Resume and Cover Letter Writing Job Search Techniques

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Resume and Cover Letter WritingJob Search
Techniques

• Career Services Center
• Marquette University
• Holthusen Hall, First Floor
• http//www.marquette.edu/csc
• career.services_at_marquette.edu

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Resume and Cover Letter Writing

• A resume and cover letter are your only chance to
  make a first impression
• These job search materials are an advertisement
  of you and your skills
• The average time an employer takes to read a
  resume 20 seconds

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Summary

• Learn basics of resume writing
• Learn how to write an effective cover letter
• Begin thinking about which career-related skills
  you possess

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The Resume

• There is no right way to write a resume
• Employers have different opinions on what they
  each prefer
• Choose a resume which best highlights your skills
  and interests

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Purpose of Resume

• The most common mistake job seekers make is not
  knowing what they want to do
• Job seekers must know themselves, their skills,
  and their career goals
• Why are you sending this resume?
• The Ill take anything approach doesnt work

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Basic Information
Jordan M. Jameson PO Box 1881 Marquette
University Milwaukee, WI 53233 414-288-7423
jordan.jameson_at_marquette.edu
Karen Knolls PO Box 1881 Marquette
University Milwaukee, WI 53201 414-288-7423
karen.knolls_at_marquette.edu
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Objective

• Objective vs. No objective
• Objective helps the employer know why he or she
  is reading your resume
• An objective should answer this question What do
  I want to do?
• As you gain more experience, your objective may
  be obvious

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Background Summary

• Three or four subjective strengths/qualities
  about yourself
• All of your resume is fact, you can prove it
• This section allows you to bring up skills which
  you believe to be true
• Be prepared to demonstrate skills mentioned in
  this type of section

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Objectives Examples

• Account manager at a top communications firm
• Management trainee position using my background
  in retail
• A position using my skills and experience in
  criminology
• An internship in the field of psychology
• Research strategist with Discovery Communications
  Incorporate

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Skill Highlights Examples

• Meet deadlines and manage time effectively
• Quickly and accurately identify the key issues
  when making a decision or solving a problem
• Interact and work effectively with peers,
  superiors and subordinates
• Ability to work on a team on diverse assignments
•  Organize and present ideas effectively for
  formal and spontaneous speeches
• Organize and present ideas effectively for class
  and organizational presentaitons

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Educational Background For each
degree-conferring institution beyond High School

• Degree or certification
• Dates attended or graduation date
• Minor/ emphasis area
• GPA (if proud of it)
• Institution

• Concentration
• Teaching Certificate
• City, State
• Relevant coursework
• Specialized instruction

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Computer Skills

• Employers assume every college graduate has basic
  computer skills
• Increasingly important to have strong computer
  skills
• If you dont have them, get them before you
  graduate!!
• Technical fields
• Highlight ALL computer skills
• Non-technical fields
• Address in Skills section or in cover letter

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Computer Skills

• Computer Skills
• Operating Systems Sun Solaris 8, MS Windows XP,
  Windows NT 4.0
• Languages Java, JavaScript, Java Servlets,
  SRC/Assembly Lang, HTML / CSS, SQL, JSP
• Database Oracle 7.3, MS Access 2000, SQL Server
  2000
• Software/Web Dreamwaver 5.0, Apache Server 1.3,
  Java Web Server, Lotus Notes R5, Authorware 5, AR
  Remedy

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Experience

• Work experience, clinicals, volunteer experience
  (internships, community service, student
  teaching), campus leadership
• Market like experiences together using headings
  like Internship Experience, Career-Related
  Experience, Publications Experience, Research
  Experience

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Experience

• For each position/experience
• Job title, dates, organization name, location
• Responsibilities
• Use a variety of ACTION WORDS which describe
  situations and achievements
• Unless necessary, avoid little words in
  description such as a, an, the
• Include scope of responsibility such as
  Supervised 8 employees
• Concretely outline any outstanding results such
  as
• Developed new computerized customer listing using
  MS Access

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Experience Example 1

• Career Related Experience
• MARSHFIELD, INCORPORATED, Marshfield, WI, Summers
  2004, 2005, 2006
• Summer Research Intern
• Learned advanced research techniques under the
  supervision of a research executive
• Compiled and wrote reports outlining research
  data and results
• Developed marketing proposals including
  electronic and paper materials
• Presented suggestions to work group
• MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF RESIDENCE LIFE,
  Milwaukee, WI, August 2005-May 2006
• Student Worker and Hall Secretary
• Provided information about Marquette Residence
  Halls to current and incoming students, parents
  and visitors
• Acted as a liaison between administrators and
  those with questions about halls
• Assisted with office tasks including data entry
  and mailings
• Created bulletin board displays providing
  information to students living in the halls

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Experience Example 2

• Marketing Experience
• Funjet Vacations Milwaukee, WI, June 2004-
  Present
• Associate Product Manager Intern
• Assisted in the development and executed the
  implementation of various marketing activities
• Performed the following duties successfully
  Trend analysis, Pricing, promotion advertising,
  inventory management, product development, sales
  tracking and reporting, competitive analysis,
  travel agency communications and materials
  development, co-operative marketing planning, and
  problem resolution
• Worked successfully independently and as part as
  a team, adapted to fast-pace travel industry,
  learned to multi-task, set priorities to meet
  deadlines, enhanced organizational skills
• Leadership Experience
• American Marketing Association, Marquette
  University, Milwaukee, WI, 2004-2005
• Vice President of Finance and Fundraising
• Maintained current and accurate financial records
• Reported on financial status at each meeting
• Lead major fundraising efforts
• Communicated regularly with fundraising team

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Experience

• Marketing Class Projects
• Investment Analysis, Marquette University,
  Milwaukee, WI, Spring 2003
• Security Analysis Project
• Gathered and analyzed information about a firm
  for class research
• Performed a financial evaluation and determined
  the value of shares
• Submitted a final report on data gathered

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Honors/Activities/Leadership
Honors and Activities Deans List, Presidential
Scholarship, Womens Soccer Team

• The trend is to keep away from any extraneous
  information that does not clearly connect to your
  career goal.
• What you need to ask yourself is, Will this
  information help the potential employer learn
  more about how well I can do the job? If your
  answer is yes, then be sure to include the
  information.

