How to write Resume and Cover letter

Resume

The purpose of a resume is to list all your skills and abilities A good resume will get you the job you want Your resume will be read carefully and thoroughly by an interested employer The more good information you present about yourself in your resume, the better If you want a really good resume, have it prepared by a resume service

The purpose of a resume is to kindle employer interest and generate an interview Handreds of thousands of good resumes cross employers desks every working day Your resume has less than ten seconds to make an impression By including too much information, a resume may actually kill the appetite to know more Prepare your resume yourself unless the position youre after is very high-level and you choose the service very carefully

Writing resume and cover letter

Thinking about your career Analyzing what you have to offer Determining what you want Writing a resume Controlling the format and style Tailoring the contents Writing the perfect resume Writing the application letter Writing the first paragraph Summarizing your key selling points Writing the last paragraph Writing the perfect application letter

Thinking about your career

List ten achievements in order of importance Look for a pattern in the skills that contributed to each achievement Ask a friend what you are good at, and compare the answers with your own assessment List your employment qualifications, including education, work and outside activities Ask a friend to list four or five of your most obvious personal traits, and compare the answers with your own assessment List the things you liked best about work youve done before List your interests and hobbies 4

Determining what you want

Determining your functional goals Determining your personal goals Determining your work environment preferences

Writing a resume
Give me a moment of your busy day! Listen to me, Ive got something to say! Show off achievements, attributes, and cumulation of expertise to the best advantage Minimize any possible weaknesses

Donts

Titles Availability Reason for leaving References Salary Abbreviations Jargon Charts and graphs

Mention of age,race,religion,sex, national origin Photographs Health Early background Weaknesses Demands Exaggerations 7

Format and style

Clean paper Margins No corrections Print, not photocopy One-page Correct grammar, spellling and punctuation Simple and direct style Short phrases with action verbs example
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Tailoring the contents

Education

Postsecondary schools Off-campus workshops, seminars and so on High school(only if pertinent) Military service (only if pertinent) Grades?
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Experience

Name and location of employer What the organization does Your functional title How long you worked there Your duties and responsibilities Your significant achievements or contributions
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Accomplishment statement for resume (example)

Improved morale and teamwork Introduced an improved filing system Improved customer service Contributed new ideas Reorganized procedures Solved problems Improved work efficiency Increased sales Reduced overdue accounts Devised new products

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Common mistakes

Too long Too short Hard to read Wordy Too slick Amateurish

Poorly reproduced Misspelled and ungrammatical Boastful. Nonrealistic self-evaluation Dishonest Unusual

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Exercise
Think about yourself What are some things that come easily to you? What do you enjoy doing? In what part of the country would you like to live? Do you like to work indoors? Outdoors? A combination of the two? How much do you like to travel? Do you like to work closely with others or more independently? What conditions make a job unpleasant? Are you better with words or numbers? Better at speaking or writing? Do you like to be motivated by fixed deadlines? Do you like deadlines? How important is job security to you? Do you want your supervisor to state clearly what is expected?

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Appication Letter
A I D A Be yourself but be businesslike too

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First paragraph

Your strongest work skills and how they would help the organization The match between job requirements and your qualifications The name of someone respected by the reader News about the organization that demonstrates your awareness A question that reflects your knowledge of the organizations needs An imaginative catch phrase The source of your knowledge about the job opening 17

Example

When you need a secretary in your export division who can take shorthand at 125 words a minute and can write in English and Spanish - call me When Tatyana Kim of your human resource department spoke to our class last week, she said you often add promising new marketing graduates to your sales staff at this time of year.
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Your key selling points

Summarize qualifications that are directly related to the job Show how you have put your qualifications to use Provide evidence of desirable personal qualities Refer to your resume
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Closing paragraph Always ask for an interview Make an interview easy to arrange

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Checklist for application letters

Attention (Opening paragraph)

summary opening (your strongest qualifications) name opening Source opening Question opening News opening Personalized opening Creative opening Present you job-related qualifications Adopt a mature and businesslike tone

Interest and desire or evidence of qualifications

Link your education, experience, and personal qualities to the job requirements Action

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