Resume WritingCover Letter Guidelines

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Resume Writing/Cover Letter Guidelines

• Macalester College
• Career Development Center
• Kagin Commons, First Floor
• Monday-Friday 8AM-430PM
• 651-696-6394
• cdc_at_macalester.edu
• www.macalester.edu/cdc

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What is a Resume?

• A resume is a one or two page summary,
  highlighting your skills, education, and
  experience. Its essential purpose is not to get
  you a job, but to help you obtain an interview.
• For resume templates and samples, see
• http//www.macalester.edu/cdc/careersandjobs/jobse
  archskills/resumes/index.html

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Resume Components

• Identification
• Email Address
• Telephone numbers
• Keep in mind that a professional voicemail
  greeting is critical if you are expecting
  employer calls.
• Add a permanent address (parents) if you expect
  to be changing your residence within the next six
  months.
• Objective
• This section is optional. If used, it should be a
  concise and specific statement summarizing your
  career goals, your skills, demonstrating that
  you are a good fit for the job. It may be
  oriented to a specific position type and/or
  industry.

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Resume Components

• Education
• Name of the institution, city, state, degree
  received (or expect to receive), majors, minors,
  GPA (if GPA is not listed, it is assumed to be
  below 3.0).
• You may also want to include relevant coursework,
  academic awards, honors, and study abroad
  experiences.
• High school is generally pertinent only for first
  and second year students.

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Resume Components

• Experience
• For each entry indicate
• Name of the employer, your title, the city and
  state where you worked, and the dates of
  employment.
• Use action verb phrases to describe your
  experiences. You may choose to use bulleted
  lists of phrases separated by semicolons or
  periods.
• Use the past tense to describe previous
  experiences, and the present tense for positions
  you currently hold.
• Do not hesitate to include student jobs
  (retail, food service, child care, construction).
  These positions demonstrate work ethic, teamwork
  and motivation.

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Resume Components

• Community/Volunteer Services
• Involvement with community organizations or
  events should be highlighted, including the
  organization name and a description of the work
  completed.
• Additional Skills
• Items to highlight here are may include
  technical/computer skills, fluency or proficiency
  in another language lab or special equipment
  expertise, certifications (CPR) or licensures.
• Activities Leadership
• This section will reflect extracurricular
  activities such as student organizations and
  campus events. It is important to note when you
  have been elected to a position or selected from
  a large pool of applicants.
• Publications Presentations
• List any published materials that you have
  written or co-authored or presentations or
  trainings you have conducted.

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The Employers Perspective

• Triple check for spelling/ grammatical errors.
• To Punctuate or Not to Punctuate
• The answer is either, but not both. Choose one
  and make sure you do it throughout your resume.
• Customize to Fit the Specific Organization/
  Position

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Descriptive Words Here is a list of action verbs
to use when describing experiences.
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Descriptive Words Here is a list of action verbs
to use when describing experiences.
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Descriptive Words Here is a list of action verbs
to use when describing experiences.
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What is a Cover Letter?

• A cover letter explains to a prospective employer
  who you are, why youre sending a resume, and why
  youd be a good fit for the position of interest.
  
• Customize to the position you are applying.
• It should be no longer than one page, and written
  in the same font and on the same type of paper as
  your resume.

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Cover Letter Components

• Your Contact Information
• Full address, email address, phone number, date
• Employers Contact Information
• Following the date, leave 1 or 2 blank lines, and
  put the employers contact information including
  name, title, organization name, address
• Salutation
• If possible, address your letter to a specific
  individual. If you cannot find a specific contact
  persons name, you may use a more generic
  salutation of Dear Human Resources Manager or
  Dear Hiring Manager .
• Remember that salutation in a business letter
  must be followed by a colon, rather than a comma

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Cover Letter Components

• Introduction
• Introduce yourself and explain why you are
  writing. Indicate what position you are applying
  for, and state how you learned of the opening.
  (2-3 sentences)
• Why Me?
• Use this section to make a case for why youre
  the best person for the position. Think of it as
  the why me paragraph. Mention one or two
  related qualifications, achievements, or
  accomplishments of yours that you think would be
  of greatest importance to the employer, be
  specific, use examples. (4-5 sentences, or up to
  2 paragraphs)
• Closing
• Reiterate your interest in the organization/positi
  on. Close by making a specific request for an
  interview, including how best to reach you. Be
  positive and enthusiastic. Thank the reader for
  his/her time and consideration. (2-3 sentences)
• For cover letter templates and samples see
  http//www.macalester.edu/cdc/careersandjobs/jobse
  archskills/correspondence/index.html

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Web Resources for Resume/Cover Letter
Development

• www.collegegrad.com/resumes 
• National Association of Colleges and Employers
• www.jobweb.com/Resumes
• The Riley Guide
• www.rileyguide.com/letters.html
• Monster
• www.resume.monster.com 
• Vault
• http//www.macalester.edu/cdc/careersandjobs/emplo
  yerresearch.html
• There are many comprehensive career development
  sites that include general information, sample
  resumes and cover letters, and templates. Try a
  simple Google search.