1. How can you make yourself more marketable to colleges, potential jobs, and internships? Personal Statements, Cover Letters & Resumes (CV)

2. Personal Statements 1. Think strategically 2. Be reflective 3. Start early 4. Brainstorm ideas 5. Avoid clichés 6. Steer away from gimmicks 7. If you don’t know what a word means, don’t use it 8. Stay “on message” 9. Start strong 10. Conclusions are important 11. Don’t take yourself too seriously 12. Relax 13. Proofread 14. Proofread 15. Proofread

3. Advice From Admissions Officers 1. Answer the questions that are asked 2. Tell a story 3. Be specific 4. Find an angle 5. Concentrate on your opening paragraph 6. Tell what you know 7. Don’t include some subjects (controversial religions, politics) 8. So some research, if needed 9. Write well and correctly 10. Avoid clichés

4. Jigsaw 1. Read an example of a personal statement. 2. Think about: a. What the essay aims to do b. How it goes about achieving it c. The goal d. Strengths e. Weaknesses 3. Discuss with your group members 4. Get into new groups and you will each take 5 minutes to share the personal statement that you read.

5. Resumes A resume is used for people to present their background and skills. A typical resume contains a summary of relevant job experience and education. *A resume is also sometimes called a CV, curriculum vitae – Latin for “the course of my life”. However in the US, English-speaking Canada, and Australia, a CV is similar to a resume, but considerably longer and more detailed.

6. Resume Styles Advice Set your margins to 1 inch all around Use the same font Use bigger sizes for your name and heading Always use clean white paper and black ink (unless otherwise told)

7. Resume Heading Should include: Name (size 16 font) Address (size 12 font) Telephone number (size 12 font) Email (size 12 font)

8. Action Verbs Use action verbs when describing what you have accomplished. EXAMPLE: Provided academic support for high school seniors.

9. Reverse Chronological Resume With this style of resume, individuals list their education history and work experience in reverse chronological order. The main focus is mostly the individual’s experiences showing gradual increase in position EXAMPLE: Internship Building Community, Columbia University, New York 6/09-8/09 - Senior Resident Advisor at Columbia University’s Summer Program for High School Students - Coordinated all extracurricular excursions Internship Building Community, Columbia University, New York, 6/08-8/08 - Resident Advisor at Columbia University’s Summer Program for High School Students

10. Functional Resume This style resume is used for specific positions. If I am applying for a job as a teacher, I will only list past experiences that relate to being a teacher. This focuses more on specific skills that I have that would help me to be a teacher. EXAMPLE: Substitute Teacher, Ossining School District, Ossining, NY, 6/05-5/11 - Taught grades K-8 in all subjects - Used Spanish with bi-lingual, ESL, and special education classrooms

11. Hybrid Resume This style of resume is a combination of both the reverse chronological and the functional resume styles.

12. Example Resumes