Resumes and Cover Letters - CCBC Faculty...
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Resumes and Cover Letters
Transcript of Resumes and Cover Letters - CCBC Faculty...
Resumes and Cover Letters
A resume can be used to • Apply for a job
• Summarize your skills, experience, education and training
• Persuade the hiring manager to bring you in for an interview
• Accompany applications for selective
admissions programs, transfer schools or graduate degrees
Styles change
• Resumes used to start with an objective. Use one of these instead Career Focus| Profile| Headline| Skills Summary
• Resumes use to end with the phrase,
“References available upon request.” This phrase should be omitted. Create a reference sheet and take that with you to the interview. Use the same formatting and type face as you use in the resume and cover letter. Your documents should all relate to one another.
• Teachers and friends might recommended use
of templates, tables, headers/footers, color, fancy fonts, capital letters and underlining.
• Avoid the above mentioned styles because they cannot be read universally by applicant tracking software.
All resumes include
1. Your name If your name is long or difficult, maybe best to omit your middle initial. Make it easy to say and remember
2. Your address Unless you are applying for jobs all over the world, no need to add “USA.” Only add the country for jobs outside of the U.S.)
3. Your telephone number (just one)
Format the number like this: 123-456-7890
4. Your email address Have a professional address, not that of your current employer. Should be with a current internet provider, not aol, EarthLink, or other dated service. No endearing nicknames, no mentions of dear ones in your email, just your name and if your name is one that others have, add a memorable number. [email protected]
Jane Washington 123 Main Street
Catonsville, MD 21228
123-456-7890
Other possible headings
• Computer Skills
• Training/Certifications/Licenses
• Honors/Awards
• Volunteer Experience
• Activities
Jane Washington 123 Main Street
Catonsville, MD 21228
123-456-7890
Profile or Skills Summary
Experience (Goes first if you have more job
experience than education)
Headings that might be useful: • Relevant Experience • Additional Employment • Military Service
Education (Goes before Experience section if your work
experience is limited)
• Related coursework
Save your resume in .doc format as this is the format most easily opened.
Most employers prefer
• A chronological format: most popular among hiring managers, easy to see your work history at a glance. Create your resume using the most recent information first and working backwards to add older experience. This is called “reverse chronological order.”
• Other formats can be used to emphasize skills, these are functional and combination resume formats, but continuous employment remains important to those who hire. There are 2 other resume formats: functional and combination.
• Use a concise date style, ex. 2/2012 – 8/2013 or Summer
2011
• Candidates may omit the year of graduation from the resume. If you have started college, you do not have to include high school graduation, school name or activities from that period.
No “I’s” in Resumes • Write the resume in a condensed form, using phrases that start with
action verbs instead of the subject “I” – it is understood.
• Open this link of action verbs to see those that are recommended for resumes.
• Avoid these two phrases as you prepare your resume: “Duties included” or “Responsibilities included” and choose active verbs instead.
• Use the present tense of the verb. If you are no longer in the job and are no longer doing these activities, use the past tense of the verb.
Ex. Handle/handled bookkeeping responsibilities and routine operations of the library.
• Highlight your accomplishments. Emphasize what YOU have done. Use facts and numbers. Give an idea of how much, how many, how often, so if you managed a cash register, add that you managed $500 - $1,000 daily with accuracy. This makes you look stronger and conscientious, reliable, trustworthy.
• If you managed or trained others, describe the number of team members and the range of your supervision.
Describing your experience
Avoid big descriptions of tasks you never want to do again.
We have all been responsible for tasks that we would not like to do again, so don’t list it first or elaborate on it.
If among many responsibilities, for example, you answered the telephone, maybe you could omit that one and instead focus on tasks that would be more persuasive and appealing to the new hiring manager.
Examples
Organized health records for a dental office serving 3600 patients
Provided quality customer service to patients and their families
That was then, this is now
• Once you start college and list it on your resume, you no longer have to include your high school graduation, unless your achievements or activities were outstanding.
• Likewise, once you finish college, be very selective about what you include about your honors and activities. You want to demonstrate that you are moving on to the work world.
Education and Training
• List in reverse chronological order beginning with the most recent.
• List colleges/trade schools, location, dates of attendance. Can leave off high school.
• Degree earned or working towards, major, concentration, actual or expected graduation date.
• GPA overall and/or in your major (if above a 3.0), honors, awards, Dean’s List, scholarships, related coursework.
