research! Learn about the
employer and his/her needs with regard to the job
opening, understand the job description fully.
Be sure to reflect your ability to meet those
needs in your resume and cover letter
? Both resumes and cover letters are most
effective when targeted for a specific job
developing more than one resume can lead to
greater interview potential ? Do not underestimat
e your experiences and/or education show how
your qualifications do apply
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Resources for Workshop

• Workshop Content
• Terp Career and Job Search Guide UMCP Career
  Center, 2006
  
• Job Hunting for Dummies Messmer, Max, IDG Books
  Worldwide, Inc., 1995
  
• Career Planning Today (2nd edition) Powell, C.
  Randall, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company,1990
  
• How to Write Successful Cover Letters Martin,
  Eric R. and Langhorne, Karyn E, VGM Career
  Horizons, 1994