Tips for writing a Resume and cover letter

writing a good cv resume and tips for writing a resume for college students and tips for writing a resume with no experience

GargyOrga,France,Teacher

Published Date:16-07-2017

Your Website URL(Optional)

Comment

Guide to Writing Resumes, CVs and Cover Letters Swarthmore College CAREER SERVICES CAREER SERVICES 610.328.8352 careerswarthmore.edu http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/careerservices/resume.pdf 1 THE CONTENT TYPICAL CATEGORIES IDENTIFICATION: Begin your resume with your name, address, telephone number and email address. Most students include a college address and a permanent address. Area codes and zip codes should also be included. Make sure you include a telephone number where you can be reached or where voice mail messages can be left. If you are listing a cell phone number, make sure you have a professional-sounding voicemail greeting rather than a humorous or potentially inappropriate one. EDUCATION: As your education may be your biggest accomplishment thus far, it belongs at the top. You may also include scholarships, honors, or awards related to your education. • GPA – Listing your GPA is optional. The Registrar’s official policy is not to provide GPA or class rank to people outside of the College but in many cases you will be asked to provide it on an application. You may calculate your GPA on your own and list it on your resume. A general rule is if you have a 3.0 or higher, you may want to include it. For more information about GPA and to compute your GPA using a special calculator, visit the Registrar’s website. • Honors – Swarthmore does not award Latin honors (e.g. “cum laude”) so don’t include these on your resume. Our designations are highest honors, high honors or honors. • Courses – In your Education section, you can choose to include a list of some of the courses you have taken. These courses should be tailored to the type of position for which you are applying. If you prefer, “Relevant Coursework” can be listed as a separate section on your resume. • High School: To list or not to list? – If including high school shows a geographic familiarity that may be important to the employer, significant honors, or strengthens the representation of yourself, feel free to include it. For most first-years and sophomores, it is appropriate to include high school and to list activities and awards received during that time. Only include data that is relevant, perhaps choosing just highlights. High school info will be left off your resume as you fill it up with college experiences. EXPERIENCE: You can include any of the work that you have done, including full-time, part-time, paid, volunteer, on-campus, off-campus, community service, summer jobs, internships, externships, college projects, independent research, or anything else that required time, effort, or skill. Do not categorize by full time or volunteer work, rather by skill sets such as Leadership or Research. It does not matter where you got the experience, rather the skills you developed during the work. You are presenting what you can do for the next employer. • Breaking it down: When listing your experience, select a category title that matches the type of job for which you are applying. For example, someone interested in teaching would have a “Teaching Experience” section that would include teaching and tutoring. Guide your reader to see the skills you have that show you can do the job. Title sections by skill sets. You can use titles specific to your background and goals: Communication Experience Editorial Experience Leadership Experience Research Experience Engineering Experience Public Relations Marketing Experience Non-Profit Experience • Not all of your experience needs to be included on your resume. Communicate experiences that are relevant to your goal but try not to have unexplained gaps in time between positions. 2 OPTIONAL CATEGORIES PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: If you belong to professional organizations (either as a student or regular member) or hold professional certificates or licenses, a section on professional affiliations may be useful. Include membership, offices held, and work done for the organization. PUBLICATIONS: If you have published any articles or books, particularly if they relate to the work you are seeking, include a section on publications. Use a standard citation format. Pending publications may also be included. This is a category that is appropriate in a CV. INTERESTS, SKILLS, ACTIVITIES: These sections can highlight particular skills, show a breadth of interests, show your personal characteristics, act as an icebreaker in an interview, and provide common ground between you and the interviewer. These sections will be different for every person, depending on background. Skills: Special skills such as knowledge of languages, computers, public speaking, artistic ability, and any "extras" that may enhance your qualifications for a position Activities: Usually groups with which you may be involved, leadership roles, and volunteer positions, either in or out of college Interests: Usually individual longer-term interests such as music, horseback riding, chess, athletics, reading 18th century novels Before adding any of the above optional categories, ask yourself “do they add value to my resume” CATERGORIES TO AVOID Location Preferences and Availability Dates: These issues are best addressed during the interviewing process. If an employer requests this information as part of an application packet, you should discuss these issues in your cover letter (not in your resume). Salary Requirements: Discussing salary in a job application is unwise. One way to address salary requirements is to add a line to your cover letter such as “My salary requirements are negotiable.” If the employer will not accept applications without a stated salary requirement, talk to a staff member. We can help you find the median salary for the type of position and suggest an appropriate range to list. Personal Information: Use good judgment in supplying personal data. Unless the requested information meets bona fide occupational requirements, is relevant to your objectives, or will otherwise help you in obtaining a job, you are not required to include it, by U.S. law. If you are applying for positions outside the U.S., this information may be an expected and accepted practice in job recruitment. ORGANIZATION of CONTENT When developing your resume and describing your experiences, focus on: • Your highest level of responsibility in the position – limit your description of mundane tasks and instead describe interesting projects or ways you took initiative. • Transferable skills that can be used across industries. These are skills such as leadership or communication. They have value and add to your skills sets as a candidate. • Accomplishments – emphasize ways you made a difference, took initiative, and how your role contributed to the larger goals of the group or organization. Quantify if possible. 