Strategies for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Job Interviews
Drawn from staff group discussions, these are some of our most useful tips:Resume strategies:
- Make your resume elegant and straightforward. In other words, it should be easy to read and understand.
- Use specific and descriptive action verbs, and modify them with adjectives/adverbs e.g. worked collaboratively
- Quantify accomplishments and responsibilities (use numbers, amount of hours worked,
projects completed, etc., e.g. recruited 30 volunteers, scheduled 100 participants)
- Separate/classify types of experiences, either based on skills set or field in which you worked ("research experience", "teaching experience", "editorial experience", etc.)
- If you aren't applying for a specific position, include your objective (what type of position you would like to attain) at the top of the resume.
- Don't use full sentences, just complete phrases.
- Look at websites and job descriptions from past employers and organizations you have been involved with when writing what you did there-- it's a great way to remind yourself of what you did and why.
- If you are applying for a specific job or type of job, emphasize experience that is relevant to that field.
- Include any awards (dean's list, scholarships).
- After you reach your junior year in college, do not include your high school degree.
- Don't make the font too big or too small-- remember potential employers should be able to read your resume easily.
- Come up with interesting ways to phrase what you do—the goal is to give potential employers a vivid picture of your accomplishments.
Cover letter strategies:
- State the position you are applying for and where/how you heard about it; if you aren’t applying for a specific position, explain why you are sending a resume.
- Drop a name if you have a good connection.
- In the introductory paragraph, state why you are a good match for the position and the organization/company, including 2-3 key qualifications you will address in the rest of letter (these should match up with your resume).
- Tailor your cover letter for each job application.
- Give specific examples to prove where you obtained your skills and how you have used them before.
- Don’t use contractions (ha).
- Tell why you are interested in working for that company/organization (helpful hint: look at their mission statement and/or website for ideas- this will tell you what they think is important/notable about their company).
- Highlight areas in your resume that are particularly relevant to the position, but don’t repeat your resume—instead, add further information.
- Indicate when you will follow up with them.
- Give any additional requested or relevant information not included in the resume (e.g. when you could start, writing samples).
- Close by confidently reminding the employer why you are a good match.
Job interview strategies:
- Look the interviewer in the eye during the interview.
- Learn a little about the company first (often a Google search will suffice).
- Come prepared with good questions, even if you know the answers. This will help demonstrate your interest in the company.
- Look over your resume for a refresher beforehand. They will most likely ask you about it and you'll want to know what they are talking about. Try to anticipate questions people might ask when looking at your resume.
- Take time to think after being asked a question: "That's an interesting question, let me think about that.”
- Don't be afraid to ask if you have answered all the parts of the question.
- To avoid sounding hokey, be specific.
- Don't speak negatively about past jobs. Explain that it wasn't a good fit for you and why (e.g. I learned that I thrive better when there is more communication between supervisors and employees)
- Think about any weaknesses or negative situations you’ve been in (in past jobs, for ex.) and then think about how you improved upon your situation or turned the situation into a more positive one. Explain both of those things to the interviewer. It turns a weakness into a strength and shows you are proactive.
- Smile--even if it’s a phone interview. Your voice will reflect that you are smiling.