Documents

Documents for Job-seekers
Effective resume and cover letter writing skills are a necessity for anyone seeking employment. Because these documents are normally the first formal communication job-seekers have with potential future employers is important that you pay attention to the way you present yourself in the formatting and language you use. Employers can recieve hundreds or even thousands of resumes for a single job opening. It is important to assess your audience when communicating in any genre of writing, and you must remember that employers may just give your documents a quick glance before deciding whether or not to discard it. Obviously both the cover letter and resume are written for the purpose of securing a job, but which job? It is always important to research the company and position you are applying for so you can add new buzzwords, emphasize different experiences, or change your documents in other ways so they are more focused on the specific position.

Resumes
See the video on the right for a brief (2:12 min) overview of constructing a resume.

Format:
The are four sections that every resume should contain: Contact Information, Objective, Work Experience, and Education. Additional categories like skills, honors, languages, etc. may also be included but should be consolidated into few as possible. All resumes should be typed in Times New Roman or related font, and any fonts that look rough or intricate (like ComicSans or symbols) should be avoided. Font size and line spacing can be varied to give emphasis to headers and structure to the document at a glance. Font size and spacing can also be altered to keep your information on one page, but avoid cramming too much text into too small of a space. Two page resumes are not recommended for recent college graduates, but some people have enough experience worth mentioning to use 1.5-2 pages. If your resume is longer than one page, review it to be sure all of the information included is shows the value or credibility you could offer if hired to fill the specific position and cut out any irrelevant information.

Contact information
This section should include your name, address, email address, a telephone number you can be reached at, and a web address to your professional portfolio if you have one.

Objective
In this section give a brief description of yourself and clearly state the reason your audience is reading the resume. Examples of effective objectives can be found here

Work Experience
Each entry in this section should include:
 * names of the companies you worked for
 * city and state for each company
 * titles/positions you held
 * your employment dates for each job
 * duties you performed

Education Experience
This section should include only one entry which includes: Only discuss your work at the institution at which you received your highest degree (i.e. college graduates should not include high school information). In this section give a brief description of any accomplishments, extra curricular activities, and other experiences as a small block of text, do not use a bulleted list in order to consolidate space.
 * name of the institution where you earned your highest degree
 * city and state of the institution
 * when you graduated or received the degree
 * what specific degree was earned
 * any minors and/or double majors

Optional Sections
Sections like "Skills", "Activities", and "Honors" can be added and customized to make yourself more appealing to potential employers.

Cover Letters
All cover letters should be one page and follow the same general order in their layout:

Contact information
List your contact information followed by a space, than include the date (skip a line), the contact information of the person being addressed (skip a line), then address your audience directly with a salutation.

Paragraph #1
This paragraph should include a description of the position being applied for with the advertised title of the position. This is where you can include buzzwords included in the job announcement or company profile. Mention where you heard about the job and briefly describe your interest in the position.

Paragraph #2
The second paragraph is where you really sell yourself to the employer as the right fit for the position. Explain the skills and experience that you have that make you the absolute most qualified choice for the position. Focus on concision in this section to include more supportive examples with short explanations.

Paragraph #3
Express your gratitude to your audience for taking the time to review your submission and include your plan to follow up.

Closing
A closing line should be followed your handwritten signature, then typed signature.