Chapter 29: Résumés and Cover Letters

“The most important tool you have on a résumé is language.”

– Jay Samit

A résumé is a written “selfie” for business purposes. It is a formal document of who you are and your skills, education, and experience—it’s a personal marketing tool, a selling tool, and a promotion of you as an ideal candidate for any job you may be interested in. It is the crucial first step of the job screening process.

The word résumé comes from the French word résumé, which means “a summary.” Leonardo da Vinci is credited with writing one of the first known résumés, although it was more of a letter that outlined his credentials for a potential employer, Ludovico Sforza. The résumé got da Vinci the job, though, and Sforza became a longtime patron of da Vinci and later commissioned him to paint The Last Supper. Résumés have taken on a more professional look during the digital age. With social media, resumes are posted online such as LinkedIn.

Résumés and cover letters work together to represent you in the most positive light to prospective employers. With a well-composed résumé and cover letter, you stand out—which may get you an interview and then a good shot at landing a job.

In this section, we discuss résumés and cover letters as key components of your career development toolkit. We explore some of the many ways you can create and design them for the greatest impact in your job search.

Your Résumé: Purpose and Contents

Your résumé is an inventory of your education, work experience, job-related skills, accomplishments, volunteer history, internships, residencies, professional affiliations, and more. It’s a professional autobiography in outline form to give the person who reads it a quick, general idea of who you are and what skills, abilities, and experiences you have to offer. With a better idea of who you are, prospective employers can see how well you might contribute to their workplace.

As a college student or recent graduate, though, you may be unsure about what to put on your résumé, especially if you don’t have much employment history. Still, employers don’t expect recent grads to have significant work experience. And even with little work experience, you may still have a host of worthy accomplishments to include. It’s all in how you present yourself.

The following video is an animated look at why résumés are so important. Read a transcript of the video.

Video: Why Do I Need a Resume?

Elements of Your Successful Résumé

Perhaps the hardest part of writing a résumé is figuring out what format to use to organize and present your information in the most effective way. There is no correct format, per se, but most résumés follow one of the four formats with pros and cons of each. Which format do you think will best represent your qualifications?

1. Reverse chronological résumé: A reverse chronological résumé (sometimes also simply called a chronological résumé) lists your job experiences in reverse chronological order—that is, starting with the most recent job and working backward toward your first job. It includes start and end dates, both the month and year. It emphasizes work accomplishments while describing work duties relevant in your field in concise active language. The reverse chronological résumé may be the most common and perhaps the most conservative résumé format. It is best for demonstrating a solid work history and growth and development in your skills. It may not be the best if you are light on skills in the area you are applying to, if you’ve changed employers frequently, or if you are looking for your first job. Reverse Chronological Résumé Examples
2. Functional résumé: A functional résumé is organized around your talents, skills, and abilities (more than work duties and job titles, as with the reverse chronological résumé). It emphasizes specific professional capabilities, like what you have done or what you can do. Specific dates may be included but are not as important. So if you are a new graduate entering your field with little or no actual work experience, the functional résumé may be a good format for you. It can also be useful when you are seeking work in a field that differs from what you have done in the past. It’s also well suited for people in unconventional careers. Functional Résumé Examples
3. Hybrid résumé: The hybrid résumé is a format reflecting both the functional and chronological approaches. It’s also called a combination résumé. It highlights relevant skills, but it still provides information about your work experience. With a hybrid résumé, you may list your job skills as most prominent and then follow with a chronological (or reverse chronological) list of employers. This résumé format is most effective when your specific skills and job experience need to be emphasized. Hybrid Résumé Examples
4. Video, infographic, and website résumé: Other formats you may wish to consider are the video résumé, the infographic résumé, or even a website résumé. These formats may be most suitable for people in multimedia and creative careers. Certainly with the expansive use of technology today, a job seeker might at least try to create a media-enhanced résumé. But the paper-based, traditional résumé is by far the most commonly used—in fact, résumé file type is as important as résumé format.. Video Resume Examples; Infographic Résumé Examples; Website Résumé Examples

An important note about formatting is that, initially, employers may spend only six-seconds reviewing each résumé—especially if there is little time to read them, they seem long and cluttered, or using a screening algorithm. That’s why it’s important to choose your format carefully so it will stand out and lead to an interview.

Résumé Contents and Structure

For many people, the process of writing a résumé is daunting. After all, you are taking a lot of information and condensing it into a concise form that needs to be both eye-catching and easy to read. Don’t be scared off! Writing a good résumé can be fun, rewarding, and easier than you think if you follow a few basic guidelines. In the following video, a résumé-writing expert describes some keys to success.

