Technical writing

English 2311 – Resume / Cover Letter Tips and Tricks

A lot of people have their own preferences for resumes and cover letters. I’m offering you the information below as a sort of general guideline to go by, but keep in mind that some people’s opinions can differ, so understand that some of these things can be flexible. However, they are typically considered “best practices” for having strong application materials.

Resume:

· There is a lot of conversation about the length of the resume. If you are a younger person, with less work history, you probably want to keep your resume to a page. If you are someone who has been in the professional world for a while, it is fine to have a two page resume. However, whatever length you have, use the space to your advantage – don’t ramble.

· One guideline to keep in mind is that an employer will spend about 30 seconds looking over your resume. You want to use headings, bolding, italics, etc. to make your information jump off the page and the resume easy to read.

· You no longer want to use the “Objective” section. Previously, the applicant had the upper hand and could share what he/she was looking for. However, the job market is tough now, so the employer has his or her pick of many applicants. If you want to use something across the top, use a “Profile” or “Headline,” which is a short sentence describing your skills, typically in sentence fragments. Example: “Organized, personable medical-assistant. Excellent at streamlining office procedures and working in a team.”

· You may have seen some comments about the placement of your education on a resume. Some will say it should not be at the top of your resume, but if you are a recent graduate, just starting out in the professional world, you should list it at the top. Additionally, if your degree is required for the job, list it first, so the employer knows you’re qualified. If you have been working in the field for a while, the education can come at the end of the resume.

· Once you have information to list for a college education, you should no longer list your high school educational info. Unless you went to some sort of specialized school that will make you look like a better candidate for the job, this info is not needed.

· Be careful with listing your college experience. If you have gone to more than three colleges in pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree, this might not come across well on a resume. Be strategic about what you list. Similarly, if it has taken you more than three years to graduate from a 2-year college, you may not want to list the date you started, but just put your graduation date instead. There are completely legitimate reasons why it might take you a while to finish, but an employer doesn’t know that upon first glance.

· You should not include your references on your actual resume, nor should you have a line that states “References available upon request.” It is well understood that you can provide references if needed. I do recommend keeping a separate document with information for your references, just in case you need it. Do be sure that all of the people listed are always willing to serve as a reference, though.

· Do not include a “Special Skills” section or something similar unless you really do have important skills that need to be highlighted. Do NOT list Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.) as a special skill, as most employers would just expect you to have these skills. A good example of what might go in the skills section would be if you were going into nursing and you had done specific things during your clinicals or during a volunteer position (taking blood, CPR training, etc.)

Formatting the resume:

· Please do NOT use the templates from MS Word – make your own resume from scratch. You can play with lines, bullet points and lists to get things to fit on the page.

· In MS Word, on the “Home” tab, you can see the “Paragraph” area. Turn on the button that looks like a paragraph sign. This will show you all the spaces, enters, tabs, etc. so you can work on formatting. These marks don’t print and you can turn them back off by re-clicking the button. This is important for understanding spacing, etc.

· The latest versions of MS Word are adding an extra space between paragraphs. Get rid of this by highlighting ALL of your page and then going to the “Paragraph” section (either right click and choose it from the list, or go to the area in the “Home” tab.) There will be a box that pops up and has “Before” and “After” spacing. Both should be set to zero and you should have your documents single-spaced.

· Your margins should not be smaller than 0.9” all the way around.

Cover Letter:

· The cover letter is the place where you explain what can’t be read from the resume. If you received promotions, awards, etc., these things can be detailed in the letter.

· You should always start the letter by thanking the recipient for taking the time to look over your materials. Also, state where you saw / heard about the job. Employers like to know which of their advertising methods are working.

· The cover letter should discuss why you are a good candidate, but also why this work place is good for you. Do research on the company. If you can show specifics, the employer will realize that you are purposely wanting to work THERE, not just anywhere you can get a job. For instance, if you say that the company’s dedication to recycling makes you feel great about working for a company that cares about the earth, this can show that you really looked into things.

· DO NOT write that you are expecting an interview. Many people close their letters by stating that they expect to hear from the company. In all likelihood, many applicants will not. You want to come across as confident, but not cocky, so don’t state any assumptions.

· Use the cover letter as the place to really sell yourself. Unpack what’s on the resume, but don’t refer to the resume, like “as you can see from my resume…” Treat these as separate documents, in case they were to be split from one another.

· The cover letter is also a good place to discuss gaps in employment. For instance, if you took time off to be home with your family, or you left your career to go back to school, etc.

Formatting the Cover Letter:

· Use the same heading and font as you do for your resume. These are complimentary documents.

· Use business letter format (block format with everything lined up on the left)

· If you are submitting the materials by hand, be sure to SIGN the letter. The one you submit electronically can be “signed” by using a font that looks like handwriting in the place where you would normally sign your name. Do still have your name written below in regular font, too.

· Repeat your contact info in the final paragraph, even though it is in the heading of the page.

· Do research on how to address the recipient. “To Whom it May Concern” is okay, but only as a last resort. “Dear Sir or Ma’am:” is actually better when you don’t know the specific name of the recipient. Always use a colon after the salutations of business letters. Commas are only for personal letters.