Resume

The resume provides an opportunity to market yourself and highlight your strengths. The average HR official takes 30 seconds or less to skim through a resume so it is important to present a strong and clean document.

Much of your formatting and enclosed information, depends on the field you want to go into. Consider the following examples when creating your resume.

Resume Examples

Tips and Tools

• Optimal - Starting from scratch? Let Optimal help you format and get your thoughts in order. Simply login to Jacket Jobs, click on the "Additional Resources" tab, register yourself with Optimal, and begin a new resume

• Action Verbs - Market your passed work using key action words and without repeating yourself

• Writing Bullet Statements - Learn how to create concise and strong statements about your past work history

• Section Headers - Resumes aren't all the same - Browse possible section headers to see what your resume might need to include

 Additional Resume Resources

Make Your Fast Food Skills Resume Worthy

Cover Letter

The cover letter is designed to introduce yourself, the position you are applying for, and how you could benefit the company if you were to become a part of it. This could also be a time to present your past accomplishments. However, it is important that this is not a copy of your resume in paragraph form.

• Basic Cover Letter - Most cover letters should include these key points and be formatted in business letter style

• Internship Cover Letter - An internship cover letter should highlight your experience within the employers field, relevant course work, and anything that displays your ability to work effectively within the organization

Thank You Letter

• Thank You Letter - After the interview, it is crucial to thank the employer for the opportunity to meet and speak with them about the organization you would like to be a part of

Video Resources

References

References are requested in order to get a sense of your past experiences and relationships with past supervisors, advisors, co-workers, etc.

• Basic Reference Page - A reference page should include these key points. Be sure to only list the amount of contacts as requested by the employer

• Reference Etiquette - Select your references carefully and make sure their account will be positive. Also, be sure to have back-ups in case your first choices are not able to assist you. Don't forget to thank them!
  

Recommendation Letters

A recommendation is different from references in that instead of a list, this is a written letter proving your previous exemplary work and results from a past professionals point of view. Recommendations may be requested for a job, graduate program, scholarship, etc.

• Advice for Requesting Recommendations - From choosing who to ask to providing the proper information about you to get the best letter possible

Business Cards

The contacts that you make may seem random and not applicable to the professional world waiting outside college, yet you never know which one of the people you meet may become your future mentor, your best friend, or your future employer.

Student life does not ordinarily revolve around business cards, but it is important to start building your personal brand already during your university years. Doing so will get you ahead of the majority of your classmates and will serve you well when the time comes to start applying for that first job.

Business Card Instructions and Etiquette

Portfolio

The portfolio allows you to expand and prove your past experiences with documentation of successful projects, workshops, and more. By utilizing an online portfolio you will be able to share your works with more people and enhance your professional image on the web.

Utilize Career Services' free program, Optimal, to begin creating your personal portfolio. See below for examples and instructions or click on the image to log into Jacket Jobs. Optimal can be found under "Additional Resources."