Resume and Cover Letter Writing

To assist you in these tasks, we have pulled together several resources and a number of sample resumes to use as examples.  Included in the resources are word lists (helpful to describe you, your skills and duties), resume format suggestions, information from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) about how employers view common resume mistakes and sample resumes taken from real WCU students and alumni!

Resume Basics

Word Lists:  Action and Skill Words to Use on the Resume

Resume Format and Components

Employer Feedback about Resumes

Do's and Don'ts

Electronic Submissions

Cover Letter Basics

Sample Resumes

Click HERE for a downloadable PDF version of this website

Resume Basics

To begin, you should have some information about the purpose of the resume.  The primary duties of the resume are threefold –

1) To introduce you to the employer.

2) To identify and demonstrate your qualifications.

3) To entice the recruiter to invite you to an interview. 

Introduction:  Be sure you have a good mailing address, phone number and email, and be sure your name is prominent (bold and in larger font).

Qualifications:    Tell your “story” as completely and concisely as you can.  Experiences, work history, education are all important items as well as information about what you did in each area.

Inviting: The recipient of the resume should not only be informed after reading the document, but should also want to have more dialog with you.  A resume that not only answers questions, but raises other questions or has something that encourages the employer to want to find out more can lead to the interview.

Word Lists

Use results-oriented terminology which includes verbs such as:

Some key words for resume and cover letter preparation:

Self descriptive words:

These are only a few of the options available. Brainstorm words which describe you in the most positive and action-oriented way. Have friends, coworkers and people who know you do the same. If you need help, use a dictionary or a thesaurus. A word of caution; if you don't know what the word means, don't use it. Nothing is worse than thinking a word means one thing but having it actually mean something else!

Back to top

Resume Format

Your Contact Information

First name  Last name

Street Address

City, State Zip

Phone (Cell, Home)

Email address

This can be formatted in many ways, but the address should be below your name, and your name should stand out (enlarged and/or bold).  If you have multiple addresses, two can be given, but the main purpose is for efficient contact between you and the employer, so avoid confusion.

Objective (optional)

This should indicate your employment goals, but more than “I want a job”. 

Qualifications / Skills / Profile  (optional)

A customized section that can list key accomplishments, skills, traits or other qualities which define what you are bringing to the employer.  Qualities mentioned in a section such as this should be reinforced through experiences in your resume.

Education

List the colleges you attended, degrees and the dates.  Unless there is something significant about your high school experience, you do not need to include it in your education section if it is more than two years in the past.  If you graduated or received a degree, listing the final year is all that is needed, but if you attended and transferred, you can show that by a range of dates.

West Chester University of Pennsylvania                       May 2010

Bachelor of Science in History

Delaware County Community College                         2006-2007

General Education courses

You can also list items such as GPA (not necessary if below a 3.0), honors or awards.  These may also be listed in other sections, as well.

Experience

This section can include work history, internships, student teaching , volunteer positions and other significant items.  By naming it “experience”, you can mix both paid and unpaid experiences.  If you want to organize your resume to show positions which directly relate to the field or position sought, you can develop two areas:  “Related Experiences”  and “Employment”, for example.

Company name, City, State                                                          Dates

Job Title

- Responsibilities / Achievements

For Example:

Accounting Intern                                                                          June 2009 - August 2009

KPMG, Philadelphia, PA

     -  Prepared reports on....(specific topic/duty)

     -  Worked with a team of auditors to...

     -  Developed new report using Excel to track...

Activities, Involvement, Community Service, Awards and Leadership

A section such as this can allow you to add other experiences, such as short term volunteer activities, involvement in organizations, Honors or Awards received.  If you held a leadership position in a group, it can be helpful to give that title in the description.  If it is not clear what the organization is (some honor societies use Greek letters in their name and can be confused with a social fraternity or sorority, for example) provide some detail.

