resume and cv writing guidelines

8/6/2019 Resume and Cv Writing Guidelines

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/resume-and-cv-writing-guidelines 1/28

RÉSUMÉS & COVER LETTERS

FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS



• Engineering Internship Program

• On-Campus Recruitment (Graduating Class) – company

presentations/info sessions/ interviews

• myFuture (http://engineering.myfuture.mcgill.ca)

• Engineers-in-Action Speaker Series

• Mock interviews with industry recruiters

• InterviewStream http://mecc.mcgill.interviewstream.com/

• Career Education Workshops

• Individual Career Advising and Drop-in Advising including interview

preparation (incl. case and finance)

• Weekly newsletter (Career Corner)• McGill TechFair (www.mcgilltechfair.com) – January 26, 2010

www.mcgill.ca/careers4engineers

Engineering Career Centre Services

http://engineering.myfuture.mcgill.ca/

http://mecc.mcgill.interviewstream.com/

http://www.mcgilltechfair.com/

http://www.mcgilltechfair.com/

http://mecc.mcgill.interviewstream.com/

http://engineering.myfuture.mcgill.ca/



WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE RÉSUMÉAND COVER LETTER?

Know what I want self-assessment

Know the labour market: job titles, companies, organizations,industries (ex. Online Vault guides through McGill Libraries)

Know key words for your industry of choice

Know how you match with the position what do I know / can Ido that is useful to the company?

Know the different guidelines for international resumes and cover

letters (Going Global – http://online.goinglobal.com/default.aspx -Note that you must be connected through McGill network)

http://online.goinglobal.com/default.aspx

http://online.goinglobal.com/default.aspx



DROP-IN & RÉSUMÉ REVIEW

Drop-in hours: Monday-Friday, 10-11 am and 3-4 pm

FDA 22 / 398-8100

Book an appointment with your career advisor

**PLEASE BRING IN A HARD COPY**



RÉSUMÉ GUIDELINES

1 page or maximum 2 pages (no in between, i.e. 1 ½ pages) Avoid MS templates and tables, be different – but professional Easy to read and clear formatting

Use bolding and underlining strategically/minimally Choose categories that demonstrate your strengths Font size 11-12 (use one font type ex. Arial, TNR, Verdana)

Margins should not be smaller than 0.8 inches Eliminate typos! Proofreading is a must (Don’t just rely on Spell-check) Highlight skills sought in the industry

Must be targeted “What skill am I selling with this bullet?”

Use action verbs Launched, initiated, accomplished, achieved, provided, created, designed

Include measurable results and contributions “What is my brand?”



MAIN COMPONENTS OF A RÉSUMÉ Contact information Profile/ Career Objective / Highlights of Qualifications Languages Computer & Technical Skills Education Awards & Scholarships Selected Projects (Design / Consulting/ Engineering/ Research) Experience: Career-related vs. Work Leadership / Extracurricular / Community Involvement / Volunteer Additional Data (Professional Affiliations, Publications, Hobbies, Interests) References



CONTACT INFORMATION

Name (large & bold) Complete address (country is only necessary if applying internationally)

E-mail:

Use an email address that includes your full name

Avoid “funny” names and numbers

Suggest McGill e-mail is recommended – you have it for life now

Phone number get voicemail

Never put in header / footer



SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS & CAREER OBJECTIVE

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

2-4 phrases ( or 5 bullet points)

Highlight specific skills that are relevant to thepotential job

Indicate your achievements and experiences

Example:

• Mechanical engineering student seekingsummer internship in aerospace industry

• Strong teamwork skills developed throughextracurricular design projects

• Demonstrated time management andorganizational skills – worked part-time whilestudying full-time

• Experience using Catia in academic projects

• Bilingual - English and French

CAREER OBJECTIVE

Demonstrates focus and direction

Should outline your short-term objective andstate the job area and field of interest

Be specific in outlining exactly what you’relooking for keep your objective focused andprecise

Example:

Seeking full-time position as a mechanicalengineer in the aerospace industry



LANGUAGES Indicate levels of proficiency (fluent, conversational /

working knowledge, basic,)

Do not include if you only speak one language



SKILLS: HARD VS. SOFTHARD:

Concrete, tangible easy to observe,quantify, or measure (test)

Technical or administrative procedures

SOFT:

People / Social / Interpersonal skills often harder to observe, quantify, ormeasure

How people relate to one another communicating, listening, engaging inconversation, cooperating as a teammember, providing feedback, problemsolving, resolving conflict, motivation,leadership, friendliness, etc.



