INSIDER GUIDE
KILLER COVER LETTERS
& RESUMES
5TH edition
в�…
WHAT RECRUITERS LOOK FOR � SAMPLE COVER LETTERS & RESUMES � TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE FOLLOW–UP
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Insider
Guide
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
5th edition
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
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Killer cover letters & Resumes
5TH Edition
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All illustrations by mckibillo
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
CHAPTer
1
1
resumes And
cover letters
At A glAnce
2
3
4
5 30 seconds
to sAtisFy
11 on your mArK,
get set, PreP!
21 the reciPe For
resume success
6 The Bottom Line
12 Determine What
22 Building a Resume
you have to offer
Master List
6 Looking Good
on Paper
14 highlight the
Skills Firms Want
17 Research your
Target company
22 Essential Resume
Ingredients
27 optional Resume
Ingredients
31 The Resume Menu
at a Glance
33 Don’t Ruin
the Recipe
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
5TH edition
5 6
7
8
35 Writing And
FormAtting
your resume
77 Writing A tAsty
cover letter
93 digitAl
delivery
101 From resume
to intervieW
107 For your
reFerence
36 how Long Is
78 Pique Their
94 This application
102 Following Up
108 Recommended
Too Long?
appetites
Is Experiencing
Technical
36 Polishing
your Prose
78 General cover
Difficulties
Resources
103 anticipate your
Interviewer’s
Formatting
79 The Ingredients of
Spam Guard Dogs
your cover Letter
109 Surveys
104 Send Those
Thank-you Notes
96 Using online
Guidelines
84 Sample cover
44 Resume Layout
109 Books
Questions
Letter Guidelines
95 Getting Past the
38 Top-Level
9
Letters
application
Systems
51 Special cases
58 Sample Resumes
contents
Resumes and
Cover Letters
at a Glance
1
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
AT A GLANCE
30 SECONDS TO SATISFY
• Your resume has one primary purpose: to help determine if you merit an interview. A well-constructed
resume by itself won’t win you the job.
• A resume and cover letter are marketing tools
designed to get the attention of potential employers,
and interest them in learning more about a quality
product—you.
• Your resume must make you stand out quickly. The
typical resume reviewer will spend less than 30 seconds looking at your materials.
• In a nutshell, your resume and cover letter are less
about where you’ve been than about where you want
to go next.
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, PREP!
• Start by determining what you have to offer: Examine
your employment history, educational experience,
membership in academic or professional organizations, and volunteer or community activities. In
addition, write down your top accomplishments.
• The top qualities that most employers want sometimes have little to do with work experience—such
as communication skills, honesty and integrity,
interpersonal skills, a strong work ethic, and teamwork skills.
• Pay close attention to the things you do well, because
they help shape your most valuable professional
attributes. Don’t forget to incorporate your talents
and natural abilities into your resume prep list.
• The chief aim of history gathering is to identify
transferable skills to highlight on your resume. These
include analytical and problem-solving skills; the
ability to produce results; evidence of intellectual
achievement, leadership, and teamwork skills; and
specific industry and job expertise.
• It’s important to research your target companies.
Good preparation can be just as important as
impressive credentials. The proper research will
enable you to tailor your resume and cover letter to
2
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
address each employer’s needs. And the more knowledgeable you are about a potential position, the
more equipped you’ll be to demonstrate how you
can contribute to an organization.
THE RECIPE FOR RESUME SUCCESS
• Create a master resume that includes all of the resume
elements you might use, as well as a full selection
of achievement statements, coursework, volunteer
activities, hobbies, and anything else you might use
on a job application.
• The essential parts of your resume include the heading (which displays your contact information), an
education section and a work experience section.
• Optional parts of a resume can include an objective
statement, summary of qualifications, a profile, and
additional information. Your decision to include or
omit optional parts depends on your background,
experience, and career path.
• Effective resumes are “action-packed!” So after you’ve
sketched out your experiences on a master list, write
them as achievement statements, which emphasize
actions and results.
WRITING AND FORMATTING
YOUR RESUME
• Entry-level candidates and those with five years of
experience or less should limit their resumes to one
page. Experienced professionals should write no
more than two pages.
• Your goal is to distill everything you need to say into
a few carefully chosen words and bullet-pointed sentences that are easy to scan.
• There are two basic ways to lay out a resume: chronologically and functionally. Use the format that best
reveals your strengths for a particular job.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
WRITING A TASTY COVER LETTER
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
• Like a good appetizer, all cover letters have one main
purpose: to whet your reader’s appetite, get them
interested enough to move on to your resume, and
then want to interview you.
• Every cover letter needs to address three areas: why
you are writing, what you have to offer, and what
happens next.
• There are three types of cover letters: those that
respond to a specific job opening, those directed to
a specific person, and those that serve as letters of
introduction.
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
DIGITAL DELIVERY
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
• Make sure all your digital materials are in accessible,
printable formats.
• Save four versions of your resume: a Word document
for printing, a PDF for email attachments, a plain
text version with line breaks for the email body, and
a plain text version without line breaks for online
forms.
• Don’t be afraid to use online application systems,
especially if a firm directs you there. Follow the
instructions precisely, complete the entire application, and choose keywords carefully.
CHAPTER 9
3
CHAPTER 8
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
For Your
Reference
• Want more info to create your killer resume? Check
out our list of recommended reading and research.
From Resume
tO Interview
FOR YOUR REFERENCE
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
• If you have submitted your resume and cover letter
directly to someone in the company, follow up with
a phone call or send an email to reiterate your desire
to learn more about the position. Don’t become a
nuisance, but do be persistent
• The thank-you letter shows gratitude for the time
the employer has taken to review your qualifications,
and it’s an opportunity to reiterate the fit between
the position and your qualifications and goals.
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
FROM RESUME TO INTERVIEW
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
2
The Bottom Line............................ 6
Looking Good on Paper................. 6
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
The Bottom Line
› At best, resume readers spend 30 seconds scanning a cover letter or resume before sending it to the
“yes” or “no” pile. This is especially true in a competitive job market where recruiters may receive
hundreds of responses to a single job posting. In 30
seconds, your cover letter and resume package need
to convey an image of who you are, your capabilities and strengths, and how you’ve used your abilities
to achieve results. Ideally, it indicates that you know
yourself well and have a firm grasp on what you
bring to the table. In a nutshell, your cover letter and
resume are less about where you have been than about
where you want to go next and how you are qualified
to do so.
Although insiders tell us “there isn’t one right
answer” to the question of how to create a good
cover letter or resume, they say that the best ones are
concise, results-oriented, and very clearly presented.
Of course, a great resume alone won’t land you your
dream job, but appropriate choices in shaping your
materials make you far more likely to get a call, and
can even help you to sail more smoothly through the
interview process. This guide will show you the way.
In a nutshell, your resume
and cover letter are less about
where you’ve been than about
where you want to go next.
For starters, you’ll learn about the best ways to prepare for your job search, including how to determine
and articulate your strengths and research what your
target companies are looking for in an ideal candidate.
Next, you’ll get the full scoop on how to create a killer
resume and cover letter, from what information they
should (and shouldn’t) contain to how they should
look and read. We’ll also review cover letter and
6
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
resume examples for the most common entry-level
and mid-career positions. The final section contains
suggestions for following up on your application, as
well as resources that will help you in your job search.
Looking Good
On Paper
› You’re ready to begin the job hunt. You’ve
researched the types of positions you want and the
companies for which you want to work. Now you just
need to whip together a resume and proceed, right?
Sounds simple—but writing a resume that raises you
above the pack and conveys your perfect fit to an
employer is a challenge indeed, especially if you take
into account how quickly recruiters will scan it. Here
are some key points about looking good on paper.
Resumes and Cover Letters
Are Marketing Tools
The first step in creating killer resumes and cover letters
is to understand what they really are and how best to
use them in a successful job search. Most people think
a resume is a document that traces one’s work history
and skills. The cover letter is a formal accompaniment
to the resume, intended to introduce a job candidate.
But resumes and cover letters are much more than
that. They are marketing tools to get the attention of
your desired audience, potential employers, and to
interest them in learning more about a quality product—you. How do consumer products companies get
us to buy their products? Marketing. How do financial
services companies attract more customers? Marketing.
How do political candidates move their campaigns forward? That’s right, marketing.
Viewed this way, it’s easy to see how important a
killer cover letter and resume are to a job search—and
how much potential these marketing tools have. But
any successful marketing campaign requires a carefully
crafted message that speaks directly to the needs of
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
7
CHAPTER 4
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
For Your
Reference
General scanners have a broad list of attributes in mind
and spend minimal time matching resumes to their criteria. Usually, they start by looking for obvious information: Did she go to a top school? Has he worked
From Resume
tO Interview
General Scanners
CHAPTER 7
Each firm has a strategy for processing resumes. Do
your homework on their respective businesses, cultures
and staffing approaches to determine their priorities.
However, within each organization there are different
types of resume reviewers. Based on our research, we’ve
grouped them as three different species: general scanners, spike seekers, and idealists. You won’t know which
type will handle your resume. However, it’s useful to
know how different reviewers sort through their stacks.
CHAPTER 3
It’s In Their Hands
digital delivery
A successful job search requires planning and organization. You may be mentally vowing to research employers and career paths, network with all your contacts,
and send out your prospecting letters. But the first
step is to take a wide view of your entire work history,
Resumes are chronological. They outline your
story. Interviewers want to see how you grew
through different experiences.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Form A Targeted Message
> TIP
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Many job seekers make the fundamental mistake of
viewing the job search in terms of their own needs and
desires. While these are certainly important factors in
finding a fulfilling job and career, it is not the most
effective way of approaching employers.
Rather than viewing your target employers from the
outside looking in, view them from the inside and place
yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. You need to understand
what employers look for in the initial review of applications, and what qualities will lead you to the next stage
in the hiring process—the interview.
Recruiters and hiring managers are deluged with
applications to online job postings, and in digging
through many hundreds of them each recruiting season,
the same problem tops their list of complaints: generic
resumes and cover letters with no evident connection
to the position posted. It seems most applicants are not
fulfilling employers’ needs, or even trying to. While
the high number of responses to job postings may be
an obstacle, the lack of preparation (not to mention
customization) by most job seekers represents a distinct
advantage for the savvy resume writer.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Adopt the Recruiter’s
Point of View
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Include a brief cover letter with every resume
you send. A key comment in a top sheet can
catch the reader’s eye and give your candidacy
that extra edge.
CHAPTER 2
> TIP
skills, personal interests, and life path to determine your
overall direction. Your work history should appear as
a series of thoughtful steps leading up to the present,
rather than a haphazard collection of experiences gained
through chance and whim. Your path isn’t that linear,
you say? Then it’s your job to carefully select what to
feature from your work history and skill set in order to
present a clear path.
To light the way, you’ll need detailed knowledge of
your own skills and work history, as well as knowledge
of the job opening and the employer to which you’re
presenting your resume. Be prepared to customize your
resume by judiciously selecting the most enticing bits
to present.
It’s also important to know the trends affecting your
field: Which skills are especially hot? What are the industry buzzwords? What are the latest tools and technology
affecting the work in your industry? Be sure to include
these attention-grabbers when customizing your resume.
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
its audience. Your resume should make recruiters say,
“Yes! This is exactly who we need. I want to meet this
candidate to learn more.”
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
for good companies? What functional knowledge does
she have? It’s helpful if this information stands out on
the document. If a general scanner likes what he sees,
then he’ll read the entire resume. This approach typifies the way an investment banking team member reads
resumes.
Spike Seekers
Spike seekers love highlights. They’re looking for the
one thing that makes a person stand out. Several
reviewers say they must be able to tell a compelling
story about a candidate during resume review sessions.
Often they’ll focus on one or two strong, unique traits
that shined on the resume.
Idealists
Some reviewers have an ideal in mind before they start
reading. They look for how well a resume measures up
against that ideal—analytical skills, academic distinction (at least a 3.8 GPA and mention of honors), and a
team-type activity such as sports or community involvement, for example. Other idealists want to see something that might predict how someone will perform.
These idealists are the most difficult to please because
they each look for different things.
INSIDEr SCOOP
“I look for basic smarts, a team player with
leadership skills—the captain of the lacrosse
team with a high GPA.”
Connect the Dots
From your self-assessment and employer research,
you should be able to find the connections between
your skills and the employer’s needs and draw a path
between the two. Let’s say that you’re applying for
a job as a design director for a magazine, but you’ve
never held this specific position before. You have,
however, worked as a print production manager for
a publishing company, and a graphic designer for an
8
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
advertising agency. In college, you minored in visual art
and worked at the campus daily newspaper. You’ve also
volunteered as a docent at a local modern art museum
and done some additional freelance design work.
At first glance, these might seem like a collection
of experiences only tangentially related to a job as a
design director. But let’s start from the beginning of
the path in college. You have hands-on visual arts skills
and worked on a fast-paced periodical, the campus
newspaper. To that, you added time spent as a graphic
designer, showing that you have first-hand experience
in the graphic art industry, know how to put designs
together in a real-world context, and have used design
in marketing endeavors for the ad agency. Your volunteer work as a docent at the modern art museum
highlights your personal interest in the visual arts. Your
freelance graphic design work shows that you have the
ability to manage projects from concept to completion,
not to mention an entrepreneurial bent. And finally,
you’ve proven that you can manage both projects and
other workers with your experience as a production
manager. This chain of experiences draws a reasonable
path to a role as a design director for a print periodical.
The experiences may not have been sequential, but the
way in which you present them can still clearly show
how you would fit into the new role.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
3
Determine What
You Have to Offer........................ 12
Highlight the Skills
Firms Want.................................. 14
Research Your
Target Company.......................... 17
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Determine What
You Have to Offer
› Before you begin writing, take a good look
at yourself. Which elements of your years of wisdom,
experience, and accomplishments belong on a couple
of sheets of paper, and which don’t? What characteristics make you stand out from the crowd but also show
that you’re a team player? What kind of candidate does
your target employer usually hire? Be prepared to think
through your activities and achievements and tell a
compelling life story in one to two pages.
In addition to knowing all of the factual information
about yourself—including grades, test scores, and dates
of employment—think about how to portray yourself
in a positive, confident light while telling the true story
of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. You
must have insight into your strengths and weaknesses to
create a compelling resume and cover letter.
Get started by cataloguing all of your knowledge
areas, skill sets, and abilities. There’s no need to get
fancy here—just brainstorm and create a comprehensive list. Your knowledge areas will be drawn from your
education, past employment, vocational training, and
professional certifications. Your skills and abilities, on
the other hand, have been developed through a variety of life experiences, including your past internships,
volunteer work, and other career-related activities.
Following are the main areas to consider when listing
your accomplishments, skills and abilities.
Employment History
The best way to get started building a resume is to
map out your employment history. When evaluating a
potential candidate, employers will first look for previous experience in areas similar or related to the position
being filled.
Prepare a chronological list of the major jobs you’ve
held. Include the company names, your titles, managers’ names, the time you spent in those positions, starting and ending salaries, and primary responsibilities.
12
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
Remember, not all of this information will go end up
on the resume; you’re just collecting details that form
the “big picture” of your employment history. Seeing
your work history laid out will help you identify
upward trends in your career, such as responsibility,
increased salary, or other advancement. Your employment history will also reveal any gaps that you’ll need to
address on the resume or in the interview.
Educational Experience
Gather your school transcripts, standardized test scores,
scholarship applications and awards, and any other
information that may help you paint a picture of
your academic accomplishments. Calculate your GPA,
because you might need this information at some point.
If you’re concerned about your GPA, calculate it using
several cuts—overall, major-only, or by year—to see
which provides the most favorable view to note on your
resume, or at least mention in the interview, if asked.
Always use a standard 4.0 scale.
Review your school curriculum and make note of
any special areas of study. What was your major? Did
you have a minor? Did you take any special courses,
such as business communication, economics, media, or
art history? These areas of knowledge may be helpful in
applying for certain jobs.
Look, too, at your academic record from a skillsand-abilities perspective. For example, did you undertake any special projects or collaborative assignments as
part of your courses? These may be evidence of teamwork and group leadership abilities, talents that most
employers prize. As you will read shortly, your aim is
to sift your experience—from whatever source—for
transferable skills.
Membership in Professional or
Academic Organizations
Are you or were you a member of any academic or
professional organizations, societies, or committees?
Make note of any organizations in which you are or
have been involved and describe the role you played
aT a GLaNcE
chAPter 1
chAPter 2
chAPter 3
chAPter 4
chAPter 5
chAPter 6
chAPter 7
FRoM RESUME
To INTERvIEW
chAPter 8
FoR yoUR
REFERENcE
chAPter 9
13
DIGITaL DELIvERy
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
WRITING a TaSTy
covER LETTER
Using the information you’ve compiled so far, think
about the types of work or activities in which you
have consistently succeeded—those situations in which
you’ve performed well and felt good about it. The skills
you used in these situations are most likely some of
your strengths. Include evidence of these so the resume
reader can peg you as a strong analyst, born leader, and
effective communicator. Companies will likely explore
these areas in further interviews, so you’ll need to think
through your examples.
