Mr. Gragert English IV

 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

 Phone or Fax your resume and cover letter  Deliver a hard copy of your resume and cover letter in person  your resume and cover letter  Post your resume and cover letter online  Create an employment blog about yourself and direct prospective employers to it

 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

 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 ◦ address  Objective (optional) ◦ The purpose of the objective is to describe specifically the position you want by job title, function, and/or industry

 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

 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.

 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.

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

 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.

 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.

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.

 State why you are writing.  Establish a point of contact (advertisement in a specific place for a specific position; a particular person's suggestion that you write): give some brief idea of who you are (a Senior engineering student at UW; a recent Ph.D. in History).

 Highlight a few of the most salient points from your enclosed resume.  Arouse your reader's curiosity by mentioning points that are likely to be important for the position you are seeking.  Show how your education and experience suit the requirements of the position, and, by elaborating on a few points from your resume, explain what you could contribute to the organization.  (Your letter should complement, not restate, your resume.)

 Stress action. Politely request an interview at the employer's convenience.  Indicate what supplementary material is being sent under separate cover and offer to provide additional information (a portfolio, a writing sample, a sample publication, a dossier, an audition tape), and explain how it can be obtained.  Thank the reader for his/her consideration and indicate that you are looking forward to hearing from him/her.

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!

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.