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Use these documents (available in a  Word document   Download Word documentor a  PDF file  Download PDF file to help organize your Cover Letter and Resume. There are some notes in parenthesis to help you along as well. Your documents do not have to match these; however, your documents should be easy to read with a clear goal, and your resume must be a skills resume.

Remember the goal of an Cover Letter is to persuade the hiring committee to see how the experience on your resume is a great fit for their position, not to "retell" the resume in narrative form. 

Resume Tips

· The summary statement should only be one sentence and reflect the job advertisement (use keywords)

· Use strong action verbs throughout

· Be consistent in your organization

· Create clear headers

· Make sure that the sections are formatted similarly

· Utilize parallel construction for all bulleted lists

· Focus on skills and strengths in the experience section

· Use bullet points throughout

· Proofread

Cover Letter Tips

· State the purpose of you letter first (include the job title and posting number)

· Have a thesis (assert that you are a good fit for this position because of the reasons you are about to discuss)

· Have at least two points of support (two paragraphs) for your assertion (that you are the best fit for the job)

· Strong topic sentences

· Provide  specific examples of a few keys experiences

· Transition smoothly between the two body paragraphs

· Leave contact information and extend an invitation for meeting in last paragraph

· Proofread carefully