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Electronic Resumes

• Send a quick e-mail referring to an attached
  cover letter and resume. This is the most common
  method to use when you have the contact persons
  e-mail address and he is expecting your resume
  either because it is posted with an ad or you
  have spoken with him.
• Date Tues, 20 November 20XX 191233-0700 (EDT)
• From Grace Goodwin (grace.goodwin_at_marquette.edu)
• Subject Account Executive Position
• To Bernard Murray Bmurray_at_rapidforms.com
• Mr. Murray-
• Attached please find a cover letter and resume
  for the Physical Therapist Position at Rapid
  Recovery. Please contact me if you have
  questions or trouble receiving my information.
  Thank you.
• Grace Goodwin
• DONT FORGET TO ATTACH YOUR COVER LETTER AND
  RESUME!

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Quality Printed Resumes

• Printed on 20 resume paper
• White, off-white, gray
• Linen, parchment
• No patterns, flecks, textures
• When in doubt, do photocopy test
• Matching cover letter, envelope

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Cover Letters

• 50 of all employers read cover letters
• Of those, half only read the resume if they liked
  the cover letter and the other half read both
• Any typos on either cover letter or resume are
  cause for rejection
• Therefore, you must have a well-written cover
  letter

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Letter Formats
Jordan M. Jameson PO Box 1881 Marquette
University Milwaukee, WI 53201 414-288-2577
jordan.jameson_at_marquette.edu
April 2, 20XX Matt Mangoduff Director, Human
Resources Community Therapy 1433 South Peters
Way St. Gorham, NH 44440 Dear Mr. Mangoduff
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Letter Formats
PO Box 1881 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
53201 April 2, 20XX Matt Mangoduff Director,
Human Resources Community Therapy 1433 South
Peters Way St. Gorham, NH 44440 Dear Mr.
Mangoduff
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Paragraph One

• Purpose of letter
• Indicate interest in position or company
• Add bit of company research

I am writing in reference to the advertising
account executive position at KMI Advertising
listed recently in the on MU CareerTRAK on the
Marquette University website. I have researched
your company on its website and am convinced that
I can make a significant contribution. I match
your ideal candidate description as a
people-oriented, flexible, fast learner with the
ability to work in a fast-paced environment. I
believe the following accomplishments demonstrate
these qualities.
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Paragraph One (Cold Letter)

• Purpose of letter
• Indicate interest in position or company
• Add bit of company research

I am writing to inquire about advertising account
executive positions at KMI Advertising listed
recently in the on MU CareerTRAK on the Marquette
University website. I have researched your
company on its website and am convinced that I
can make a significant contribution. I believe
that I am an ideal candidate because I am a
people-oriented, flexible, fast learner with the
ability to work in a fast-paced environment. I
believe the following accomplishments demonstrate
these qualities. .
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Paragraph Two

• Explain how your background makes you a qualified
  candidate
• Use specific achievements to show this
• Highlight information found on resume
• List three strengths, give me one example that
  would demonstrate each one, write about them and
  how they relate to the job that you want.

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Paragraph Two

• Strengths
• Skilled counselor
• Strong administrator
• Passionate about what I do

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Paragraph Two

• In May 1994 I graduated with my Master of
  Education degree in Student Development in Higher
  Education from the University of Maine in Orono,
  ME. There are a number of strengths that I have
  had the opportunity to gain over the past several
  years.
• I believe the greatest strength I could bring to
  your organization is my passion for working with
  students in a career setting. I continue to be
  amazed by the great hopes and dreams that our
  college students have. I am fortunate to assist
  them along in their journey towards career
  success. I am also a very organized
  administrator. I enjoy balancing a variety of
  activities including student appointments, staff
  supervision, and project work. I have honed my
  skills in this area allowing me to meet deadlines
  while also dealing effectively with
  interruptions.
• As a student I was able to be a part of
• These skills, combined with my educational
  background in advertising, make me an ideal
  candidate for this position.

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Paragraph Three

• Refer the reader to your enclosures
• Indicate any intentions to follow-up
• Repeat a number where you may be reached

Enclosed please find a current copy of my resume
and list of references. If you should have any
questions regarding how my skills fit with your
organization, please give me a call at
414.288.7423. Thank you for considering me for
this position. I look forward to speaking with
you soon. Sincerely, Jordan Jameson Jordan
Jameson
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Cover Letter Tips

• Avoid clichés.
• Dont copy phrases out of cover letter book.
• Keep cover letter short and to the point.
• Dont be flowery but rather business like in
  your approach.
• Present a good appearance using an appropriate
  format.

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Applications

• Some employers require application forms to be
  filled out in addition to and independent of your
  resume.
• Be thorough and accurate
• Emphasize skills and accomplishments
• Fill in every blank

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Success can be yours with the help of the Career
Services Center