References Available Upon Request

Definitely an optional statement on the resume, but it can still be useful.  If your resume appears short, this can be an acceptable line to use to add length – and remove when you have more content.  It can also be adapted to show more available information:

References and Co-Curricular Portfolio Available

The above statement lets the employer know that you have additional experience, but have chosen to show the most relevant on the version they  received.

Consider having a separate page for listing references.  It should have 3-5 references showing the persons’ name, title, address, phone and email.  If the relationship to you is not clear by the title, consider indicating their professional relation to you.  The listing should also have your name and contact information at the top.  And be sure to give your references a copy of your resume.

Back to top

Employer reactions to common resume and cover letter situations.

The following is taken from a survey done by the Society of Human Resource Management where hiring managers were asked “Of the mistakes you indicated you have seen, which have caused you NOT to look at a particular candidate?”  They are ranked from 1 to 10 with the percentage answering  “yes” following.

Back to top

Resume Do's and Don'ts

Here are some Do's and Don'ts provided by the University of Vermont Career Services Office:

Back to top

Electronic Submissions

Chances are very good that the majority of your applications for positions will be done electronically as opposed to the traditional “hard copy” presentation or mailing.  Listed below are some suggestions to maximize the chances for your materials to succeed in the career search process.

Submitting electronically usually means sending the resume/application/cover letter via email or by uploading it to an application email address or website.   You want to make certain that your materials transmit well, without scrambling, changing format or becoming unreadable.  Be sure to read the submission instructions carefully, noting if there are specific requirements such as a size limit to the file or a particular type of file that is preferred (e.g. Rich Text Format or .rtf, Word 2007 or .docx, .pdf).

Avoid excessive formatting.   The more tables, headers, footers or italics that are used, the more difficulty you may have in the transmitting of your information.  Send it to a trusted resource (such as the career center) or yourself first.

If your materials are going to be scanned electronically, you may want to review key words that are used in the field in which you are seeking employment. 

Spelling still matters.  Electronic documents (including emails) should have the same attention to spelling and grammar that formal letters and documents receive.

Contact information (Name, address, phone and email) should be at the top of the page with the name always on the top line.

Font should be large enough to be readable (not only by humans, but also scanning devices).  Size 11 or 12 font is the recommended standard.  The type style should also be a standard font;  Ariel or Times New Roman are two.

Graphics do not always transmit well and are not recommended in most fields.

Back to top

Cover Letter Basics

Whether by email, electronic uploads or traditional paper copies, cover letters are an important part of your job search materials.  They are “functional writing”; introducing you, your qualifications and materials to the prospective employer.  They provide the opportunity for you to highlight your qualities targeted to the needs of a specific company, agency or position. Below are suggestions for what to include in your communication:

Opening Paragraph: State the reason for your letter with attention-getting self confidence. Be creative within the bounds of reason, respect and good taste. Include the type of job or the specific position you are seeking. If possible, mention how you became aware of the position and organization. Tell the person “Why you are writing”.

Middle Paragraph(s): Refer to the enclosed resume and any facts within it that you want the employer to notice. It is here that you should identify what skills, background, education or other "tools" you have that they need. Your resume should present facts to support this, but this section should not be a mere restatement of the information in the resume. Add detail to the facts in your resume. Tell the person “Why they need YOU”.

Closing paragraph: This is where you request the interview. Ask that you be contacted to set a mutually convenient time; or better still, suggest that you will contact them soon (e.g. Thursday, next week) to arrange an appointment. You may state that you will contact them to insure that they have received all the materials they require to consider you as a candidate for the position. Above all, be positive in your attitude; expect an appointment.

More Cover letter and job search correspondence samples are available on the Job Web online supplement to the Job Choices magazine:  http://www.jobweb.com/students.aspx?folderid=134

Back to top

Samples

Click on the section below to see a sample which incorporates some specific details relative to that field.

View more resume samples on the Job Web online supplement to the Job Choices magazine:  http://www.jobweb.com/resumes.aspx?folderid=142