Resume and Cover Letter Guide
Combined with the following asks:
Mr. ENTJ if you have time I’m hoping you can shed some light on resumes. I don’t know where to start and I’m overwhelmed. I’m sure you have a lot of experience, any advice? Thank you in advance this blog has helped kick my butt into gear
Resume tips for someone who’s fresh out of college and new to the work force? Anxious. Thanks!
How would you go about writing a good cover letter? Especially when you have little experience for the job? I’m trying to apply for a legal administrative job and while I have multiple experiences in an office, I don’t have it in legal work. Thank you and I love your blog!
Related answers:
ENTJ: Job Interview Tips
I’m an introvert that understands that networking is a necessity but it’s intimidating and I’m not sure how to go about it. Do you have any advice for networking?
Do you have any experience with hiring or selecting people to be on your team? How would you recommend filtering people who not only have the skills, but the capabilities for critical thinking as well?
Hey, do you have any tips on networking and how to keep in touch after a networking event. And how to write the first emails ?
I do, I run resume workshops for UCLA undergrads and USC graduate students. Tips below.
Resume Tips
1. Extract keywords from the job posting and place them directly into your resume. Why? This is extremely important to bypass the online filtering system which will screen resumes based on keywords they’re programmed to identify. Here’s the thing. HR personnel are the gatekeepers to job postings but they’re also clueless about the positions they’re recruiting for so they’ll use certain keywords as guidance to select candidates for the next round. Take the bullet points in the description section of the job posting and transplant them into the experience section of your resume. Example:
Job posting: http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/search-jobs/jobs/implementation-consultant-0883
Keywords: Operational/operations, improvement, LEAN, execution, implementation, project, client, analysis/analytical team.
Another way to bypass this step is to email your resume directly to a hiring manager or recruiter. That’s why networking is important.
2. Resumes should only be one page. Why? Recruiters and hiring managers flip through dozens if not hundreds of resumes for one position. We work on speed so all the relevant information on your resume should be front and center on the first page. If I have to search for it like it’s Waldo, I’m likely to get annoyed. Play with margins, font sizing, and formatting to get everything to fit. If you’re a mid-career professional (10+ years of experience), two pages is okay. Never three pages.
3. Exclude a goal in the resume. (Ex. Don’t add: “Goal: Obtain an entry level position in engineering.”) Why? It’s unnecessary. The goal is to get your ass a job.
4. Use the rule of 3, have a minimum of 3 bullet points for each job. Why? Less than 3 bullet points and it looks like you didn’t do anything at the job. More than 5 bullet points and it’ll look like you’re laundry listing your tasks.
5. Quantify your achievements and impact on the organization, don’t just list your tasks. Why? What you’ve accomplished is far more important, memorable, and impressive to the reader than what you were assigned to do. Remember to add numbers and percentages where applicable to provide measurable results. Every bullet point listed should answer this question: “so what?” You’ve written some reports – so what? What impact did your actions have on the organization? Example:
Don’t:
Prepared reports for Vice President on a bi-weekly basis
Created new hire packet for medical interns
Performed budget calculations on a monthly basis for the Department of Oncology
Do:
Prepared bi-weekly staffing reports for the Vice President of Human Resources to capture the turnover, retention, and vacancy rates in the Orthopedic Department
Created onboarding written and presentation materials for incoming 2016 medical residents; adopted by 12 departments in 2 facilities
Performed budget calculations for the Department of Oncology to identify $20,000 in annual equipment budget overages
6. Place your work experience above your education. Why? Employers place more weight on what you’ve done rather than what you’ve studied. If I’m hiring for a software engineer position, I’m more likely to select a culinary arts major with software programming experience than a software engineering major with cooking experience. List all applicable internships and work experience front and center.
7. Don’t use colors or graphics in the resume, use black text on a white background only. Why? Resumes are printed out in black and white so using colors can fade light colored text. The focus should be on the content and not the aesthetic.
8. Use one readable font consistently for the entire resume. Why? It’s a resume, not a scrapbook. Different sizes are okay to emphasize titles. Font suggestions below.
Free Fonts: Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Times New Roman
Premium Fonts: Helvetica Neue, Neuzeit, Gotham, Proxima Nova
Use Comic Sans if you enjoy being unemployed.
9. Proofread your work. Why? The odds are you’re using the same resume for multiple positions and if you’ve made a typo on one then that typo has been distributed to all the positions you applied to. Don’t rely solely on spell check, read through your resume line by line because software can’t always interpret what you’re trying to say and can change the meaning of your sentences.
10. Save and send the resume in PDF (.pdf) form– NOT Microsoft Word (.docx) form. Why? This will freeze and preserve the resume’s formatting and fonts so the other person views it exactly the way you sent it.
Miscellaneous Tip
Control your web presence. Why? 80% of employers Google applicants so it’s important to control search results for your name. If you have a funky ethnic last name like me then you’ll be the only result that comes up in an internet search.
Create a LinkedIn profile. This is Facebook for adults. Load all the resume information into your LinkedIn profile and add a clear professional photo. See below.
Add a professional photo to your Linkedin profile. To do this, put on some professional clothing, stand in front of a white wall or some nice backdrop (university buildings with classic architecture work), and have someone snap a photo of you. Smile. Tips:
Don’t take photos from below looking up because you’ll have a double chin or from above looking down because this isn’t a MySpace profile photo.
Don’t use filters because this isn’t Instagram or Snapchat.
Don’t stand straight forward and stare directly at the camera. Tilt your shoulders to one side and look at the camera or look slightly left/right of it. It’s a professional headshot, not a mugshot.
Lock up all your social media profiles. Tight. Tighter than Fort Knox. Change all usernames to something that can’t be linked to you and edit all privacy settings so non-friends can’t view anything. If your name is Boopbap Entjayness and I can Facebook find you in 2 seconds, flip through your photos, and see how turnt up you were last week at the club that’s not good.
Optional: Claim your domain. If your name is Boopbap Entjayness then buy BoobbapEntjayness.com (domains are $10 a year) and create a personal page or one that redirects to your LinkedIn profile. If you have no coding experience, just use the custom domain with Tumblr. If this is too much work, skip.
Resume Resources
Microsoft Office (if you’re a college student, you should qualify for deals on software through your school’s website or OnTheHub.com)
Free alternative: Google Docs
Adobe Reader
Free resume templates: (1, 2, 3, 4)
Cover Letter Tips
Cover letters, like essays, can be broken down into three essential parts:
Introduction: 1-3 sentences. Who you are, your education, your qualifications, and why you’re interested in the position. This should be short because the employer doesn’t care who you are– they want to know what makes you qualified and what you can do for them.
Body: 3 paragraphs. This is where you can explain what you can do for them. The body should include what you bring to the table, what you’ll add to the company, why you’re a cultural fit, and what experience is relevant to the position you’re applying to. Use bullet points. Examples:
This position requires someone with project management skills and I have extensive experience delivering projects under aggressive deadlines. Some examples include:
Project 1: Project description, your role, the outcome/impact of your work.
Project 2: Project description, your role, the outcome/impact of your work.
Project 3: Project description, your role, the outcome/impact of your work.
Conclusion: 2-3 sentences. How to get in touch with you, thank yous.
Additional Help
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve read everything above, and you’ve attempted a first draft, but you still need help I’m willing to review your resume and send it back with redline edits.
If this is something you’re interested in, remove all personal information from your resume (name, address, phone number, etc.), replace it with dummy text, message me on Tumblr via private chat, and I’ll give you an email address to send it to. I need approximately one week of lead time but longer if it’s a busy week. Reach out and I’ll see what I can do.
