Optimizing Your Resume and Cover Letter for Career Success

1. Sell Yourself In Writing:Fine Tune your Resume and Cover LetterAmy McPhersonAssociate Director, VT Career ServicesOctober 16, 2007

2. Resume vs. Curriculum Vita • Resume • Industry positions • Concise (1-2 pgs) • Focus on skills – What can you do? • Curriculum Vita (CV) • Academic positions • Detailed • Research and teaching interests and experience • Both Resume and CV • Professional affiliations / activities • Publications / presentations • Easy to read • Error free

3. What is a resume? • An individually designed document • A sales presentation of yourself • Not a place for modesty • A marketing tool for opening the doors of prospective employers • A screening device for selecting candidates for interviews

4. Purpose of a resume • To state the type of employment desired • To present your academic training • To describe your work experience • related and unrelated • To show involvement in activities • campus, civic, volunteer, etc. • To show awards, honors, and/or special recognition / certifications

5. Goal of writing a resume To get an INTERVIEW!

6. Types of resume formats • Chronological • Functional • Skills • Combination / Creative

7. Heading • Name • Current & Permanent Address • Phone Number • Cell phone • E-mail Address • Professional Web Site

8. Common resume problems • Content • Know your audience and from that understanding, create a resume • Format

9. Objective • One of the top 5 items employers look for on a resume! • First and most important step in designing your resume. • Indicates to a prospective employer the type of work you are pursuing. • State in terms of job title/field and special interests.

10. Objective • Problem • Not having a clear, concise objective • Example • To gain full-time employment with a growing organization where I can utilize my skills and educational background.

11. Appropriate objectives • Solution: • State your current objective. • Why are you writing this resume? • What do you want to do? • Statistician • An Internship in the area of Nutrition with an interest in Community Health.

12. Education • Begin with the current degree pursuing / most recent degree earned. List additional degrees in reverse chronological order. • Include institution name, city, state, degree level, major(s), minor(s), and date of completion. Example: M.S., Applied Economics, May 2008 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA Thesis: “Framework for Economic Impact Assessment of IPM-CRSP: a GIS application” Advisor: Dr. Robert Smith GPA: 3.9/4.0 B.S., Economics, Minor: Chemistry, May 2006 James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA GPA: 3.6/4.0

13. Where do you go to school? • Problem • Virginia Polytechnical Institute • Virginia Tech University • VA Tech • Solution • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • Virginia Tech

14. GPA • GPA - to list or not to list • Career Services recommends that you list your GPA on your resume for On-Campus Interviewing and for Career Fairs. • List in-major, overall or both.

15. Related courses • Problem • Listing every class you’ve had in your area of study • Solution • Remember that this is optional • List 4-6 classes that are advanced or show diversity in your background. • Make sure they support your objective

16. Writing style • Problem • Writing in complete sentences • Being too formal • Example • I was responsible for the professional enhancement of new employees. • Solution • Trained five new employees.

17. Order of resume sections • Problem • Listing items as you think of them • Listing jobs by order of importance to you instead of reverse chronological order • Solution • Have all sections in order of priority as they support your objective. • Create additional headings if you need to highlight items out of chronological order.

18. Being unique • Problem • Attempting to make your resume stand out from the rest by using artistic fonts, graphics or a very unusual format • Solution • Make your resume stand out by the incredible information you include about your experience and skills

19. Marketing Yourself • Acknowledge the fact that your experience counts • Use the vocabulary of your chosen field whenever possible • Examine and narrate your out-of-class experiences through the “lens” of your career goals • Convey what you learned as well as what you did in your job, internship, or activity • Quantify your actions whenever appropriate • Control the way your information impacts employers through sequencing and amplification

20. Templates • Problems • May not provide best set-up • ex. May find address information at bottom of page • Tend to be date driven • Solution • Create your resume on a blank document using tables (See sample in Career Planning Guide)

21. One page vs. two pages • Strive for a one-page resume. Two pages are acceptable if experience warrants • Look for places to cut information or be more concise • Don’t use a tiny font size just to fit more information on a page • Remember - your resume only gets an initial 20 second glance!

22. Correspondence • Individualize • Edit your writing • Grammar, spelling and punctuation • Be yourself • Matching paper • Keep records

23. Types of cover letters • Letter of application • Use when applying for a specific position • Letter of inquiry • Use when you are writing to express interest in an organization but you are not sure if there are current openings

24. Purpose of cover letters • Explains why you are sending your resume • Tells how you learned about the position or organization • Convinces the reader to look at your resume • Calls attention to aspects of your background

25. More purposes… • Reflects your attitude • Provides specifically requested information • Indicates what you will do to follow up • Writing sample

26. Cover Letter Elements • Salutation: Use Office Title (Mr. Mrs., Dr. etc.) and last name followed by colon • Opening Paragraph • To capture attention, set the tone for the letter, and build a match of your qualifications with the employer’s needs • Middle Paragraph(s) • Communicates main selling points, proves that your skills match employer’s needs, creates interest, and illustrates personality

27. Cover Letter Elements (cont.) • Closing Paragraph • Reemphasizes strengths and makes a request for further action. • State time line, specific follow-up information, and dates of availability • Signature • (double space after closing) • Sincerely, • (Three spaces for signature) • Typed Name • Enclosure: Resume, References (etc.)

28. Common cover letter mistakes • Sounds like a form letter • “To whom it may concern” • Not using the company’s name • Too long • Not demonstrating how your background and skills are a fit for the position • Using a stilted writing style

29. References • Usually 3 - 5 individuals • Choose carefully • ALWAYS ask first

30. More on references • Provide a copy of your resume • Keep references informed • List references on a separate page

31. Ethics • Be honest • Don’t undersell yourself, but don’t exaggerate • Graduation date should be the only “projected” item on your resume

32. Check and re-check • Read and re-read all of your job search correspondence to check for errors • Have faculty review technical sections of your resume or letters • Use Career Services’ walk-in critique service to have an advisor review your documents 12:00pm - 3:00pm M-F 1:30pm – 5:00pm Wednesdays in GLC-46

33. Fall Seminars for GraduateStudents • 10 Steps to a Federal Job or Internship Wednesday, October 17 GLC-B • Interviewing Skills Wednesday, October 24 GLC-B

34. VT Career Services • Located on the corner of Washington St. and West Campus Dr. • Office hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, M – F • Walk-in advising: • 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm, M – F in Career Services • 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm on Wednesdays in GLC – 46 • To schedule an appointment call: 231-6241 • Web site: www.career.vt.edu