3 Three main considerations in developing a resume are content, order, and layout: Content: Assess your interests, skills, competencies, and experiences in light of the career field you seek to enter. In doing this you will make decisions as to what to include and what not to include. Order: The format you choose makes a statement about the importance and relevance of your experiences for the desired position. Entries that appear first and/or take up significant space are perceived as more important than other entries – this should influence your arrangement of items. Layout: You want your resume to be well laid out, understandable, clear, organized, and above all, inviting to read. Employers look over resumes quickly; therefore, you want your qualifications to jump off the page. Your goal is to organize the resume to maximize its clarity, focus, and impact. • Use a 10-12 point font in a style like Arial, Calibri, Geneva, Helvetica or Times New Roman. • Margins – Try to keep about 1” on all sides of the document, but edit to make your resume one page WRITING STYLE Resume language does not follow all the rules of English grammar. Do not write in complete sentences and do not use pronouns, as the subject of your resume is you. Write short, concise, positive, and descriptive phrases about your experiences. Make sure that every item on your resume is presented in the same order and you are consistent in your use of tenses, punctuation, and grammar. Tenses: Be consistent in the tense you use to describe your work. Usually jobs are described in the past tense, active voice (for example, “Coordinated campus event on social justice”). If you are currently working in a position, it is appropriate to use the present tense in describing your responsibilities. Punctuation: Some people follow their job titles with a comma and then the place of employment, while others use a period or a dash. Whatever you use, follow the same form throughout your resume. Skill language: Using action words (e.g., active verbs, adverbs, numbers, statistics, and results) when describing your experiences will aid you in maximizing the impact of your descriptions and creating an active, positive representation of your experience. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER General Guidelines - You are writing a list of accomplishments, not a job description - Use present tense for jobs/positions you still currently hold; use past tense otherwise - If your job title and employer are not readily recognizable, use a bullet point to further describe your role and/or the employer - Quantify where possible - Contextualize processes (e.g. how many team members, whom you reported to) - Specify tools (e.g. computer programs, statistical methods) utilized where possible - Make comparisons where relevant (e.g. your proposal was allocated a budget of X increase over previous year’s budget) - Describe the final outcome of your accomplishment where relevant, even if you are not present for its fruition (e.g. your consolidation of all the files allowed the lab scientists to more readily access information in the research of X) 4 Sample Descriptions • Analyzed 13 competitor companies in Excel using basic accounting methods - Action verb and quantified product, with information on what tools you used, both in terms of a computer program and in terms of utilizing your accounting skills • Presented analysis to Finance Department, which used the data to help build company’s growth strategy - Often contextualization does not fit in one line only, so the first bullet point is further described by the second bullet point above. Here your action is contextualized by the target audience of the thing that you accomplished, and also the final outcome of that accomplishment, even if you yourself didn’t execute the final outcome • Lead team-building activities with other 7 members of Executive Board, drawing from leadership workshops attended previously - Your accomplishments are achieved by the skills you have, and you acquired those skills somewhere. This bullet point not only contextualizes activity with number involved but also explains source of skills. Note that this is in present tense, for a current job. • Secured position through the Awesome Person Fellowship, given to 100 students nationwide who demonstrate leadership in social action - Bullets to further describe your role can be the first bullet point under the job title, but not necessarily. Here you have described how you got the position and how great you are because only 100 students get it and for what reason you got it • Answered calls for Director of office, ensuring efficient and accurate communication of messages - Yes, sometimes you will have to embellish your function a little bit. But even in this instance, you aren’t just answering calls at a desk, you’re answering calls for an ultimate purpose – which is not lying, either. No lying • Coordinated 5 events in a week for Heritage Week, meeting with administration to ensure space reservation and adequate publicity - Quantifying doesn’t just mean raw numbers, but what statisticians would call efficiency numbers too. How many things in how much time is conveyed here, plus what exactly “coordinated” means; often the initial action verb needs a bit more description, which in this case means coordinated with administration for space and advertising, FEDERAL RESUMES Federal resumes are generally lengthier than their private sector counterparts, and can range from one to five pages. Applicants create their resumes with the USAJOBS Resume Builder, on the USAJobs.gov website, by completing the questions in the template. Applicants are asked to submit all required information and the answers must be highly structured with specific data. Be advised that excluding this information may mean that the resume will not be considered. When filing out a Profile, the information must be specific. In the education section, specify the major subjects and the total credits earned for each diploma/degree awarded. If your education does not meet the qualifications, work experience may be an appropriate substitute. Make sure to mention language proficiencies and work/educational experiences abroad if applicable. Related qualifications and concrete examples of their similarity to the job listing (e.g. using SPSS to analyze data), along with listings of memberships and awards can also strengthen your resume. 