Cover Letter and Resume Writing

During today’s workshop you will…

1. Analyze position description to identify content for cover letter/resume

2. Select appropriate category headings for your resume

3. Identify relevant content and articulate it on your resume

4. Leave with draft or revised resume

Cover Letter vs. Resume

Cover Letter• An introduction• Communicates

interest• Directs readers

attention to highlights of resume

• Asks for an interview

• Writing sample

Resume• Markets your

relevant qualifications

• Secures an interview

Purpose

Cover letter contents• Paragraph 1: Why you are writing? Mention

referral source in the first sentence.

• Paragraph 2: Why should they consider you? This hooks the reader. Connect your skills and experience to the job description.

• Paragraph 3: Why do you want to work for them? What attracts you to the organization? How does the organization/job match up with your values and qualifications. Incorporate your research.

• Paragraph 4: The close. Be assertive. “I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person in order to discuss….

Cover letter tips

• Individualize each cover letter• Target letter to a specific job or employer• Be positive, natural, direct and interesting• Avoid being repetitious of resume• Be brief (concise)• PROOFREAD!

Paragraph format

Preparation

• Develop a clear career goal and clarify the objective of your documents

• Research industry, specific jobs or graduate programs and learn what skills and knowledge are valued

• Identify your qualifications, interests and skills relevant to a position or program of interest

Requirements/Qualifications

• Self-starter• Relationship building or

customer service

Your Relevant Experience

• Led….• Served….

Create a T chart

Wordle

Most utilized formatChronological• Reverse chronological order• Familiar to employers• Effective for new graduates• Focus on job titles work history

Combination or Related Experience• Two or more experience sections, Relevant and Additional• Showcases the experiences that are most relevant

Additional format optionsFunctional• Highlights transferable skills in clusters• Effective for career changers and those with varied experiences• Focuses on groups of functional skills and related experience

Federal

Resume styles

Chronological

Combination

Functional

Federal• Federal Resume • Longer than traditional resume and includes

additional information such as:Veteran/Federal civilian status Security clearance Citizenship Job announcement information Highest civilian grade held

• Resources for drafting your Federal ResumeTen Steps To A Federal Job by Kathryn Troutman (Available in Career Library) Moving On Guide USA Jobs Resume Builder

Curriculum Vita (CV)

CV• At least 2 pages (commonly 3-8 pages)• Lean towards completeness rather than brevity • Special focus on:

Teaching and Research ExperiencePublications and PresentationsAwards and Honors

• Primarily used for academic, scientific , fellowship, grant or research positions

• Includes information about where credentials were earned (i.e. names of professors, institutions, etc.)

Resume 101 Hiring Manager Complaints

Not tailoring resume

Not highlighting clubs/organizations,

class projects, volunteer experiences

Grammatical errors

Bullets that are too vague

Inappropriate email addresses

Generic, self focused

objective statements

Resume content

• Contact Information• Education • Objective Statement/Summary of Qualifications• Experience• Additional Information

Relevant Coursework/ ProjectsPresentations HonorsTechnical SkillsProfessional AssociationsLanguage

Contact information

Georgia Masoncheercutie98@yahoo.com(703)-555-5555

Georgia Mason111 University Drive ▪ Fairfax VA 22030 ▪ 703-993-1111 ▪ gmason@gmu.edu

Contact information

• Name – Put in bold to make your name stand out• Full address – Current and/or permanent, if

applicable• Phone number – Include number at which you can be

reached during day/evening and a professional voicemail

• Email – Include a professional username

Example:Georgia Mason

111 University Drive ▪ Fairfax VA 22030 ▪ 703-993-1111 ▪ gmason@gmu.edu

Objective statement

OBJECTIVE: To obtain a challenging position where my education, skills and experiences can be highly utilized and later be applicable for growth and possible advancement.

OBJECTIVE: An internship in a non-profit agency with special interest in working with issues of children and families in need.

Objective Statement/Highlights

• Clear, concise, and tailored to position of interest• Focus on what you are seeking and what skills you

will contribute, not what you expect to gain from the position

• May include specific title of the position, type of organization/industry, special interest, and skills you offer

Example:OBJECTIVE: An internship in a non-profit agency with special

interest in working with issues of children and families in need.