COMPUTER & TECHNICAL

SKILLS Order of proficiency

List software, programming languages, platforms,operating systems, other

Lab equipment, special instrumentation, qualifications orcertifications



EDUCATION State the degree program first (in bold)

Year started – Year (expected [graduation date] ) Year started - Present

Full details of the institution (name & location)

GPA/CGPA if good / outstanding (especially for U.S.)

Special courses and/or projects relevant to position/internship (if you have 2 or more youcan move to a separate section)

Awards & Scholarships (if you have 2 or more you can move to a separate section)

List two most recent academic institutions (reverse chronological order)



EXPERIENCE You can use different headings for this section

Always consider putting most relevant information first (play with order of sections)

State your position/title first (in bold)

Full details of the organization/company, followed by a description of yourskills and responsibilities

Career-related experience can include paid and non-paid work as long as itis directly related to the position you’re applying for

When using the Work Experience heading you must only include paid work

Experiences should be laid out in reverse chronological order



DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE Examples of results-oriented phrases:

Managed and trained fifty volunteers at Open Air Pub, resulting in highest sales in10 year history

Redesigned and redeveloped new user-friendly website, which resulted in 100%increase in web traffic *

Successfully recruited new members to EWB, increasing student membership by50%

Honed multitasking and organizational skills through creation and design of advertising campaigns for three fundraising events for the Cancer Society of McGill



EXAMPLE – BEFORE

Summer Intern, XYZ Co. Summer 2007

Created PowerPoint presentations

Revised data and updated spreadsheets

Wrote reports

Met with suppliers



EXAMPLE – AFTER

Mechanical Engineering Intern, Company XYZ Summer 2007

Created PowerPoint presentations used to report client results

Analyzed data for the purpose of reporting on design productivity andfinancial trends

Prepared maintenance documentation and produced technicalinstructions and drawings

Liaised with manufacturers/suppliers in person and by telephone



OTHER IMPORTANT SECTIONS

Extracurricular activities

Hobbies and interests get a sense of who you are

Volunteer experience

References (available upon request) prepare a list of referencesto be handed in at the interview (3)



RÉSUMÉ TIPS FOR GRADUATES Start with Profile / Objective section

Include all career-related internships

Include all your projects/relevant coursework/freelance consulting

Relevant courses / topics in Education section

Always highlight skills learned, results achieved relevant to the

industry Results show motivation and drive to achieve



1/12/2010



COVER LETTER GUIDELINES Always address it to a specific person, have the full contact information, if possible Tailor the letter to the position: RELEVANT skills and experience

Up to 1 page long, 4-5 paragraphs, clear and concise

No grammatical, punctuation or spelling mistakes, particularly if one of the skillsyou are selling is attention to detail

No personal information (age, marital status, gender, religion, ethnicity) End on a proactive note



Cover Letter FormatHeader

Date

Contact person – TitleCompany NameCompany Address

Dear Mr. or Ms. last name: (Sir / Madam if unknown)

1st paragraph - introduction (2 - 4 sentences)

2nd / 3rd / 4th paragraph - body

5th paragraph - closing (4 sentences maximum)

Sincerely,

Your signatureYour name, typed

Can use same header as your résumé

Introduce yourself, provide a catchy picture ofwho you are. Most important: link yourself, yourskills, your interests directly to the needs andinterests of the employer in 1-2 phrases.

Tell a compelling story that points to the specificskills and experience you possess, focus the

attention of the employer on key aspects of your CV.If you are making a career shift, demonstrate the reasonsyou can and should make the move (especially importantthe further you deviate from your discipline).

How aggressive do you want to be? Arrange for

a follow-up meeting or call. End with a formal thank you.



E-MAIL COVER LETTER FORMAT

Important to include and make sure it is same quality as paper format Limit to 2-3 short paragraphs Include how you heard about the job opening, why you are right for the job, and

how they can reach you Remember to attach your résumé (test how it opens by sending to friend first)

Use .doc (MS 97-2003)

BCC yourself or print a copy so you can keep track



JOB POSTINGIP/EIP/SIP, Intern - Design and development of “Web2.0-based Small Business Manager

Employer: SAP Labs Canada [view profile]

ID: 13591

Division: HR

Application Deadline Date: August 14, 2009

Position Type: McGill Engineering Internship Program

Job Title: IP/EIP/SIP, Intern - Design and development of “Web2.0-based Small Business Manager”Duration of McGill Internship Program : 4 Months, 8 Months

McGill Internship Program Start Date: September 2009

Job Function: Information Technology

Description:

SAP is the world's largest supplier of enterprise management software and employs about 400 persons in SAP Labs Canada in Montreal. The Lab

hosts a Research group responsible for researching new technologies, as well as designing and assembling prototypes of a variety of enterprise

applications with an emphasis on Mobility and web technologies: mobile access, sensor networks, new Web technologies in a mobile setting, etc.