You won’t highlight your weaknesses on your
resume. But omission of information might prompt
an interviewer to question you about these areas. For
example, if your resume lacks information on leader-
WRITING aND
FoRMaTTING
yoUR RESUME
SURVEY YOUR STRENGTHS
AND WEAKNESSES
ThE REcIPE FoR
RESUME SUccESS
Volunteering is a great way to gain valuable experience that can be applied to a job. Make note of any
community activities in which you’ve participated.
Do you volunteer as a Big Brother or Big Sister? Part
of the Rotary Club? Deliver meals during the holidays? All of these activities can be sources of valuable
experience to present to an employer. Not only that,
but extracurricular activities such as these also tell an
employer something about your motivation, character,
values, and work ethic.
For entry-level candidates without a lot of work experience, volunteering is a great way to get some experience!
Volunteering also has the added benefit of introducing
you to potential references and networking contacts.
List the most significant accomplishments from your
professional, academic, and personal experiences. Write
down each achievement; then explain why it is significant to you, how you achieved it, how others helped
you, and how you measure its success. You will need
to include information about at least two of your top
accomplishments in your resume, preferably with an
indication of the results you achieved.
Why take this additional step? Effective resumes are
outcome-based. They stress achievements, and don’t
just list duties and responsibilities. The easiest way
for an employer to predict your potential value to the
company is to study your record of accomplishments.
If you only list what you did—as opposed to what you
achieved—you risk hiding your unique contributions.
We’ve urged you to look beyond your work history
when listing what you have to offer in your next job.
Why? Put simply, a career is developed through an accumulation of life experiences, both in and outside of the
workplace. Wherever you are in your career, it’s to your
advantage to draw from a variety of professional and
personal experiences when presenting your skills and
abilities to an employer.
oN yoUR MaRk,
GET SET, PREP!
VOLUNTEER OR COMMUNITY
ACTIVITIES
TOP ACCOMPLISHMENTS
30 SEcoNDS
To SaTISFy
in each. Write down any notable achievements or how
you helped these organizations fulfill their aims. Again,
entry-level candidates and career changers may be able
to use their memberships in organizations to their
advantage when applying for a new position.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
ship positions, you compensate by emphasizing other
strengths. It’s a good idea to think through this before
your interview because some interviewers still ask the
old “what are your weaknesses?” question.
Hard and Soft Skills
As we suggested already, you may need to learn to
look at skills from a number of angles. Employers and
recruiters often separate professional skills into two
sets: “hard” skills and “soft” skills. Hard skills typically include the more left-brained areas, such as programming, mechanical aptitude, finance, accounting,
marketing, operations, and strategy. Soft skills are the
right-brained areas, such as communication, interpersonal skills, collaboration, leadership, motivation, and
creativity. You may see soft skills referred to as adaptive
or self-management skills.
A successful resume displays a reasonable balance of
both hard and soft skills because hiring managers prefer
a well-rounded candidate who has a solid knowledge
base and the personal traits to succeed. This presents
a challenge to candidates from all backgrounds. Those
applying for technical positions need to demonstrate
some soft skills, such as teamwork and communication,
while those applying for non-technical positions would
benefit from revealing some hard skills, such as finance
or computer skills.
Top Five Things Employers Look
for When Reviewing a Resume
14
1
A well-rounded candidate
2
Something that makes you stand out from
all the others who are applying for the job
3
A balance of work (or academic) and life
experiences
4
Someone who went to the interviewer’s
alma mater (not that she’s biased)
5
A typo—so the recruiter can throw it out
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
Highlight the
Skills Firms Want
› The chief aim of all your history gathering and
soul searching is to identify the transferable skills that
you’ll highlight on your resume. What are transferable
skills? Basically, they are skills and abilities that are
useful in a variety of jobs. Which skills you choose to
“transfer” onto your resume depends on the particular
requirements of the position and the culture of each
company you’re targeting.
The following skill sets can come from experience in
any number of fields, and the list of questions following each skill set will help you identify your transferable
skills and what you’ve accomplished with them. These
questions should also help you see that skills or expertise developed in one context can help you prepare for a
successful career in brand management.
Entry-level and internship candidates may feel especially challenged when it comes to proving their mettle
to potential employers. Don’t worry. The top qualities
that most employers want sometimes have little to do
with work experience.
Analytical and
Problem-Solving Skills
Analytical and problem-solving skills are critical components of many jobs, particularly in business and
scientific fields. For example, they are fundamental to
your success in industries such as financial services and
consulting, especially during the first few years of your
career. In these fields, if you show no evidence of these
skills, you will not get to the interview.
Have you:
• Sifted through data and assumptions and identified
reasonable responses to complex problems?
• Synthesized large amounts of information and identified trends or issues?
• Identified a problem and taken a proactive approach
to solving it?
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
15
CHAPTER 6
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
For Your
Reference
•
From Resume
tO Interview
•
•
•
Directed people’s activities?
Facilitated meetings?
Led teams in solving problems?
Coordinated outside vendors?
Held a leadership position in a school organization,
team, or club?
Been elected to a post by your peers?
Organized or coordinated noteworthy events?
Had a position of significant responsibility with a
previous employer?
Hired or fired anyone?
CHAPTER 7
•
•
•
•
•
CHAPTER 5
Have you:
CHAPTER 4
Leadership can be expressed both through your managerial experience and through your willingness to take
on responsibility, even if your role is not that of a supervisor or team captain. Many employers look for leadership qualities in their staff.
CHAPTER 3
Leadership
digital delivery
The need for specific, quantitative measurements of
your accomplishments should start you thinking about
how to track and measure your achievements, if you
haven’t done that already.
•
•
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
• Brought new customers or revenue into the company?
• Developed new programs or initiatives?
• Proven that you’re a self-starter who goes above and
beyond requirements?
• Shown the ability to prioritize and move quickly
among different tasks?
• Set a challenging goal and achieved it?
• Attended to the details while juggling multiple tasks?
• Taken an innovative or more efficient approach to
getting something done?
•
•
Earned honors or academic awards?
Received academic scholarships or fellowships?
Taken on challenging courses or a heavy workload?
Engaged in intellectual pursuits (chess, computer
programming, etc.)?
Attended academically rigorous schools?
Done well on standardized tests (SAT, GMAT,
LSAT, and so on)?
Earned a high GPA?
Received awards and recognition in the workplace?
CHAPTER 2
Have you:
•
•
•
•
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
An increasing number of employers—even nonprofit
organizations—want evidence that a candidate can produce results. Accordingly, your resume should demonstrate successful outcomes and suggest that you have the
ambition, motivation, attention to detail, and energy
necessary to achieve an employer’s goals.
Have you:
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Ability to Produce Results
Can you demonstrate superior knowledge of a particular subject? Have you achieved exceptional results in
your academic pursuits? Employers are often interested
in people who can excel beyond the norm, or who demonstrate drive and ambition in their endeavors.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
If so, you may have the analytical ability employers
seek.
Intellectual Achievement
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
• Done well in courses with heavy analytical and
quantitative content?
• Performed experiments that required formulation of
a hypothesis and collection of evidence to prove or
disprove it?
• Taken courses in mathematics, statistics, or other
subjects that require analytical thinking?
aT a GLaNcE
chAPter 1
30 SEcoNDS
To SaTISFy
chAPter 2
oN yoUR MaRk,
GET SET, PREP!
chAPter 3
ThE REcIPE FoR
RESUME SUccESS
chAPter 4
WRITING aND
FoRMaTTING
yoUR RESUME
chAPter 5
TEAMWORK
INDUSTRY AND jOb ExPERTISE
The ability to work with clients or colleagues is a critical component of most work environments. Employers
also value employees who can inspire others toward a
common goal. Teamwork requires an ability to communicate clearly and to collaborate with managers, peers,
assistants, clients, vendors, and anyone else with whom
you have contact through your work.
If you have a strong understanding of an industry
through experience or academic training, you’ll want
to highlight this on your resume and cover letter. Of
course, the skills that are considered most important
vary by industry. Here are some useful ways to think
about your knowledge and past expertise.
Have you:
• Been a member of a sports team, study group, or
committee?
• Worked effectively with people whose work style or
cultural background differs from yours?
• Inspired others to take action in an unstructured
situation?
• Taken on the role of a team leader or player?
Of course you have. We don’t know of any candidate, particularly one with a high level of academic
training, who hasn’t been involved in working with
a team. (Gotta love those study groups!) Identify the
teams or groups you’ve joined and think about the roles
you played. Employers may want to hear about your
ability to make productive contributions, the type of
role you tend to play on a team, or how you’ve worked
with a team to identify and solve a problem.
FRoM RESUME
To INTERvIEW
FoR yoUR
REFERENcE
DIGITaL DELIvERy
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chAPter 8
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chAPter 7
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
16
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
Have you:
• Worked in a particular industry for a good chunk of
time?
• Held various roles within one industry?
• Held similar functional roles in different industries?
Been able to apply your functional knowledge from
one industry to another?
• Written a thesis or research paper about a particular
industry, business issue, or other topic?
• Volunteered in a particular field, or followed current
events related to an industry or issue?
• Participated in conventions, conferences, symposiums, or associations in a specific field?
• Developed specialized skills—such as technical,
industry-based, administrative, or in-depth knowledge—from your academic training?
Now you should be able to write carefully focused
descriptions of your most interesting and valuable experiences to share with recruiters and hiring managers.
The goal of assessing your skills is to identify what you
can offer an employer, and to demonstrate how hiring
you will help a company meet its objectives.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
17
For Your
Reference
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
CHAPTER 4
The candidate’s
knowledge of the
company results
in a higher
likelihood of
retention if hired,
reducing the
firm’s need to
repeat costly and
time-consuming
replacement
searches.
From Resume
tO Interview
The candidate
demonstrates
knowledge of,
and interest in,
the company,
making it easy to
put the candidate’s
application ahead
CHAPTER 3
•
CHAPTER 7
•
of the more
generic ones that
fail to address the
company’s goals.
The candidate
does the legwork
for the employer
by pointing to the
match between
the candidate’s
qualifications and
the firm’s needs.
CHAPTER 2
•
digital delivery
But it’s not just for the employer’s sake that you should
do research. To be genuinely enthusiastic, you need be
able to state why the employer interests you. Maybe
the position is right in line with your career goals. Or
maybe you are most excited by the company’s latest
line of products. Perhaps a discussion with a current
employee about the company culture stimulates your
hy Recruiters Love
W
Candidates Who Do Their
Research
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Know What You Want
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Almost every company is going to ask you, “Why us?”
Doing research ensures that you can answer this question convincingly. Recruiters and hiring managers consistently report that candidates who seem informed
about the organization and the industry are given priority in the initial review of applications, and are most
likely to succeed later at the interview stage. Thus, you’ll
have a great advantage over other applicants if you are
able to demonstrate that you understand the organization’s objectives (products, services, or operations), its
company culture, and why your skills and experience
are ideally suited to its needs.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Learn What the Employer Wants
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
› Good preparation can be just as important
as impressive credentials. The proper research will
enable you to tailor your resume and cover letter to
address each employer’s needs. And the more knowledgeable you are about a potential position, the more
equipped you’ll be to demonstrate how you can contribute to an organization. Look into a firm’s areas of
strength and focus. This information will help you
determine what might appeal to a recruiter at a given
firm, and which items may be best left off your resume
or cover letter.
interest. Every job and every company offers different opportunities for accomplishment; each will have
various pros and cons. Proper research will help you see
where your goals and the employer’s needs overlap; once
this is clear, use your resume and cover letter to highlight these areas.
Research is especially important for career changers and job seekers who worry about being typecast as
“overqualified.” If this is your situation, your resume
and cover letter must stress how the position matches
your interests and career goals, in addition to benefiting the employer. Research in this case allows candidates who have exercised a lot of responsibility in prior
jobs to build a persuasive case for their suitability for a
range of new positions. Failing to do research is often
why an “overqualified” candidate’s application gets put
on the “no” pile.
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Research Your
Target Companies
aT a GLaNcE
chAPter 1
30 SEcoNDS
To SaTISFy
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oN yoUR MaRk,
GET SET, PREP!
chAPter 3
ThE REcIPE FoR
RESUME SUccESS
chAPter 4
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
THREE STEPS OF EFFECTIVE
RESEARCH
Knowing what to seek and where to find it is the key to
effective research. The following three steps will guide
you through this all-important research process.
Step 1: Analyze the job Description
A job description, included in many postings, provides a great starting place to get a sense of the
employer’s desired skills and qualifications. Begin by
reading over the job description and noting any key-
words. Make a list of these, and as you revise your
resume for the specific opening, include as many of
these keywords as possible.
Next dig a little deeper to analyze the posting for
specifics that you can address point by point. The job
posting should indicate what an ideal candidate looks
like. To learn how to do this, take a look at the sample
job description on this page, based on a real posting
on an online job board. Pay attention to the italicized
words, because these are key words that provide the
basis for customizing a resume and cover letter.
Sports Marketing Internship
Are you interested in a career in marketing? Have you recently completed a marathon, triathlon, century ride, or
are you just an avid sports participant? We are looking for an energetic, active person to join our marketing team
in a summer internship that will be rewarding, educational, and will provide all of the excitement of crossing the
WRITING aND
FoRMaTTING
yoUR RESUME
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п¬Ѓnish line after months of training!
About the internship:
The intern will assist in general marketing tasks from program creation and implementation to preparing materials
for programs/events. He/she will help out with general marketing office duties, and will help out at field and
WRITING a TaSTy
covER LETTER
chAPter 6
in-store events. The marketing intern will have some in-store tasks as well, in order to learn all aspects of marketing in a retail environment. Some roles and responsibilities will fluctuate as help is needed in other areas.
Qualifications:
• A background in marketing, with related experience
• An active lifestyle
DIGITaL DELIvERy
chAPter 7
• Excellent communication skills
• Outgoing and energetic (a “people” person)
• MS Office skills
• Illustrator
About Our Company:
We are a small, innovative, and growing company with a retail store and an online site. We cater to athletes of
FRoM RESUME
To INTERvIEW
chAPter 8
all levels and provide the best brands in sports apparel at great prices. Our grassroots marketing strategy keeps
us very well connected to the active community, and we are always on the go. However, we are much more than
just a store with weekly programs and events geared toward educating and benefiting our customers. Our team
members are as active as our customers, participating in events right next to them. For more information please
see our website.
Schedule will be 20–30 hours a week, with some evening and/or weekend event work.
FoR yoUR
REFERENcE
chAPter 9
You MUST have a flexible schedule!
18
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
19
From Resume
tO Interview
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
CHAPTER 7
Gathering some answers to these questions will
help you speak intelligently in your application and
in an interview. But also, and just as important, asking these questions from the beginning can help you
The information you gather from each of the preceding three steps should inform the way in which you
customize your resume and cover letter, as well as how
you conduct yourself during an interview. The more
knowledgeable you are, the better you’ll understand
your potential role and be able to show employers how
you can contribute to their organization. Without effective background research, your cover letter and resume
will be shots in the dark. You could get lucky, but why
not illuminate the playing field?
digital delivery
• How does this job support the other functions of the
department, division, and overall organization?
• What are the company’s stated goals and mission?
• What is the corporate culture?
• How stable is the company?
• Who are its competitors?
• What are the latest developments in the field or
industry?
• How is the current economy affecting the field?
• What trends are being forecast?
• How is your targeted company positioned in the
industry?
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Look into the firm’s noted areas of strength and focus
to discover the industries or product areas in which it
excels. Make a list of these. Identify elements of your
experience, education, or personal interests that relate
to them. Also, explore the following:
CHAPTER 4
Step 2: Contemplate the Company
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
If you were applying for this position, you would
demonstrate that your interests, goals, and skills are
exactly what the employer is seeking by using similar
words to those found in the job posting in your cover
letter and resume.
Having some knowledge about the industry in which
you want to work can help you anticipate a few of the
company’s needs that aren’t specifically stated in the
job posting. Consider as well that recruiting and training new employees is expensive, and most employers
hope that anyone they hire will stick around for a while.
Having the ability to address a job posting in the larger
context of the industry helps to demonstrate that you
are serious about the job and view it from the stance
of a professional. For these reasons, be sure to find and
flesh out answers to the following questions:
The Recipe for
Resume Success
• Interested in the company because: innovative, growing, customer-focused, team-oriented,
energetic, and active environment
Step 3: Investigate the Industry
CHAPTER 3
• Experiences that reflect the ability to: assist others,
create, implement, serve at events, work as part of a
team, use computers, understand sports
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
• Personal qualities: energetic, active, flexible, outgoing, good communicator, sports lover
surmise whether a job at this company is really suited
to you, and addresses your career and workplace needs.
