anthropology: resume & cover letter
TRANSCRIPT
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS‘IS THE PAST IN YOUR FUTURE?’
P R E S E N T E D B Y:C A R R I E K L A P H A K EC A R R I E . K L A P H A K E @ S O N O M A .E D U6 6 4 - 3 7 3 2
“THE ONLY THING THAT STANDS BETWEEN YOU
AND YOUR DREAM IS THE WILL TO TRY AND THE
BELIEF THAT IT IS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE.”
–JOEL BROWN
OVERVIEW
• Introduction
• Resume writing
• Cover Letter writing
SERVICES OFFEREDPEER ADVIS ING• Resume Help &
Review• Cover Letter Help &
Review• Starting the Job
Search• Seawolf Job-Link
Questions
S TA F F A DV I S I N G• Advance Resume
and Cover Letter Review
• Career Exploration• Career Planning• Job Search
Assistance• Graduate School
Planning• Interviewing
Assistance• LinkedIn Support
QUESTIONS• Who has a resume?
• Who’s resume is updated and current?
• Who has looked at your resume?
• Who has participated in an internship?
• Who is involved in student organizations or clubs?
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A
RESUME?
PURPOSE• Get an interview• Give a GOOD first
impression• Content• Layout• Language• Grammar• Tone
A RESUME IS ALL ABOUT
ME.
TRUE OR FALSE?
My job duties, What I have accomplished,
What I am good at!Where I am going?
FALSE• Not totally false• MORE about how these things
make you qualified for a position
Why should I consider you over someone else?
TARGETING EMPLOYERS• Use your resume to convince employers
that your academic success is transferable to the workplace.
• Optimizing keywords• Show employers how you can help them
achieve their objectives• Have a clear understanding of the
company/industry when creating your resume
RESUME APPEARANCE• One page preferred, sometimes 2 is
needed• Make sure formatted correctly when
sending digitally (PDF form) • Standard fonts (Arial, Times, Helvetica)• Margins: .5 (narrow) • Smallest 11 point font• Emphasize points with bullets • UPPERCASE, bold, italics
RESUME FORMATS –REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL
• Employment history organized: most recent position first
• Highlights accomplishments within each position
• Recruiters and employers often prefer this format
HEADINGS
• Contact information• Education• Work/Relevant/Volunteer
Experience• Skills • Activities/Campus Involvement• Awards and Recognition• Coursework
CONTACT INFORMATION
• Name (largest font)
• Address, City and State (optional)
• Phone
• Email Address/avoid silly email addresses. Using your first and last name is the most professional
• LinkedIn URL
EDUCATION• Include expected
graduation date, major, minor
• If you attended more then one school list most recent education first
• GPA (if 3.0 or greater)• Academic honors • Study Abroad
EXPERIENCE• Include job title, name of company,
location, dates, accomplishments, description of responsibilities & results produced
• Can be paid, volunteer or internship
• Be specific – give numbers and details if possible
ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS
Formula: Action verb + Object + Context+ Results Produced
Action Verb: Planned, initiated, coordinate
Object: Planned a meeting; Initiated a program..
Context: interesting detail- who you did for; time frame; number of people; types of issue/population etc.
Results: the bottom lime effect of your effort (saved time or money, exceeded sales goals, reduced errors)
Quantify whenever possible
ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS• Skills
Languages -- Specify language and degree of fluency
Computer -- Name software and hardware
• Professional Affiliations• Publications
WRITING STYLE - EXPERIENCE• Use present tense for current job• Use past tense for previous jobs• Don’t use pronouns – “I, We, They”• Don’t refer to yourself in 3rd person• Complete sentences and periods
are not necessary
VOLUNTEER/INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
• Paid or unpaid work is experience and valuable•Make sure to list the hours you committed/weekly, monthly•Describe the environment that you worked in and the responsibilities that were required of you.
WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE• Quirky, silly email addresses• Personal info. – religion, marital status,
health• Hobbies• References- separate document• Bad formatting• Imagery –your pic• Difficult to read fonts• Embellishing the truth about your
accomplishments• Anything that could work against you
FINAL POINTERS• Put your best foot forward - be proud of
your accomplishments!
• Be honest – would former supervisors agree with what you’ve included?
• Ask a few people to review your resume: is it clear, specific, and to-the-point?
• Proofread, proofread, proofread! Assume employers will catch all mistakes
CULTURAL RESOURCES TECHNICIAN
Questions?Comments?
COVER LETTERSPurpose of letter of introduction:Supplements and clarifies resumeShould be targeted in response to a specific job opening
Do not send out general letters
Should be addressed to hiring manager, by name Spell correctly!
COVER LETTERS
Paragraph 1 Position you are applying for How you learned of opening (ad? referral?)State who you areWhy you are interested in the company
COVER LETTERSParagraph 2 Describe how your skills and background match job description
State top 3 skills in the first sentence – topic sentence
Transition with soft skillRefer to the fact that your resume is enclosed
COVER LETTERSParagraph 3Reiterate interest in positionLet them know when/if you will follow-up
Call them two weeks after application closing date?
State that you would be glad to provide the employer with any additional information needed
Thank the employer for his/her time and consideration
Questions?Comments?