5 Once all sections have been completed, a Federal Resume is generated that can be submitted to employers. USAJOBS.gov allows job seekers to create up to five federal resumes, each of which can be tailored to a different federal position. For more information on applying to Federal Jobs and Application Tips, please see our Government Handout and the sample federal resume in this packet. ALUMNI RESUMES The alumni resume still follows the same rules as a student resume. Make sure you put it all together, highlighting skills, accomplishments and ultimate levels of responsibility. You can be creative in how you showcase your talents, but it should still be professional and easily read. A Professional Highlights or Qualifications Summary section at the beginning of your resume will help guide the reader through your career path. These are short, dynamic, descriptive sentences that give an enticing beginning to your resume. For example: 20 years of financial services experience or Strong Communication and Leadership skills. Now that you have professional work experience, it is time to pick and choose from your experiences to make the best targeted resume you can. That means not every experience or accomplishment is going to add value to your resume. The ultimate goal is to communicate the skill sets for your desired job. Even the most seasoned professional can have a concise resume that emphasizes skills for a potential position. Career changers or those coming back to the workforce after time off may find that they need to emphasize skill sets more than work history. This functional approach to resume writing emphasizes the skill sets that the desired job will require. A work or project history can be added in the resume to show where the skills were acquired. Make sure to identify your transferable skills and know your desired industry’s keywords. You want to make these fit together. If you are returning to the workforce, include any volunteer work done during your paid work hiatus. 6 Use the following list of ACTION VERBS to help generate ways to list your experiences on your resume. Original List from “The Damn Good Resume Guide” Management Technical Research Teaching administered assembled clarified adapted analyzed built collected advised calculated clarified assigned critiqued attained computed diagnosed coached chaired designed evaluated communicated contracted devised examined coordinated delegated engineered extracted demystified developed fabricated identified developed directed maintained inspected enabled evaluated operated interpreted encouraged executed overhauled interviewed evaluated improved programmed investigated explained remodeled facilitated increased organized organized repaired reviewed guided oversaw solved summarized informed upgraded instructed planned surveyed prioritized systematized mentored produced Financial persuaded recommended administered Creative set goals reviewed stimulated allocated acted scheduled analyzed trained conceptualized strengthened appraised created audited customized Communication Administrative balanced designed addressed approved budgeted developed arbitrated arranged calculated directed arranged catalogued computed established authored classified developed fashioned collaborated compiled forecasted founded convinced dispatched managed illustrated corresponded executed marketed initiated developed generated projected integrated directed implemented researched introduced drafted inspected edited invented monitored Helping originated enlisted operated assessed performed formulated organized assisted planned influenced prepared clarified revitalized interpreted processed coached shaped lectured purchased counseled mediated recorded Accomplishment moderated demonstrated retrieved diagnosed achieved negotiated screened educated expanded persuaded specified promoted expedited improved tabulated facilitated pioneered publicized validated familiarized reduced (losses) reconciled spoke guided resolved motivated translated restored rehabilitated spearheaded wrote represented transformed 7 LIBERAL ARTS and the WORLD of WORK Understanding the relationship between a liberal arts education and the world of work may provide you with valuable insight as you consider the purpose and focus of your resume. Mary J. Hicks, Stephen Koller, and Nancy Tellett-Royce, in Liberal Arts Students and Their Skills, list the following skills that liberal arts students may develop as a result of personal experience and a liberal arts education. Design and Planning Research and Investigation • Initiating projects or ideas • Mediating, negotiating, and taking risks • Identifying problems and needs • Using a variety of sources of information • Making and keeping schedules • Applying appropriate methods to test the • Identifying priorities, parameters, and alternative validity of data courses of action • Designing an experiment, plan, or model • Setting realistic goals that systematically defines a problem • Implementing ideas • Identifying information sources • Visualizing spatial relationships appropriate to special needs or problems • Illustrating, displaying, and creating two- and • Formulating questions to clarify a three- dimensional images particular problem or issue • Following through with a plan or decision • Analyzing the interrelationship of events • Managing time, energy, and resources effectively and ideas from several perspectives • Predicting and evaluating future trends and • Using systems-analysis and lab techniques patterns Management/Leadership Interpersonal/Communication • Using tact, diplomacy, and discretion • Speaking effectively to individuals and • Interacting effectively with others groups • Motivating and leading others • Using media formats to present ideas • Accepting and learning from negative feedback creatively and effectively • Maintaining group cooperation • Using argumentation techniques to • Organizing people and tasks to achieve specific persuade goals • Teaching a skill, concept, or principle to • Identifying critical issues and making decisions others quickly and accurately • Describing objects or events factually • Identifying people who can contribute to a task • Demonstrating premises and reasoning to or the solution of a problem their conclusions • Analyzing the behavior of self and others • Interviewing • Making commitments and following through • Coordinating or directing others in a • Keeping a group on track and moving toward a group presentation or performance common goal • Writing factual material clearly and concisely • Translating written materials Information Management • Critiquing, editing, and proofreading • Sorting data and objects; Cataloging • Using creative writing techniques information • Compiling and selecting information • Manipulating information using expertise in a Human Relations specific body of knowledge • Listening objectively • Understanding and using organizing principles • Expressing needs, wants, opinions, and • Evaluating information against appropriate feelings without violating others' rights standards • Communicating value judgments effectively • Understanding the feelings of others RESUME vs. CV: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE A resume is an advertisement of who you are in terms of your competencies, accomplishments, and future capabilities. The purpose of a resume is to motivate an employer to interview you. It should work in unison with a cover letter to emphasize your strengths and document your skills. Resumes are appropriate to submit for most positions in fields like business and public service. A resume must have a clean, concise, organized, and professional appearance. It should be easy to scan and key information should stand out. A resume should be one page - a general rule to follow is no more than one page for every ten years of experience. In the U.S., a curriculum vitae (or CV, vita, vitae) is a summary of the relevant information from your educational and work experience and is usually required for positions within an academic setting (i.e., research, teaching assistant, lab manager). The CV has a similar format to a resume but includes additional categories which reflect academic experiences related to the position. CVs tend to be longer than resumes since they can include categories such as publications, lectures, and more. You should organize the format of your CV by placing the most relevant categories first. In other countries, a CV is very similar to a traditional resume and companies from various fields request them. International CVs tend to list information that U.S. employers are legally not allowed to ask candidates, such as marital status, date of birth, ethnic background, and more. International CVs also tend to be a few pages rather than the standard one page U.S. resume. Be sure to check out The Global Resume and CV Guide in the Career Library, with international CV examples. CREATING A CURRICULUM VITAE If you are applying to graduate school or for an academic position (for example, a research assistant), a CV may be a more appropriate document than a resume. Even if a graduate school does not specifically ask for a CV, you can submit one with your other application materials. As noted earlier, a CV lists more academic information and tends to be more than one page long. Category Titles: In addition to traditional categories like Education and Experience, CVs can contain numerous other categories so make sure to choose ones that best highlight your work. Here are some examples of CV categories: Publications Presentations & Lectures Committee Appointments Honors & Awards Professional Associations Research Interests Teaching Experience Community Service Foreign Study Research Experience Licensure Grants For detailed information on developing a CV, visit the career library and check out How to Prepare Your Curriculum Vitae by Acy L. Jackson. Also, if you are considering an international position, be sure to check out our book in the career library called The Global Resume and CV Guide - it has important information and examples for countries around the world. 9 COVER LETTERS A cover letter is a tool that is used to introduce yourself to potential employers, showing how your skills meet their job needs. A well-written cover letter connects your qualifications to a specific job with a prospective employer. Keep in mind that your cover letter will be looked upon as a sample of the quality of your work. NOTE: You CANNOT write a generic cover letter to send to all companies. They must be written specifically addressing the employer’s job description. There are certain characteristics that are common to all types of cover letters. Each effective cover letter: 1) is personalized and written to serve a specific purpose 2) directs the reader's attention to the depth of your experiences as they relate to the organization and the job at hand 3) opens lines of communication between the writer and the recipient 4) has a positive tone FORMAT: They should be concise, one page, with relatively short paragraphs. This letter includes the format you have used for most papers meaning, introduction, body and conclusion. Intro: This shows how excited you are about this position and working for this particular organization. Indicate that you know something specific about their organization. Mention how you found the job and if you happen to have a connection to the organization, such as an alum or recent grad who works there. Then indicate what you’ll be talking about in the body of the letter, meaning your specific skills that meet their needs. Body: The body is 2 or 3 small paragraphs addressing qualifications found in their job description. Each body paragraph addresses a specific job qualification. You’ll give examples of where you developed the skills that meet their needs. For example, if they are looking for someone with excellent quantitative skills write about where you developed your quant skills in class and on a job or doing research. You are showing them that you have what it takes to do their job. Conclusion: Reiterate how your education and experience are a fit for the job. Tell them you look forward to discussing the job and your background further and thank them for their time and consideration. Letters should be addressed to an individual using the correct title or full name: Dear Senator Gray, Dear Dr. Black, Dear Ms. White, or Dear Amber Green. (Your address followed by the date) (Your address followed by the date) Ms. Amber Green, District Attorney Mr. John Black, Vice President of Marketing District Attorney's Office DLJ Marketing Consultants City of Philadelphia One Plaza Place Philadelphia, PA 19013 New York, NY 10090 Dear Ms. Green: Dear John Black: 10 Writing Style and Focus: Effective cover letters utilize business language, the hallmarks of which are concreteness, clarity, and conciseness. Some specific points to remember are: 1) Demonstrate your interest in their organization. Rather than saying “I am interested in the legal field because I think it is intellectually stimulating,” explain why you want to work specifically for that organization. 2) Keep your sentences short. 3) Use the active voice. 4) Use descriptive and strong words. "As a consulting intern with , I developed effective research and analytical skills as well as the ability to meet deadlines under pressure." 