Creating a Resume & Cover Letter

Creating a Resume & Cover Letter

What is the purpose of a resume and cover letter?

Goals of a Good Cover Letter • Introduce yourself • Get your noticed • Convey special information • Highlight accomplishments • Get employers, award judges, and scholarship committees to read your resume!

Goals of a Good Resume • Convey information • Show who you are • Distinguish yourself • Look good on paper!

Cover Letter and Resume Who are you? • What are you looking for? • What kind of job do you want? • What kind of college do you want to go to? • Where are you going? • BE YOURSELF! What is your measure? • What have you done? • Where did you do it? • What can you do? • What’s the product? • How to sell it?

Writing a Cover Letter • Lead with your strongest information • Use the logical connector • Geography, type of work, Alma Mater, common acquaintance • Introduce yourself • Highlight activities that set you apart • Suggest the next step • Let them know what your next step will be for contact

Writing a Resume • Step One: BRAINSTORM • Write a list of all of your achievements, activities, etc. • Step Two: ORGANIZE • Categorize your achievements • Place in Experience, Education, and Other Headings • Include school related honors and activities under education • Publications, scholarships, offices, and organizations

Writing a Resume • Step Three: PRODUCE • Format your resume to highlight the ‘big stuff’ • Use bold or underline to offset your name, schools, and places of employment • Use bulleted points over narrative • Use italics to make something special stand out • Make the resume appealing • Clutter makes it hard to read and hard to pick out the good stuff

Advice for Cover Letters & Resumes Cover Letters • Try not to begin paragraphs with “I” • Use the standard business letter format • Be brief • Make sure it conveys the connection Resumes • Show off • Reflect useful information • Be succinct • Make it personal • Don’t ever, ever lie

Parts of a Cover Letter • Your Contact Information • Name • Address • City, State, Zip Code • Date [-------------------------------SPACE------------------------------] • Employer Contact Information • Name • Title • Company • Address • City, State, Zip Code

Parts of a Cover Letter • Greeting • First Paragraph • Specific position you are applying for • Show that you have done your research on the company • Second Paragraph • Specific information about your education • Classes you’ve taken; clubs you’ve been in

Parts of a Cover Letter • Third Paragraph • Work experience you have in the specific field • Even if you don’t have any formal experience, you can mention your SAE or participation in WBL • Fourth Paragraph • Direct reader to look at your resume for more detailed info • TWO to THREE sentences is plenty!

Parts of a Cover Letter • Fifth Paragraph • Request an interview • More contact information • Phone number • Email • Complimentary Close • “Sincerely”, “Thank You” • Signature • Enclosure Statement • Tell that your resume in enclosed with the letter

Parts of a Resume • Header • Name • Address • Phone Number • Email

Parts of a Resume • Objective • No more than a sentence or sentence fragments that are directly related to what position you wish to achieve • Examples • Become a greenhouse manager • Gain the position of a golf course superintendent

Parts of a Resume • Education • List the high school you attended • Time (years) • GPA • Course work that is relevant to job position • Clubs/Organizations • Work Experience • Name of business • Years worked there • Locations of the business • Highlights of job duties

Parts of a Resume • Skills • Any skills that you feel are relevant to the job • Computer skills • Woodworking • Landscaping • Achievements/Awards • Honor Roll • Scholarships • Member of local groups • Office positions

Parts of a Resume • References • Listed in order of importance • People NOT related to you, but have worked with you • Check with the person before you list them! • Your resume should NOT be more than a page

Creating a Resume & Cover Letter