Check out the 5-Minute Career Clips (online workshops) at the bottom of this page for brief step-by-step guides to writing your resume or cover letter.
Resume
The purpose of the resume is to land the interview. It is an important way to convey your experience and accomplishments so that the reader wants to meet you and learn more about you. While there is no one right way to write a resume, there are resumes that are more or less effective than others in conveying a positive, meaningful message to a given audience. Listed below are examples of different types of resumes based on your audience or your level of experience.
Refer to the Resume Guidelines for important information on proper organization and formatting. Also, don’t forget to review the list of Core Professional Competencies and Action Verbs in order to highlight the skills you have used and gained during your experiences listed on your resume.
| And always have your resume reviewed by a career adviser in CCI before sending it out! |
Resume Guidelines and Tips:
- Resume Guidelines
- Core Professional Competencies
- Action Verbs
- When to use a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- See the 5-Minute Career Clip workshop below for more “How To” information!
View Resume Samples:
- Resume Sample—for Juniors and Seniors (Download word document)
- Resume Sample—for First-Years and Sophomores (Download)
- Nonprofit Resume Sample (Download)
- Finance Resume Sample (Download)
- Teacher’s Resume Sample (Download)
Cover Letter
Cover Letter Sample
Also see the 5-Minute Career Clip workshop below for more “How To” information!
Generally, you will have just one version of your resume that you will use for all your job applications. However, you will write a new cover letter to accompany that resume for each application. That is, for each position you apply for you should write a new cover letter that is geared to that specific job or job description. The cover letter has three purposes:
- To help the employer make the connection between your skills/experience and the requirements of the job. You will do this by briefly highlighting a few of your key skills/experiences (not repeating your entire resume!).
- To give the employer a sense of your personality and who you are. This is conveyed through the language and tone that you use in your letter.
- To give the employer a sense of your writing skills. This is important, regardless of the type of position you are applying for.