5) Use short paragraphs, especially at the beginning and end of the letters. Generally a cover letter will have no more than three or four paragraphs with three to seven sentences in each. Usually the first and last paragraphs are shorter than those in the middle. 6) Give specific, concrete examples that relate to their job requirements. I have had a long-standing interest in creative writing, and have written several plays that have been produced by theater groups here at Swarthmore. I am both proud and pleased that they received rave reviews from the campus newspaper. One play, "Swarthmore Vice," was deemed the most innovative, irreverent review of campus life this decade In addition, I have gained broad exposure to film-making from working as a Production Assistant for PennVisions, a local company that produces promotional videos for area businesses. 7) Focus on how you meet their needs rather than on what the employer has to offer you. 11 How to Match Your Cover Letter to the Job Description Sample Job Description: Council on Foreign Relations: Research Associate, Asia Studies The Council's Studies Program is one of the country's largest foreign policy think tanks with a widely respected and influential research staff. The Studies Program's aim is to advance the discussion of American foreign policy and international affairs through its writing, publications, public outreach, and discussions. Major responsibilities for the Research Associate include: • Researching specific areas as requested by the Fellow. Tracking news and data sources on China's economic and political developments, as well as issues related to U.S.-China relations, energy and environment, and Asian regional security concerns. • Assisting with writing assignments, including articles, book chapters, presentations, research briefs, and business writing • Managing budgets, including preparing budgets and tracking monthly statements, monitoring grant information, and preparing vouchers for reimbursement • Coordinating events, including arranging mailings, preparing invitations, travel arrangements, scheduling, corresponding with speakers and presiders, helping to prepare background papers and materials for distribution, and providing other logistical support • Providing administrative support to the Fellow, including answering telephones, arranging travel for speaking engagements, handling correspondence, filing, and responding to requests for information Preferred Qualifications: • BA in international relations or Asia studies • Strong command of Mandarin (reading) • Excellent English language verbal and written communication skills • Strong research, proofreading, and editing skills • Proficiency in MS Word, Excel and Email, including advanced functions such as mail merge • Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work under tight deadlines • Experience with blogs a plus • 1-2 years related internship, administrative and/or research experience 12 Matching Cover Letter: April 25, 2014 Mr. Jeffrey Jones, Recruiting Manager Council on Foreign Relations 58 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065 Dear Mr. Jones: I write to apply for the Research Associate position in the Asia Studies program at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). I have read and cited many publications by the program director Dr. Elizabeth Economy. With a profound interest in the Chinese political economy and US-China relations, I believe that working as a Research Associate in CFR’s Asia Studies program would be a very rewarding next step. My research and writing experiences have prepared me thoroughly for the research that is central to this position. As a political science and environmental studies student in the Honors Program at Swarthmore College, I am skilled at conducting research using various kinds of digital databases as well as written texts. For an honors seminar on comparative Chinese politics, I wrote a research paper on China’s state interests and historical lessons as shaping forces of Chinese foreign policy. This piece of work has been accepted for publication by both the Journal of Undergraduate International Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Sigma Iota Rho Journal of International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania. During my research internship with the Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF) program at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), I worked on several security-related research projects that involved research in digital databases and libraries, interviewing scholars and journalists, and attending relevant policy events in order to produce reports on U.S.-Australia joint military facilities in Australia, Taiwan’s military spending, and U.S. bases in Japan. My work on these projects acquainted me with aspects of conducting research in a professional environment; it spurred my interest in working at a research-oriented think tank. Organizing workshops, speaker events, and conferences has sharpened my organization, communications, and interpersonal skills. During my 2012 summer internship with the US-China Energy Cooperation Program in Beijing, I acted as a liaison among the U.S. agencies and their Chinese counterparts in organizing two U.S.- China high-level energy forums in Beijing. I not only gained more insight into Sino-American government relations and large-scale event planning from this experience, but also improved my ability to multi-task, prioritize and re-prioritize my tasks constantly, and to pay close attention to details. This experience bore fruit in my subsequent internship with the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program. Program Director James McGann appointed me to head the Program’s China project. As the project lead, I used my knowledge of conference planning to work with other team members to put together a full agenda of a conference on Chinese think tanks in Beijing in October 2013. My research, writing, organization, and administrative experiences have prepared me for the responsibilities of a Research Associate at CFR. With a keen interest in the Asia-Pacific region and China in particular, I believe that working at CFR will be a truly enriching and growth-filled next step before starting my graduate school education in government or international relations. In the meantime, I hope to contribute my previous research and event management experiences to the research and administrative work at CFR. Thank you very much for your consideration; I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Alice Paul Alice Paul 13 REFERENCES Type your references on a separate sheet of paper with your resume header (name and contact information) at the top. You will present the reference when asked, but you need not note this on the