WRITING/DESIGNING EFFECTIVE RESUMES

The Basics…

Highlight and explain your most valued skills—especially those that fit the job to which you’re applying

Utilize key words to emphasize relevant skills Make use of design principles to enhance

scanability Remember you’re telling a particular story

about your life’s accomplishments—not the whole thing!

Should be a positive, concise, & informative “hook”

Formats

Chronological resume Most common format used Information is presented on page in reverse

chronological order, meaning your most recent accomplishments are listed first

Skills resume (aka functional resume) Often used when education/experiences

may not match up with the job call well Emphasizes skills, rather than the job in

which you used them

What To Include

Name & contact information Career/professional objective Education

Specialty courses Honors/Awards

Work Experience Campus Involvement/Leadership experience

Skills/abilities

To list MS Office or not?

What *NOT* to include

References, in most situations A photograph of yourself* High school facts/information, especially

if you are a junior in HS or beyond

Listing experience

List title, company, city/state, and employment time

Use bullet points List most important/relevant

qualification first Use action verbs to begin the sentence

(present tense for current jobs/past tense for previous jobs)

Focus on results, rather than duties Use numbers to support your claims

Examples

Weak Intern, Sun Marketing, Chicago, IL Summer 2014 Worked on spreadsheets that categorized clients Updated Facebook and Twitter pages regularly Better Developed outreach materials for 60 perspective

clients Distributed social media content to more than

12,000 viewers

Brainstorm

Note 3 key skills you want to emphasize on your resume. Try to think about these skills in relation to a job/internship posting you’ve seen recently. After you’ve jotted them down, think about ways to include these skills throughout your resume (i.e., in your objective, in specialty courses, in job experience, etc.). Importantly, try to quantify them and use strong action verbs to represent them!

Design basics

Keep it to 1 page Use no less than 10 pt font Try to keep it to 1-in. margins on all sides Use contrast on the page Maintain parallelism

Examples

Design examples

WRITING EFFECTIVECOVER LETTERS

The Basics…

Demonstrate why you want the job and why the job should want you

Expand on relevant points in your resume

Be confident and concise Conversational and professional Express enthusiasm (without using

exclamation points) Proofread, proofread, proofread

Format

Letterhead (name and contact information

Fonts: use a standard professional font Use sans serif for headers (Arial, Helvetica,

Verdana) Use serif for body text (Cambria, Times New

Roman) 1-inch margins on all sides Block format– do not indent paragraphs Single-spaced

Before You Start…

Reflect: Why do you want this job? What can you bring to this job? How do your qualifications meet the job

call? Research:

Familiarize yourself with the company &what they do

Familiarize yourself with the job within the company

Familiarize yourself with the people who work there

The First Paragraph

“How will this person help us, and why should we hire this person?

Name of company, job title, where you found it

Preview your relevant qualifications Focus on what you bring to the table Don’t lead with what you’ll gain

I am writing to express my interest in J. M. Smucker’s Accounting Internship. I learned about this position at Miami University’s career fair earlier this month, where I was impressed by the recruitment team’s obvious pride and enthusiasm. Madeleine Simmons looked at my enclosed resume and encouraged me to apply for this plant-based internship. I have taken 12 hours of accounting classes and possess the integrity and attention to detail the position requires.

I am writing to let you know that I am currently looking for a summer internship opportunity with your company. I heard about the internship at the career fair earlier this month, where I met with one of your recruiters who said I should apply. I have taken a lot of business classes, so I hope you will choose me for the position. I think I could learn a lot with your company.

The Body of Your Letter

One to three paragraphs; why and how you’re qualified

Don’t repeat your resume; do expand on it

Focus on 1-2 key qualifications Do use keywords from the job listing;

don’t parrot the job listing Write concise, straightforward

sentences

In the Marketing Club at Miami University, I led a four-person committee that promoted six fundraising events throughout the year. My role required substantial collaboration with team members to write and distribute materials to media outlets on schedule.

I was in the Marketing Club where I went to school at Miami University. During that time, I headed up a committee that promoted fundraising events quite often. This required I worked in a team, write professional documents, and stick to a timeline.

Closing Paragraph

Be confident and maintain a positive tone

Remind your reader you are qualified Welcome more information about the job Encourage the reader to contact you Thank the reader Don’t be pushy

I hope you agree that I have the experience and skills needed to be an outstanding Marketing Intern. Marketing and advertising are areas I intend to pursue as a career, so I would be excited to learn more about this opportunity. I can be reached at [email address] or [phone number]. Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to hearing from you.

As you can see, I have a lot of experience and many skills to bring to your company. Feel free to contact me. I will call next week to set up an appointment to discuss this opportunity in more detail. I look forward to meeting with you.

 April 14, 2013 Ms. Katherine OrtizDirector of DevelopmentWLMR–Channel 5710659 Columbia ParkwayCincinnati, OH 45206 Dear Ms. Ortiz:

I am interested in your Assistant Director of Development position that I saw on the CareerBuilder website. I have always been a fan of public television, and the opportunity of raising money for such a worthwhile organization is very exciting to me. I am a devoted viewer of such programs as “Great Performances,” “Nova,” and “Live at Lincoln Center.” I am excited at the thought of being able to bring this type of programming to our community.

As you will note in the enclosed resume, I will be graduating from Miami University next month with a major in Marketing with a minor in Speech Communication. I feel confident that my speaking ability will allow me to make the kinds of presentations the job undoubtedly requires, and that my marketing and writing skills will enable me to continue the effective letter-writing and social media campaigns that you have so successfully initiated. In addition, the communication and leadership skills I gained through my part-time and summer work experiences will contribute to my ability to be successful in this position. Please see my resume for more information about my qualifications and accomplishments. I believe I possess the kinds of skills and abilities you are looking for in an Assistant Director of Development, and I hope to have the opportunity to meet with you to discuss this position further.  Sincerely, Shanna Brayton

Shanna Brayton1007 Arrowhead Ct. | Oxford, OH 45056 | 513-555-1836

bradfosc@miamioh.com | linkedin.com/in/shereathabradford