The project: Web2.0-based Small Business Manager : The basis of this entrepreneurial project is to build a Web 2.0 based service for non-profits

and for small companies in the US. We see these Web 2.0 concepts driving the personal financial space right now and believe that they will begin to

have an impact on the small business space in the next year or two.

SAP undertook this software pilot project with a small team of designers and programmers who can help implement quickly a demo applicationwhich we believe could lead to interesting new products for small business. The technical highlights are as follows:

• The application will be hosted on a virtual infrastructure such as Amazon's compute cloud

• The application will make heavy use of Web 2.0 interaction techniques (AJAX) for the interface

• The application will be based on services (SOA) infrastructure with a combination of open services, commercial services and services provided by

SAP's online offering and built using composition techniques

• The application will take advantage of the online infrastructure and provide the capability for things like vertical online advertising/fund raising

• Optionally we would like to make sure that the application is mobility-capable from the start

There will be flexibility for the team members to not only do a significant amount of the design work but also to help determine some of the content.

Qualifications:

-Hands-on experience in: Ruby/Rails/Flex (Flexible Rails), JavaScript, Database, HTML, PHP web

- Good practical knowledge of Web services, and the new Web technologies (Web2.0)

- Very good English communications skills, verbal and written

- Desirable: skills in visual design

- Desirable: knowledge of enterprise management software

https://csm-mecc.mcgill.ca/students/?s=employers&ss=list&mode=profile&id=3d54c22956cb2536a5942b01478386aa

https://csm-mecc.mcgill.ca/students/?s=employers&ss=list&mode=profile&id=3d54c22956cb2536a5942b01478386aa



COVER LETTER FOR JOB POSTINGMay 31, 2009

Human ResourcesSAP Labs Canada

Dear Human Resources Manager,

Having learned through the McGill’s Engineering Career Centre that SAP is seeking an intern to design and develop a demo

application for a Web, I would like to express my interest in this position. As a dynamic individual who thrives on new challengesand someone with experience using JavaScript and knowledge of new Web 2.0 technologies, I believe that I would make effectivecontributions to your team.

I am a third year Software Engineering student at McGill University and my interest in this position has been stimulated through

courses I have taken in software, database and web-based application design. Additionally, I have considerable experience inJava, C, and C++ and my academic training has provided the necessary knowledge to use and understand high level languages,service-oriented architecture (SOA), and object oriented designs. For example, I recently redesigned the website for the McGillOutdoors Club (using Flash), and developed and implemented a wiki and online payment registration system for its members.This has facilitated their record management system and allows their 300+ members to share their comments and suggestions foroutings.

I am a self-motivated individual who can work well with people, communicate with ease, grasp and expand on new ideas, workthrough difficult projects, and achieve objectives. I am available for either a 4 or 8 month internship. I look forward to speakingwith you in the near future.

Sincerely,

Daniel Wang



REMINDER TIPS

Résumé Tips:

Put power into your résumé by usingaction verbs

Use proper tense

Give the most space to the mostrelevant information

Always tailor your résumé

Be creative with headings

Include achievements

RELEVANCE

Cover Letter Tips:

Always give examples

Tailor to the job/company

Be specific/ to the point



RESOURCES Career advisors (FDA 22)

Career resource library (FDA 22) Drop-in sessions (CV & cover letter review + quick questions)

myFuture (Engineering instance) resume builder: engineering.myfuture.mcgill.ca

Online tools / resources:

http://www.mcgill.ca/careers4engineers/students/resources/

Find CV, Cover Letter, & Interview guides on MyFuture (under DocumentLibrary)

Career Options magazine:http://www.careeroptionsmagazine.com/postsecondary/index.php

Graduating Engineer athttp://www.graduatingengineer.com/resources/resumes

JobWeb : http://www.jobweb.com/resumes_interviews.aspx?id=896 Quintessential Careers – Tutorials

» http://www.quintcareers.com/cover_letter_tutorial.html

http://mecc.mcgill.ca/


http://www.careeroptionsmagazine.com/postsecondary/index.php

http://www.graduatingengineer.com/resources/resumes

http://www.jobweb.com/resumes_interviews.aspx?id=896

http://www.quintcareers.com/cover_letter_tutorial.html

http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_tutorial.html



http://www.jobweb.com/resumes_interviews.aspx?id=896

http://www.graduatingengineer.com/resources/resumes

http://www.careeroptionsmagazine.com/postsecondary/index.php



http://mecc.mcgill.ca/



Q & A

resume and cv writing guidelines

Documents