Resumes and Cover Letters

1. Resumes and Cover Letters How to

2. RESUMES • A resume - sometimes called a curriculum vitae or CV - is a summary of your education, training, work experience and skills. A good resume demonstrates how your skills and abilities match up with the requirements of a job.

3. TO BEGIN • Make a List A list will help you organize the information you're going to include on your resume: • Name, address and contact information • School • Work / volunteer history • Positive personal characteristics • Skills and experience – use action words • Coursework • Other Accomplishments (awards, sports, activities, honors)

4. GENERAL INFO • Resumes can be one or two pages • Use basic common language font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Also do not use graphics. • Keep margins ¾” to 1”; use font size 11 or 12 for the body of the resume • Italics, underlining, shading and sometimes bolding can be a problem • Proofread your resume for grammar and spelling errors

5. OBJECTIVE • Not mandatory and can often be stated within your cover letter • If you do include an objective, make it as specific as possible (for example, “University student with good customer service skills seeking part-time retail position)”

6. CONTACT INFO • Include mailing address, telephone number with voicemail, professional e-mail (avoid slang in your e-mail address); you may want to make your name a few font sizes larger than other information so that it stands out • Use between two and four lines for contact information • Centre or left justify

7. EDUCATION • Include GPA if it is above 3.0 • Include high school - include awards/honours from high school, put them in a separate “awards” section • Relevant courses to a particular job

8. EXPERIENCE • Include paid and unpaid or volunteer experience • You can separate the sections into “Work Experience” and “Volunteer Experience • Order your experiences in reverse chronological order within each section (newest to oldest) • Begin each point with an action verb • Within the experience descriptions, place the most relevant and important tasks or accomplishments first

9. ACTIVITIES/INTERESTS • High School Activities such as class representative, club membership, leadership roles • Include a brief description of accomplishments and results if possible

10. AWARDS • any awards during high school or as part of a paid job or volunteer experience

11. REFERENCES • Do not include your references on your resume • Optional – “References Available on Request” – when a potential employer is interested in making an offer, they will ask for your references

12. DO NOT INCLUDE • Your date of birth • Your marital status • Your gender • Any languages you speak • Any disabilities that you have • Any other personal information

13. TO DO • Make a list before you begin typing – looking for sentences with action words • Use strong transferable skills that you can demonstrate you possess in an interview • Type up your resume – use the examples posted on web page as an example – not to copy • Will complete cover letter and references after