viii. Bonus: Creating a Great Resume and Cover Letter Deep Dive

Resumes in Detail

As we alluded to before, a resume is a “selfie” for business purposes. It is a written picture of who you are—it’s a marketing tool, a selling tool, and a promotion of you as an ideal candidate for any job you may be interested in. The word resume comes from the French word resume, which means “a summary.” Leonardo da Vinci is credited with writing one of the first known resumes, although it was more of a letter that outlined his credentials for a potential employer, Ludovico Sforza. The resume got da Vinci the job, though, and Sforza became a longtime patron of da Vinci and later commissioned him to paint The Last Supper.

Resumes and cover letters work together to represent you in the brightest light to prospective employers. With a well-composed resume 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 resumes and cover letters as key components of your career development toolkit. We explore some of the many ways you can design and develop them for the greatest impact in your job search.

Purpose and Contents

Your resume is an inventory of your education, work experience, job-related skills, accomplishments, volunteer history, internships, residencies, 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 how well you might contribute to their workplace. As a college student or recent graduate, though, you may be unsure about what to put in your resume, especially if you don’t have much employment history. Still, employers don’t expect recent grads to have significant work experience. It’s all in how you present yourself.

Elements of a Successful Resume

Perhaps the hardest part of writing a resume is figuring out what format to use to organize and present your information in the most effective way. There is no one correct format, but most follow one of the four formats below. Which format appeals to you the most?

• Reverse chronological order: A reverse chronological resume (sometimes also simply called a chronological resume) lists your job experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent job and working backward toward your first job. It includes start/end dates and a brief description of the duties you performed for each job, as well as details of your formal education. This may be the most common and perhaps the most conservative format. It is most suitable for demonstrating a solid work history and growth and development in your skills. It may not suit you 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 Resume Examples
• Functional: A functional resume is organized around your talents, skills, and abilities (more so than work duties and job titles, as with the reverse chronological resume). 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 resume 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, or if you have had an unconventional career path. Functional Resume Examples
• Hybrid: The hybrid, or combination, resume is a format reflecting both the functional and chronological approaches. It highlights relevant skills, but it still provides information about your work experience. You may list your job skills as most prominent and then follow with a chronological (or reverse chronological) list of employers. This format is most effective when your specific skills and job experience need to be emphasized. Hybrid Resume Examples
• Video, infographic, or Website: 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 resume. But the paper-based, traditional resume is by far the most commonly used—in fact, some human resource departments may not permit submission of any format other than paper-based. Video Resume Information; Infographic Resume Information; Website Resume Information

Contents and Structure

For many people, the process of writing a resume is daunting. After all, you are taking a lot of information and condensing it into a very concise form that needs to be both eye-catching and easy to read. Don’t be scared off, though! Developing a good resume can be fun, rewarding, and easier than you think if you follow a few basic guidelines.

Components To Include

• Your contact information
  • Name, address, phone number, professional email address
• A summary of your skills
  • 5–10 skills you have gained in your field
  • You can list hard skills as well as soft skills
• Work experience
  • Include the title of the position, employer’s name, location, employment dates (beginning, ending)
• Volunteer experience
• Education and training
  • Formal and informal experiences matter
  • Include academic degrees, professional development, certificates, internships, etc.
• References statement (optional)
  • “References available upon request” is a standard phrase used on resumes, although it is often implied
• Other sections you can include
  • A job objective, a brief profile, a branding statement, a summary statement, additional accomplishments, and any other related experiences

Caution!!

Although you can benefit from giving your resume 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 discrimination. Here are some tips on what not to include:

• Do not mention your age, gender, height, or weight.
• 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. (I, me).
• Do not include wage/salary expectations.
• Do not use abbreviations.

Resume Resources

One of the best resume resources here at UNO is Career Services. They can help you craft your resume or offer advice on how to improve your current version.

For some additional online resources, check out the websites in the table below.

Photo by University of New Orleans

Writing an Engaging Cover Letter

Cover letters matter. When you have to go through a pile of them, they are probably more important than the resume itself.

A cover letter is a letter of introduction, usually 3–4 paragraphs in length, that you attach to your resume. It’s a way of introducing yourself to a potential employer and explaining why you are interested in and suited for a position. Employers may 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. With each resume you send out, always include a cover letter specifically addressing your purposes.

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
• Present highlights of your skills and accomplishments
• Reflect your genuine interest
• Please the eye and ear

Cover Letter Resources

Just like with resumes, UNO’s Career Services has got your back when it comes to all things cover letters.

For some additional online resources, check out the websites in the table below.

Figure 7 – Online cover letter resources offering samples, writing tips, formatting guidance, and advice.