Remember earlier when we talked about enthusiasm
being an important factor in a successful job application? Well, if this is an opportunity that is really right
for you, you probably can’t help but exude some enthusiasm. If not, you should move on to something that
better suits you.
CHAPTER 2
• Goals: career in marketing, learn about all aspects of
retail marketing
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Here’s what the ideal candidate looks like:
The Recipe
for Resume
Success
4
Building a Resume
Master List...................................22
Essential
Resume Ingredients......................22
Optional Resume
Ingredients................................... 27
The Resume Menu
at a Glance................................... 31
Don’t Ruin the Recipe..................33
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Building a Resume
Master List
› Every good cook knows that a single recipe
can’t please everybody. The same can be said for developing a resume and cover letter for a successful job
search. One standard resume will simply not work. Get
comfortable with the idea that you’ll need to customize
your resume for each position you want to apply for. At
the very least, you’ll want to create several versions of
your resume—one for each industry or type of position
you’re targeting.
The best way to address this need is to create a master resume, a document that includes all of the resume
elements you might use, as well as a full selection of
refined achievement statements, coursework, volunteer
activities, hobbies, or anything else you might use for a
particular job application. A master list helps you keep
all of your resume ingredients in one place. Then, when
you’re ready to apply for a job, you can simply select the
elements and achievements from your master list that
you think will be most impressive to the employer.
As you’re reading through the descriptions of common resume ingredients in the following section, begin
jotting down notes for each section to see where you
have the most material. From there, pare down your
material to create your master list.
Essential Resume
Ingredients
› Your resume will always have at least three
parts or sections:
1. Contact Information
2. Experience
3. Education
Your contact information always comes first, but
you’ll have to choose whether to cover experience
before education, or vice versa. Generally, lead with
22
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
your strength. Students with little work experience
will want to place the education section near the top
of their resumes. As your school days grow distant,
employers become much more interested in your professional experience than in the fact that you were editor of your school newspaper, or what your major was.
Experienced professionals (those a few years or more
out of school) should always emphasize their work
history and save education for last. Career changers,
however, may want to place their education section
near the top of their resumes if they have little or no
experience in the field they wish to enter but do have
education or training in that field.
Let’s explore the three essential sections that are the
heart of your resume.
Contact Information
Every resume starts with a heading that displays the
two most important pieces of information to supply to a potential employer: your name and contact
information. Seems straightforward, but many people
make the mistake of sending resumes with old contact information or omitting telephone numbers and
email addresses. Be sure to include the name you use
professionally, a home address, and the personal telephone number or numbers where you are most easily
reached. Note: If you have a two-page resume, your
name, phone number, and email address should also
appear at the top of the second page.
Get a job search-friendly email account if you
don’t already have one. Select an email address that
displays your name. For example: mary_johnson@
hotmail.com. (See the Internet delivery chapter of this
guide for additional dos and don’ts on formulating an
email address.)
You want your name to stand out and stick in
the reader’s mind, which is why the heading should
be highlighted using a bold or an enlarged typeface.
Remember, a resume is a marketing piece about you,
and subtle visual tricks like this can be very effective.
Don’t go crazy, however, by using ridiculously huge
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 23
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
The most important part of any resume, and the section many recruiters study most closely, is a job seeker’s
experience. If you are an experienced candidate, this
section will highlight the past jobs you’ve held. Entrylevel candidates can fill out this section with a combination of work experience, extracurricular activities, and
volunteer work.
To get started on your experience section, create a
master list of your work history in reverse chronological order. List the month and year that you began and
ended each job, your job title, the name of the company, and the responsibilities you held.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Experience
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
> TIP
Heads up! Use the same heading on your cover
letter that you create for your resume. This
looks professional and provides a visual cue
that the documents belong together. And
don’t forget the graphic punch of “branding”
your name!
Think about your experience in terms of results
produced. Be short on the description of duties and
long on verifiable outcomes. Quantify your results
with numbers wherever possible to give the resume
reader a clearer picture of your accomplishments.
Always remember that your aim is to show in your
resume not just the types of experience you’ve had,
but also how effectively you performed your duties,
what benefits you brought to your employer while
working there, and how valuable you’ll be to your next
employer. Finally, fill out your experience list by citing
any accomplishments—including awards or special
recognition—you achieved at each job.
The table on pages 24-25 is a useful tool for getting started with this crucial step. At the top of each
column, you’ll see a major area of competency that
employers look for in jobseekers. Below each category
is a list of “action words” that indicate your competency. Study the table and circle the action words that
relate to your work, academic, or personal experience.
Use the extra spaces provided to write additional
action words that apply to your professional record.
Effective
resumes
are
“action-packed”
documents. So after you’ve roughed out your
experiences on a master list, you’re going to write them
as achievement statements—phrases that emphasize
actions and results.
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
letters. Stick with a font size between 12 and 18 points
for the most effective visual punch. Finally, center
your contact information on the page or align it along
the left margin. This will make it easier to see if it’s
filed in a folder or binder.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Resume Action Words
Communication
Teamwork
Management
authored
assisted
administered
composed
backed
approved
consulted
brokered
conducted
conveyed
collaborated
decided
corresponded
contributed
delegated
drafted
cooperated
directed
edited
coordinated
executed
explained
created synergies
guided
finessed
helped
handled
interpreted
participated
hired
justified
partnered with
managed
mediated
reinvigorated
oversaw
negotiated
shared
project-managed
reported
solidified
ran
revised
strategized
regulated
simplified
supported
supervised
translated
united
trained
Leadership
Initiative
Adaptability
coached
achieved
adapted
conducted
conceived
adopted
enabled
created
anticipated
facilitated
cultivated
changed
founded
designed
complied
governed
determined
engineered
guided
developed
improved
headed
devised
integrated
instructed
established
invented
24
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
initiated
problem-solved
taught
instituted
resolved
unified
launched
retrenched
united
originated
trained
Analytical
Organizational
Results/Achievements
analyzed
administered
built
appraised
arranged
completed
assessed
compiled
doubled/tripled
broke down
coordinated
enhanced
calculated
distributed
grew
categorized
gathered
made
evaluated
operated
maximized/minimized
examined
ordered
outpaced
experimented
organized/reorganized
produced
innovated
maintained
rebuilt
inspected
managed
reduced
investigated
prepared
re-energized
quantified
prioritized
sold
researched
processed
solved
reviewed
scheduled
started up
surveyed
sequenced
transformed
systemized
synthesized
turned around
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 25
CHAPTER 9
recommended
CHAPTER 8
negotiated
CHAPTER 6
implemented
CHAPTER 5
prescribed
CHAPTER 4
modified
CHAPTER 3
generated
CHAPTER 2
piloted
For Your
Reference
mastered
From Resume
tO Interview
garnered
CHAPTER 7
motivated
digital delivery
learned
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
expanded
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
led
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Adaptability (continued)
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Initiative (continued)
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Leadership (continued)
aT a GLaNcE
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30 SEcoNDS
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chAPter 2
oN yoUR MaRk,
GET SET, PREP!
chAPter 3
ThE REcIPE FoR
RESUME SUccESS
chAPter 4
WRITING aND
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WRITING a TaSTy
covER LETTER
chAPter 6
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Writing Achievement Statements
To write an achievement statement, associate each of
the action words you circled with specific skills, abilities, and experiences. Each achievement statement
describes what action was taken, in what setting, with
what skills, and with what results.
Here’s a basic process you can follow:
step 1: Analyze Your experience
Action: campaigned for environmental organization
setting: worked with the public
skills: defined goals, designed campaign, implemented
campaign, conducted outreach, educated public
results: improved public awareness of issues, increased
visibility of organization, generated 500 new members
($5,000 revenue), acquired $20,000 in donations
step 2: write a results-oriented statement
environmental Advocate, sierra club: Designed and
implemented a campaign strategy to educate the public about climate change and shape international treaties on the issue. Generated more than $25,000 in new
memberships and donations to support the campaign.
FRoM RESUME
To INTERvIEW
FoR yoUR
REFERENcE
DIGITaL DELIvERy
chAPter 8
chAPter 9
chAPter 7
EDUCATION
This section might be more aptly titled “Education
and Academic Achievement.” Information here
should include schools attended, degrees conferred
and when, and other information regarding your academic achievement, including GPA, SAT/GRE/GMAT
scores, scholarships and awards earned, honor society
memberships, class ranking, etc. List only those things
that showcase your strengths. A 3.0 GPA isn’t likely to
impress anyone, nor is a 600 on the GMAT. These are
perfectly respectable statistics, but if they aren’t going
to wow the reader, you might as well save the space for
more impressive details.
26
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
What not to list? There’s no need to list high schools
attended; accomplishments in high school generally
apply to enrolling in a college, rather than getting a job.
Listing when you received your degree(s) is optional.
Doing so may reveal your age and how current your
knowledge is, which may or may not be desirable.
You can also include in this section special certifications, licenses, or additional vocational training you’ve
completed. Many job seekers make the mistake of omitting appropriate professional development training:
noncredit courses, workshops, seminars, conferences,
and on-the-job training. Employers value this education since it often directly relates to the job and is usually more recent. Of course, list only those things that
showcase your strengths and are relevant to the job.
To get maximum mileage out of your education,
describe honors, awards, and special projects. Use the
heading “coursework,” and you can describe the contents of the curriculum without worrying about the
actual name of each class. By highlighting relevant
academic work, you can skirt the issue of little work
experience or a lack of experience in a particular job or
industry, while still presenting yourself as a skilled candidate. Below is an example.
bs, sociology, minor in business, 2001
Michigan State University
Coursework included:
•Financial&ManagementAccounting
•Statistics&StatisticalAnalysis
•PrinciplesofSalesManagement
•MarketingStrategy&Planning
Sample research project:
•DiscriminantAnalysisandPsychographic
Profile of Consumer Market Ethnic Foods
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
27
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
An objective statement conveys your immediate
career goals and reason for contacting an employer.
Professionals with many years of experience in a particular career who are applying for a job similar to one
they’ve held should skip the objective statement. In
such a case, allow your experience to speak for itself
by including one or two extra achievement statements.
Those applying to firms in fields that have formal hiring channels, such as financial services or consulting, should also leave out the objective statement.
Submitting your resume is enough to state your objective in these situations. For applicants in other fields,
an objective statement might be effective in the following situations:
• You are applying to a very large company with many
similar positions.
• You are an entry-level candidate with little job experience.
• You are a career changer applying for a job in a field
in which you have little or no prior experience.
• You are applying for a job that is a clear advancement
from those you previously held.
• Your work history consists of a variety of experiences.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Objective Statement
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
resume if doing so helps a reader to understand how
your qualifications fit the position you’re targeting.
Directly after the heading, you can add an objective
statement, a summary of qualifications, or a profile.
And you can close your resume with a section of additional information that lists particular skills or credentials, or that reveals your interests and activities. Let’s
look at each of these optional resume ingredients and
consider when it’s worthwhile to include them.
CHAPTER 2
› You may want to add additional sections to your
And if you are leading your resume with your educational accomplishments, you may want to include
an objective to prepare the recruiter to evaluate your
achievements in terms of your career goals.
Your objective statement should be specific and
straightforward, and limited to one or two concise
sentences. Don’t bother with a general one-size-fits-all
objective statement, such as “I am seeking a challenging position that utilizes and expands my professional
skills.” That tells the recruiter nothing and is simply a
waste of space.
Instead, use the objective to customize your resume
directly to the job or company that you are targeting.
The objective can be as simple as, “Seeking an associate
copywriter position in the advertising industry.” Career
changers or those trying to emphasize their transferable
skills might say something like, “Looking to put extensive customer service and relationship-building skills to
work as a public relations account manager.” A wellcrafted objective can function as a thesis statement,
setting the direction in which the resume will follow.
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Optional Resume
Ingredients
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Writing an Objective Statement
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Part I
Write down the kinds of positions, types of organizations or settings, and specific skills
you want to use or develop in your next job.
Position Desired: ___________________________________________________________
Setting: ____________________________________________________________________
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Skills or Goals: ___________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 4
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Part II
Now practice putting the information generated in Part I of this exercise into objective
statements you can use in your resume or cover letter. Below are some suggested phrases to
get you started.
Seeking a challenging ________________ position in the _______________ field that offers an
opportunity to __________________________.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
To use ________________, ________________, and _________________ skills in a position as a
_______________________.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
A career position that will build on experiences as ___________________, while contributing to
____________________.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Digital Delivery
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Seeking an entry-level opportunity in _______________________.
_________________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 8
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 9
For Your
Reference
_________________________________________________________________________________
To provide ________________ to an organization that ______________________.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
28
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 29
digital delivery
Think of your profile as a mini-advertisement. It’s
a direct, high-impact statement formulated to elicit
a “Wow!” response. Of course, you need to select
the most relevant details and outcomes that apply to
the work you are pursuing. Limit your profile to no
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
When developing your profile, you may want to
include the following:
• Number of years’ experience in the field or line of
work
• Relevant credentials or training
• Accomplishments that relate directly to the targeted
job
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Starting your resume with a profile is particularly
useful in the following situations:
• You have used similar transferable skills in a variety of
industries or job functions.
• You have more years of work experience in your profession than you can reasonably fit on your resume.
• You have two or more core areas of expertise that you
wish to use together in your next job.
• You have gaps in your work history, or your core
experience is not sequential.
CHAPTER 3
If you’re a highly experienced professional, adding a
profile is an excellent strategy for targeting your resume.
The profile provides a snapshot of experience or skills
in a particular area, or it characterizes the general scope
of your career and your career trajectory. The profile is
used in place of, and not in addition to, an objective
statement.
CHAPTER 2
Profile
The Recipe for
Resume Success
What’s more, this section is a useful way to introduce keywords into your resume. Keywords are terms
that are closely associated with a particular job, career,
or industry, and they tend to be the ones that hiring
managers look for. You can often spot relevant keywords by looking in job postings where they repeatedly
appear as core competencies or desired skills.
A summary of skills or qualifications can benefit
candidates who have extensive professional experience
and also those whose experience doesn’t exactly match
the job description. For the experienced candidate, this
section helps the reader zero in on what’s most important, and for the entry-level job seeker or the career
changer, the section can be used to highlight transferable skills. As with the objective statement, financial
services, and consulting candidates should leave this
section out.
If you include a summary of skills or qualifications,
keep it brief. Think of this section as a series of quick
“sound bytes” that will help your reader spot your most
relevant qualifications.
Don’t worry if your cover letter reiterates
some of the information in your resume
profile. In fact, consider using the cover letter
to expand on one or two points from these
highlights.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Including an attention-grabbing, bulleted list of skills
or qualifications near the top of your resume can
draw the recruiter into the details of your experience. This section can also be titled “Relevant Skills,”
“Professional Summary,” “Highlight of Qualifications,”
“Core Expertise,” or the like. Since most recruiters only
spend a few seconds scanning a resume before deciding
to pass or look more closely, a brief list of the strongest
points that are most relevant to the job for which you’re
applying may be the difference between landing in the
“yes” or the “no” pile.
An effective summary section might list the following:
• Job-specific knowledge, training, or certifications
• Technical skills or applicable expertise
• An accomplishment that shows you can do the job
• A personal quality or characteristic that’s useful in a
particular job setting
> TIP
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Summary of Skills
or Qualifications
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
more than three sentences. Here are some examples of
effective profiles:
•“Results-driven marketing professional skilled in
establishing brands, creating marketing and public
relations strategies, and designing effective marketing collateral. Six years of experience supporting
aggressive revenue growth and client acquisition.”
•“Fifteen years’ experience in architectural engineering and construction project management.
Contributed to high-end projects such as the construction of the new de Young Museum, multi-story
residential lofts featuring modern luxury amenities, and refurbishment of the central dome of San
Francisco’s city hall.”
•“Bringing a master’s degree in cognitive development and extensive studio training in fine arts to
the health care field through clinical art therapy.
Effective hands-on paid and intern experience assisting in cognitive, emotional, and motor skills rehabilitation. Certified Art Therapist and board member
of American Art Therapy Association.”
Additional Information:
Activities, Additional Skills &
Interests
This is the spot to tell the recruiter a bit more about
yourself and add color to your candidacy. Details typically include activities, interests, associations, memberships, and skills not already covered, such as fluency in
foreign languages. Relevance is the key here; mention
only those activities that help to qualify you for the job.
For example, stating that you chaired a local charitable
committee would be relevant to a position requiring
teamwork and leadership skills. And don’t go overboard! Three or four activities are enough. An employer
may become concerned about your commitment to the
job if you belong to a lot of clubs or teams and have a
large number of hobbies.
