Resumes At A Glance
*Please use Career Services’ Career Planning Guide and Web Site for examples, www.career.vt.edu*
Remove these thoughts from your mind: I’m a Freshman, it’s too early to write a resume. I have nothing to write about, I only have high school information. I’m not applying for a job now, so I don’t need to write a resume. I’m going to list everything I’ve ever done, so I can make my resume nice and long. Replace them with: Freshmen year is the perfect time to start brainstorming and formatting a resume. I have plenty to write about, I just finished four years of high school (Yes, it’s okay to put high school information on your resume at this time). I may want a summer job or internship, so having a resume will be helpful. One page will do! It takes 30 seconds or less to get you to the interview room, or not (On average, most recruiters spend about 30 seconds scanning a resume before sending it to the yes or no pile).
Insider Tip: Top Five Things Employers Look for When Reviewing a Resume 1. A well-rounded candidate 2. Something that makes you stand out from all the others who are applying for the job 3. A balance of work (or academic) and life experiences 4. Honesty 5. A typo-so they can throw it out! (Okay, that sounds harsh but it is true. Please edit!)
1) Anatomy of the Resume Objective: the first thing employers are drawn too—What is your intention for sending this resume? Content: education, experience, skills, leadership, awards/honors Format: clean, clear, conservative o List education and experiences in reverse chronological order (most to least recent) o Keep margins within .5 and 1.0 (all round top, bottom, left, and right) o Font between 10.5 pt -12 pt o Print on Resume paper (white, ivory, gray) Avoid: cuteness, colored paper or graphics, lies, or bloated or unclear language 2) No Ifs, Ands, or Buts You must customize your resume to each employer you send it to, or at the very least, each type of job you’re pursuing. You must research the industries and employers to which you’re applying so that you have a better sense of their needs. If emailing your resume, you should paste a text version of it in the body of your email (some employers are apprehensive about attachments). Or you can contact the employer and ask what they prefer.
**Top 5 Characteristic Skills sought by employers: 1) communication 2) honesty/integrity 3) interpersonal 4) strong work ethic 5) teamwork**
3) It is How You Say It: Use of Language A) KISS (Keep It Simple, Silly): when it comes to crafting your resume, less is more. a. Gained new accounts by developing and maintaining relationships with key decision makers in various markets generating $1.7 million revenue in the form of online subscriptions- TRYING TO SAY TOO MUCH b. Generated $1.7 million in revenue through new accounts- AHH! Much Better B) Avoid Bloat: don’t try to impress recruiters with two-bit words and trendy business jargon C) Be Specific (Quantify whenever possible): use numbers and hard facts. If numbers are between 1-10 you need to spell them out (i.e. one-ten). a. Don’t say: Managed many important client accounts. b. Say: Managed 30 accounts averaging more than $200k each. D) Use the Active Voice: make yourself the direct subject of your statements, rather than the objects. Writing in the first person will help ensure the active voice. a. Don’t say: Selected as interim supervisor for five-ten employees. b. Say: (I) Managed five-ten employees as summer interim supervisor. E) Remove Articles (a, an, the) and Helping Verbs (have, had, may, am, is, are, was, were): these extra words can be assumed by the reader, and this is standard resume protocol. a. Don’t say: Assisted the faculty of the Engineering Department with its research for publications in academic journals. b. Say: Assisted Engineering Department with research published in various academic journals. F) Keep Track of Tense: make sure to describe your past duties and achievements in the past tense, and your present duties and achievements in the present tense. a. Account Manager, Norfolk Southern Roanoke, VA Nov. 2006-present i. Manage sales incentive program comprising 200 retailers with 300+ employee participants. b. Marketing Intern, Norfolk Southern Roanoke, VA Aug. 2004- Feb. 2005 i. Helped sales force achieve 35% higher sales volume through support tools, publications, and proposals.
