Resumes & Cover Letters

1. ICSC The Key to Your Future Resumes & Cover Letters Internship & Career Services CenterNorth Carolina Wesleyan College

2. What’s the purpose? • A cover letter’s purpose is to get your resume read. • A résumé's purpose is to get you an interview.

3. Resumes

4. What is a resume? • Your personal commercial • Should present you and your skills in the best light • First impression!! (and maybe your only one) • Should be to the point • Should be targeted

5. How to start • Review your personal information and experience. • Start with a blank piece of paper, not a template, and list each item that has relevance. • Go for volume here and focus on details and specifics. You will condense this information later.

6. Resume Basics • One page (unless you are far into your career) • Free of mistakes and typos • Clean and crisp format with items listed in order of relevance • Consistency in alignment and emphasis (bold, italics, capitals, underline, punctuation, font) • Action verbs • Bullets • Conservative, fine paper • Conservative fonts and graphics

7. Formatting • Chronological • Lists employment history in chronological order (most recent first) • Recommended if you have relevant experience • Functional • Lists skills rather than specific jobs held, no dates • Not recommended • Combination • Lists skills in categories as well as employment history • Recommended if you do not have relevant experience but do have many transferable skills or if you have had many similar jobs

8. What makes up a resume? • Header • Objective (optional) • Education • Experience • Special Skills • College/Community/Personal Involvement • Interests and Activities  A resume is a highly personal document so you may or may not choose to use all of these categories. You may even need to add some unique categories of your own.

9. Other Possible Sections • Military Experience • Honors and Awards • Professional Affiliations • Computer/Technical Skills • Community Involvement/Service • Executive Summary/Profile • Languages • Activities/Interests

10. Header • Includes contact information • Name • Address (current & permanent) • Phone (Is your voicemail appropriate?) • Email (something basic like jwarren@hotmail.com not msthang@aol.com or even preacherdaughter@juno.com) • Examples

11. Objective • State the position you are seeking. • This can be specific to mention a specific job title or general, mentioning the the type of position you are seeking but not with a company name. • Can be eliminated if the resume is full but MUST be in mind when creating the resume. • Use wording like “To obtain…” or simply say “Internship in….”

12. Examples of Objectives • An Assistant Programmer position with Computech Consulting. • Specific – must change for every company • A laboratory position using strong research and observation skills. • General – can be sent to multiple employers • An internship in the management field that will allow me to utilize and expand on my skills in organization and communication. • General – can be sent to multiple employers • A position which will allow me to use my education and experience to contribute to your company’s mission. • Poor (much too broad)

13. Education • Most recent degree first • Educational institution & location • Major/minor/concentration • Use correct wording!!! (Bachelor of Arts – NOT – Bachelor’s of Arts) • Date degree granted (or anticipated) • GPA • Can list cumulative and major • Do not list if it is not 3.0 or better • Study abroad and academic honors

14. Education (continued) • Relevant Coursework • Add if you don’t have much experience • High school information not needed • Can include military training if relevant • Examples

15. Experience • Relevant experience listed in reverse chronological order (most recent 1st) • Can list paid or non-paid experiences • Full or part-time work • Volunteer work • Internships • Include your title, employer name and location (city, state), dates, and duties • Focus on functions you performed, skills you gained, and any accomplishments • Use numbers and figures when possible

16. Experience (continued) • Action verbs • Bulleted list of most important points • Past tense for former positions • Quantify whenever possible

17. Experience (continued) • How can these be worded more effectively? • Responsible for staff • Hired, trained, and supervised a staff of 14 computer operators • Duties included: writing and editing • Designed, wrote, and edited promotional materials including brochures and instruction manuals Examples

18. Special Skills • This is the place to list special skills you have that were not mentioned in your employment history. • Languages you speak/write • Computer skills • Laboratory skills • Other special skills and/or licenses • You may decide to divide these categories into their own sections

19. Involvement • List involvement you have had outside of the workplace that is relevant to your field. This can include college and/or community organizations. • Name of organization • Role you played (offices held, accomplishments, etc.) • Dates of involvement • Description of organization (if it’s not clear)

20. What not to include • Personal information • References • False or embellished information

21. Preparation • Prepare your resume in a word processing program without using a template or wizard. These tools may appear convenient but they are difficult to work with when you need to tailor your resume to your needs. • Review your resume to determine whether the format is clear and consistent. • Proofread and ask others familiar with your field to look over it. The ICSC offers this service!

22. Preparation (continued) • Make any final changes based on feedback from others to ensure your resume is error free. Errors on your resume will give the impression to employers that you make errors in all of your work. • Keep your resume up to date and make adjustments as needed when applying for varying positions. • Save an electronic file of all versions you create.

23. Final Touches • Print your resume on fine paper (24lb. cotton bond paper) in a neutral color (pure white, cream, ecru, beige, grey). Be sure to use a good printer to avoid smears. • Use same paper for cover letter. • Include abbreviated heading on all pages of resume (or add a footer). • Add page numbers if more than one page. • Never staple or fold – use large envelopes

24. References • Never include these on the resume • “References available upon request” is not needed on the resume • Place references on separate page with all contact information listed • List about 4-5 varied individuals who you are CERTAIN will provide glowing references • Example

25. ICSC Resume Review • Email completed resumes & cover letters to jwarren@ncwc.edu or use the “Review Center” option in Optimal Resume. • Include a mention of the type of work you are hoping to obtain.

26. Cover Letters

27. Cover Letter Essentials • Professional, personable, and direct • MUST be relevant to the position desired • Address to a specific person • NEVER “to whom it may concern” • Include your contact information • Write a unique letter for every position • Try to mention skills listed in the job announcement and match them to your skills • Limit to one page

28. Break-Down • Introduction Paragraph – how you found the position (any name that referred you) • Middle Paragraph – highlight your skills and how these match the position (can use a chart) • Closing Paragraph – thank the reader for their time and indicate how and when you will follow up • Salutation – “sincerely” or other appropriate choice followed by your signature and typed name • Example