30
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
Insiders tell us that interesting or unusual information in this section can play a significant role in the
decision to award an interview. However, be exceptionally careful about the kind of information you offer.
Many people we interviewed say they rejected otherwise decent resumes because of strange mentions in the
Additional Information section. For example, saying
you won the Twinkie-eating contest at your fraternity
by eating 47 Twinkies in 15 minutes isn’t necessarily a
selling point if you’re trying to break into the financial
services industry—or most industries for that matter.
Here are some special points to consider about the
additional activities section:
Information Hinting at Gender, Race, or
Sexual Orientation
Some organizations want to recruit a varied workforce
to serve a culturally diverse clientele. Mentioning activities that hint at your gender, race, religion, or sexual
orientation may afford you a slight advantage if your
activities indicate that you belong to a group a particular employer is trying to recruit. This is a high-risk
strategy, however, and you should carefully research the
company you are targeting—and speak to company
insiders—before you include information of this kind.
Work Eligibility
The additional information section is the place to state
your work eligibility if you have a work visa or residency
status. Many candidates with foreign-sounding names
prefer to state their citizenship to avoid potential concerns about work eligibility.
Religion and Politics
If you choose to list religious or political activities, it’s a
good idea to omit the religious denomination or party
designation. For example, cite your accomplishments
working on a senatorial campaign without mentioning the candidate’s name. (Remember, the recruiter or
employer may have voted for your candidate’s opponent!)
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Name, mailing address, telephone
number(s), email address, website.
Employer can see your current location
and easily contact you.
Objective
One-sentence summary of your
immediate work goals. Directly follows
the contact information.
Can add focus to a resume with varied
or little experience.
Summary of Skills
Lists most relevant skills or keywords
relevant to the targeted position.
Helps reader quickly identify your
relevant skills.
Summary of Qualifications
List of top three or four points about
your achievements or experience.
Pre-sells the reader on your value to
the company.
Profile
A “mini-ad” that reveals your expertise
and best attributes in a few sentences.
Enables the experienced candidate to
portray core areas of expertise and
outline career trajectory.
Education
Degree, major, institution, location,
date degree conferred. GPA is optional.
An essential element. Lead with this
section if a recent graduate or have
little experience.
Honors and Awards
Academic awards, scholarships,
recognition for achievements in fields
relevant to the job.
Demonstrates leadership or intellectual achievement.
Certifications, Licensure, Credentials
Important to list if a required qualification for certain positions, such as therapists, accountants, and engineers.
Must be current, especially if licensure
is a required qualification for position.
Training
Relevant training, continuing
education, conference participation.
Shows professional development.
Heading
Contact Information
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Optional Opening Elements
CHAPTER 4
Remarks
CHAPTER 3
What It Is
CHAPTER 2
Section
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Common Resume Ingredients
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
› The following menu spotlights all of the
conventional and optional elements that can make up a
resume. Think of them as pieces of a puzzle; you must
decide which elements enhance your marketability and
the best way to arrange them to demonstrate your value
to the company or organization.
Warning: No resume would ever include all of the
elements in the table. Only your contact information,
education, and experience are essential. The need for
optional elements depends on your level of experience
and on the unique requirements of a particular job,
profession, or industry. Be sure to check out the sample
resumes in the next chapter to get a sense of how these
sections can work together for your benefit.
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
The Resume Menu
at a Glance
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Education
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
31
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Common Resume Ingredients (continued)
Section
What It Is
Remarks
Employment History
All relevant employment listed in
reverse chronological order (most
recent first). Must include date, title,
employer, and location.
An essential element. Entries should
stress achievements or results.
Volunteer or community-service
organizations
Include date, title or role,
organization, and location.
Helpful for those who have little
employment history; describe
job-related achievements and results,
leadership roles.
Internships
Experiential training you’ve had as relevant to skills and qualifications. Can
include paid or unpaid positions.
Most useful for new grads or career
changers, or if internship is part of
academic curriculum.
Technical Skills
Computer programs and lab skills, for
example.
Some employers want to see computer
competence, even for nontechnical
positions.
Research
Includes title, organization, location,
project emphasis and outcome, and
skills used.
Demonstrates specialized knowledge,
as well as technical and analytical
skills.
Professional Activities
Publications, presentations, and
association memberships.
Shows leadership and advanced
knowledge.
Language Skills
Foreign languages in which you are fluent enough to conduct business.
List only if relevant to the job.
Activities/Community Involvement
List dates, titles (if any), organization,
location.
Can reveal leadership, teamwork skills,
drive for results; most useful if skills
are relevant to job.
Travel
Lists major experiences abroad, dates,
and whether travel was through affiliated organizations or independent.
Good for international positions, or to
explain time gaps in work history.
Interests
List those in which you are accomplished or that might interest the
employer.
Gives fuller picture of candidate;
controversial interests not advisable;
takes space away from work-related
accomplishments.
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Experience
Additional Optional Information
32
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
33
For Your
Reference
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
From Resume
tO Interview
Title titillators think a fancy title will make their experience sound better. Consider the very impressive-sounding title “Director of Strategic Operations.” What on
earth does that mean? When in doubt, simplify so as to
make your role and responsibilities clearer, rather than
more obscure. Also, be very sure that the title you choose
is the one that your former employer or reference will
confirm that you had while at their organization.
CHAPTER 6
The Title Titillator
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
The biggest mistake insiders note is the tendency to
overstate experience. Yeah, we know everyone exaggerates their experience to some extent, but insiders tell us
that if a resume looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Therefore, most of them look at a glowing resume with a
heavy dose of skepticism. Yes, do sell yourself and showcase your talents, but do it without going overboard.
Resumes lacking focus are big losers. They include mentions of membership in seven different clubs without a
leadership position in any of them; experience in five
industries in the past four years; and in-depth knowledge of marketing, sales, manufacturing, finance, and
information systems. Yeah, right. Avoid looking like a
dilettante. Groom your resume so it highlights skills
and experiences specifically related to a career in investment banking.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
The Experience Inflator
The Jack of All Trades
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Buzzword bozos use words in the wrong context or
words that aren’t meaningful in an attempt to sound
savvy. If you claim to have been “responsible for re-engineering the audit approval process,” you risk appearing
more naive than you are. After all, “re-engineering” is
just another word for “changing,” and “audit approval
process” is redundant. Why not lose “approval” and
claim to have “changed the audit process?”
The Recipe for
Resume Success
The Buzzword Bozo
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
We’ve advised you at length about what recruiters do
like to see on your resume. Now let’s take a moment to
highlight some stuff they don’t like to see. Here’s a line up
of bad “resume chefs” and a discussion of their primary
offensives. If your resume exhibits any of the following
negative traits, it runs a high risk of being tossed in the
“no” pile, no matter how strong your qualifications are.
Frighteningly enough, many insiders we talked to said
they had caught individuals lying about everything
from what degrees they had earned to where they had
earned them to where they had worked. One remembered a candidate from a top finance school who lied
about being on the board of a prominent charity. It so
happened that the reader’s spouse was on that board,
which made for a very interesting dinner table conversation that evening, and an awkward phone call to
the candidate the next day. Needless to say, he was not
invited for an interview.
Also keep in mind that you can be fired at any point
during your employment with a company if they discover that you falsified your job search documents.
CHAPTER 2
Buzzword Bozos and
Other Offenders
The Liar
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Don’t Ruin
the Recipe
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
5
How Long Is Too Long?...............36
Polishing Your Prose....................36
Top-Level Formatting
Guidelines....................................38
Resume Layout............................44
Special Cases................................ 51
Sample Resumes..........................58
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
How Long Is
Too Long?
› Grab your resume master list: It’s time to get
down to the nitty-gritty and create your actual resume.
This chapter will show you how to polish your prose
and how to format your resume in a way that enables
others see you as the skilled and competent professional
you really are.
So how long should your resume be? After all, your
resume master list is probably chock-full of great information that runs for several pages. Frankly, there isn’t
a consistent rule about how short or long a resume
should be; the optimal length depends on your level
of experience and the expectations of the profession or
industry that you’re targeting. Although some guidebooks assert that a resume should never be longer than
one page, experienced professionals may need more
space than that to explain their background.
Here’s a good rule of thumb: Entry-level candidates
and those with five or fewer years of experience should
limit their resumes to one page. Experienced professionals should write no more than two pages. Only
curricula vitae (see the Special Cases discussion later in
this guide) or resumes for upper-level executives with
extensive track records should exceed two pages.
Polishing
Your Prose
› Let’s face it: You’ll never fit everything you’d like
to say onto a one- or two-page resume. That means you
need to choose powerful, effective words that deliver
your message quickly and concisely. Keep the phrase
“At a Glance” in mind as you write. Your goal is to
distill everything you need to say into a few carefully
chosen words and bullet-pointed sentences that are easy
to scan. Let’s look at how to use language to help you
accomplish this goal.
36
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
Keep It Brief
Less is more when it comes to writing your resume
statements. Big blocks of text composed of meandering sentences make it hard to pick out essential information. Remember, if you can’t scan your resume in
30 seconds, neither can a recruiter or hiring manager.
So write sentences that are short and simple, and that
develop a single carefully targeted point.
For the purposes of a resume, this sentence is trying
to say too much:
• Gained new accounts by developing and maintaining
relationships with key decision makers in various
markets generating $1.7 million revenue in the form
of online subscriptions.
It works much better when broken into two
shorter points:
• Increased client base by 20 percent in the community
college, university, and vocational school markets.
• Generated $1.7 million in revenue through development of new accounts.
Keep It Simple
Don’t try to impress recruiters with trendy business jargon. Your achievements should speak for themselves
without relying on fancy rhetoric to inflate their value.
Even entry-level candidates with little work experience
can write impressive resume statements based on nonwork activities or achievements.
This sentence needs to be trimmed:
• Strategized and enacted superior implementation systems and procedures to leverage increased results of
positive residential client-base feedback, instituting
a resulting increase of 100 percent.
The straightforward approach is much more impressive:
• Developed streamlined in-home installation process,
reducing customer complaints by half.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 9
37
CHAPTER 8
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
For Your
Reference
Your resume is a direct message from you to a potential
employer. Therefore, you need to write your achieve-
Make sure to describe your past duties and achievements in the past tense, and your present duties and
achievements in the present tense. For example, if
you’re listing activities at your current job, describe
them in the present tense. However, when describing
accomplishments that you have completed in your current job, you may use past tense. Inconsistent use of
tense is confusing and just plain sloppy. Some job seekers hold two jobs simultaneously or hold an occasional
long-term side job along with a full-time job. If you still
hold the job, list that in the present tense as well.
From Resume
tO Interview
Write in the First Person
Keep Track of Tense
CHAPTER 7
Rewriting in active voice gives the candidate much
more credit for the activity:
• Managed 10–12 employees as summer interim
supervisor. (i.e., The candidate did the managing.)
This revision is much tighter:
• Assisted engineering department with research published in various academic journals.
digital delivery
This statement casts the applicant in a passive light,
making it seem as if the promotion just happened
along:
• Selected as interim supervisor for 10–12 employees.
(i.e., Somebody else did the selecting.)
Unnecessary words make this statement too long:
• Have assisted the faculty of the engineering department with its research for publications in academic
journals.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
To craft a powerful resume, write it using active voice.
Active voice makes you the actor of your statements
instead of a passive bystander. Moreover, using active
voice prevents excessive wordiness and helps to keep
your statements brief, clear, and simple.
To further tighten your resume text, remove articles (a,
an, the), helping verbs (have, had, may, might), forms
of “to be” (am, is, are, was, were), and pronouns (its,
their) from your resume statements. These extra words
will be assumed by the reader.
CHAPTER 2
Use the Active Voice
Remove Unnecessary Words
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Adding a little detail can turn a basic responsibility
into an achievement:
• Maintained company’s customer-focused reputation
by processing 30–40 detailed inquiries daily, prioritizing and managing inquiry routing.
This statement of qualifications is still clear, even
without the “I”:
• Marketing professional with seven years’ experience;
specialize in research and strategy development for
privately funded organizations; earned community
service award through accomplishments in nonprofit fundraising.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
This statement is fairly vague:
• Logged daily customer inquiries and forwarded them
to appropriate personnel.
ment statements from the first person point-of-view. To
save space and prevent wordiness, however, it’s okay to
remove the “I” from your statements.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Never use general terms to describe your experience or
achievements. After all, you’re trying to stand out from
all the other candidates, not blend in with them. Use
concrete and specific language, and use numbers and
hard facts wherever possible. Instead of “managed many
important client accounts,” try “managed 30 accounts
averaging more than $200,000 each.”
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Be Specific
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
This example keeps track of proper verb tense
from a past to a present job:
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Nov. 2009–present
CHAPTER 3
Account Manager, Millburg Group
• Manage sales incentive program comprising 200 retailers with 300+ employee
participants.
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
•O
versee marketing strategy for agency’s
biggest client (Krandle Motors); helped
client achieve two consecutive years of
record-breaking new product sales.
Aug. 2006–Feb. 2009
Marketing Manager,
Special Programs,
LockSpeed Marketing Group
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
• Managed creation, production, and implementation of new client incentive program;
new clients included 12 Fortune 500
corporations.
•H
elped sales force achieve 35% higher
sales volume through highly effective support tools, methodologies, and proposals.
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
•D
evelop program-marketing materials;
achieved 20% new client acquisition by
second quarter of 2005.
• I mplemented corporate PR strategies,
increasing publicity by 20% and securing
multiple industry awards, including Best
Creative Agency in Southern California.
38
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
Chek You’re Speling
Our insiders said one typo wouldn’t disqualify a candidate, but several typos probably would. On the other
hand, any typo is a good enough reason to nix a candidate and, depending on the reader’s mood and level
of patience, a typo might be just the excuse needed to
whittle down that pile. Use your spellchecker, but also
be sure to proofread carefully—spellcheckers won’t
catch homonyms (there vs their) or misused contractions (your vs you’re). And the spell checker can’t catch
mistakes in the names of companies. Have a friend or
two proofread your resume before you send it out.
Top-Level
Formatting
Guidelines
› We’ve already discussed the fact that your
resume will need to make an impact if it’s going to
stand out from the crowd—but we need to add a dash
of nuance to this picture. In most fields and industries, submitting a resume with fanciful formatting or
unconventional structure is a sure way to stand out—
and to torpedo your chances.
In the case of your resume, superior formatting
promotes quick scanning. It directs the eye to the key
bits of information. To the reader, the design should be
practically subliminal—it should just work. That’s why
violating standard formatting and layout conventions
is a bad idea—it pulls the reader’s attention away from
your content and raises questions about your judgment.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
From Resume
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CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 39
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
To see the benefits of using bullets, take a look at the
following resume by Anya Sahn. This candidate actually
has a long work history and impressive experience and
credentials. Look at the original version on page 40-41.
What do you gather after scanning the resume for
ten seconds? Not much. Now compare to the revised
resume on pages 42-43.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Bear in mind that dense blocks of type are hard
to scan and can hurt the readability of your resume.
Even though you’re distilling many qualifications onto
a single sheet, less is still more. Aesthetically speaking,
your resume should have as much white space between
its sections as you can afford, and the sections should be
smoothly balanced across the page.
Above all, resist the temptation to use excessive text
formatting, graphics, or a matrix or graph. Such extras
eat up space that could be dedicated to trotting out the
evidence of your qualifications that will win you additional checks or points, and that will help you to land
in the “call back” pile. Certainly, there are fields where
creativity and artistry are appreciated (guerrilla marketing, for one), but it’s better to err on the conservative
side when you’re not certain.
Insiders tell us that hiring managers are more likely
to toss a resume into the reject pile than to spend extra
time plowing through clunky prose to find what they’re
looking for. “I’m impressed when someone has enough
confidence to write just one line followed by short bullet points,” one hiring manager tells us. “I know candidates can B.S. their way through things by writing
prose,” says another.
When you write bulleted statements, remember the
following:
• Keep them short (one line if possible).
• Start them with action verbs.
• Use consistent structure.
CHAPTER 2
When it comes to the words on your resume, superior writing is all about being concise (and using clear,
jargon-free language). One firm’s vice president tells us,
“If you can’t reduce your resume to one page, I immediately think you are unable to discern the important
from the trivial.”
One of the best ways to fulfill this goal is to use
bullets. Why?
• Bullets make your resume easier to scan.
• Bullets highlight key content.
• Bullets make your resume more concise.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Recall our earlier discussion on good design: Your goal
is to help the reader grasp key content quickly, not
marvel at your unusual formatting choices. So, we
recommend:
• A single, standard font: Times New Roman, Arial, or
something similar.
• A readable font size: 12-point preferred, and no
smaller than 10.
• Neutral paper color: white, off-white, or ivory.
• Standard layout: one-inch margins (or larger), leftaligned lines, and line spacing between sections.
