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How to write knock-down resume and cover letter

MBA Internship Support TrainingMBA Internship Support Training

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Writing resume and cover letterThinking about your careerAnalyzing what you have to offerDetermining what you wantWriting a resumeControlling the format and styleTailoring the contentsWriting the perfect resumeWriting the application letterWriting the first paragraphSummarizing your key selling pointsWriting the last paragraphWriting the perfect application letter

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Resume The purpose of a resume is to list all your skills and abilitiesA good resume will get you the job you wantYour resume will be read carefully and thoroughly by an interested employerThe more good information you present about yourself in your resume, the betterIf you want a really good resume, have it prepared by a resume service

The purpose of a resume is to kindle employer interest and generate an interviewHandreds of thousands of good resumes cross employers’ desks every working dayYour resume has less than ten seconds to make an impressionBy including too much information, a resume may actually kill the appetite to know morePrepare your resume yourself - unless the position you’re after is very high-level and you choose the service very carefully

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Thinking about your careerAnalyzing what you have to offerAnalyzing what you have to offer

List ten achievements in order of importanceList ten achievements in order of importanceLook for a pattern in the skills that contributed Look for a pattern in the skills that contributed to each achievementto each achievementAsk a friend what you are good at, and Ask a friend what you are good at, and compare the answers with your own compare the answers with your own assessmentassessmentList your employment qualifications, including List your employment qualifications, including education, work and outside activitieseducation, work and outside activitiesAsk a friend to list four or five of your most Ask a friend to list four or five of your most obvious personal traits, and compare the obvious personal traits, and compare the answers with your own assessmentanswers with your own assessmentList the things you liked best about work List the things you liked best about work you’ve done beforeyou’ve done beforeList your interests and hobbiesList your interests and hobbies

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Determining what you want

Determining your functional goals Determining your personal goals Determining your work environment preferences

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Writing a resume

«Give me a moment of your busy day! Listen to me, I’ve got something to say!» Show off achievements, attributes, and cumulation of expertise to the best advantage Minimize any possible weaknesses

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Don’tsTitlesAvailabilityReason for leavingReferencesSalaryAbbreviationsJargonCharts and graphsMention of age,race,religion,sex, national originPhotographsHealthEarly backgroundWeaknessesDemandsExaggerations

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Format and style

Clean paperMarginsNo correctionsPrint, not photocopyOne-pageCorrect grammar, spellling and punctuationSimple and direct styleShort phrases with action verbsexample

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Tailoring the contentsContact informationA Job ObjectiveA Career ObjectiveA Career SummaryEducationA Description of Work History

Focus on your strengthsQuestions to ask yourself

What specific position do I want?What specifically qualifies me for this job?

Summarize your strongest qualifications

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Education

Postsecondary schools Off-campus workshops, seminars and so on High school(only if pertinent) Military service (only if pertinent) Grades?

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Experience

Name and location of employer What the organization does Your functional title How long you worked there Your duties and responsibilities Your significant achievements or contributions

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Accomplishment statement for resume (example)

Improved morale and teamwork Introduced an improved filing system Improved customer service Contributed new ideas Reorganized procedures Solved problems Improved work efficiency Increased sales Reduced overdue accounts Devised new products

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Common mistakes Too long Too short Hard to read Wordy Too slick Amateurish Poorly reproduced Misspelled and ungrammatical Boastful. Nonrealistic self-evaluation Dishonest Unusual

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ExerciseThink about yourselfWhat are some things that come easily to you?What do you enjoy doing?In what part of the country would you like to live?Do you like to work indoors?Outdoors?A combination of the two?How much do you like to travel?Do you like to work closely with others or more independently?What conditions make a job unpleasant?Are you better with words or numbers?Better at speaking or writing?Do you like to be motivated by fixed deadlines?Do you like deadlines?How important is job security to you?Do you want your supervisor to state clearly what is expected?Your taskAnswer these questions and write a resume for the job of your

dream

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Appication Letter

AIDA

Be yourself but be businesslike too

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First paragraph

Your strongest work skills and how they would help the organizationThe match between job requirements and your qualificationsThe name of someone respected by the readerNews about the organization that demonstrates your awarenessA question that reflects your knowledge of the organization’s needsAn imaginative catch phraseThe source of your knowledge about the job opening

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Example

When you need a secretary in your export division who can take shorthand at 125 words a minute and can write in English and Spanish - call me

When Tatyana Kim of your human resource department spoke to our class last week, she said you often add promising new marketing graduates to your sales staff at this time of year.

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Your key selling points

Summarize qualifications that are directly related to the job Show how you have put your qualifications to use Provide evidence of desirable personal qualities Refer to your resume

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What can you write instead of this?

I completed three college courses in business communication, earning an A in each course, and have worked for the past year at Procter and Gamble

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Closing paragraph

Always ask for an interview Make an interview easy to arrange

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Checklist for application letters

Attention (Opening paragraph) summary opening (your strongest qualifications) name opening Source opening Question opening News opening Personalized opening Creative opening

Interest and desire or evidence of qualifications Present you job-related qualifications Adopt a mature and businesslike tone

Link your education, experience, and personal qualities to the job requirementsAction