Education

GMU 2009- PresentBiology MajorSpanish Minor

Robinson High School 2005-2009

Bachelor of Science in Biology, Minor in Spanish May 2014George Mason University, Fairfax, VA GPA: 3.43

Associate in Science in General Studies August 2011Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, VA GPA : 3.72

Education• List in reverse chronological order

• Include name of degree(s), major & minor, institution, location, city and state, month & year of graduation

• Spell out degrees or use proper abbreviations (Bachelor of Science, or B.S.)

• Should include GPA, if 3.0 or higher; relevant courses; honors/awards; study abroad; training/certification

• High School is usually omitted from the resume after first or second year of college

Example:EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Biology, Minor Spanish, May 2014George Mason University. Fairfax, VAGPA if 3.12 Associate in Science in General Studies, August 2011Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, VAGPA 3.56

Experience

Assistant Mangager Sweetwater Tavern • Supervise staff• Handle cash• Oversee operations

Assistant Manager, February 2010 – Present Sweetwater Tavern, Fairfax, VA

• Maintain health and safety standards of contemporary fine dining restaurant (98% rating)

• Schedule and supervise 17 wait staff• Commended by supervisors for customer service skills in

fast-paced environment, serving 250 customers per shift

Experience• Include job title, name of organization, location (city and

state) and employment dates

• Statements describing your accomplishments

• Statements are concise, descriptive, and include numbers to show results if possible

• Use action verbs to begin statements (see Moving On for a list of action verbs)

Example:EXPERIENCE

Assistant Manager, February 2010 – Present Sweetwater Tavern, Fairfax, VA•Maintained health and safety standards of contemporary fine dining restaurant (98% rating)•Scheduled and supervised 17 wait staff•Commended by supervisors for customer service skills in fast-paced environment, serving 250 customers per shift

Questions to ask yourself

1. What did I do?2. Why did I do it?3. How did I do it?4. How was the organization

improved as a result of what I did? What was the impact?

Before

• Led new marketing campaign for sorority

After

• Created and led month-long social media campaign to promote recruitment event which attracted 125 attendees and resulted in 20% growth in new membership

Self-starter example

Before

• Provided customer service at Verizon

After

• Handled customer inquiries, complaints, and billing questions

• Accommodated requests when possible to diffuse situations, which resulted in retention of a $1,500 account

• Awarded Employee of the Month for going above call of duty

Customer service example

Action verbs

Relevant coursework/projects

• Include coursework and/or projects that are related to your field(s) of interest

• Incorporate technical/specialized knowledge that you utilized in the class

• Don’t just list course projects, explain relevant accomplishments

Additional content areasSKILLS• Technical skills for example Microsoft Office Suite, e.g.,

beginner, intermediate, advanced

• Language proficiency level, e.g., conversational, bilingual, fluent

• Skills relevant to position of interest

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP(S)• American Marketing Association (student member), Dates

• Golden Key Honor Society, spring 2012 – present

LEADERSHIP/ACTIVITIES

• Role/title, organization, dates and major accomplishments

• Student organizations, volunteer activities, and community service may all apply

For international students

• Describe foreign companies and schoolsOne of the top five universities in ChinaA $30 million consulting firm

• Include language skills Bilingual (Farsi/English); Conversational French

• Emphasize English language skillsTranslated written and spoken English for two years

• Check for grammar, spelling & sentence structure

• Do not include personal dataVisa/employment status, age, race, religion

Formatting•PAGE#: One page recommended, two pages max

• FONT: Times New Roman, Garamond, or Arial – 11pt

•MARGINS: 3/4” to 1” Margins

•PROOFREAD: No spelling errors or typos

•BOLDING: Use bold and capitalization to highlight DON’T OVERBOLD!!!!!!!!!!

•PLACEMENT: Be consistent! (e.g. titles, dates)

During today’s workshop did you…

1. Analyze position description to identify content for cover letter/resume

2. Select appropriate category headings for your resume

3. Identify relevant content and articulate it on your resume

4. Leave with draft or revised resume

Additional resources

• Moving On Guide

• careers.gmu.edu

• Books in UCS, SUB 1 Room 3400 Resource Room• Sample Resumes by Industry

• Resume/Cover Letter reviews at UCS

University Career Services

• SUB 1, Rm. 3400 • (703) 993-2370• http://careers.gmu.edu• Call to make an

appointment OR

• Come during daily Walk In Hours (check web site for days and times)

School of Management Career Services

• Enterprise Hall, Rm. 008 • (703) 993-1880• http://www.som.gmu.edu/c

areer• Walk-In Hours for SOM

Career Services• Monday & Friday 2 -

4pm• Thursday– 10am to noon

Visit us

Questions?