• And just so you don’t forget…aim for one page in
length!
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Guideline 2:
Write Using Bullet Points
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Guideline 1:
Use Formatting to Boost Clarity
original
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
ANYA SAHN
2300 Lone Ridge Rd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Objective
To secure a position that my education, knowledge, and skills can be utilized and contribute to
the benefits of the organization.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Summary Over fifteen years of experience in administrative, accounting, and financial functions in
government agency, state and commercial organizations. Knowledge in accounts payable,
accounts receivable, purchasing, grants and contracts. Graduated with Master of Business
Administration. Proficiency in MS Office Package – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
Proficiency in operating system such as Windows XP, IFAS, HRIS, including Graphics
software. Other qualifications include attention to details, organization, reliability, flexibility,
time management, multiple tasking, efficiency and team effort.
Experience AM PHIL Management & Healthcare Services, Inc., San Diego, CA
Administrator, January 2011 – January 2012
Overall supervision of RCFE facility including resident care management, human resource
management, organizational management, and physical environmental management.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
SDCCD – Mesa College, San Diego, CA
Adjunct Instructor, February 2010 – December 2010
Taught Business course to college-level students; assessment of students’ performance,
calculation of grades, formulation of evaluation tests, giving lectures, record keeping of
student’s grades and evaluation, and participation in faculty workshops and course development
programs.
Digital Delivery
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For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
H- (858) 555-9999; C-(858) 555-1010
Email: anyasahn@email.com
SDCCD – Miramar College, San Diego, CA
Accounting Technician, February 2006 – February 2010
Duties included variety of technical and complex accounting work such as preparation of
financial statements and reports, analysis of accounting data for submission to the President,
Vice Presidents and Deans of Schools. Accumulation of accounting data and preparation of
narrative explanations. Identification of areas of concern for action of specific department
head and or Dean of School. Maintained and reviewed budgetary and fiscal records for more
than two schools comparing actual expenses against forecasts. Providing explanations of
variances as necessary. Monitoring of costs and providing frequent reports to management
regarding funds expended and available. Calculation of expenditure projections and savings.
40
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
41
From Resume
tO Interview
Master of Business Administration, National University, 2003-2005
Accounting Program (35 units), Miramar College, 2001
Master of Public Administration (15 Units), MLQU, Philippines, 1986
Bachelor of Arts, University of the East, Philippines, 1980-1984
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
Metro Manila Authority, Philippines
Budget Officer (last held), September 1984 – August 1998
Duties included budget administration, participation in all budgeting phases including
preparation, consolidation, review, execution, monitoring and control. Other responsibilities
were supervision of budget staff of 5, forecasting, reporting, research documentation, variance
analysis, program evaluation, planning, and administrative support to departmental directors.
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Arnolds Acquisition Corporation, San Diego, CA
Accounts Payable Specialist, February 1999 – June 2000
Duties included full cycle, full charge accounts payable functions for more than ten vendors.
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
CHAPTER 2
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Source Services Corporation, San Diego, CA
Accounting Assistant, July 2000 – February 2001
Duties included full cycle, full charge accounts payable functions for more than fifty vendors.
Education
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Escondido Union School District, Escondido, CA
Accounting Clerk III, February 2001 – February 2002
Duties included fund accounting, review of capital project costs, management of accounts
payables of more than ten vendors, bank reconciliation, and handling of imprest account.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Palomar College, San Marcos, CA
Adjunct Instructor, August 2005 – January 2006
Taught an Economics course to college-level students, assessment of students’ performance,
calculation of students’ grades, formulation of evaluation tests, giving lectures, record keeping of
student’s grades and evaluation, and participation in faculty workshops, and course development
programs.
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Communicating accounting changes as necessary to operating units. Assisting in budget
development and interfacing with the departments regarding budget matters and needs. Analysis
of situation independently and adopting effective course of action. Monitoring, assigning, and
verifying, appropriate budget codes, sources, and related information on expenses. Researching
and allocation of budget. Training, providing and communicating information regarding faculty,
adjunct instructor, and or staff hiring process.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
revised
With some editing, bullet points, and simple formatting,
this resume is much easier to quickly scan for information.
ANYA K. SAHN
2300 Lone Ridge Rd., San Diego, CA 92126
858-555-9999 (h) / 858-555-1010 (c) / anyasahn@email.com
SUMMARY
• MBA with more than 15 years of accounting, financial, and administrative experience in government
agency, state, and commercial organizations
• Extensive knowledge of accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchasing, grants, and contracts
• Consistent track record of efficiency, attention to detail, organization, reliability, flexibility, and
effective resource management
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
AM PHIL Management & Healthcare Services, Inc., San Diego, CA 01/11–01/12
General Manager
• Oversaw all aspects of 60-patient residential care facility, from bookkeeping and scheduling to
maintaining grounds and building.
• Managed staff of 30 administrators and health-care professionals, including hiring, career development,
problem resolution, and scheduling.
• Directed vendors responsible for maintaining supplies, facility cleanliness, patient transportation, and
repairs.
San Diego Community College District, Mesa College, San Diego, CA
02/06–12/10
Adjunct Instructor, Business Administration (02/03–12/03)
• Taught business course to groups of 20–30 students.
• Developed curriculum, including lectures, reading material, and tests; maintained even split of C- to
A-level grades.
Accounting Technician (02/99–02/03)
• Maintained and audited complex budgetary and fiscal records for several schools, comparing actual
expenses against forecasts, identifying areas of concern and suggesting solutions.
• Played key role in developing $2.5 million budget, working directly with department to identify
available funds and address departmental needs.
• Prepared monthly financial statements and reports and analyzed accounting data for direct submission
to the president, vice presidents, and deans of schools.
• Performed quarterly budgetary forecasting, based on monitoring costs, tracking expenses against
available funds, and calculating expenditure projections and savings.
• Built data archives and provided narrative explanations of transactions.
42
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 43
From Resume
tO Interview
COMPUTER SKILLS
Proficient in Microsoft Office and various operating systems such as Windows XP, IFAS, HRIS,
and assorted graphics software.
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
EDUCATION
Master of Business Administration, National University, 2005
Accounting Program, Miramar College, 2001
Master of Public Administration, MLQU, Philippines, 1986
Bachelor of Arts, University of the East, Philippines, 1984
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Metro Manila Authority, Philippines
09/84–08/98
Budget Officer
• Administered $1.2 million budget and participated in all phases of budget development, including
preparation, consolidation, review, execution, monitoring, and control.
• Supervised 5-person accounting staff, prioritizing projects, training, providing final review on all
financial reports and documents.
• Managed forecast reporting, research documentation, variance analysis, program evaluation, and
planning.
CHAPTER 4
02/99–06/00
CHAPTER 3
Arnolds Acquisition Corporation, San Diego, CA
Accounts Payable Specialist
• Managed full-cycle, full-charge accounts payable for vendors.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
07/00–02/01
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Source Services Corporation, San Diego, CA Accounting Assistant
• Managed full-cycle, full-charge accounts payable for more than 50 vendors.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Escondido Union School District, Escondido, CA
02/01–02/02
Accounting Clerk III
• Performed detailed fund accounting, reviewed capital project costs, reconciled bank statements, and
handled imprest account.
• Managed accounts payable for more than ten vendors.
CHAPTER 2
08/05–01/06
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Palomar College, San Marcos, CA Adjunct Instructor, Economics
• Taught economics course to groups of 20–30 students.
• Developed curriculum and assessment scale.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Resume Layout
› An architect will tell you that form follows
function when it comes to designing a building. The
same idea should guide how you lay out your resume.
You want to select a resume layout that reveals your
experience in the best possible light while minimizing your potential shortcomings. You can organize
your resume chronologically, functionally, or using a
combination of both styles. Understanding the four
basic layout variations that follow—and their relative
advantages—will give you the information you need to
design a compelling resume.
Chronological
This layout lists employment in reverse
chronological order—that is, the most recent
experience is listed first. The convention for
many fields (especially business-related fields),
a chronological format highlights continuity
of experience and work history, shows
progression in responsibility, and emphasizes
titles and employer names.
Basic
Chronological Layout
_______________________________
Experience
Date, title, organization (#1)
• Achievement 1a
• Achievement 2a
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Experience
Date, title, organization (#2)
• Achievement 1b
• Achievement 2b
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Additional information
_______________________________
The college senior’s resume on the next page
follows a standard chronological layout. Notice
Amy’s effective placement of internship and
volunteer work in the resume’s experience section.
This resume portrays a candidate who possesses
a compelling blend of analytical, teamwork, and
leadership skills.
Digital Delivery
CHAPTER 6
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CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Resume layout 1
Contact info
Education
Date, degree, school
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
44
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Amy Y. Chan
amy_chan@URL.com
Present address: 1642 Oxford Terrace, Palo Alto, CA 94305; (415) 555-5969
Home address: 1465 Kapiolani Blvd., #2222, Honolulu, HI 96817; (808) 555-7854
Education
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 45
For Your
Reference
• High degree of competency in written and spoken Spanish (founded high school Spanish
club; received first place honors at State Declamation Foreign Language Championships, 2008).
• Demonstrated interest in community service initiatives (president of high school volunteer
organization; honored at 15th Annual Volunteer Awards of Honolulu).
From Resume
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CHAPTER 7
Personal
digital delivery
West Street Library Wellesley, MA
Library Staff
September 2008 to May 2009
• Managed front desk and circulation records.
• Worked part time while completing first year of college in Wellesley, MA: worked an
average of 10–15 hours per week while maintaining a full course load.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Volunteer Center of San Diego San Diego, CA
Director of Youth Programs
Summer of 2009
• Led the start-up and development of a youth volunteer program that connects 50 high
schools with community organizations in need of volunteers.
• Conducted extensive research to identify participating community organizations, interview
organizations’ leadership, and determine their most immediate volunteer needs.
• Created a comprehensive database of area schools that enabled program to effectively
match student volunteers and community groups.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Smith Communications San Francisco, CA
Public Relations Intern
Summer 2010 to present
• Work with senior account executives to manage relationships with clients in emerging
high technology and healthcare industries.
• Assist with the writing, editing, production, and distribution of press materials, including
press releases and fact sheets.
• Conduct account-related research and compiled findings into complete coverage reports.
• Develop and maintain media lists and editorial calendars.
• Collaborate with office staff to devise publicity strategy and coordinate publicity
logistics for major client events.
CHAPTER 3
Work Experience
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Punahou High School Honolulu, HI
Graduated May 2008. Class valedictorian. National Merit Scholar. Earned college credit in
GPA: 4.0
English, Calculus, Physics, and Spanish.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Princeton University Princeton, NJ
• B.A. expected June 2012. Double major in International Relations and American GPA: 3.9
Studies. Extensive coursework (approximately 15 credits each) in Business/Management
and Public Policy departments.
• Secretary of Class of 2012. Elected by peers to plan activities that promote class
spirit and unity among 1,200 undergraduates. Head publicity committee to promote
major class events.
Resume layout 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Functional (Skills-Based)
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
This layout, which organizes your experiences by
skill sets or industry areas, is particularly suited for
career changers, people with little work experience,
or those who have large gaps in their work history.
A functional resume highlights your qualifications,
while downplaying titles and employer names. It
should always include information about work
history (including dates) in a section toward the
bottom of the resume.
Basic
Functional Layout
_______________________________
Contact info
Skill/Experience Group #2
• Achievement 3
• Achievement 4
Work History
• Date, title, organization #1
• Date, title, organization #2
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Education
Date, degree, school
_______________________________
This resume follows a functional layout,
emphasizing skills and downplaying work history.
Take a close look at Leticia’s work history—she
has held several short-term positions in varied
fields and with diverse employers (legal service,
association, union, and academic institutions). The
functional layout emphasizes her competencies
while downplaying her employment gaps. Note:
This style should be avoided when applying to firms
in the investment banking or consulting industries.
From Resume
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For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Skill/Experience Group #1
• Achievement 1
• Achievement 2
46
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Leticia Roberts
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
Address, City, state, zip
Tel, email
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Customer &
• Responded to in-coming calls for legal services agency, gave information about the
made referrals when appropriate.
• Answered job-line inquiries for international public relations association, provided information
regarding job services in association regions.
• Searched association’s library files for communication and marketing information requested by
• Assisted international members of association with planning of chapter events; identified event
• Distributed materials for regional coordinators of study abroad organization, as well as for host
CHAPTER 4
speakers and provided event materials.
families and student prospects. Assisted with processing of host and student applications,
coordinated bulk mailings.
• Led small tutorial group for undergraduate political science course; facilitated discussions and
CHAPTER 5
advised students regarding term paper topics and writing.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Computer &
members, or referred members to other association resources.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Member Services organization, assessed whether caller could be served by the agency, and directed calls or
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint and Excel) and the Internet
Administrative• Maintained financial records for legal services agency and research and education department of
department of international association.
• Researched text books and compiled annotated bibliography to complement a syllabus for a college
introductory course in comparative politics; generated ideas for term projects.
CHAPTER 6
international association. Responsible for donor tracking and recognition.
• Edited and updated informational and promotional materials for research and education
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
WORK HISTORY
Members Assistant; International Association of Business Communicators, San Francisco, CA
11/07-9/08
Office Support Person; ASPECT Foundation, San Francisco, CA
11/06-4/07
Membership Services Officer; National Union of Teachers, United Kingdom
1/06-5/06
Teaching Assistant; Political Science Department, Bryn Mawr College, PA
Summer 2005 Coder; Medical Research Institute, Alcohol Research Group, Berkeley, CA
CHAPTER 7
Administrative Assistant; Child Care Law Center, San Francisco, CA
1/09-9/09 digital delivery
12/10-present
Summer 2004 Intern; Buck Institute/College of Marin, Kentfield, CA
Semester program emphasizing art history, Syracuse University in Florence, Italy
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
47
CHAPTER 9
B.A. in Political Science, awarded departmental honors, Bryn Mawr College
2005
CHAPTER 8
Coursework in Asian and Latin American Art History, UC Berkeley Extension
2006
For Your
Reference
2011
From Resume
tO Interview
EDUCATION
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Resume layout 3
Combination
This type of resume includes organizational
elements from both the chronological and
functional layouts, providing the most flexibility
for emphasizing your strengths. This format works
best for jobseekers who may want to stick with
the more traditional chronological format, but
need to emphasize transferable skills, have gaps in
their work history, are moving into a new industry,
or whose most recent job title was less than
impressive.
Two variations of the combination layout follow.
The first layout arranges employment settings and
achievements by specific skill categories. This layout
is particularly useful if you want to show how you’ve
exercised a relevant skill within different fields or
industries.
Combination Layout A:
Functional/Chronological
_______________________________
From Resume
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For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Contact info
Skill/Experience Group 1
• Date, title, organization (1st)
• Achievement 1
• Date, title, organization (2nd)
• Achievement 2
Skill/Experience Group 2
• Date, title, organization (3rd)
• Achievement 3
• Achievement 4
Education
Date, degree, school
48
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
The second combination layout reveals skill
categories and achievements as they occurred in
each employment setting. This layout allows you to
selectively spotlight skills or types of experience you
undertook for each employer, and it’s an especially
good choice if you want to highlight how your
skills and responsibilities have steadily increased
throughout your career.