Your Basic Resume Ingredients
*Disclaimer: There is no magic formula that will be effective in every given situation.* Contact Information: includes your name (largest font on page) and address(es). Objective: a good way to clarify and convey your immediate career goals and reason for contacting an employer. It should be specific and straightforward, and limited to one or two concise sentences. Ex: Seeking a summer internship position in the field of business with an interest in sports marketing. Education: degree and minor (if applicable), institution, date of graduation, GPA (never estimate) academic honors (can be a separate category), study abroad, financing any portion of education. Related Courses or Related Project work: list between 4-6 courses that relate to your major and/or objective. Or list a project that involved teamwork and/or you learned a lot from. Skills: primarily consists of language and computer skills Work Experience/Internships/Career Related Experience: label category according to how it fits with your objective. Should include: job title, place of work, location, time frame, and bullets which describe the skills you used or acquired. *List Experiences from MOST Recent to LEAST Recent* Leadership Experience/Activities/Community Service: label according to how it fits what you have done and its relevance toward your objective
Cover Letters At A Glance
*Please use Career Services’ Career Planning Guide and Web Site for examples, www.career.vt.edu*
Created by: Kristin Eicholtz, Career Advi
Is a cover letter REALLY necessary? They are so hard to write! Can I use the same cover letter for each job application? Answers: YES, YOU CAN DO IT, NO Just as the answers to these questions/concerns were easy to give, cover letters are just as easy to compose. Why? Because, IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! Analogy: For an employer, reading a cover letter is like reading the back of a book in the bookstore. He/She often decides if they want to buy a book and read further if there is a good and enticing synopsis on the back of the book. In many cases, the cover letter is the first thing the employer encounters about you, so make this first impression a good one. If the letter doesn’t have a good hook that makes the reader curious to know more, your resume won’t get a glance.
Insider Tip #1: Top Five Things Employers Look for When Reviewing a Cover Letter 1. Readability 2. A sense of applicant’s personality 3. How an applicant found out about the job opening 4. Something eye-catching such as a major accomplishment 5. Evidence that the applicant has researched the company
1) Two basic types of Cover Letters (Letters of Application) a. Those developed to respond to a specific job opening b. Those that serve as letters of introduction or inquiry (functions like a “cold call”- getting your name out there) 2) The Basic Cover Letter Format While cover letters should follow a basic structure, it’s best to avoid creating a form letter. Once you learn the structured format, you’ll be able to vary your approach to suit each position, industry, and employer preferences. Business letter format is most suitable. Every Cover Letter Should Include: Your contact information Date Employer’s contact information Paragraph 1: Introduction (why you are writing?) - the most customized part of each letter you write Paragraph 2: What you have to offer them (highlight your skills using examples) Paragraph 3: What happens next (the follow-up) Closing: your signature and the word Enclosure(s) Sometimes you will have more than three paragraphs, use your own discretion
Insider Tip #2: Avoid “canned” letters! Recruiters and hiring managers tell us that formulaic letters often end up in the discard pile. The applicant who customized his or her words is more appealing, and will be given preference over others.
3) General Cover Letter Content Guidelines
Here are some points about content you’ll want to keep in mind as you write your letter: How you learned of the job or company is important, especially if there is a mutual connection that can speak of your qualifications. Demonstrate a good fit with the employer’s corporate or organizational culture. Go beyond the resume in explaining your situation and career direction. But be careful, whatever you discuss in your cover letter must appear somewhere in your resume. Avoid discussing weaknesses or making excuses; instead explain your situation in a way that indicates a sense of purpose and that you’ve learned something of value from your experiences. 4) Email Cover Letters You should always include a cover letter with an emailed resume, just as if you were sending a hard copy. The cover letter serves as the body of your email, which explains why you are contacting the employer and serves the exact same purpose as a traditional cover letter. Remember you want them to OPEN YOUR RESUME ATTACHMENT! Length: an email cover letter should be shorter and more concise than a traditional hard-copy cover letter. It should be no more than two to three paragraphs-under 150 words, ideally-and should not exceed one screen length. The Subject Line: should be specific as possible, without being too lengthy. Something like “College freshman seeking marketing internship” or “Business major seeking pharmaceutical sales position”. And, always read instructions carefully to see if a job number or specific use of the subject line is required. Keywords: include words directly from the job listing or employer’s website in your email cover letter. Often, employers scan cover letters and resumes through keyword searches. Format: keep it very simple. Avoid usage of bold, underline, and italics.
Cover Letter Dos and Don’ts Do address your cover letter to the proper hiring manager, by name. Don’t know who that is? Do some research, or pick up the phone and call. Still can’t find who the correct person is? Then address your letter to the name of the human resources manager. Don’t misspell anyone’s name, confuse their job title or department, or incorrectly name the job you’re applying for. Do point out any connections you have to the company, either through a family, background in the company’s business, or particular interest in the company’s services or product. Do be convincing and assertive with your letter. You don’t want to come off passive. For example, don’t say “I think I would be a good candidate for this job”; rather, “I am a strong candidate for the marketing position because of my creativity and ability to work well with deadlines.” Do state the next step, as in “I’ll be in touch with you in two weeks to make sure you have received my materials and to answer any questions that you may have.” Don’t rush through writing your cover letter. Stay out of that “no” pile!
Created by: Kristin Eicholtz, Career Advisor
Contact: k.a.eicholtz@vt.edu, 540-231-6241