resume. Speak to someone in Career Services about setting up a credentials file to manage your reference letters and see the end of this handout for an example of a reference list. SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION Email • Most organizations request that you submit documents electronically. Make sure the subject line of your email is specific (for example, Applicant for Assistant Editor Position) rather than vague or blank. If the employer specifies a preference about how they would like to receive electronic files, follow their wishes. If an employer does not specify a preference, you can attach your resume or CV as a PDF. • When submitting a cover letter, you can either paste it into the body of the email (remove the address/date section at the top and start with Dear Mr./Ms. name here or you can attach the cover letter. If you choose to attach the cover letter, write a brief email that describes why you are writing and what’s attached. Here is an example: Dear Ms. Jones: I am writing to apply for the Assistant Editor position recently posted on your website. This May, I will graduate from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in English and I have had several editorial internships. I have attached a cover letter and resume providing more details about my experience. Thank you and I hope to speak with you soon. • Organizations often require you to submit an online application form that may ask for a resume. Formatting elements such as bullets and italics will not transfer. You can create a plain text version of your resume or CV by using capital letters for each section heading and dashes or asterisks instead of bullets, then copy and paste into the application text boxes or attach to emails as needed. • Send a few practice emails to yourself and friends with your resume or CV attached. This allows you to make changes and to ensure that employers view your document exactly as you created it. Fax • If an organization lists a fax number, you can submit your resume or CV through this method. Create a cover sheet for your document. Career Services has a fax machine you can use. • Call to make sure that the organization received your fax. Mail • Print your resume and cover letter on white or cream bond paper (heavier weight, often cotton). Make sure the printer you are using prints cleanly without making lines or spots on your document. Career Services has resume paper and a printer for your use. • Send the employer(s) your documents in an envelope that matches your resume or in a mailer that keeps your documents flat. Try to send the resume to a specific person rather than to a department (for example, Ms. Sally Smith instead of just Human Resources). 14 THANK YOU NOTES/LETTERS Follow-up thank-you letters should be sent to each interviewer, thanking him/her for his/her time and consideration. Try to reference a key point of the interview conversation to remind them of your specific qualifications. All follow-up thank-you letters should be short, concise, and positive. Use a format similar to a cover letter (person’s address, Dear Mr./Ms/ X., etc.). Here is an example of the body of a thank-you letter: Thank you very much for interviewing me yesterday for the Analyst position. I enjoyed meeting you and learning more about your organization. Our conversation about the impact of new financial modeling theories further heightened my interest in the position. Through my experience and education, I have developed skills that will enable me to make a strong contribution to your organization as an Analyst. I am particularly interested in applying my financial modeling experience gained during my summer internship at XYZ Bank. Please let me know if you would like me to provide any additional information about my background. Again, thank you for the interview and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Your thank-you note also provides an opportunity to mention something specific you learned about the organization or something about your background you forgot to share in the interview. Personalizing the letter and demonstrating your enthusiasm and sincere interest in the position will make you stand out as a candidate. Sending the thank-you letter: In today’s world, email is a very common means of communication. Within 24 hours of your interview, you should email your thank-you note to each person with whom you interviewed. In addition, you could send a more formal thank-you letter to your potential direct supervisor which should be typed on resume paper with your signature and sent via the US Mail. Save hand-written correspondence for a personal or less-formal relationship, with one exception: heads of independent schools are more likely to read a hand-written letter (but it should still be worded formally). The following pages contain sample resumes and cover letters. Feel free to follow any of these examples in creating your own resume and/or cover letter. 15 Frank Firstyear College Address  Swarthmore College  500 College Avenue  Swarthmore, PA 19081  (610) 555-5555 Permanent Address  1234 Winding Way  Atlanta, GA  ffirsty1swarthmore.edu Education Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Candidate for Bachelor of Arts with an anticipated major in Economics and Philosophy, May 2017 Penncrest High School, Atlanta, GA Graduated with high honors, June 2013 GPA: 3.85 National Merit Scholar Work Experience Tutor, Dare 2 Soar, Chester, PA January 2014 – present • Tutor second-grade students from an under-resourced community in math and science subjects • Actively engage students by designing creative lesson plans and working collaboratively with parents Tour Guide, Swarthmore College Admissions Office, Swarthmore, PA September 2013 – present • Lead guided tours for prospective students and families visiting campus • Quickly develop a strong rapport with tour members to gauge their interests and tailor the tour accordingly • Successfully balance a rigorous academic course load while working 15 hours per week Private Piano Teacher, Smith Valley Music Program, Atlanta, GA July 2010 – July 2013 • Taught beginner and intermediate lessons to 5 students on a weekly basis • Initiated, organized and launched an annual piano recital for students to showcase their accomplishments for family and friends; developed related fundraising campaign successful in generating 25,000 in scholarships Extracurricular Activities and Awards Participant, Tri-College Institute at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA August 2013 • Selected as one of thirty student participants in a week-long discourse on diversity and inclusion • Attended seminars on Race, Class and Gender and led discussions within small groups