The Resume and Cover Letter – Helpful Tips
We have created a list of short helpful tips to assist you when creating your cover letter and resume. This list can easily be used as a checklist before you send out your information:
Resume:
- A resume should not be written in first person.
- Education and experience should both be listed with the most recent first.
- Titles of experience should be bold or underlined.
- Make sure the formatting is consistent. The font should all be the same, with appropriate sizes.
- All bullets should be consistent.
- Spacing and tabs should be consistent.
- Remember to include all contact information (address, phone, email).
- Only list relevant information. For example, your cooking and swimming hobbies should not be listed unless relevant to the position.
- Personal information should not be on your resume.
- Proofread your resume for grammar, punctuation and spelling errors.
- Keep your resume current.
- Your resume should be only 1 or 2 pages.
- Use bulleted sentences.
- BE HONEST!
Cover letter:
- Include a cover letter with every resume you submit.
- Your cover letter should match the formatting of your resume.
- Address your cover letter to the appropriate person, in the appropriate way.
- Do all you can to find a specific person to address your cover letter rather than “To Whom it May Concern”.
- Your cover letter should be no longer than one page.
- Include in your cover letter the reason(s) why you more than anyone else are the right candidate for the position.
- Pay close attention to grammatical errors.
- Do not use a template cover letter; instead, each cover letter should be specific and customized for the position.
- Keep your writing style professional; this is a formal letter to a prospective employer rather than an email to friends.
- BE HONEST!