Resumes & Cover Letters

1. Resumes & Cover Letters Keith Munson, Career Specialist Strommen Career and Internship Center LL of Anderson Hall

2. Strommen Career & Internship CenterUpcoming Events • Minnesota Private College Job & Internship Fair Tuesday, February 22, 20119:00-3:00 p.m. Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN Cost - TBD   Must register with Augsburg's Career & Internship Center http://www.mnpcfair.org • Alumni and Student Networking Reception Thursday, February 10 , 2011 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Oren Gateway Lobby • Resume Writing Workshop Thursday, February 3, 20114:00-5:00 p.m. Christenson Center, Century Room • "Job & Internship Fair Success: Strategies for Interviewing On the Spot"Thursday, February 3, 20115:00-6:00 p.m. • Job & Internship Fair Prep Sessions-see wiki site for times/dates.

3. Purpose of a resume • Marketing tool • Communicate the highlights • Focus on relevant/important information • The “trailer”, NOT the whole story • To generate interest and get you an interview

4. Types of Resumes • Chronological • Lists experiences in reverse chronological order • Ties responsibilities, achievements, and experiences to specific employers, positions, and dates • Functional • Emphasizes skills/knowledge rather than dates & employers • Combination • Mixes format of chronological and functional • Use combination/chronological most often

5. What Type is Right? • Chronological Pros: • Most commonly used • Preferred by employers • Easiest to do and write • Stresses steady & Consistent employment • Clear & concise • Used to highlight titles, names of employers, & growth in career • Chronological Cons: • Gaps in employment are readily evident • Difficult to highlight skills • Hard to conceal non-related employment • Not advantageous for career changers or frequent change

6. What Type is Right? • Functional Pros: • Emphasize skills not used in recent employment • Used when changing career/entering workforce after absence • Advantageous if there is a lack of career growth • Functional Pros: • Advantageous if you have various, unconnected work experience • Used when most experience is freelance work, consulting, or temporary

7. What Type is Right? • Functional Cons: • Forces you to identify skill clusters that may not be needed by employer • Not advantageous when you have performed limited number of work functions • Combination Pros: • Good for career change • Good for entry after absence • Combination Cons: • Holds same disadvantages as functional resume

8. Resume Basics • Use formatting to make important information stand out • Be consistent in formatting, grammar, etc • Make absolutely sure there are no mistakes • Formatting is the easy part.......

9. Resume Sections

10. The Sections of Your Resume • Heading • Includes “general” information: • Name • Phone Number • Address • Email Address-MAKE SURE IT IS APPROPRIATE • Should be bigger & bolder than the rest • Separate from the body using a line or graphic • Be conservative with graphics

11. Objective or Professional Summary Objective Professional Summary • Your objective is optional • Focuses on YOUR interests and goal • If not on resume, it must be in your cover letter • Be clear & concise about what you want • If you are not specific, list your career interests • Also optional • Lists highlights of background relevant to employer • Encourages employer to read on • Helps highlight skills not evident in work history

12. Objective or Professional Summary Objective Professional Summary • Seeking an entry-level position in accounting with a focus on tax and auditing. • Demonstrated leadership ability • Excellent organizational skills and detail-oriented • Several years of experience in customer service and sales • Intern experience at General Mills and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

13. Education Section • Must include: • Institution name and location • City & state • Degree • Date of graduation • Major, minor, concentration • Optional: • GPA • Course work • Computer skills • Financing of education • Dean’s list or honors

14. Skills or Qualifications Section • Skills employers desire: • Oral/written communication skills • Teamwork skills • Interpersonal skills • Flexibility • Leadership • Computer Skills • List hardware, software, & platforms

15. Experience/Work Experience • May include internships, volunteering, community service, or work experiences • Include: • Job title • Name of company or organization • City & state (no zip codes) • Responsibilities/duties/skills required • Dates employed

16. Jazz it up! • Highlight important information • Bold • Italics • Caps • You may want to use a bulleted list of skills/duties/responsibilities to make sure the information stands out • Use action words to describe what you did

17. Write Effective Skill Phrases • Skill phrases are action statements that describe your experiences. • Components of a skill phrase • Bullet point • Action verbs in the past-tense • Specific skill that was learned or honed • Results of your work, or how or why you did the work. • Avoid personal pronouns when writing skill phrases

18. Skill Phrase Example Fair • Sold sporting equipment to customers Better • Developed sales strategies for selling sporting equipment to customers Best • Developed effective and creative sales strategies that resulted in the top sales of sporting equipment for four consistent months

19. Other Sections • Leadership experience & offices held • Greek organizations • Include dates & titles • Honors & scholarships • Clubs & organizations • Professional memberships & affiliations • Hobbies-LIMITED NUMBER • Kicker (centered at bottom)

20. References • Must be on a separate page of same paper • Include • Name & title of person • Company or organization • Address • City, state, zip code • Phone number • Email address

21. References Keith Munson, MS Career Specialist & Employer Development Strommen Career & Internship Center Augsburg College 2211 Riverside Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55454 (612) 330-1167 munsonk@augsburg.edu

22. Final “Do’s” and “Don’ts” • Do • Keep it brief • Use 81/2 x 11 paper • Check grammar • Target your resume • Be creative • Check appearance • Always include a cover letter (over head 10) • Use quantifiable measures • Don’t • Use abbreviations • Mention salary, etc. • Use fancy bold or exotic paper • Include personal info. • Use the passive voice • Staple or fold resume • Include references on resume

23. Cover Letter Essentials • Make each cover letter fit the job in which you are applying for • Use your experience and relate it to the job • Express passion for the kind of work you would be doing • Add something in the letter that states how what the organization does/mission fits with your values or interests

24. Cover Letters Jake Ryan Sample 2211 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454 612-555-5555 sample@augsburg.edu October 11, 2009 Dan Howman Project Manager Pace Analytical Services, Inc. 14870 Granada Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55454 Dear Mr. Howman:

25. Introduction Dear Mr. Howman: I was excited to see your advertisement for the Chemist position on Augsburg College’s Augpost system. I have been looking for a position that would allow me to use my experience in research to work within a pharmaceutical environment, where the focus is on developing relationships with partners in the healthcare field. Pace’s mission fits extremely well with my values and passion to protect the environment and make the world healthier for everyone.

26. Body of Letter Recently , I graduated from Augsburg College with a bachelor of arts in Chemistry and Computational Economics. During my junior year, I did an internship at the University of Minnesota’s Chemistry department. Within that position, I worked effectively on the team to develop useful methodologies for the synthesis of natural products as potential pharmaceuticals. I really enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in the development, testing and research of new pharmaceuticals. My education, internship, and research experience have increased my abilities in the following areas: • Effectiveness in testing and researching potential pharmaceuticals • Strong analytical and problem solving skills • Excellent interpersonal and intercultural communication skills • Successfully worked with research teams regarding product development and suggestions for optimization

27. Ending My work, education, and leadership experiences have allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. I am passionate about working within the field of pharmaceutical research and believe that I can make an important contribution to Pace Analytical Services Inc. Enclosed is my resume for your further consideration. Thank you in advance and I look forward to meeting with you soon. Sincerely, Jake R. Sample Jake R. Sample Enclosure

28. http://cswl.pbworks.com/ Resume Rubric