Resume & Cover Letter Tips

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Resume Tips
A resume is your opportunity to sell yourself to employers by highlighting your skills, abilities, experience, and education. Your resume should include the following components:

Contact Information
Name, mailing address, telephone number and e-mail (if you have one).

Career Objective
Your "Career Objective" should be a brief statement specifically detailing what type of work you are seeking. *Tailor your objective to the job you seek.*

Summary of Qualifications
This section should provide a concise overview of your qualifications as they relate to your career Objective. *Emphasize those skills you have developed in terms of interpersonal, organizational, supervisory, etc.*

Education
List school, city, state. On separate line, list degree, major, graduation date. (if you have not graduated state expected graduation date). List any professional certifications or licenses you have attained.

Work Experience
Include your work experience in reverse chronological order-that is, begin with your most current job and work backward. For each work experience include:

Title of position
Name of organization and location of work (city, state). Dates of employment-use month, day, and year format (e.g. January 2, 1998 - June 16, 2001). Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievement. Describe what you contributed to or accomplished on the job. Use action verbs to describe job duties. Use the present tense of the verb for current work and the past tense for work that has ceased.

Special Skills
Include information such as computer skills, additional training, languages, etc.

Cover Letter Tips
A cover letter should contain three main sections:

First Paragraph
>Identify the position for which you are applying.
>State how you learned of the position and why you are interested in the position or organization.

Second Paragraph
>Summarize why you are a strong candidate for the position.
>Target the job description and specifically discuss how your skills relate to the job requirements.
>Highlight one or two of your accomplishments or abilities that show you are an excellent candidate for the position.
>Detail positive characteristics and past experiences that illustrate how your qualifications will benefit the organization.

Closing Paragraph
>Thank the person for considering your resume and offer to provide additional information.
>Include your phone number and when you can be reached.

Additional Tips
>Always mail a cover letter with your resume.
>Address the letter to the contact person or to the Human Resources Director.
>Use standard business letter format on paper that matches your resume.
>Use white or off white 8-1/2-x 11 inch paper.
>Use a font size of 10 to 14 points.
>Use non-decorative typefaces.
>Choose one typeface and stick to it.
>Cover letters should be individually typed and signed
>Use terms and phrases that are meaningful to the employer.
>Minimize jargon, abbreviations, and contradictions and be concise.
>Check your letter for errors and grammatical correctness.
>Print on one side of the paper.
>When sending a resume via e-mail, include your cover letter in the body of the e-mail (depending upon the employer's instructions) and send it out with your resume as an attachment.