Video: Resume Tutorial

Contents and Components To Include

1. Your contact information: name (include any relevant degrees and certifications), address (name the city, state, and zip code), phone number, professional email address.
2. A summary of your skills: 5–10 skills, hard skills (technical skills and training) you have gained and soft skills (personal habits and traits) that shape how you work.
3. Work experience: depending on the résumé format you choose, you may list your most recent job first; include the title of the position, employer’s name, location, employment dates (start, end, both the month and year); Working for a family business is valid work experience and should definitely be on a resume.
4. Volunteer experience: can be listed in terms of hours completed or months/years involved. Use the same format as that used to list work experience.
   
5. Education and training: formal and informal experiences matter; include academic degrees, professional development, certificates, internships, etc.
6. Other sections: use bolded, eye-catching section headings that may include a job objective, a brief profile, a branding statement, a summary statement, additional accomplishments, and any other related experiences.

Caution

Résumés resemble fingerprints in as much as no two are alike. Although you can benefit from giving yours a stamp of individuality, you will do well to steer clear of personal details that might elicit a negative response. It is advisable to omit any confidential information or details that could make you vulnerable to bias and discrimination. Your résumé will likely be viewed by a number of employees in an organization, including human resource personnel, managers, administrative staff, etc. To be considered the best fit for a job, you need to optimize your résumés.

• Do not mention your age, gender, height/weight, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, citizenship status, or disabilities.
• Do not include your social security number.
• Do not mention religious beliefs or political affiliations, unless they are relevant to the position.
• Do not include a photograph of yourself or a physical description.
• Do not mention health issues.
• Do not use first-person references (Use first person, but leave out  pronouns I, me, my, we, our).
• Do not include wage/salary expectations.
• Do not use abbreviations or acronyms (unless common in industry, see job postings).
• Proofread carefully—absolutely no spelling mistakes are acceptable.

Top Ten Tips for a Successful Résumé

1. Aim to make a résumé that’s 1–2 pages long on letter-size paper.
2. Make it visually appealing. Use bullet points. Avoid images, charts, and graphics. Use a Word file format.
3. Use action verbs and specific keywords.
4. Proofread carefully to eliminate any spelling, grammar, punctuation, and typographical errors.
5. Include highlights of your qualifications or skills to attract an employer’s attention. Include numbers to quantify scope, impact, and complexity of your work.
6. Craft your résumé as a pitch to people in the profession you plan to work in.
7. Stand out as different, courageous.
8. Be positive and reflect only the truth.
9. Be excited and optimistic about your job prospects!
10. Keep refining and reworking your résumé; it’s an ongoing project.

Remember that your résumé is your professional profile. It will hold you in the most professional and positive light, and it’s designed to be a quick and easy way for a prospective employer to evaluate what you might bring to a job. When written and formatted attractively, creatively, and legibly, your résumé is what will get your foot in the door. You can be proud of your accomplishments, even if they don’t seem numerous. Let your résumé reflect your personal pride and professionalism. A resume is also a “living document” and will change as your experiences and skills change.

In the following video, Résumé Tips for College Students From Employers, several college graduate recruiters summarize the most important points about crafting your résumé. Download a transcript of the video.

Video: Résumé Tips for College Students From Employers

Résumé Writing Resources

Your Cover Letter

A cover letter is a letter of introduction, usually 3–4 paragraphs in length that you attach to your résumé. It’s a way of introducing yourself to a potential employer, elaborating on relevant qualifications and skills in your resume, and explaining why you are suited for a position. As a writing sample, employers look for individualized and thoughtfully written cover letters as an initial method of screening out applicants who may lack necessary basic skills or who may not be sufficiently interested in the position. You may want to reference a network connection in your cover letter. Your cover letter can also explain aspects of your career situation such as time away from the workforce.

 Cover Letter Examples

Often an employer will request or require that a cover letter be included in the materials an applicant submits. There are also occasions when you might submit a cover letter uninvited (also called a letter of interest). For example, if you are initiating an inquiry about possible work or asking someone to send you information or provide other assistance.

With each résumé you send out, always include a cover letter specifically addressing your purpose.

Characteristics of an Effective Cover Letter

Cover letters should accomplish the following:

• Get the attention of the prospective employer
• Set you apart from any possible competition
• Identify the position you are interested in
• Specify how you learned about the position or company
• Highlight your relevant skills and accomplishments
• Reflect your genuine interest in the position and company
• End with an ask for a meeting and thank you

In the following video, Aimee Bateman, the founder of Careercake.com, explains how you can create an incredible cover letter.

Video: 5 Steps to an Incredible Cover Letter

Cover Letter Resources