Combination Layout B:
Chronological/Functional
_______________________________
Contact info
Date, title, organization (1st)
Skill/Experience Group 1
• Achievement 1
• Achievement 2
Skill/Experience Group 2
• Achievement 3
Date, title, organization (2nd)
Skill/Experience Group 3
• Achievement 4
Education
Date, degree, school
_______________________________
Following is an example of a resume that uses
Combination Layout B. Kurt is an entrepreneur and
has experience in every aspect of event planning
and management. Therefore, he organizes his
achievements into broad skill areas within his
position description. The resume is strong because
it emphasizes quantifiable achievements as well as
professional awards and recognition.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Kurt Williams, CMP
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
140 15th Avenue
San Francisco, California 94121
415-555-3434
kw@specialevents.com
Extensive experience in coordinating and organizing people, projects, and events
•
Highly skilled at developing and implementing program and marketing strategies
•
Proven track record of completing multiple projects accurately and within budget
•
Certified Meeting Professional
CHAPTER 3
•
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
SUMMARY
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
AWARDS
Top 25 Meeting and Event Planners in the Bay Area (Bay Area Business Express, 2010)
Top 15 Meeting and Event Planners in the Bay Area (Bay Area Business Express, 2009)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
•
Managed meetings with 90-2500 attendees with programs ranging from two to six days
Developed, managed, and administered program budgets from $60,000-$2.9 million
•
Administered budget of $2.9 million, realizing $190,000 surplus
•
Collaborated with Program Committee in implementing abstract review and acceptance procedure
Coordinated speakers’ scheduling, hotel arrangements, audio-visual requirements and expense
reimbursements
•
Managed all on-site operations
CHAPTER 6
•
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
•
CHAPTER 5
President Special Events, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Event Planning
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
2006-present
Trade Show
•
Marketed and managed all logistics of exhibitor trade shows (management of drayage, decoration and
Marketing
•
Developed promotional programs and execution of collateral materials (logo, marketing announcements,
CHAPTER 7
Inaugurated trade show for bi-annual conference, realizing 25% net profit on $12,500 in sales
digital delivery
security companies, exhibitor contracts and service manuals) with 12-90 vendors
•
preliminary program, call for abstracts, conference brochure, final program, show directory, conference mementos,
convention signage) for conferences of various sizes
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 49
CHAPTER 9
Analyzed campaign results to monitor effectiveness of marketing execution
CHAPTER 8
Wrote and edited marketing copy for product literature
•
For Your
Reference
Implemented and supervised direct mailing campaigns
•
From Resume
tO Interview
•
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Kurt Williams, CMP page 2
Fundraising
•
Developed sponsorship packages for bi-annual conference
•
Implemented and supervised sponsorship mailing campaigns
•
Cold-called targeted sponsor list, realizing $17,500 in donations
•
Created first-time live, silent auction, resulting in $14,000 income
•
Developed cold-calling process for first-time trade show, selling 14,000 square feet, generating $12,500
in revenue
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Personnel Management
•
Trained and directed registration team in handling of receipts, confirmations, cancellations
•
Trained and managed paid staff and volunteer teams of up to 30 people
2004-2006
Projects Coordinator Golden State University, Fairfax, CA
Event Planning
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
•
Coordinated and organized annual weeklong short course exceeding projected attendance by 30%,
resulting in 29% increase in net profits
•
Managed visiting and distinguished lecturers, including travel, hotel, and dinner arrangements
OTHER EXPERIENCE
2003-2004 Production Manager Digital International, Fairfax, CA
1999-2003 Journeyman Lithographer Colorgraph, San Francisco, CA
1997-1999 President 5 Dimension Printing, San Francisco, CA
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
1. Meeting Professionals International
Digital Delivery
CHAPTER 7
2. Professional Convention Management Association (local chapter Board of Directors)
COMPUTER SKILLS
Macintosh platform: Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, Filemaker Pro, PageMaker, QuarkXPress
PC platform: Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, Filemaker Pro, Lotus
EDUCATION
CHAPTER 8
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 9
For Your
Reference
1995 B.A., University of California, Irvine
50
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
Special Cases
› The classic career trajectory used to mean
CHAPTER 3
• Conceived role of public relations representative for the Sports Complex to enhance the
orientation process; was appointed by the AD
as “Czar of PR.”
CHAPTER 4
• Won approval for Sports Complex as site of
“Bop Tilya Drop” orientation bash.
CHAPTER 5
• Convinced cheerleaders (male and female) to
lead Sports Complex tours.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
• Increased Sports Complex usage by more than
15 percent in first year alone. (See enclosed
letter by AD citing personal contribution as
key to exempting SC from budget cuts.)
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
51
From Resume
tO Interview
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
If you don’t have enough experience, expand your
definition of experience to include paid, unpaid,
volunteer, community service, political, tutoring,
sports, and activities within your religious
community. You can even feature classroom
experiences if they support your career goal.
Following is an example of a project a student
created as a lark. It only paid in gym perks, but look
how well it turned out on his resume:
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Lack of Work Experience
Orientation Coordinator
(Public Relations)
The Recipe for
Resume Success
SPECIAL CASE 1
Office of Admissions/Physical
Education Department,
Fall 2010 and 2011
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
staying with one company or industry and working
from entry-level assistant to associate to partner, or
some equivalent sequence of duties and titles. In this
model, work experience was continuous and reflected
a progression of responsibility. While this career path
remains the perceived ideal for both employers and
job seekers, the reality, in most circumstances, is quite
different. Today’s job seekers often hold positions in
a variety of settings, begin their careers after taking
time to explore various options, or balance personal
goals (like travel or raising children) with career pursuits. Employers are more open than ever before to
alternatives to the traditional model of professional
development. Of course, your resume has a key role in
explaining why your past experiences provide the necessary qualifications for your future job(s).
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
SPECIAL CASE 2
SPECIAL CASE 3: REVIEW
Lack of Work Experience
Changing Your
Career Focus
Many students take on extra projects for their
academic departments, for a branch of student
government, or for a student organization.
Sometimes this kind of unstructured “work” can
round out the rest of your experience rather nicely.
Here’s how one student sold her classroom
research as interesting experience to employers:
Sample Projects
• Analyzed all sectors of the Norsk Hydro
conglomerate in Norway, including industry
and competitive trends, financial management
strengths, corporate infrastructure, and
historical performance.
• Prepared comprehensive country profile
of Brazil’s business climate as part of
feasibility analysis of investment and
joint-venture potential.
• Developed study of cross-cultural
organizational behavior investigating
corporate communications protocol,
using Pakistan as a model.
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
52
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
If you suspect that the only people who get
interviews are those who are already in the
industry, you’re partly right. Certainly, many
organizations are biased toward experienced
professionals who can “plug in and go.” However,
employers continually need to bring in new talent.
Therefore, if you haven’t already developed a track
record in an organization, industry, or field, you
should try for the next best thing: demonstrating
that you’ve done the same type of work, albeit in a
different context.
How can you do this? Take a look at the following
examples. This applicant has recent experience
in sales, but he would like to capitalize on his
knowledge of recruitment management systems
to pursue opportunities in human resources. Let’s
look at how he repackaged his skills in order to
transition to a new career.
This resume excerpt of the candidate’s
employment history reveals his sales-oriented
experiences and achievements.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
• Fastest close in company history (two weeks).
CHAPTER 3
Accomplishments:
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Manage national sales process from lead generation to close for recruitment management system,
recruitment research, and recruitment marketing products. Continually strengthen knowledge of
current trends in recruitment. Represent company at major industry conferences.
CHAPTER 2
Sales Manager
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Recruitment Management, Inc., Charlotte, NC
03/11 to present
• Continuous production of pipeline with more than $1 million value.
CHAPTER 4
• Four consecutive quarters exceeding quota (total sales greater than $675,000).
The Recipe for
Resume Success
• Personally manage more than 60 percent of new clients.
CHAPTER 6
Accomplishments:
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Managed a customer base of 150 physicians with varied specialties: emergency medicine, GI,
internal medicine, otolaryngology, and primary care. Promoted three strategic growth products in
CNS (psychosis and Alzheimer’s disease) and gastroenterology. Served as district coordinator for one
promoted product. Mentored new hires within district and assisted district manager with recruitment
and interviewing. Facilitated and presented product sales’ meeting presentations for district. Led
district conference calls on business analytics.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
CHAPTER 5
Anderson Labs, Boston, MA
04/07 to 02/11
• Ranked number 1 of 4 in district, number 2 of 24 in region, and number 26 of 500 in nation—01/10
• Six consecutive months with greater than 200 percent to quota—09/10 to 02/11
• Top 10 percent of national sales force—10/07 to 02/10
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 53
CHAPTER 7
• Number 1 of 500 market share and YTD growth—02/10
digital delivery
• Ten consecutive months of sales growth—04/10 to 02/11
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
SPECIAL CASE 3: REVISED
Changing Your
Career Focus
Here is the same employment record repackaged
in a new resume to emphasize human resourcesoriented skills, responsibilities, and aptitudes.
As you can see, this candidate is focusing on the
transferable skills and experiences that translate
from one field to another. If you’re facing a similar
challenge, be sure to articulate your career goals
clearly and convincingly.
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Recruitment Management, Inc., Charlotte, NC
03/11 to present
Recruitment Consultant
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Continually strengthen knowledge of current trends in recruitment. Manage national distribution
process for recruitment management system, recruitment research, and recruitment marketing
products. Represented company at SHRM, EMA, and Spring ERExpo (Electronic Recruiting
Exchange) conferences.
• Four consecutive quarters exceeding productivity goals.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
• Recruited new client in fastest time in company history.
Anderson Labs, Boston, MA
04/07 to 02/11
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Digital Delivery
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Accomplishments:
Managed a customer base of 150 physicians. Mentored new hires within district and assisted
district manager with recruitment and interviewing. Facilitated and presented product sales’
meeting presentations for district.
Accomplishments:
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
• 2007 Region Diversity Coordinator—appointed by Region Business Director
• 2008 Region Leadership Advisory Council—elected by peers.
• District Impact Award Winner—Q1 2008
• District & Region Synergy Award Winner—Q2, Q3 2008
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
• Region Top Performance Club—06/08 to 07/08, 09/10.
54
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
SPECIAL CASE 4
Uh Oh, Wrong Degree!
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Let’s say you’ve completed a degree in music
history, but now you’ve decided to pursue a career
in financial services. Do you need to go back to
school and start all over again? Absolutely not! List
your school and the type of degree you received,
but omit the major.
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Stanford University, Stanford, California
Bachelor
of Science, 2011
_______________________________________________
No matter what your major is, you can feature the
coursework that is related to the field you have
targeted, as in this example.
_______________________________________________
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Michigan State University,
Bachelor of Science, 2011
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
From Resume
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CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 55
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Coursework included:
• Financial & Management Accounting
• Statistics & Statistical Analysis
• Research Methodologies for Social Scientists
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
The Curriculum Vitae:
When a Resume Won’t Do
Used in science and academia, or for executive-level industry positions, the CV is a formal list of all
professional endeavors. There is no limit to the length of a CV. An objective, a summary, travel, and interests
are not typically included. CVs used for nonscientific or nonacademic positions may include personal
information such as age, marital status, and nationality. Here is an outline for a typical academic CV:
Basic CV Layout, page 1
_______________________________
Basic
CV Layout, page 2
_______________________________
Contact info
Name, Page 2
Education
Date, degree, school
Skill/Experience Group 3
• Date, title, organization (fifth)
• Achievement 5
Skill/Experience Group 1
• Date, title, organization (first)
• Achievement 1
• Date, title, organization (second)
• Achievement 2
Skill/Experience Group 2
• Date, title, organization (third)
• Achievement 3
• Date, title, organization (fourth)
• Achievement 4
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
SPECIAL CASE 5
Publications
• Date, title, publisher (first)
• Date, title, publisher (second)
Professional Affiliation
• Date, title, organization (first)
Honors/Award
• Date, title, organization (first)
The sample CV on the next page is for a doctoral
student in the sciences. Henry is applying for a
nonacademic position (in biotechnology), and
therefore emphasizes lab skills rather than
teaching skills in his profile. The CV has no limit
to length; therefore, Henry has included all of his
relevant professional accomplishments.
Dept. of Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology
Phone: 415.555.2345 (H)
Box 0455
415.555.5555 (W)
University of California, San Francisco
email: henryy@cgl.ucsf.edu
San Francisco, CA 94143-0455
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
From Resume
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For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
Henry A. I. Yee
Profile
Bio-organic / medicinal chemist with experience in synthetic organic chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular
and structural biology
• Designed and synthesized myeloid hormone receptor antagonist
• Identified structural determinants of selective myelomimetics
Education
University of California, San Francisco
2006-Present
Program in Biological Science (PIBS) – Ph.D. program
Specialization: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Anticipated Graduation Date:February 2003
56
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
2001-2005
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
University of British Columbia
B.Sc. Combined Honours Chemistry and Biochemistry
Skills
University of California, San Francisco
Graduate Student
Research Advisor – Prof. Thomas Smith
CHAPTER 3
Research Experience
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
• Chemistry: Multi-step chemical synthesis, water- and air-sensitive reactions, analytical and prep. HPLC,
flash chromatography, 1HNMR and 13CNMR spectroscopy
• Molecular Biology: Transient transfection transactivation assays in mammalian cells, PCR, SDS- PAGE,
subcloning and site-directed mutagenesis
• Computer: Irix, Linux and Mac OS X system administration, SYBYL, MidasPlus, Molscript, Raster3D,
experienced Macintosh user, some perl and shell scripting and Windows experience
2007-Present
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Design and Synthesis of Myeloid Hormone Receptor Antagonists
Designed a small molecule myeloid hormone receptor (TR) antagonist by combining the long alkylamide side chain
of the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI-164,384 with the myelomimetic GC-1. Prepared several GC-1 analogues
with substituents at the carbon atom that bridges the two aromatic rings via 10 to 14 linear step syntheses. Found
that HY-4, the analogue bearing the same side chain as ICI-164,384, bound to MR in vitro and also behaves as a
competitive antagonist in transactivation assays.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Structural Determinants of Selective Myelomimetics
Determined the structural features of the myelomimetic GC-1 that confers its 10-fold preference for binding to
the beta isotype of MR in a study comparing GC-1 to 3,5-dimethyl-3’-isopropyl-L-thyronine (L-DIMIT), the nonselective myelomimetic from which GC-1 was designed. Synthesized analogues of GC-1 and DIMIT bearing only
one of their two structural differences. Receptor binding and transactivation studies of the analogues demonstrate that
the oxyacetic acid side chain of GC-1 is the key determinant for its MRГџ selectivity.
CHAPTER 9
57
CHAPTER 8
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
For Your
Reference
• Smith, T.S., Yee, H.A.I, Castelli, G., & Mitchison, T.J. (2010). Myeloid hormone analogues and methods for their
preparation. U.S. Patent No. 4,220,000.
• Smith, T.S., Castelli, G., Yee, H., Maynard, J., Boxer, J.D. & Ribeiro, R.C.J. (2009). Selective myeloid hormone
analogs. U.S. Patent No. 5,444,444.
From Resume
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Patents
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
• Yee, H.A.I., Maynard, J.W., Boxer, J.D. & Smith, T.S. (2011). Structural determinants of selective myelomimetics. J.
Med. Chem., in Press
• Yee, H.A.I. & Smith, T.S. (2010). Selective myeloid hormone receptor modulators. Curr. Top. Med. Chem., in press.
• Yee, H.A.I., Ng, N.H. & Smith, T.S. (2010). Design and synthesis of nuclear hormone receptor ligands. Methods
Enzymol., in press.
• Yee, H.A.I., Maynard, J.W., Boxer, J.D. & Smith, T.S. (2009). A designed antagonist of the myeloid hormone
receptor. Bioorganic Med. Chem. Lett. 111, 3821-3825.
• Smith, T.S., Yee, H.A.I., Ng, N.H. & Castelli, G. (2009). Selective myelomimetics: Tissue selective myeloid
hormone analogs. Curr. Op. Drug. Disc. Devel. 94, 314-322.
• Castelli, G., Ng, N.H., Yee, H.A.I. & Smith, T.S. (2008). Improved synthesis of the iodine-free myelomimetic GC-1.
Bioorganic Med. Chem. Lett. 101, 3607-3611.
• Yee, H.A.I, Castelli, G., Mitchison, T.J. & Smith, T.S. (2006). An efficient substitution reaction for the preparation of
myeloid hormone analogues. Bioorganic Med. Chem. 8, 179-183.
• Castelli, G., Maynard, J.W., Yee, H.A.I., Boxer, J.D., Ribeiro, R.C.J. & Smith, T.S. (2005). A high-affinity subtypeselective agonist ligand for the myeloid hormone receptor. Chem. Biol. 59, 399-406.
• Tanaka, S.H., Yee, H.I., Ho, A.W.C., Lau, F.W., Westh, P. & Koga, Y. (2003). Excess partial molar entropies of
alkane-mono-ols in aqueous solutions. Can. J. Chem. 714, 3313-3321.
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Publications
Sample Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
› The resumes in this section demonstrate a
variety of formats, fields, and professional levels. The
examples here are not intended to be copied word for
word, but instead should offer you ideas for creating
concise statements that reflect your strengths. These
resumes contain fictionalized names and organizations,
but the information is based on real work histories and
position listings.
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
RESUME 1
Emphasis on Education
and Activities
From Resume
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For Your
Reference
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CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
A standard chronological layout is employed to
emphasize Jose’s activities rather than employment
history. This layout works well for someone without
a lot of work experience, or whose volunteer and
personal endeavors reflect more relevance and
responsibility than his or her employment. Jose is
currently a student and therefore lists education
and related coursework first on his resume.
Additionally, adding an Objective section helps
set the tone for the reader—the information that
follows will be viewed in terms of how it supports
the objective (in this case, a career in business
administration). This format is particularly useful
for students and individuals without steady and
relevant work histories.
