CV/Resume and Cover Letter Writing for Employment, Graduate School, and Fellowships

1. CV/Resume and Cover Letter Writing for Employment, Graduate School, and Fellowships Presented by: Sharon Mathis-Curd; Career Counselor Career Development Center Chapman University Argyros Forum 303 714 997-6942

2. CV/Curriculum Vitae/Vita • Purpose to get you an interview • Details all academic credentials and professional accomplishments • Used for seeking academic jobs, research jobs in government labs, funding (grants or fellowships) • Lengthy • Examples

3. Resume? • Purpose to get an interview • A ”snapshot” of your qualifications • One or two pages • An “advertisement” • Creates a critical “first impression” • Can Open doors – only part of the process!

4. 1st Step- 3 “Rs” 3 Must Knows: 1. What you are “selling” -- your qualifications

5. Take inventory of what YOU offer • Major skills and abilities? • Research/lab skills • Technical or field-specific skills? • Important personal attributes? • Working independently/team player • Where you have successfully used these skills, abilities and attributes?

6. Take inventory of what YOU offer • Education, Experience, Personal Qualities, Internships • Transferable skills (i.e. communication, analyzing, organizing, problem-solving, planning, presentation) • Accomplishments (i.e. improved, created, built, managed, wrote)

7. 1st Step- 3 “Rs” 3 Must Knows: 1. What you are “selling” -- your qualifications 2. For what purpose -- your job objective 3. To whom you are “selling” -- your market

8. Know Your Market Research Employers & Jobs Must be able to identify the industry and employers for whom you would like to work and type of job

9. Formatting your Resume Don’t use templates- not your friend! • One chance to make a 1st impression! • Scanned for 10-15 seconds – must be attractive • Make info easy to find, easy to read • Good white space, 1” margins, spacing • Don’t crowd • Don’t go CRAZY with fonts • Be selective with bolding,underlining, avoid italics • No erors !! • Most important information at the top! • Know why you are including information ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

10. Font Size and Type Font size:between 10 and 12 Your name should be LARGEST & at top Resume Font Type • Typically use a readable, bookprintfont • Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. • Graphic design or advertising employers might be open to alternative fonts or portfolio

11. More on Font Type Who knew there were so many fonts! • Keep to one font type 2 categories: *Serif font and has a tail Times New Roman, Georgia, Century, Bookman Old Style *Sans serif fonts do not have tails look like blocks Arial, Tahoma, Gothic, Lucida Sans

12. What Should Be in a Resume • What will get you the job! • Convince them you are the one! • Be short & sweet!

13. Resume Content: • Contact Data • Objective • Education • Experience • Activities • Awards, Honors • MORE…………..

14. Contact Data MANDY MOORE 1 Main Street-Orange, CA 92866 (714)555-1111 moore100@chapman.edu Professional Email/Phone Message Address versus no Address? Local Address versus Permanent? Many different ways for heading

15. Contact Info JOHN L. SMITH One University Dr. #200 - Orange, CA 92866 (714) 222-2222 smith100@mail.chapman.edu JOHN SMITH (714) 222-2222 smith100@mail.chapman.edu

16. Contact Info Matt Martinez 123 Main Street (714) 555-9865 Orange, CA 92866 sportymarti100@chapman.edu ---------------------------------------------- Matt Martinez 123 Main Street-Orange, CA 92866 (714)555-9865 marti@chapman.edu

17. Objective Statement • Do you need an objective statement? • If not, why? • If yes, what?

18. Education Chapman University – Orange, CA May 2013 B.S. in Economics, May 2006 3.9 GPA Include: Degree/Major/Minor/Grad Date/Class Standing Options: All Schools attended? High School? GPA/Honors, Study Abroad Courses/Projects, Thesis Do they all go under Education? What order?

19. EDUCATION Chapman University – Dodge College of Film and Media Arts May 2015 BA in Public Relations and Advertising GPA 4.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BS in Business Administration – Finance Emphasis Chapman University Argyros School of Business and Economics May 2015 (3.7 GPA) Associates of Sciences Degree in Business Fullerton Junior College Graduated with Honors (May 2013) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BS in Business Administration – Entrepreneurship Emphasis May 2014 Chapman University – Argyros School of Business and Economics Presidential Scholarship, Chancellor’s List Study Abroad: Spain

20. Education STUDY ABROAD/INTERNATIONAL STUDIES College International De Cannes – France Dates • Enrolled in intensive French language courses • Traveled throughout France University of Salamanca –Spain Dates RELEVANT COURSES • History of Film International Marketing • Visual Storytelling, Global Business Marketing • Film Aesthetics Journalism Theory and Practice

