Transcript

CV/RESUME AND COVER LETTER WRITING FOR EMPLOYMENT, GRADUATE

SCHOOL, AND FELLOWSHIPS 

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Chapman UniversityArgyros Forum 303

714 997-6942

Presented by: Sharon Mathis-Curd; Career Counselor

Career Development Center

CV/Curriculum Vitae/Vita

Purpose to get you an interview Details all academic credentials and

professional accomplishments Used for seeking academic jobs, research

jobs in government labs, funding (grants or fellowships)

Lengthy Examples

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Resume?

Purpose to get an interview A ”snapshot” of your qualifications One or two pages An “advertisement” Creates a critical “first impression” Can Open doors – only part of the process!

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1st Step- 3 “Rs”

3 Must Knows:

1. What you are “selling” -- your

qualifications

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Take inventory of what YOU offer

Major skills and abilities? Research/lab skills Technical or field-specific skills? Important personal attributes? Working independently/team player Where you have successfully used these

skills, abilities and attributes?

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Take inventory of what YOU offer

Education, Experience, Personal Qualities, Internships

Transferable skills (i.e. communication, analyzing, organizing, problem-solving, planning, presentation)

Accomplishments (i.e. improved, created, built, managed, wrote)

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1st Step- 3 “Rs”

3 Must Knows:

1. What you are “selling” -- your

qualifications

2. For what purpose -- your job objective

3. To whom you are “selling” -- your

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Know Your Market

Research Employers & Jobs

Must be able to identify the industry and employers for whom you would like to work and type of job

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Formatting your ResumeDon’t use templates- not your friend! One chance to make a 1st impression! Scanned for 10-15 seconds – must be attractive Make info easy to find, easy to read Good white space, 1” margins, spacing Don’t crowd Don’t go CRAZY with fonts Be selective with bolding, underlining, avoid italics No erors !! Most important information at the top! Know why you are including information

ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

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Font Size and Type

Font size: between 10 and 12Your name should be LARGEST & at top

Resume Font Type Typically use a readable, bookprint font

Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. Graphic design or advertising employers

might be open to alternative fonts or portfolio

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More on Font TypeWho knew there were so many fonts! Keep to one font type

2 categories:*Serif font and has a tail

Times New Roman, Georgia, Century, Bookman Old Style

*Sans serif fonts do not have tails look like blocks

Arial, Tahoma, Gothic, Lucida Sans

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What Should Be in a Resume

What will get you the job!

Convince them you are the

one!

Be short & sweet!

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Resume Content:

Contact Data Objective Education Experience Activities Awards, Honors MORE…………..

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Contact Data

MANDY MOORE1 Main Street-Orange, CA 92866 (714)555-1111

[email protected]

Professional Email/Phone MessageAddress versus no Address?

Local Address versus Permanent?Many different ways for heading

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Contact Info

JOHN L. SMITH One University Dr. #200 - Orange, CA 92866

(714) 222-2222 [email protected]

JOHN SMITH(714) 222-2222 [email protected]

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Contact Info

Matt Martinez123 Main Street (714) 555-9865Orange, CA 92866 [email protected]

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Matt Martinez123 Main Street-Orange, CA 92866 (714)555-9865 [email protected]

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Objective Statement

Do you need an objective statement?

If not, why? If yes, what?

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EDUCATION

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Chapman University – Orange, CA May 2013B.S. in Economics, May 2006 3.9 GPA

Include: Degree/Major/Minor/Grad Date/Class StandingOptions:All Schools attended? High School? GPA/Honors, Study AbroadCourses/Projects, Thesis

Do they all go under Education? What order?

EDUCATION

Chapman University – Dodge College of Film and Media Arts May 2015BA in Public Relations and Advertising GPA 4.0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------BS in Business Administration – Finance EmphasisChapman University Argyros School of Business and EconomicsMay 2015 (3.7 GPA)

Associates of Sciences Degree in Business Fullerton Junior College Graduated with Honors (May 2013)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------BS in Business Administration – Entrepreneurship Emphasis May 2014Chapman University – Argyros School of Business and EconomicsPresidential Scholarship, Chancellor’s List

Study Abroad: Spain

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Education

STUDY ABROAD/INTERNATIONAL STUDIESCollege International De Cannes – France Dates • Enrolled in intensive French language courses• Traveled throughout France University of Salamanca –Spain Dates

RELEVANT COURSES• History of Film International Marketing• Visual Storytelling, Global Business

Marketing• Film Aesthetics Journalism Theory and

Practice

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EXPERIENCE

Include Employer Name – city, state Dates employed Descriptive job title Can be paid/non paid Projects?

