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Job Searching 101: Writing Your Resume and Cover Letter

Job Searching 101: Writing Your Resume and Cover Letter. January 5, 2008 Presenter: Donna Brice, Director. What We Will Cover in This Workshop. What Goes into a Resume Resume Templates Resume Dos & Don’ts Cover Letters: Don’t Send Your Resume Without One Cover Letter Templates

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Job Searching 101: Writing Your Resume and Cover Letter

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  1. Job Searching 101: Writing Your Resume and Cover Letter January 5, 2008 Presenter: Donna Brice, Director

  2. What We Will Cover in This Workshop • What Goes into a Resume • Resume Templates • Resume Dos & Don’ts • Cover Letters: Don’t Send Your Resume Without One • Cover Letter Templates • Cover Letter Dos & Don’ts

  3. Ways to Apply for a Job • Phone or Fax your resume and cover letter • Deliver a hard copy of your resume and cover letter in person • Email your resume and cover letter • Post your resume and cover letter online • Create an employment blog about yourself and direct prospective employers to it

  4. What Goes into a Resume • Contact Information • Objective (optional) • Career Highlights / Qualifications (optional) • Experience • Education • Honors or Citations, Publications (if any) • Membership in Professional Organizations • Military Service • References Upon Request

  5. Parts of the Resume • Contact Information: • Legal name – The name on your driver’s license • Legal street address, city, state and zip code • Phone # with area code, home and cell • Email address • Objective (optional) • The purpose of the objective is to describe specifically the position you want by job title, function, and/or industry

  6. Parts of the Resume • Career Highlights / Qualifications (optional) • It highlights your key achievements, skills, traits, and experience relevant to the position • Experience • The experience section of your resume includes your work history. List the companies you worked for, dates of employment, the positions you held and a bulleted list of responsibilities and achievements

  7. Parts of the Resume • Education • In the education section, list in reverse chronological order colleges, technical schools or high School(s) you attended, the degrees you attained, and any special awards and honors you earned. • Membership in Professional Organizations • If you belong to a professional organization, include it. It shows dedication to learning and keeping current in your career.

  8. Parts of the Resume • Military Service • If this is your only work experience, put it under that section. • References upon request • You do not need to include your work/personal reference when you submit your resume. • The employer will ask for your references. • References should be on a separate sheet of paper. Do not make it a part of your resume.

  9. Resume Templates See Handouts: • Chronological • High school student with part time work history • Entry level with work history and no college • College graduate with some work experience • Professional with advanced degrees and education • Returning to work with past work experience • Job Specific Resumes

  10. Resume Do’s & Don’ts • DO: • Do choose a font style appropriate for the job – Conservative – Times New Roman or Arial, Artistic – be careful that your font is legible. • Do use 1 inch margins on all sides, indented bullet points will show hierarchy. • Do use bold and italics to emphasize important information, do not over use. • Do print your resume on white or off white paper printed in black ink. • Do use action verbs when writing about job responsibilities. (see handout) • Do proof read your resume.

  11. Resume Do’s & Don’ts • Don’t: • Don’t squeeze too much on one page, font size shouldn’t be smaller than 11pt. Try to keep your resume one to two pages long and no longer. • Don’t use personal pronouns (I, me, my). • Don’t include your salary history or reasons for leaving previous jobs. • Don’t include a picture of yourself. • Don’t lie on your resume. They will eventually find out.

  12. Cover Letters: Never Send a Resume Without One What is the purpose of a Cover Letter: • It serves as an introduction. • Your cover letter is your chance to let potential employers know who you are and what you can do for the company. • A cover letter does not contain the same information that is on your resume, it is used to support your resume.

  13. Cover Letter Templates The format of a cover letter is basically the same as a typical letter. See Handouts: • In response to an ad (3 examples) • After a phone conversation • Company that has not advertised a job • New College Graduate (2 examples) • Referred by a mutual friend • With employee salary requirements • Follow up to a cover letter

  14. Cover Letter Do’s & Don’ts Do: • Do include your full address and the address of the company. • Do use a colon not a comma after the greeting. • Do use the person’s name or title; ex. Dear Mr. Smith or Dear Human Resource Manager. • Do check your spelling!

  15. Cover Letter Do’s & Don’ts Don’t: • Don’t use “To Whom it May Concern,” find out the name of the person who is receiving the application. • Don’t hand write the cover letter. Type it. • Don’t tell them your life story. Keep each paragraph brief and to the point. Use action verbs to describe yourself. • Don’t miss the opportunity to stand out by not including a cover letter. It can make or break you chance at an interview.

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