On the next page, you'll download the formats for the resume and cover letter and edit them to reflect your personal information.
Please be sure to refer to my resume info & advice video and my cover letter info & advice video to help you, then post your drafts in the resume and letter rough draft discussion forum.
I'll provide feedback to help you revise for your final drafts.
If you're not very practiced with crafting a resume and cover letter, here are a few other sites that share resume advice. However, do NOT use any formats they provide; for COL101 you have to use the ones I provide on the next page.
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- Point 1: Notice that you shouldn't have longer than a one-page resume unless you have at least a decade of professional work experience, and you want your resume to be clean and typo free. Calibri size 11 is a nice, clean, standard font.
- Point 2: The emphasis is on a simple, "chronological list of work history — in order of date, with the most recent position at the top."
- Point 3: Be sure not to itemize what you were responsible for; he advises that your resume list accomplishments rather than just responsibilities.
- Point 4: Don't lie or exaggerate. Just itemize what you actually did at each place of employment or each volunteer/internship location.
- Point 5: Avoid cliches. The "executive summary" is considered all but pointless by many hiring managers, as it just leads you to fill in with broad, vague, generalized claims. Instead, "skip the cheesy adjectives and overused terms and go for action verbs instead." That's why my resume format on the next page is structured the way it is.
- Point 6: Burnison encourages you to get a personal recommendation, which isn't always possible. But if you know someone who knows someone, it doesn't hurt to reach out and ask questions and see where that leads you. If you're not feeling particularly "connected" at this point in your life, that's a really solid reason to join campus clubs and activities and/or to volunteer in your local community—even if just once or twice a month. The faculty and staff on campus really want to help you succeed, as do many in local community organizations. They can point you toward colleagues and friends, which is how you build a network.