This could be YOUR resume!
Resume/Cover Letter Writing & Reading Job Descriptions
Murray State Career Services100 Oakley Applied Science Bldg270.809.3735 | murraystate.edu/career
What is a Resume?
▪ A summary/highlight of your qualifications
▪ Marketing tool
▪ A way to get an interview!
Types of Resumes
▪ Chronological▪ Emphasizes experience by dates▪ Use when experience and education are relevant to
objective
▪ Functional or Skills-based▪ Highlights skills without boundaries of dates▪ Use when transferable skills are stronger than job titles
▪ Combination▪ Equally illustrates experience and applicable skills
▪ Curriculum Vita (CV)▪ More comprehensive document▪ Use in education, graduate school applications or jobs
abroad
Are there any rules?
▪ Don’t use a template
▪ Don’t include discriminatory information
▪ Do include relevant information
▪ One page is almost always preferred
▪ Margins should range from ½” to 1”
▪ Font(s) should be common
▪ Print (if applicable) on quality paper
The Trifecta Review
▪ The following people should review your resume▪ Career services professional▪ Someone in the field (e.g. professor,
supervisor)▪ Someone who loves/supports you (e.g. parent)
Resume Review Survey
▪ 1000 resumes reviewed resulted in…▪ Targeted Focus: 29% lacked clear objective▪ Value Proposition: 97% offered no value/sales pitch▪ Relevancy: 82% included info not related to position▪ Measurable: 76% lacked quantifiable proof▪ Spelling / Grammar: 29% had errors▪ Design / Format: 96% nearly identical to common
templates (internet, books, and word processors)
Resource: Graham Management Group Survey from Education Career Services presentation (SoACE, Dec 2011) edu-cs.com.
Resume Facts
▪ 427k are posted on Monster every week
▪ An average of 250 are received for each job position
▪ 88% job rejection if there’s a photo of yourself
▪ Recruiters spend 5 – 7 seconds looking at a resume
▪ 1 spelling or grammar mistake and it lands in the trash
▪ 76% are ignored if email address is unprofessional
5 to 7 seconds looks like…
▪ Note how the recruiters’ eyes scanned these resumes
▪ Where did they look?
▪ Where didn’t they?
▪ Design matters
▪ Brevity matters
Reso
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Bu
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Resume Header
• Name: 18 – 22 point font and bold
• Content: 11 – 12 point font
• Mailing address (add permanent if transitioning)
• Professional email address (remove hyperlink)
• Phone number (voice mail must be professional)
• Career-related website, LinkedIn, etc link
Resume Header Samples
Objective or Summary
▪ Objective▪ More traditional option▪ State position you seek and skills/personal traits
you offer
▪ Summary of Qualifications▪ List in 3 to 5 bullets the skills and personal traits
that make you the best fit for the position you are seeking
▪ Will change for each position to align with job description
▪ Don’t use both
Objective or Summary Samples
Education
▪ Include school name with city and state of location
▪ List degree and month/year of expected graduation
▪ List any minors or concentrations
▪ List GPA (cumulative and major) if 3.0 and above
▪ Only list applicable coursework as an additional section if relevant to job search and unique to major
▪ College graduates will not include high school
Education Samples
Experience
▪ List job title and dates of employment (present to past)
▪ List employer and city and state where located
▪ Use bulleted list to highlight skills and past successes
▪ Be concise and don’t list every task ever completed
▪ Start each bullet with an action verb/skill
▪ Use numbers and dollar amounts when possible
▪ Be consistent with punctuation
▪ Stay positive
Experience Sample
Key Skills
▪ Computer▪ List applicable programs and applications, etc.
▪ Personal▪ Summarize personal traits and skills▪ May not be needed if using Summary of
Qualifications
▪ Foreign Language▪ List proficiency, not years studied
▪ Training/Certifications▪ List applicable trainings and certifications you have
completed
Key Skills Sample
Activities & Honors
▪ Activities▪ Include leadership roles and dates▪ Demonstrates well-roundedness and time
management▪ List those most related to potential job
▪ Honors ▪ Include those related to career field▪ Include those in which you were actively
involved
▪ Cautions▪ Does it communicate a fit to job you seek?▪ Is it understood by audience? ▪ Could you be discriminated against by
including
Activities & Honors Samples
References
▪ If must, state “Available upon request”▪ However, section is not required on resume
▪ Set-up as a separate page
References Samples
What is a Cover Letter?
▪ Provides an additional page
▪ Expands on experience and skills
▪ Answers why you are qualified for the job
▪ Answers why you are interested in this job
Cover
Lett
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Con
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Types of Cover Letters
Traditional Executive Summary
Saving & Sending Documents
▪ DOC/DOCX▪ Scannable▪ May not hold formatting
▪ Rich Text Format (RTF)▪ If format is removed, received format will be
similar
▪ PDF▪ Format will stay the same▪ Sometimes not scannable
▪ JPG▪ Format will stay the same▪ Not scannable
Why, “Read the job description”?
▪ Allows you to…▪ Speak the right language▪ Prove your value▪ Stand out
Resources to Help
▪ Job Description
▪ What can I do with a major in…? (link)
▪ O*Net (onetonline.org)
▪ Word Cloud Generators ▪ Tagcrowd.org▪ Wordle.net
PR Specialist Job Description
public relationsstrategic planningclient relationsproduct planningcustomer servicequick thinkerscommunicationengaging personalitymulti-task (twice)create and maintain relationshipsanalyze and planpursue, manage and complete projectsbachelor’s degree in public relationsstrong orientation to detailMicrosoft Word, Excel & Outlookself-motivatedadapt to new situationscustomer service skills
Worried about…. master UDA products/servicesdata management
PR Specialist “Clouds”O
*Net
Job
D
escri
pti
on
Resources
▪ Career Handbook, Tip Sheets & Samples▪ murraystate.edu/career/resume
▪ eResume Feedback▪ [email protected]▪ Feedback within 48 business hours
▪ Schedule an appointment▪ M – F, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM▪ Call x3735 to schedule
Questions?Murray State Career Services100 Oakley Applied Science Bldg270.809.3735 | murraystate.edu/career
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