Captain, Penncrest High School Science Team, Atlanta, GA September 2011 – June 2013 • Led the team to place in the top two of the East Coast Science League • Organized weekly meetings and practice schedule for competitions Skills and Interests Computer: Proficient in MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word Languages: Fluent in Spanish; Basic knowledge of Russian Interest and Activities: a capella group, Debate Society, traveling, video game design and development 16 Janelle Wharton 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore PA 19081 jwharto1swarthmore.edu (610) 328-8352 Education Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, June 2015 Overall GPA: 3.2, Policy GPA: 3.6 John Jay High School, New York, NY International Baccalaureate Diploma, May 2011 • Valedictorian. GPA: 4.0/4.0 • National Merit Scholar and Presidential Scholar Semifinalist • SAT: Verbal: 800 Math: 770 Writing: 720 Research Experience Developmental Economics, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Jan. 2014-present • Perform regressions of GDP data on several different poverty indicators for 25 countries using STATA. • Write scripts in STATA to change variables and perform a series of multivariable regressions to provide quantitative evidence for a critique of an academic research paper. Educational Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Sept. 2013-Dec. 2013 • Evaluated the effectiveness of the Gateways Program (an alternative classroom in Radnor, PA) and suggested improvements. • Collected data by surveying 40 students and interviewing 8 students. Coded qualitative data for analysis. • Used SPSS to perform statistical analyses of data and prepare graphics. • Prepared a 60-page written report of findings; wrote and presented a summary for the school. Research Assistant, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Jan. 2013-Aug. 2013 • Analyzed impact of pesticides on soil bacteria with applications for agribusiness. • Designed experimental protocols, performed experiments, analyzed data in Microsoft Excel. • Prepared charts, graphs, a written analysis, and a poster of findings and presented conclusions at a research conference. Intern, Ion Field Systems, Wilmington, DE June 2012-Aug. 2012 • Served as an assistant at a scientific instrumentation start-up company. • Performed experiments to optimize the company’s product, wrote company reports on findings and presented results to marketing and scientific representatives and the venture capitalist funding the company. • Analyzed whether it was cost-effective for the lab to get new equipment. • Honed ability to work on multiple projects at once, and had the opportunity to help make decisions to optimize the performance of a small company. Leadership Experience Resident Assistant, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Aug. 2013-present • Provide conflict resolution and support for a hall of thirty six students. Intervene in crisis situations. • Learned how to work collaboratively with administrators and other RAs. Student Academic Mentor, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Aug. 2012-Aug. 2013 • Served as a residential mentor for eighty students, assisted students with time management and supported students who were struggling to adjust to college. • Developed an ability to manage time effectively, making helping people and finishing work a priority. Program Cabin Staff, Double H Ranch, Lake Luzerne, NY June 2010-Aug. 2011 • Served as a teacher and counselor at a residential camp for children with life threatening illnesses. 17 Dana Willets College Address  Swarthmore College  500 College Avenue  Swarthmore, PA 19081  (610) 980-5674 Permanent Address  1435 Windstrom Way  Atlanta, GA  dwillet1swarthmore.edu Education Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Candidate for Bachelor of Arts Honors Program, June 2016. Honors Major in Economics. Honors Minor in Asian Studies. Course minor in Chinese. GPA: 3.1. Raffles Junior College, Singapore Graduated 2012. GPA: 4.0. Recipient of Shaw Foundation Scholarship 2011 & 2012. Recipient of Commendation Award. National Youth Science Festival- Gold. SAT I score: Math 800, Verbal 730. President of Chorale. Financial Experience Summer Analyst, Credit Suisse, Singapore Jun. to Aug. 2013 -Worked in both the Fixed Income Structuring and Investment Banking Divisions. -Participated in the full process of structuring a deal in the Indonesian oleochemical industry, from initial client conference to research, analysis and documentation. -Compiled a comprehensive structured credit derivatives products presentation template. -Researched and prepared company profiles and informational memoranda. Member, Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, Swarthmore College Jan. to May 2013 -Appointed to serve on committee which includes faculty and administration. -Conducted research for voting recommendations on shareholder resolution issues and filed shareholder resolutions. -Networked with other SRI committees from other colleges and assisted in establishing instructional website. Mentoring Experience Teaching Assistant, Economics Department, Swarthmore College Jan. 2014 to present -Conduct walk-in clinics and grade problem sets for Introductory Economics, Intermediate Macroeconomics and Intermediate Microeconomics. Chinese Tutor, Academic Services, Swarthmore College Aug. 2012 to Jan. 2013 -Instruct students on reading, writing and speaking Mandarin. Intern, AACE Upward Bound, San Francisco, CA Jun. to Aug. 2012 -Received Lang Foundation Summer Social Action Award to work for academic mentorship program. -Assisted in organization of residential program and provided individual tutoring. Intern, Cutting-Edge Learning Services, Singapore May to Aug. 2011 -Co-designed and executed workshop to teach economic literacy to students. -Managed initial stages of sales and marketing for the company. Leadership Resident Advisor, Office of Residential Life, Swarthmore College Aug. 2013 to present -Counsel and advise 26 students on residence life issues such as roommate conflicts. -Serve as liaison between students and administration. -Coordinate residence hall-wide events for community building. Campus Life Representative, Student Council, Swarthmore College Dec. 2013 to present - Facilitate student-administration dialogue via meetings with administration to address student concerns. - Appoint members to campus committees and charter groups. Public Relations Officer, International Club, Swarthmore College Aug. 2012 to May 2013 -Organized faculty dinner for 180 guests. -Managed publicity for International Week, formals, social functions and other events. Skills and Interests -Computer: Proficient in MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word; Thompson Database, Factiva and Bloomberg. -Languages: Fluent in English and Mandarin. Basic Spanish. 