Career Center Services

1
The Resume Cover Letter
Career Center San José State University
2
The Resume Heading

• PAUL NGUYEN
• 2500 Salvador Dali, 10
• San Jose, CA 95192
• [phone]
• nguyen_at_email.sjsu.edu

3
Scanner Friendly

• Font size of 10-14
• Avoid italics, script and underlined passages
• Avoid horizontal and vertical lines, graphics and
  shading

4
Variety of Resume Headings
Organize the body of your resume according to
headings that best reflect your level of
experience and background.

• Objective
• Education
• Related Course Work
• Projects
• Experience
• Skills
• Activities
• Awards/Honors
• Employment
• Related Experience
• Other Employment

• Military Experience
• Volunteer Work
• Community Service
• Employment Summary
• Accomplishments
• Summary of Qualifications
• Leadership Activities
• Affiliations
• Publications
• Presentations

5
Tailor your resume -- change the order of your
heading, to emphasize or de-emphasize different
aspects of your education and experience, and
position the most relevant information at the top.
6
The Career Objective

• The Career Objective is a short and realistic
  statement of interest. Its purpose is to indicate
  the type of position you are seeking. It can be a
  list of functions you wish to perform, or a set
  of skills you can contribute to an organization.

7
Sample Career Objectives
Seeking a co-op position at the National Weather
Service. Full-time meteorologist position at the
U.S. Forestry Service. Seeking a Research
Associate position at NASA to utilize my
abilities in forecasting and computational
meteorology.
8
Education
B.S. degree in Meteorology, 8/05 Specialization
in Forecasting, Major GPA 3.3/4.0 San Jose State
University, San Jose CA Relevant Course
Work Weather Briefing, Thermodynamics and
Radiation, Empirical Techniques in Meteorology,
Synoptic Weather Analysis and Forecasting
List only select number of upper division or
other relevant courses completed in major.
9
Experience
Use active, present tense verbs to describe
current duties. Use active, past tense verbs to
describe activities performed in the past. Avoid
ing, responsible for, has ability to.

10
Communicating with Creativity
Salesperson, Macys Department Store San Jose,
CA, 8/04 - present

• Demonstrated effective sales techniques by
  communicating well with diverse groups of
  customers.
• Managed numerous responsibilities, including the
  training of new employees.
• Worked an average of 15 hours weekly while
  completing undergraduate degree to help pay for
  tuition and living expenses.

11
Examples of Class Projects

• Weather Forecasting, SJSU, Fall 2004
• Led a team of three to conduct weather analysis
  and forecasting.
• Acquired, manipulated, and displayed real-time
  data sets to present to class.

12
Skills
This category may include your knowledge of
laboratory skills, research skills, and the
operation of various instruments and equipment
relevant to your objective. It may also include
such soft skills as writing, artistic
expression, interpersonal communication, and
languages spoken other than English.
List only those skills that you have applied in a
classroom/lab or work setting.
13
Activities
May group affiliations, honors and interests
under Activities, or may create individual
headings for each.
Member, Student Chapter of MAS, SJSU, 2004
present Orientation Leader, New Student
Orientation, SJSU, 2004 Gary Quinby Prize
Recipient (recognized for service to department),
SJSU, 2003 2004 Volunteer Tutor, ABC for Kids,
San Jose, CA, 2002 2004
List leadership roles as appropriate.
14
Red Flags Flying!

• No Career Focus or Direction Specified
• No Dates Listed
• Few Achievements and Skills Highlighted
• Outdated Information
• Irrelevant Information
• Passive Voice
• Lack of Organization
• Grammatical and Spelling Errors

15
The Cover Letter

• Must be concise and quickly capture the
  prospective employers attention.
• Should NOT be about you. It should be about your
  target. What can you do for them?

16
Cover Letter Step 1

• Begin your letter by addressing a specific
  person.
• If you cannot obtain the spelling from an
  advertisement, call the employment office to
  verify the information.
• Although the tone of the letter needs to be
  business-oriented, remember that it also serves
  as a personal introduction.

17
Cover Letter Step II

• First Paragraph
• State the purpose of your letter, relating the
  title of the position youre seeking and how you
  heard about it, such as the location and date of
  an advertisement or a referral by a current
  employee.
• Second Paragraph
• The next paragraph should present your
  qualifications as they relate to the position
  youre seeking.

18
Cover Letter Step III

• Third Paragraph
• Close the letter with an offer to provide
  additional information if necessary. You may
  also state a time when you will be responsible
  for follow-up.

19
Cover Letter Sample

• February 25, 2005
• Eileen Smith
• Human Resources
• Valley Research Center
• 1111 Stevens Creek Blvd.
• Santa Clara, CA 95051

20
Cover Letter 1st Paragraph

• Dear Ms. Smith
• This letter is to express my strong interest in
  the Research Associate opportunity that recently
  appeared in the San Jose Mercury Newspaper. As
  you can see from the attached resume, I will be
  completing my B.S. in Meteorology from San Jose
  State University in August 2005.

21
Cover Letter 2nd Paragraph

• I firmly believe that my previous work
  experiences, in conjunction with my academic
  preparation, have prepared me to contribute
  immediately as a Research Associate. I have
  molded my career and my studies to achieve my
  goal of working as a researcher. This passion,
  coupled with my attention to detail and
  organizational skills, will allow me to a
  valuable contributor to your Center.

22
Cover Letter 3rd Paragraph

• Enclosed please find my resume for your review.
  If you have any questions, please contact me at
  [phone] or via e-mail at smith_at_yahoo.com.
  I look forward to learning more about Valley
  Research and the possibility of becoming part of
  your team.
• Thank you very much for your time and
  consideration.
• Sincerely,

23
Cover Letter Checklist

• One page only and limited to three targeted
  paragraphs
• Type written or word processor, with full spell
  check and proofing
• Written to someone specific, with the name and
  title spelled correctly
• Company name and address are correct and complete
• Quality bond paper, 8x11 inches, ideally as the
  same as your resume
• Three focused paragraphs (focused on the readers
  needs, not yours)
• Signed with a blue or black pen
• Place resume behind and tri-fold (no staples)
• Type or neatly print address on envelope
• Do not forget to follow up, or all the other
  steps will be in vain!