21. EXPERIENCE • Include Employer Name – city, state • Dates employed • Descriptive job title • Can be paid/non paid • Projects? How many do you include How do you prioritize

22. Describing Experiences(Not Easy!!) • Use phrases not sentences • Condense without losing meaning • Start with action verbs • Use buzz words specific to industry • Don’t underestimate what you did! • Bullet or paragraph format • Must match skill set of what you want

23. Bullet Format Examples • Inventoried and stocked all medical supplies; created a more streamlined tracking system • Conducted short and long range investment analyses on NYSE stocks using Lotus • Built loyal clientele of regulars in addition to tourist trade • Managed a $5000 budget

24. Work Experience Example Finance Intern PAINE WEBBER INCORPORATED, Newport Beach, CASummer 2012 Assisted financial consultants with prospecting new clients Researched equities and mutual funds Worked independently on statistical and program planning projects Organized client files and developed client follow up procedures Recognized for being a dedicated and reliable employee

25. Work Experience Example Lead Server Watson’s Restaurant-Orange, CA 2012 Present • Provide exceptional service in fast-paced setting ensuring positive dining experience • Motivate team to work quickly and efficiently • Plan and coordinate schedules • Train and supervise new staff

26. No Experience? • Use projects: teams/solo • Describe what you did • Identify skill sets • Consider activities/community service

27. RESEARCH • Specific Project/Team/Independent • What you did • Design experiments, collect and analyze data • Construct stimuli • Lab Skills/Statistical packages: SPSS, SAS, R • Conference Presentations/Publications

28. PROJECTS • List team/independent projects • Identify relevant skills, use action verbs • PR/Ad Campaign, Entertainment Marketing, Research, Accounting , Production Experience • Developed advertising campaign using social media • Created public service campaign • Designed press kit

29. Leadership/Activities President – Sorority 2013 – present • Lead meetings of over 40 members • Increased membership by 15% in one year • Substantially increased number of service hours given by club members

30. Awards and Honors • Chancellor’s List • Presidential Scholar (highest award for freshmen) • Graduated with Honors • Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society (top 25% class) • Employee of Month • Dean’s List, 4 semesters • Basketball Team, Most Valuable Player

31. MORE • Research Projects • Research Skills • Lab Skills • Publications • Manuscripts • Conference Presentations • Stat Packages

32. More • Professional Affiliations • Leadership/Offices held • Technical/Computer Skills • Languages • Community Involvement • STUDY ABROAD/international studies

33. What Next? • Be sure to have someone proofread your resume for spelling, typos, and grammar • Create a visually appealing resume • 1” picture frame margin • Effective utilization of white space • Effective use ofboldfacing, italics, caps • Placement of headings

34. Common Resume Problems • Too much – too little! • Vague objective; resume is lacking focus • Typos, grammatical errors • Irrelevant or outdated information • Poor layout

35. What Not to Include • Date of birth • Marital status • Photograph • Personal data (gender, ethnicity, height, weight, political affiliation, etc.) • Letters of recommendation • Salary History • (Unless requested) • “Date-Stamping” • References (Do NOT state: “References Available Upon Request”)

36. COVER LETTERS • Individualized to each company • What you are applying to and why • Pull from resume what is most relevant to position • Put personality into it • Wow them!

37. Research What they do • Products, services • Philosophy • Company culture • Review web page • Search for recent news coverage • Use vault.com or wetfeet.com to get insider views • Glasssdoor.com

38. Review Job Description • Identify how you fit the job description • Skills, personality, experience, education • Ensure you sell yourself by identifying key points in cover letter

39. Cover Letter Parts Three main paragraphs:1) Why you are writing2) SELL IT: Why you are right for the position3) Summarize How you learned about the position Referral, Job Listing Return Address Date (Inside Address) • Name, Title • Company Name • Street • City, State zip Dear Internship Coordinator: (Avoid To Whom It May Concern)

40. Paragraph 2 • Sell yourself – how you meet the qualifications • Use education, experience, personal qualities • Show personality! • Provide evidence of related experiences and accomplishments • Show genuine interest in position & company

41. Conclusion: Last Paragraph • Express appreciation to the reader for their time and consideration • Strong conclusion about interest • Sincerely, • Name • email • phone

42. Important Tips • Do not include all of your experiences in your cover letter. • Highlight one or two significant and relevant jobs, leadership positions and/or other experiences that relate to the position. • Convince the reader you have exactly what they want by clearly showing how you match requirements.

43. More Tips • Use active, not passive voice • Keep sentences short and succinct • Reduce the use of modifiers such as “very” • Be clear and direct • Write naturally and avoid overly formal words such as “shall” • It may help to dictate your letter or read it out loud