18 Jeeyong Kim College Address: 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081 (610) 328-8352 Permanent Address: 34 Old Well Road, St. Louis, MO 54539 (213) 555-5555 Email: jkim1swarthmore.edu Education Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA • Bachelor of Science in Engineering, May 2015. Overall: 3.28 GPA. Major: 3.46 GPA. • Honors & Scholarships: Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society; The Society of American Military Engineers H. Chandlee Turner, Jr.; T.H. Dudley Perkins; Vaughan-Berry. • Coursework: Differential Equations, Digital Systems, Control Theory, Digital Signal Processing, Analog Circuits, Electromagnetic Theory, VLSI Design, Communication Systems. Guilford High School, Rockford, IL • Graduated Valedictorian, June 2011. 4.00 / 4.00 GPA. • Varsity Tennis Team Captain. Illinois First-Team All-State Tennis. Research Experience Electrical Engineering Research Experience for Undergraduates, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (Summer 2013) • Developed iron (III) oxide nanostructures for solar generation of hydrogen by water photolysis. • Fabricated nanostructures by potentiostatic anodization and thermal annealing of pure iron foils. • Investigated properties of nanostructures by electron microscopy and photoelectrochemical analysis. • Authored paper for publication into an annual research journal, The Journal of Nanostructure Anamolies. • Sponsored by the National Science Foundation. BioMEMS Summer Institute, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ (Summer 2012) • Designed blood viscosity MEMS sensor using silicon microcantilevers and piezoelectric crystals. • Determined dimensional aspects of microcantilevers for effective device sensitivity. • Gained cleanroom experience with silicon wafer fabrication and photolithography processes. • Sponsored by the National Institute of Health and National Science Foundation. Teaching Experience Student Technical Support Associate, Swarthmore College IT Services (Fall 2011-Present) • Troubleshoot software and hardware problems for college faculty and staff. • Assist in the day-to-day support and maintenance of college network. • Balance a rigorous course load with 10-20 hours of employment per week. Academic Instructor, Laurus Education Center, Seoul, South Korea (Winter break 2011-12) • Instructed high school and standardized exam (SAT I, SAT II, AP) related math and physics courses. • Provided assistance and consulting for students on college/boarding school admissions, applications, and essays. Leadership & Community Service • Captain of Varsity Tennis Team: 3 singles and 1 doubles for nationally ranked Division III college. • President and Cofounder of Swarthmore Korean/Korean-American Student Organization: Han. • Radio Rock/Talk Show Host: Broken Muffler. Swarthmore College Student Radio 91.5 WSRN. • Hold free weekly community tennis clinics for children of Chester, PA. • Volunteer for engineering outreach program for junior high students in Chester, PA. Skills & Interests • Operating Systems: Linux, UNIX, Solaris, Mac OS 9 +, Win 9.x +. • C/C++, Java, LISP, Visual Basic, HTML, MATLAB, VHDL, SPICE, Excel, PowerPoint. • Languages: Proficient in Korean. Four years of Latin. • Guitarist, Intramural Basketball, Bowling Club, Poker. 19 Antônio José Parrish Permanent Address: SHIS QI 44 – Conjunto 99 – Casa 22, Lago Sul – Brasília – DFBrazil 71.88-5555 College Address: 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore PA USA 19081 Phone: (555) 222-6121 (cell phone) E-mail: antoni0gmail.net Education Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA B.A. in Computer Science and Economics (Honors), May 2014 GPA: 3.85 Relevant Coursework: Intro to Computer Science, Data Structures and Algorithms , Structure and Interpretation of Computer Languages, Intro to Econometrics, Single and Multi Variable Calculus, Honors Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics ( denotes lab component) American School of Brasilia (ASB), Brasilia, Brazil Jan. 2007- May 2010 GPA: 3.86 Graduated May 2010, GPA 3.86 Student Council President, 2008-09 / Class President 2008-10 Economics Research Wharton Business School/ Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics Summer Undergraduate Research Program, Philadelphia, PA May-Aug. 2013 Worked full-time on two health economics research projects:  Variation in Physician Treatment Styles for Pelvic Organ Prolapse with Andrew Epstein, Ph.D. Determined the variability in choice of procedure between gynecologists and verified the existence of styles of treatment in Pelvic Organ Prolapse. Writing a manuscript, as co-author, to be published. Performed extensive analysis on STATA , including several econometric tests. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ-tQktIDfw&feature=youtu.be) (2 minute clip)  Designing a Patient-Centered EMS System: Barriers and Opportunities with Brendan Carr, MD. Examined how EMS systems could be redesigned to decrease volume of Emergency Department patients and increase industry profits. Gave presentation to a committee Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. Wrote a policy brief explaining issue. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdhFgdxNtbo&feature=youtu.be) (2 minute clip) Technical Proficiency  Programming Languages: Python, C++, Scheme/Racket, Javascript, OCaml, HTML, Ruby,Visual Basic  Member of Swarthmore's ACM Programming Competition Team  Systems/Software: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access; Visual Basic; ArcGIS; STATA; Mathematica; Unix/Linux; Microsoft Windows; Apple Mac OS X  Top Programming Projects: Browser with search functionality for CS Department pages, Scheme language interpreter Internships Financial Analysis Intern, CDL Engineering Firm, Brasilia, Brazil Jun. - Aug. 2012  Prepared spreadsheets with bidding proposals for electric systems of large infrastructure projects, including bridges, subways and highways.  Helped budget raw material costs, engineers’ and workers’ wages, taxes, profit, etc. and presented reports for these projects. Credit Intern, Banco Safra (Safra Group), Brasilia, Brazil Dec. 2011 – Jan. 2012  Worked with credit analysis, reporting overdue fees in mortgage financing and car leasing. Language Mastery English: Fluent, first language; Portuguese: Fluent, first language; French: Fluent, equivalent of 9 semesters of studies – Alliance Française Brasília; German: Proficient; certified by Goethe-Institut; Spanish: Working knowledge 20

Advise: Why You Wasting Money in Costly SEO Tools, Use World's Best Free SEO Tool Ubersuggest.