Module 3: Rsums and Cover Letters

1
Module 3 Résumés and Cover Letters
2
Introduction and Learning Objectives

• Compare résumé styles advantages and
  disadvantages of each and how to format them
  properly
• Review the major elements of a résumé
• Develop outlines for a quality cover letter and
  personal résumé
• Learn the importance and proper use of references
  and letters of recommendation

3
Résumé Format The Basics

• How much time on average does a recruiter spend
  reading a résumé?
• Make sure your résumé catches the readers eye by
  addressing these standard formatting guidelines

4
Résumé ContentFocus and Heading

• Ensure that your résumé focuses on the employer
  and how your qualifications match the job
• CAUTION! Take care not to use an e-mail address
  that is too personal or inappropriate
• CAUTION! Make sure the greeting on your cell or
  home phone is professional

5
The Objective

• Does anyone know what the term thesis statement
  means?
• Objective thesis statement for a term paper
• Topic of the paper your qualifications for
  the job
• Résumé must prove qualifications with factual
  information
• Four elements of a good
• objective

6
Summary of Qualifications

• What do you usually find at the beginning of a
  textbook, before the first chapter or at the
  beginning of a term paper?
• Summary or table of contents of your
  qualifications for the job
• Must be supported in résumé
• See Competencies, Skills, and Attributes handouts

7
Education and Training

• Training and course work that helps qualify you
  for the job
• CAUTION! Only include education and training that
  is relevant to the job qualifications
• Where should you place this section
• of the résumé?

8
How to List Experiences

• Chronological or date sequence as follows
• Job title in bold, underline, or italics
• Company or organization worked for
• City and state where the work was performed
• Month and year started/ended (or Present)

9
ExperienceHow to Gather Information

• For each job held
• What was the most important duty, task, or
  responsibility you performed?
• What duty, task, or responsibility did you spend
  the most time on?
• Write sentences to answer each question
• See Action Words Used for Résumé Writing handout

10
Information Resources for Marines and Sailors

• VMET (Verification of Military Experience and
  Training), DD Form 2586
• Mil-Skills Translator
• Military Occupational Classification (MOC) Skills
  Translator
• Copies of fitness reports
• Citations/Summaries of action for medals
• Résumé examples for different MOSs

11
Information Resources for Family Members

• Books and resources with sample entries by job
  type
• Job descriptions and evaluations
• See Homemaker and Volunteer Sample Résumé
  Entries handout

12
Quantifying Your Experience

• Make your résumé stand out add flavor or
  spice as follows
• Add measures of your contributions to the job
• Use numbers to make your résumé even more
  impressive

13
Qualifying Your Experience

• Demonstrates work performance
• Awards, promotions, or advancements
• Increased responsibility
• Bonuses or raises
• Customer comments
• When you saved time, money, or resources
• When you increased sales or profit
• When you made things faster or more efficient

14
Personal and Professional

• Achievements not related to work
• Civic activities or volunteer work
• Membership or participation in groups that show
  good character
• Membership in professional associations
• Special qualifications required to work in the
  profession
• CAUTION! DO NOT include
• personal or family information

15
Advantages of Chronological Résumés

• Most familiar to professional interviewers
• Easiest to prepare
• Shows a stable work history
• Shows increased responsibility
• Demonstrates qualifications for
• next career step

16
Disadvantages of Chronological Résumés

• Draws attention to employment gaps
• May put undesired emphasis on job areas you want
  to minimize
• Difficult to spotlight skill areas not reflected
  in most recent jobs

employment gaps
17
Advantages of Combination Résumés

• Shows experiences in order of preference
• Emphasizes relevant skills and abilities
• Provides flexibility to emphasize the
  qualifications most relevant to the position
• De-emphasizes gaps in employment
• Highlights steady work history
• Combines similar experiences from jobs with the
  same title or duties

18
Disadvantages of Combination Résumés

• Can be confusing if not well organized
• Requires more effort and creativity to prepare
• De-emphasizes job tasks if not organized and
  written carefully

19
Functional Blocks

• Group work-related experiences into categories,
  such as
• Administrative
• Supervision
• Training
• Customer service
• See Chronological Résumé Female handout for an
  example

20
Final Check for Errors

• Absolutely no errors of any kind
• Spelling
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Capitalization
• Have a CRMC staff member review it for errors
• Remember, your résumé is the first impression an
  employer has of you and your work

21
Cover Letters

• Should not send a document without a letter to
  introduce it
• Cover letter serves the same purpose
• Part of the screening process
• Provides cover for an enclosure (the résumé)
• Demonstrates written communications skills
• Targets résumé to the position

22
Cover Letter Format

• NO ERRORS
• Proper English and sentence structure
• Clear, logical, and concise presentation
• One page with three or four paragraphs
• Same font, pitch, and margins as résumé
• Consistent and conservative when using bold face,
  italics, and special characters
• See Cover Letter for Job-Seeking Family Member
  and Cover Letter for Infantry Marine handouts

23
Cover Letter ContentAddress, Date, and
Salutation

• Address and date
• Complete address, with date immediately below
• Recipients name and address
• Salutation
• Address to a specific individual
• Use generic title or To Whom It May Concern if
  title not known

24
Cover Letter ContentFirst and Second Paragraphs

• First paragraph
• Provides introduction and states position applied
  for
• States how you found out about the position
• Identifies the résumé as an enclosure
• Second paragraph
• Summarizes what you have to offer the employer
• Provides value you can bring to the organization
• Does not repeat the résumé
• Summarizes key qualifications

25
Cover Letter ContentFinal Paragraph and Closing

• Final paragraph
• Motivates reader to read the résumé and bring you
  in for an interview
• Closing
• Put the word enclosure(s) two lines down from
  your name, with a colon at the end
• Lists in alphabetical order the documents that
  the employer requires you to send

26
References andLetters of Recommendation

• Why are references and letters of recommendation
  important?
• How many should you provide?
• What are the types of references you should
  provide to an employer?
• Tips for making the most of your references
• Formatting the reference page

27
Summary and Lessons Learned

• Today, we have
• Reviewed different types of résumés and how to
  select the best one for you
• Learned how to format a résumé properly what the
  various sections are and how to develop effective
  content for each section
• Learned how to construct a quality cover letter
• Discovered the importance and proper use of
  references and letters of recommendation
• Outlined resources available for assistance

28
Creating Your Own Résumé

• Those who would like to remain are welcome to
  begin working on their résumé, with assistance
  from myself and other CRMC staff members