How many do you includeHow do you prioritize

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Describing Experiences(Not Easy!!)

Use phrases not sentences Condense without losing meaning Start with action verbs Use buzz words specific to industry Don’t underestimate what you did! Bullet or paragraph format Must match skill set of what you want

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Bullet Format Examples

Inventoried and stocked all medical supplies; created a more streamlined tracking system

Conducted short and long range investment analyses on NYSE stocks using Lotus

Built loyal clientele of regulars in addition to tourist trade

Managed a $5000 budget

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Finance Intern PAINE WEBBER INCORPORATED, Newport Beach, CA Summer 2012

Assisted financial consultants with prospecting new clients Researched equities and mutual funds Worked independently on statistical and program planning

projects Organized client files and developed client follow up procedures Recognized for being a dedicated and reliable employee

Work Experience Example

Lead Server Watson’s Restaurant-Orange, CA 2012 Present

• Provide exceptional service in fast-paced setting ensuring positive dining experience

• Motivate team to work quickly and efficiently• Plan and coordinate schedules• Train and supervise new staff

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Work Experience Example

No Experience?

Use projects: teams/solo Describe what you did Identify skill sets Consider activities/community service

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RESEARCH

Specific Project/Team/Independent What you did

Design experiments, collect and analyze data Construct stimuli

Lab Skills/Statistical packages: SPSS, SAS, R

Conference Presentations/Publications

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PROJECTS

List team/independent projects Identify relevant skills, use action verbs PR/Ad Campaign, Entertainment Marketing,

Research, Accounting , Production Experience Developed advertising campaign using social

media Created public service campaign Designed press kit

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Leadership/ActivitiesPresident – Sorority 2013 – present

Lead meetings of over 40 members

Increased membership by 15% in one year

Substantially increased number of service hours given by club members

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Awards and Honors

Chancellor’s List Presidential Scholar (highest award for

freshmen) Graduated with Honors Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society (top 25% class) Employee of Month Dean’s List, 4 semesters Basketball Team, Most Valuable Player

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MORE Research Projects Research Skills Lab Skills Publications Manuscripts Conference

Presentations Stat Packages

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More

Professional Affiliations Leadership/Offices held Technical/Computer Skills Languages Community Involvement STUDY ABROAD/international

studies

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What Next? Be sure to have someone proofread your resume for spelling, typos, and grammar Create a visually appealing resume

1” picture frame margin Effective utilization of white space Effective use of boldfacing, italics, caps Placement of headings

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Common Resume Problems Too much – too little!

Vague objective; resume is lacking focus

Typos, grammatical errors

Irrelevant or outdated information

Poor layout

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What Not to Include Date of birth

Marital status

Photograph

Personal data (gender, ethnicity, height, weight, political affiliation, etc.)

Letters of recommendation

Salary History (Unless requested)

“Date-Stamping”

References (Do NOT state: “References Available Upon Request”)

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COVER LETTERS

Individualized to each company What you are applying to and why Pull from resume what is most relevant to

position Put personality into it Wow them!

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Research What they do

Products, services Philosophy Company culture Review web page Search for recent news coverage Use vault.com or wetfeet.com to get insider

views Glasssdoor.com

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Review Job Description

Identify how you fit the job description

Skills, personality, experience, education

Ensure you sell yourself by identifying key points in cover letter

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Cover Letter Parts

Three main paragraphs:1) Why you are writing2) SELL IT: Why you are right for the position3) Summarize

How you learned about the positionReferral, Job Listing

Return Address Date (Inside Address)

Name, Title Company Name Street City, State zip

Dear Internship Coordinator: (Avoid To Whom It May Concern)

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Paragraph 2

Sell yourself – how you meet the qualifications

Use education, experience, personal qualities

Show personality!

Provide evidence of related experiences and accomplishments

Show genuine interest in position & company

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Conclusion: Last Paragraph

Express appreciation to the reader for their time and consideration

Strong conclusion about interest

Sincerely, Name email phone

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Important Tips

Do not include all of your experiences in your cover letter.

Highlight one or two significant and relevant jobs, leadership positions and/or other experiences that relate to the position.

Convince the reader you have exactly what they want by clearly showing how you match requirements.

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More Tips Use active, not passive voice Keep sentences short and succinct Reduce the use of modifiers such as “very” Be clear and direct Write naturally and avoid overly formal words

such as “shall” It may help to dictate your letter or read it

out loud

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