Current Resume and Cover Letter Writing Trends
What is a Resume? It is a printed summary of your employment qualifications. It should include
your skills, education, employment history and any other information which would give an
employer a favorable impression of you. The writing of your professional resume should be well-
planned and carefully considered.
Capture the reader’s attention by following these tips:
Consider completing an internship to show relevant field experience
Create an easy to read, concise, interesting to read and visually appealing that is error free
Target the content of your resume to the position you are applying for (use job postings
as a guide to match your skills); have different versions if needed
Promote your academic and work experience accomplishments throughout the resume;
to do this highlight what you are proud of that show tasks above and beyond the job
description in a few statements; use numbers and adjectives to define and describe
outcomes
Understand that the first review of your resume is very quick, the most important
information should be in the beginning; Format your resume to be 1 or 2 pages; Using a
resume template may be helpful
Consider using the “Skill Based Resume” format if you have had similar roles with
different employers or there are gaps of time in your work experience
Avoid providing personal information and photo or identifying religious or political
membership
Cover Letters
A personalized letter should accompany each resume and application that you submit for
consideration. This letter serves to highlight the information in a way that relates it directly to the
needs of the specific employer.
Tips to make your letter stand out:
Address it to the person making the hiring decision; if unknown use Hiring Manager
Mention the job title and company name in the first paragraph
Show that you are interested and able to contribute to a possible solution or need of the
employer.
If salary expectations are asked for, include a relevant salary range based on your
research of the field, check out salary.com for information
Cover Letter Power Phrases
Consider using adaptations of these key phrases in your cover letters:
“I believe that I am particularly well qualified for your position because…”
“I have highlighted some of my achievements which relate to your requirements…”