Honesty is the best policy • Hiring managers verify job titles and dates, and
education.
• When you tell the truth, you don’t have any concerns about the application and resume information agreeing. You will be at greater ease in the interview.
• Job seekers are asked to sign that their applications are truthful and that any issues with verification can result in immediate dismissal.
• Even Chief Executives of companies have been forced to step down if “inaccuracies” are found. In May 2012, Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson had to step down when it was learned that his degree was in accounting only rather than computer science and accounting as he had claimed on his resume.
Editing
• Limit the resume length to one page or two.
• Create a draft and then edit.
• Update your resume with a careful review of typing, grammar and spelling so you are not initially screened out.
• Using a spell check may not uncover the mistake so have a trusted reader review the document before you mail or hit send.
• Get expert help to evaluate if your resume seems too brief or too long.
• Some students need help writing their achievements, combining ideas or organizing the bullet points so that the main ideas are clear.
• Seek resources such as O*Net or the Occupational Outlook Handbook for help in writing your bullet points.
Create a professional document • Templates are often attractive to students because the name is featured in huge type. When you are not sure what to say,
putting your name in 32 point font might seem like a good beginning, but templates and tables cannot be read by applicant
tracking software.
• Experts say to use 9 -12 point type for the body of the resume. Headings can go up as high as 14 point type but avoid the temptation to use anything more than 16 – 18 point type for your name. It can give the wrong impression. Likewise, using a
lot of capital or bold letters can make your resume look aggressive.
• Use a font that is larger than the body and be sparing with capitals, bolds and underlines for the sake of the reader.
• Use formats that include lots of white space to make your resume attractive and readable. Recruiters and personnel managers spend very little time (5 – 7 seconds!) reading a resume so information must be easy to find in a quick scan.
• If the heading is already large, you do not need to add a colon. So if you have the heading “Education,” you don’t need a colon right after it, just add the information in the next line.
• CCBC should be spelled out as The Community College of Baltimore County.
Recommended Fonts
Sans Serif Arial Calibri Verdana Tahoma
Serif Baskerville Georgia Times New Roman
Cover Letter Tips
• When mailed, resumes should be accompanied by a cover letter.
• Without repeating content, the cover letter supports your resume.
• Allows you to establish rapport with the reader before meeting in person.
• Increases odds of your getting an interview, if well researched and written.
• Research: Use Glassdoor.com, company pages on Vault.com, Facebook or LinkedIn to learn more about company values, mission, strategy.
• Find the name of the hiring manager so that you can avoid addressing the cover letter using “To Whom It May Concern,” or “Dear Sir/Madam.”
Keep these guidelines in mind
• Generic letters are less persuasive.
• Write your letter for the specific job.
• Explain your interest in this particular organization.
• Describe what makes you a strong candidate for the advertised role. Tie your experience and skills to the job description.
• Highlight relevant information and experience with similar tasks or in similar environments.
• Keep the employer’s needs uppermost in your mind
So no mention of your need for health benefits, a shorter commute, an employee discount, profit sharing or daycare services.
How to prepare your documents • If you are sending the resume by email
then the cover letter can be the body of email and attach the resume.
• Documents should be prepared in the same type face and font size. This includes the list of references which should have the same header as you use on the resume.
• Use the .doc format to save your cover letter, resume and list of references. It is easiest to open and moves the best through applicant tracking software.
• Follow the directions listed by the employer for how to send your documents.
Keep it short
Limit your letter to one page with no more than 3 to 5 paragraphs.
• Close with a simple phrase about ways to contact you and that you will follow-up within the week.
• Proofread the cover letter carefully and have someone else read it too.
• Here is a quick video that overviews tips
Don’t delay your job search
• Start off with a good, error free resume. You can always revise and improve it while you are actively looking for a job. You will get better at the job search process as you go along.
• Some experts estimate that for
every $10,000 of annual earnings, it can take a month to find a new job. In a tight economy, it can take longer.
• Use all of the resources listed on
our Seek Employment page to find openings.
Contact us Call or Visit
Career counselors are available to help you with your next steps.
http://www.ccbcmd.edu/employment/online/Contact_Information.html
CCBC Campus Location Telephone
Catonsville SSRV 209 443-840-4435
Dundalk SSRV 102 443-840-3131
Essex SSRV 260 443-840-1732
