Mathew

How important is my resume? Is this the most important part of the interview process?

Gordon

Well, I will say this, I really steered clear of the whole you need a resume and cover letter song and dance. But I have to add that it is really important. I will not underestimate the power of a great resume and cover letter. That goes without saying for any job. My book gives you the option on what to do here. You can either do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you. A poor resume and cover letter is like showing up to a formal in sweat pants. Would you do that?

orangecounty58

well, hard to get an interview if your resume/cover letter is weak. kind of shooting yourself in the foot. bigger companies use filters to search your resume. if you are not using the keywords they are looking for, you get curbed. seniors/juniors in EE, depending when you take the class, are shown how to create a correct resume/cover letter combination. not too difficult. hiring someone might be a waste of money. also, the career center's methodology of a resume/cover letter is different from the way show to EE majors. i prefer the method shown in the EE department. in any case, sometimes the resume/coverletter is 1/2 - 2/3 the battle in getting hired.

some quick things to check your letter/resume for:

money references (unless SPECIFICALLY asked)
references - if they need them theyll ask
students/recent grads tend to have only enough info for one page on a resume
if you have skills or listing software you are familiar with, use rows and columns with bullets in order to fill up the dead space. itll make the resume look full.

if you have had a couple jobs and your resume is 1.5- 2 pages, you are doing something wrong. utilize the header space for your name, top centered in a larger font, at the very top of the page. your address (house number &street, city, state, zip) and phone number should be on the next line. and your email address on the line after that. if you are doing anything related to defense or government, put US Citizen on the second line before the email address. so you have your name then you have two rows and two columns underneath


your cover letter should be roughly two paragraphs, taking up about a little over have a page - a little less then 2/3 of a page.

your name, address and phone number goes in the top right hand corner without spacing.
skip a line and go back to left justification. enter the date "October 15, 2008"

skip a line.

type the full name of the company. skip a line.

find the address of the company you are applying for, along with a phone number, copy and paste it. again, no spacing between any of the company and company information

skip a line.

type your greeting. "Dear Mr/Mrs So-and-So (or Human Resources Department or ?) " , DO NOT say "To Whom It May Concern", because really no one is concerned, and its a pretty dated greeting. If you know the name of the person, make sure to use it.

Type your letter. I like using 1.5 spacing, if it is light on the typing, use double spacing.

first paragraph lets the company know what you are applying for. example:

The attached resume is in response to the open position in your company. My desire to find an entry level position in an industry leader in cutting-edge technology brought me to apply for a position at Your Company Rocks (YCR). Specifically, but not limited to, the following position title: Title of The Job.

second paragraph explains what you have to offer, what happens as a result and what you want (a darn interview a.s.a.p) example below


My hands-on Polytechnic education, self-motivated can-do attitude, ethical persona and HUNGER to contribute can be utilized by YCR. My track record reflects how my unmatched work ethic can thrive in both independent and team work configurations. My work history also demonstrates strong leadership qualities, along with high competence in directed roles. Ultimately, an opportunity to expand my knowledge, advance in my career and help YCR prosper economically will have been created. An opportunity to meet with a company representative to discuss how my work and life background can meet your company’s needs would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your response.

skip a line

right justify. end greeting such as "Sincere Thanks"

skip a line


that should be pretty much a whole page.
your name


if you have a requisition number or job id number put it with the job title. also make sure you use that id/req number in the subject heading of the email you are sending.


id get more specific on the resume, but kind of hard with html code not on.

orangecounty58

went and made some sample docs. the resume size is typical of someone in school or recently graduated. pictures are always better. its 5am, what else do i have to do but sleep?





they do look at your hobbies and ask you about them. dont say you do something and not be able to talk about it

Mike

On the cover letter, I learned to write the it like a real business letter. Your header (name, address, number, email) should be aligned to the left, Sincere Thanks aligned left also, no indents, and don't double space.

go SEEK career office to get both resume and cover letter proofread. They will find a mistake I bet, good luck.

orangecounty58

the business letter is not too far off from what I posted. i bet everyone and their mommas does letters the way you learned as well. if one pops up that is a little different, might stick in their heads if the content of what you say is worth remembering. Another note on the resume, if you do have a lot of work history and skills then don't be scared to go past the first page. I posted a resume for the average student without a lot of work experience. As you add work history, items such as senior projects will disappear. You will also start to eliminate some of the 1/2 spacing. My current resume is 2.5 pages and eliminated 1/2 spaces between all the headings, widened the margins. You can see in the example posted, Im not using standard margins. There should also be space between the last line of the objective and Education heading.

Mike

I really dont know if you want to stick out when it comes to business resume and cover letters. HR and recruiters expect college grads to follow the norms. but if your gpa is like 4.0, they wouldnt mind. better safe than sorry.