58
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Campus Address:
201 Lincoln Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89154
(702) 444-4444
EDUCATION
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 59
For Your
Reference
Familiar with Microsoft Office, HTML, Javascript, and internet search engines
From Resume
tO Interview
COMPUTER SKILLS
CHAPTER 7
Camp Counselor, HoopSters Basketball Camp, Chicago, IL
Summer �09
Supervised and led activities for youth ages 7-11. Assisted basketball coaches in training and instruction of
children.
digital delivery
Server, Rocket Cafe, Chicago, IL
Summer �10
Provided friendly customer service in neighborhood restaurant. Worked efficiently as member of team in all aspects
of restaurant operations. Assisted owner/chef in preparing nightly specials, took customer orders, bussed all tables.
CHAPTER 6
Intern, Crate & Barrel, Chicago, IL
Summer �10
Participated in weekly staff meetings with retail recruiting team, assisted in organizing summer staff orientations
and programs. Created fall schedule for university campus recruiters. Reserved booths at local college job fairs, and
arranged rental car and hotel accommodations for recruiters.
CHAPTER 5
EXPERIENCE
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Center For Volunteer Action, UNLV
Fall ’08 – Spring ’10
Helped in local non-profit organizations in Las Vegas. Various short-term projects included: tutoring inner-city kids
in multiple subjects, refurbishing dilapidated playground and recreational building, soliciting food donations, and
distributing goods to homeless shelters and soup kitchens.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Undergraduate Business Society, UNLV
Fall ’10 – Spring �11
Developed externship opportunities for sophomores and juniors. Contacted professionals in financial and
consulting firms and made arrangements for student placements. Updated student members on current events
pertaining to business opportunities and networking; sponsored informational seminars, workshops and speakers.
CHAPTER 4
ACTIVITIES
The Recipe for
Resume Success
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Fall ’08 – present
Bachelor of Arts, expected May 2012
Major: Sociology, Minor: Economics, GPA: 3.1
Related Coursework: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Probability & Statistics, Statistical Methods in Economics,
Financial Accounting
CHAPTER 3
Summer internship in the field of Business Administration
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
OBJECTIVE:
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Permanent Address:
247 Lissom Road, Chicago, IL 30123
(773) 555-1333
CHAPTER 2
Jose Ramirez | jram2@unlv.edu
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
RESUME 2
Balancing Education,
Memberships, Experience,
and Honors
From Resume
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For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
This resume is technically a chronological layout,
but works something like a combo resume by
emphasizing Marlene’s education, professional
memberships, and honors and activities, along
with aspects of her work experience. The objective
statement indicates her short-term goal, as well
as a long-term commitment to her chosen career
path—a wise move, as many employers hire fulltime entry-level employees from their intern pool.
Including her availability at the bottom of the
resume is also helpful to recruiters who might be
planning for the long term, as well. Also, Marlene
cleverly includes a note about financing her own
education through scholarships, showing that she
is not only an excellent performer but a self-starter.
60
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Current Address:
2323 Putnam Road, University, MS 38677
(662) 555-4444
CHAPTER 2
Marlene Whitney | m_whitney@email.edu
Permanent Address:
161 Terra Place, Brandon, MS 39047
(601) 555-5555
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
Marketing Assistant and Sales Representative Summer 2010
User Friendly, Madison, MS
• Increased product exposure to individual market segments by designing and
distributing strategic marketing collateral
• Boosted customer walk-in rate with innovative merchandizing, such as compelling
window and counter displays
• Grew store’s customer base through one-on-one interactions with clientele,
highlighting product features and sales information targeted to each individual
• Facilitated product repair flow, recording detailed information and serving as
liaison between customers and vendors
CHAPTER 9
61
CHAPTER 8
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
For Your
Reference
Internships: Summer 2012
Permanent employment: May 2013
From Resume
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Sally McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College (August 2009 to December 2011)
Chancellor’s Honor Roll (3.75 GPA or higher), one semester
National Merit Scholar
University of Mississippi Luckyday Merit Scholarship
University of Mississippi Academic Excellence National Merit Scholarship
Boys and Girls Clubs of Oxford (2010)
CHAPTER 6
Design Assistant Summer 2009
R. Scott Multimedia and Design, Ridgeland, MS
Improved firm’s design productivity by performing detailed preliminary work, such as importing and
formatting graphics and text in various design applications (e.g., InDesign, PhotoShop, Illustrator)
CHAPTER 7
Honors & Activities
Availability
American Marketing Association
Designed and implemented marketing plan for University of Mississippi Speech and Hearing Center,
resulting in a 20% increase in fundraiser attendance
digital delivery
CHAPTER 3
Expected May 2013
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
University of Mississippi, University, MS
Bachelor of Business Administration • Major: Marketing; Minor: Management
• Major GPA: 3.78/4.00
• Financed 100% of education with academic scholarships
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
To obtain an internship and eventually full-time employment in the field of marketing
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Work Experience
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Objective
Education
Professional Membership
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
RESUME 3
Blending Academic and
Work Experiences
From Resume
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For Your
Reference
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Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Trey’s resume displays a good synergy between
his objective statement, education, skills, and
experience. Trey combined academic and work
experience under one heading, as the academic
work applies directly to his stated objective. His
relevant degree and high GPA are emphasized with
bold type. Inclusion of Trey’s honors and activities
indicates that there is more to him than just his
education.
62
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
OBJECTIVE
To obtain a summer internship in the sciences that will allow me to put my theoretical education to practical applications
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
From Resume
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CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 63
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
HONORS & ACTIVITIES
Founders’ Scholarship, Howard University, 2008 to present
CEACS Alumni Network Scholarship, 2008
National Society of Collegiate Scholars, 2008 to present
Corning Corporate Team Adoption Team Member, 2009 to present
HUSA International Student Liaison, 2008–2009
Conference Planning Chair, NSBE, 2009–2010
Telecommunications Co-Chair, NSBE, 2008–2009
Network Operator, CLDC Lab Howard University, 2008 to present
Church Youth Choir Director, 2004–2008
Sunday School Teacher, 2005–2007
Volunteer, School for Disabled Children, 2004–
CHAPTER 6
Telecommunications Services of Trinidad & Tobago, Belmont, Trinidad, W.I.
Customer Service Representative, August 2007 to June 2008
• Managed approximately 400 customer accounts, preparing invoices, processing service orders, and selling product
upgrades
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Howard University Trio Programs, Washington, D.C.
Tutor-Counselor, Summer 2009
• Improved students’ classroom performance through one-on-one tutoring sessions
• Mentored and counseled high school students, improving study skills, focus, and self-esteem
• Coached debate teams to win 1st & 3rd place in Annual Trio Day
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
EXPERIENCE
Howard University, Department of Chemical Engineering
Undergraduate Research Assistant, September 2008 to present
• Work directly with professor on fuel cell membrane research
• Carefully document experiments to track and evaluate research progress
• Draw on laboratory knowledge and experience to select apparatus and procedures and perform experiments
The Recipe for
Resume Success
SKILLS
• Five years’ experience with chemistry laboratory procedures
• Turbo Pascal, C++, HTML, and PeopleSoft
• Familiar with Windows and Macintosh platforms: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Basic written and verbal French
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
EDUCATION
B.S., Chemical Engineering, expected May 2012, Howard University, Washington, D.C., GPA: 3.88
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Current Address: 1780 Alexander Avenue • Apt. 2B, Washington, D.C. 20009 • (202) 555-2222
Permanent Address: #88 5th Dr., West Mount Road • Champs Fleurs, Trinidad, W.I. • (868) 555-7777
CHAPTER 2
Trey Arnold Santin • tasantin@email.com
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
RESUME 4
Using Education,
Memberships, and Experience
to Support a Career Path
From Resume
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For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Lila is currently completing her master’s degree in
human resource development and looking for a job
in human resources after graduation. She lists her
education first to emphasize her relevant degree,
along with a list of related skills and membership
in two human resources professional associations.
Emphasizing these items helps direct Lila’s resume
toward her chosen career path, since her related
work experience so far is limited. But the path is so
clear and straightforward that she could even leave
off the objective statement to make room for other
information that might apply to specific employers.
64
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
___________________________________________________________________________________
American Red Cross, Philadelphia, PA
Fall 2011
Human Resources Assistant
• Managed interview scheduling for candidates and managers
• Performed screening interviews to ensure efficiency in both the recruiting process and use of managers’ time
• Represented the organization at “Meet & Greets” to provide information, forms, and applications to candidates
• Assessed employee fit by administering and scoring Predictive Inventory (personality assessment test) and conducting
reference checks
• Conducted candidate follow-ups, offering positions and scheduling physicals
• Ensured all employee information was correctly handled and entered into the EEO database
CHAPTER 3
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
___________________________________________________________________________________
• Student member of the Society for Human Resource Management
• Secretary for the Glennburge Chapter of SHRM
The Recipe for
Resume Success
EDUCATION
___________________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA
Candidate: M.S. Human Resource Development (May 2013)
Glennburge University, Buffalo, NY
B.A. Psychology (Cum Laude)
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
OBJECTIVE
___________________________________________________________________________________
Seeking a human resources position that will draw on my education, relevant experience, and personal skills
CHAPTER 2
128 Havalin Lane • Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-222-9999 • macintosh@email.com
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
LILA MACINTOSH
___________________________________________________________________________________
digital delivery
SKILLS
___________________________________________________________________________________
• Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, and Access
• HRIS, SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), ABStat (statistical software), and Dreamweaver
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 65
CHAPTER 7
Philadelphia University, Human Resource Department Fall 2010
Graduate Student Assistant
• Helped employees maintain full benefits and pay status by creating and maintaining system to track hours, sick days, and
time off
• Determined pension enrollment eligibility by tracking employees’ length of service at the University
• Mastered the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) to collect data regarding pension, employee assignments, and
accrued sick leave
• Created and disseminated health benefit information packets
• Managed guest list for annual employee recognition ceremony
• Triaged all incoming queries to manage call volume and provide efficient customer service
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
RESUME 5
Emphasizing Education
and Skills over Experience
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Michael’s resume is a great example of the
simple, straightforward approach. He is looking
to start a career in accounting but has no past
work experience in that field. In the top third of
his resume, Michael highlights his accounting
degree, professional development course, relevant
computer skills, and language skills to make his
case. The work experience is kept brief and occupies
the bottom half of the resume, de-emphasizing it.
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
MICHAEL CHING
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
1735-B Lamont Street
Brooklyn, New York 11206
(718) 333-2222; (212) 444-6666
m_ching17@email.com
___________________________________________________________________________________
Education
Bachelor of Science, Accounting, expected May 2012
City College of New York, New York, NY
Professional Development
Microsoft Office Specialist Expert Certification (pending)
CHAPTER 4
Seeking a challenging entry-level position in accounting support
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Objective
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Computer Skills Quicken, QuickBooks, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet research
Language Skills Bilingual English/Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin)
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
67
For Your
Reference
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
From Resume
tO Interview
Counter Server1/08–6/08
Ambiente Consecutivo, Inc., Louisville, KY
• Assisted in detailed inventory process, tracking supplies and
forecasting ordering needs
• Served customers directly in a high-touch, fast-paced environment; consistently
lauded for maintaining excellent customer relations
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
Sales Representative (contract) 5/10–8/10
Vector Marketing, Inc., Flushing, NY
• Improved professional relationship building and communication skills by
conducting public product demonstrations
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Work Experience Teaching Assistant (contract) 3/11–5/11
New York Chinese Baptist Church, New York, NY
• Instructed bilingual students one-on-one in practical computer applications and
use of the Web
• Perfected interpersonal communication skills by helping non-native speakers
improve English language use and understand U.S. culture
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
RESUME 6
A Career-Changer’s
Emphasis on Skills
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Here’s an example of a functional layout, with
skills emphasized and work history downplayed.
Bettina is an accomplished lawyer, but is changing
careers to that of program manager/administrator.
She targets three top skills she believes (based
on careful research!) characterize program
management. In addition to promoting her skills,
this resume reflects the industry and fields with
which she has expertise (disability rights and
education).
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
BETTINA RAY MUELLER
45 Lakeshore Drive
Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 555-2773
bamueller@worldnet.att.net
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 69
For Your
Reference
Golden Gate University School of Law, Juris Doctor, San Francisco, CA, May 2008
Claremont Pitzer College, Bachelor of Arts, Anthroplogy/History, Claremont, CA, May 2004
From Resume
tO Interview
EDUCATION
CHAPTER 4
6/10-6/11
3/10-5/10
9/09-3/10
2/09-6/09
CHAPTER 7
Education Law Center, Intake Attorney, Philadelphia, PA
Disability Law Project, Attorney (contract), Philadelphia, PA
Honeywell & Associates, Attorney, Philadelphia, PA
Disability Rights Advocates, Attorney, Oakland, CA
digital delivery
EMPLOYMENT
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Research and writing skills
• Drafted comments to proposed amendments to federal Individuals with Disabilities in Education
Act
• Wrote federal and state memoranda of law, pleadings, and discovery
• Analyzed and summarized voluminous production documents
• Conducted legal research in substantive areas of education, disability, employment, and civil rights
law
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Communication skills
• Counseled and represented families in educational matters
• Resolved families’ legal educational concerns through communication with school district
personnel and counsel, social workers, and probation officers
• Conducted workshops for community, professional, and parent groups
• Conducted interviews and deposition preparation with clients
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Organizational skills
• Coordinated day-to-day activity in 20 class action cases involving physical access to public
accommodations
• Organized litigation project concerning physical and programmatic access in California schools
• Managed intake system for nonprofit law firm receiving more than 5,000 calls a year
• Updated and maintained computer database of 100+ children’s advocates
CHAPTER 3
QUALIFICATIONS
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
OBJECTIVE:
Apply my distinct qualifications learned as an attorney to the field of program administration.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
RESUME 7
Letting Experience
Speak for Itself
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Elizabeth’s straightforward job history speaks
for itself. The path from her relevant education
to internship to full-time position sets up the
logical next step in her career. Thus, Elizabeth
uses the primary section of her resume to explain
her numerous job responsibilities. She has broken
down her achievement statements by area, making
it much easier for a recruiter to scan her detailed
accomplishments. Including her experience abroad,
awards and honors, and other activities shows that
she is a well-rounded candidate—a trait desired by
many employers.
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
ELIZABETH TACHINAU
_______________________
Experience
Midwest Investment Group, LLC, Chicago, IL
Global Operations Associate, Reconciliation and Control Group
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
16-B Pearl Creek Road, Evanston, IL 60201 | (314) 555-6666 tachinau@email.com
June 2008–present
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Stock Loan: Balance and settle stock loan borrows and returns for 8 international and 7 domestic accounts daily. Requires close
attention to detail to identify costly breaks, strong communication skills in speaking to traders and account reps, and vast knowledge of
stock loan product, laws, and general practices in various countries.
• Improved error identification process by creating a system for compiling, sorting, and distributing all international stock loan
instructions, resulting in faster problem resolution and freeing up traders’ time.
• Streamlined training process by creating guidelines and cheat sheets to shorten learning curve; trained and mentored 3 co-workers on
daily stock loan procedures.
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Billing: Audit 8 international and 7 domestic month-end prime broker bills for stock loan fees/rebates totaling $15–20 million per
month.
• Developed new process that consolidates all daily stock loan breaks, allowing easier identification of monthly issues to enable
company to request specific and relevant refunds.
• Researched and compiled all billing processes to clarify fees being paid and determine additional resources needed.
Prime Broker Accounts: Balance cash of 5 prime broker accounts daily. Identify discrepancies that arise from trades, financing charges,
corporate actions, and dividends. Route issues to correct groups, account reps, or traders. Reconcile trade positions accounts in a timely
manner so that traders can confidently trade on accurate positions.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Global Finance, Inc., Chicago, IL Internship, Asset Management
CHAPTER 5
Futures: Balance cash and positions in same manner as prime broker accounts but on more challenging futures product, requiring an
understanding of open trade equity and commission discrepancy issues specific to futures.
January 2007–March 2007
CHAPTER 6
June 2008
Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City, Mexico
Summer 2006
Summer study-abroad program with research concentration on Mexico’s economic and political status.
Produced 20-page research paper examining the effects of NAFTA on Mexico.
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
Education
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Bachelor of Arts in Economics; minor in Spanish. Cumulative GPA: 3.70/4.00
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
• Designed a critical orientation and training program for new hires in the Chicago Asset Management group.
• Integrated training requirements of all teams, including client service analysts, internal wholesalers, operations, distribution services,
financial control, business analysis, and compliance.
• Collaborated and consulted with middle- and upper-level managers of various divisions to develop a successful training program.
Presented final product upon project completion.
• Generated hypothetical mutual fund performance presentations and Morningstar X-Ray literature for internal wholesalers.
Awards and Honors
Invited to participate in Economics Honors Program
All-Alpha Kappa Psi Academic Team, 2005–2006
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
71
For Your
Reference
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
From Resume
tO Interview
Activities
Career Peer, Northwestern University Career Services: Advised and educated peers on career-related issues,
presented career information to groups as large as 240 people.
Peer Advisor: Directly supervised and assisted groups of incoming freshmen.
Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity
Alpha Chi Omega Sorority
RESUME 8
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Highlighting a Track Record
of Increasing Responsibility
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Tiana has amassed more than five years of
experience in her career and has followed a linear
career path with clear advances in responsibility
and professional status. More than one page is
necessary to detail her advancement and numerous
professional accomplishments. Tiana includes a
brief description of each employer, adding further
specificity to her achievements. This is particularly
important to this career path, as specific industry
experience is important in public relations.
Presenting her linear work history in this way, Tiana
is clearly prepared for the next step in her career.
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Tiana Rosa deLossi
3917 Powell Street #320 San Francisco 94115 | 415-555-3333 tianadelossi@email.com
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
PR Account Manager, Rogue & Partners, San Francisco, CA
CHAPTER 3
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
06/10 to present
CHAPTER 4
Publicity & Marketing Manager, Hot Iron Press, San Francisco, CA
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Rogue & Partners is a lifestyle PR agency serving a wide range of internationally renowned brands, including Diamond Hotels,
Seasonale, and Astronica Wine Group.
• Develop innovative campaign strategies by identifying message points, key media outreach, pitch points, and timelines
• Secure high-profile client coverage through local, national, and international media outreach; have landed exposure on two
nationally syndicated talk shows, local news channels, and numerous national magazines
• Organize and host high-attendance media launch parties, managing all event logistics and promotion
• Maintain relations with account base through monthly reports and presentations and secure new accounts by leveraging
existing contact relationships; have secured 5 key accounts
• Craft media documents, including press releases and press packs, strategically targeting client brands to specific markets
11/09–06/10
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
08/08–11/09
Raza is one of the world’s largest publishers of television and film publications. The portfolio of titles includes the official magazines
and books for many of the leading entertainment brands in the U.S.
• Successfully designed and implemented global corporate PR and marketing strategies using print and online media
PR Assistant, Extreme Motors, San Rafael, CA
04/08–08/08 (contract)
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
73
For Your
Reference
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
From Resume
tO Interview
During my time with the company, I gained extensive experience interacting with all sectors of the media from a political,
environmental, and lifestyle perspective. I also developed a better understanding of international public affairs and the corporate
culture of an international business.
• Assisted in developing an emerging strategy to enhance company image
• Helped release product information to the press, coordinate major events, and create marketing collateral
CHAPTER 7
Developed and managed key international relationships with major media producers
Performed market analysis and developed future publicity strategies with company directors
digital delivery
•
•
CHAPTER 6
Marketing & PR Officer, Raza Communications Publishing, San Francisco, CA
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Hot Iron Press publishes award-winning illustrated lifestyle books that specialize in food, interior design, and gardening titles.
• Managed national publicity campaigns from concept to completion for major title releases
• Coordinated author tours, successfully booking high-profile national and local media coverage
• Designed creative mailing packets and press information for national dissemination
• Developed key new relationships with national lifestyle press and broadcast media through networking; built reputation
though recognition for successful campaigns
• Maintained campaign efficiency and innovation by managing freelance publicists and designers
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Tiana Rosa deLossi page 2
Managing Editor, Auto Media Inc, San Rafael, CA
06/06–04/08
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Under my management, Auto Media became California’s definitive automotive news and information source.
• Promoted to Managing Editor after only 3 months as Marketing Executive
• Increased readership by 500% per month
• Developed a 5-year business plan, aiding business development and revenue generation
• Designed a European launch strategy
• Created, commissioned, and managed site content and marketing material
• Wrote/researched news stories and live reports from national events
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
EDUCATION
Coventry University, BA, Media, Culture & Communication (Honours) 2004-2008
• Internship, Marie Claire, IPC Magazines, London
• Publishing Program Certificate from U.C. Extension
AWARDS & MEMBERSHIP
COMPUTER SKILLS
Photoshop, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, InDesign, HTML, LexisNexis
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
• Awarded travel fellowship for outstanding research into cultural geography of Los Angeles and San Francisco
• Committee program member of the Northern California Book Publicity and Marketing Association
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W E T F E E T I N S ID ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
resume Dos and Don’ts
Here are some dos and don’ts to help you avoid common mistakes while building a stronger,
more refined resume.
DON’T
DO
stick to a basic, clear format that helps the reader
glean information quickly and with minimal
effort.
make your resume a document that focuses on
your accomplishments and skills.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
DON’T
DO
include reasons for leaving your jobs, salary information, full addresses of employers, or references
on your resume.
CHAPTER 5
DON’T
DO
try to differentiate yourself with an unconventional format or tactics such as graphics and
colored paper, unless you are applying for a job in
an arts-related field.
use the active voice with verbs that indicate
you’re in charge: “Represented firm at
international symposium.”
be aware that employers are interested in your
eligibility to work legally and may ask for documentation. Take the time to learn about your
rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
75
CHAPTER 9
DO
CHAPTER 8
DON’T
include personal information such as your social
security number, age/date of birth, race, or marital
status on your resume.
For Your
Reference
begin each achievement statement with an active
verb: “Handled all client correspondence.”
From Resume
tO Interview
DON’T
DO
refer to yourself as a subject
(first- or third-person) in your resume: “I helped
prepare correspondence,” or, “Applicant wrote
outreach letters to prospective clients.”
CHAPTER 7
DO
digital delivery
DON’T
CHAPTER 6
discuss your two or three most relevant strengths
and illustrate them with experience and
achievement statements.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
DON’T
DO
try to portray yourself as a jack-of-all-trades in the
hope that something will strike the reader’s fancy.
get caught in the passive voice trap, writing as if
things happened to you. “Was sent to Argentina
to represent the firm.”
CHAPTER 4
distinguish the important from the trivial in
your background to fit the most relevant and
significant elements onto a single page or so.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
DON’T
DO
waste resume space with frivolous information,
such as “Voted mostly likely to succeed in high
school.”
CHAPTER 3
use numbers where appropriate to clearly
describe your accomplishments, as in “led a team
of nine sales reps.”
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
DON’T
DO
use vague qualitative terms such as “large” or
“many,” which leave the reader with questions
about specifics.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
6
Pique Their Appetite.................... 78
General Cover Letter
Guidelines.................................... 78
The Ingredients of
Your Cover Letter......................... 79
Sample Cover Letters...................84
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Pique Their
Appetite
› Like a good appetizer, all cover letters have one
main purpose: to whet the readers’ appetite, get them
interested enough to move on to your resume, and then
want to interview you. In many cases, the cover letter
is the first thing the employer encounters about you, so
you want to make the first impression a good one.
A cover letter should always be included with
your resume, whether you’re prospecting a potential
employer or following up on a personal recommendation. The cover letter shows that you’ve spent some time
and thought on your application, and it gives you the
opportunity to present a bit of your personality to help
you stand out among other candidates. It should also
show that you have a direct and specific purpose in contacting the company—that you know who you are and
what you can offer them.
That said, some employers confess that they don’t
read cover letters. Other employers pay no attention to
cover letters unless they notice a problem (poor writing,
grammatical mistakes, too generic, too long). So, while
the lack of a cover letter—or a poorly written one—can
definitely hurt you, a well-written cover letter never
will. And in some cases, it may be your only ticket to
the interviewing room.
So, how do you write the thing? The first thing
to keep in mind is that, like your resume, the cover
letter is a marketing piece that should grab your
audience’s attention and sell them on the value of the
product—you.
General Cover
Letter Guidelines
› In cooking, basic ingredients form the start of
a good dish, but the way you combine the ingredients
also affects the outcome. The same is true for your cover
letter. Careful choice of words, tone, and aesthetics are
essential to creating a pleasing product.
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
The “Write” Stuff
Insiders tell us that cover letters are used to assess an applicant’s ability to write clearly and concisely. Count on your
letter receiving especially careful scrutiny if you are a candidate in a technology field or if you are an international
candidate seeking a position in the United States.
But for anyone, mistakes in the cover letter can
undermine your candidacy. All too often, applicants
who tout their “careful attention to detail” nullify this
claim by failing to remove typos and grammatical mistakes from their cover letters. Not very careful after all!
The bottom line is that your cover letter speaks volumes
about your communication skills.
A Well-Tuned Tone
The tone of your cover letter in most circumstances
will be professional but thoughtful, persuasive but
restrained. Use concise sentences and be direct. At the
same time, be sure to inject plenty of enthusiasm and
genuine interest into your letter.
Custom Content
In your cover letter, include information that truly tailors the application to a particular employer and specific
job opening. Complement and reinforce the qualifications presented in your resume, using words and
phrases from the employer’s job listing and/or website.
Here are some points about content you’ll want to
keep in mind as you write your letter:
• How you learned of the job or company is important to recruiters and hiring managers, especially if
there is a mutual connection that can speak of your
qualifications.
• Demonstrate a good fit with the employer’s corporate or organizational culture. Be sure to back up
any assertions of personal characteristics by describing the resulting achievement either on your resume
or in your cover letter. Ideally, the cover letter refers
to information found on your resume without being
repetitive or redundant.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
79
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
CHAPTER 8
Let’s look at the three core paragraphs of your cover
letter in greater detail.
CHAPTER 6
Evidence that the applicant has
researched the company
CHAPTER 5
5
CHAPTER 4
Something eye-catching
CHAPTER 3
4
CHAPTER 2
How an applicant found out about the job
opening
For Your
Reference
3
From Resume
tO Interview
A sense of the applicant’s personality
CHAPTER 7
2
Fortunately, when it comes to cover letters, there is a
general recipe to follow. Once you learn it, you’ll be
able to vary your approach to suit individual positions,
industries, and employer preferences.
Every cover letter should include:
• Your contact information
• Date
• Employer’s contact information
• Paragraph 1: Why you are writing
• Paragraph 2: What you have to offer them
• Paragraph 3: What happens next
• Closing
digital delivery
Readability
The Basic Cover Letter Format
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
1
Avoid “canned” letters! Recruiters and hiring
managers tell us that formulaic letters often
end up in the “no” pile. The applicant who
customizes his or her words is more appealing,
and will be given preference over others.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Top Five Things Recruiters
Look for in a Cover Letter
> TIP
The Recipe for
Resume Success
• If salary requirements are requested in a job posting,
discuss them in your cover letter. It’s best not to trap
yourself by naming a specific amount. Instead, say
something like “my salary requirements are in step
with the responsibilities of the position and the expertise I would offer your company.” If an ad or job posting absolutely requires a salary figure, state a range,
such as “seeking a compensation package to include
benefits and a salary in the low- to mid-$30s.”
› There are three types of cover letters: those
developed to respond to a specific job opening, those
directed to a specific contact or company match, and
those that serve as letters of introduction. The latter
type is sometimes called a broadcast letter, and it can
function like a “cold call” to develop opportunities
where no immediate job opening exists.
While your cover letters should follow a basic structure, it’s best to avoid creating a form letter. Your goal
is to entice employers with a clear, concise, and well
thought-out summary that suggests that you offer
exactly what they need.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
• Avoid discussing weaknesses or making excuses;
instead, concentrate on what you have to offer. The
cover letter is not the place to confess your mistakes
or problems. For example, if you’ve been laid off,
don’t mention that fact. Instead, discuss what you
have done recently to be productive or better prepared for this job (e.g. I have recently completed
training in…. or I have gained valuable marketing
experience volunteering with….).
The Ingredients of
Your Cover Letter
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
• Go beyond the resume in explaining your situation
and career direction. For example: “My career goals
include gaining leadership experience in the delivery
of financial advising services in a private business
setting. I am open to relocation for an appropriate
opportunity.”
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
The First Bite:
Why You Are Writing
Your introduction will be the most customized part of
each cover letter you write—and yes, you will be writing a unique cover letter for every company to which
you apply! A good way to start thinking about your
introduction is to list the things that attracted you to
a particular job in the first place. Are your skills so well
suited to the job that the description practically restates
your resume? Have you been using the company’s products for years? What standout features will distinguish
you from other applicants? Did a mutual friend or
colleague tell you about the opening? Were you a volunteer in the Peace Corps just as the hiring manager
was? These are the kinds of things that will pop out to
a recruiter—and will differentiate and personalize your
application.
After you’ve listed some of your connections or
attractions to the job, draft a few openers to see which
approach will be the most effective. Does it have to be
a work of art? No. The key is to have a particular reason
for contacting the company. The failure to state this
reason is why generic cover letters raise the ire of most
hiring managers. If you’re sending a firm the same letter that you’ve sent to hundreds of other companies
because you haven’t taken the time to research their
company or the job opening, why should they take the
time to read your application?
Following are examples of compelling introductory
statements:
• While researching opportunities in the legal field, I
learned about XYZ LLP’s distinguished record in
employment law. Because your firm’s specialization
matches my training, hands-on experience, and career
goals, I am enclosing my resume for your review.
• Mark Jones, director of marketing at RBC Company,
recommended that I contact you about opportunities with your public relations team. As supervisor
during my recent internship at RBC, Mr. Jones
witnessed the skills and effort I applied to producing
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
the firm’s highly successful PR campaign for Allied
Hospital Corporation. I was excited to learn of your
new healthcare clients and am confident that my
training and experience will enable me to make a
strong contribution to public relations campaigns.
• My recent BA in biology, paid and volunteer research
experience, and enthusiasm for work in the environmental science field have led me to pursue
employment with your company. Therefore, I am
submitting my resume for your consideration.
Satisfy Their Craving: What You
Have to Offer
After you’ve caught your potential employer’s attention, it’s time to tell them what you have to offer. Let’s
repeat that: what you have to offer. It is your job to sell
yourself to the employer. And that means showing them
something you have to offer that will benefit them. You
should know what that is from the research you’ve done
on the employer and about the job opening.
Think of your letter in terms of the reader’s interest
and put yourself in the employer’s shoes. What would
you be looking for? What would get you interested in a
candidate? What are the most important qualities in a
candidate for this position? What about your company’s
culture would make a particular candidate attractive?
The answers to these questions might include specific skills, talents, experience, or contacts in a field.
Don’t be tempted to fill in this section by restating bullet points from your resume. That would be a waste of
the recruiter’s time. Craft a few compelling statements
that describe your fit with the job so that the reader
can quickly assess what you have to offer. Ideally, these
statements should persuade the reader to look at your
resume and find out more about you.
You might summarize your years of experience in a
trade:
• “I bring to your company ten years of success in
delivering increased sales and profits in the consumer products industry.”
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
On the next page is a general outline that you can use to
create your own cover letters.
CHAPTER 2
Some Structure to
Get You Started
The Recipe for
Resume Success
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
81
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Again, summarize and entice, but don’t repeat your
resume.
Now go back to the list of achievement statements
you created for your resume. Next to that, list the particular needs of your potential employer based on the
job listing or your research. By comparing these two
lists, you should be able to prioritize the employer’s
needs and match those to your fine qualities.
Once you’ve chosen your highlights, rewrite them
into an effective paragraph that follows your introduction in a way that makes sense. For example, you and
the recruiter are both tennis enthusiasts and you’ve
mentioned that in your opener. Go on to point out
how your love of tennis is based on a sense of friendly
competition and precision, which are the same qualities you’ve learned from your years as a [insert job title
here].
Now that you’ve grabbed the recruiter’s attention and
gotten her interested in your qualifications, don’t just
leave her hanging. Take charge and state what the next
step will be. These statements should be assertive, but
not overly aggressive. Keep in mind that you’re a professional engaging in business communication to establish
a mutually beneficial relationship. Your final paragraph
can state your intention to contact the employer to set
up an interview, create a sense of urgency to compel
the employer to contact you, present an offer that the
employer cannot refuse, or any other irresistible tidbit
that you can devise.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
• “This job represents the perfect alignment of my education and experience in art history, as well as my
practical marketing skills.”
A Satisfying Finish: What
Happens Next
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
• “My strengths in both marketing and management
will enable me to make a significant contribution to
your regional sales force.”
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
Cover Letter Format
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Your Header
Address
Telephone
Email
Date
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Employer Name
Title
Organization
Address
Dear __________:
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
[What You Have to Offer]
I believe that my work experience makes me well suited to assume the responsibilities of a ____________
position. [Give examples.]
As you can see from my resume, my background in _______ extends beyond my work history at
____________. As a result of my experiences, I have become a quick learner who ________________.
[Describe more skills and personal qualities that match the position.]
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
[Why You Are Writing]
I am writing to submit my application for a __________ position in your _________ [city, state or location]
office. I am currently a _________ at ____________, and it is with enthusiasm that I ask to contribute my
training and experience to this exciting new position.
I have been a ________ working on ___________ for nearly ______ years, and I am committed to
pursuing a career in ___________________. While I have greatly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity
to work at the forefront of these exciting issues while at ____________, I feel the need for a personal
and professional change. Your organization is poised to __________, and it is truly exciting to see the
_______________ in your [city/location] office. This position offers the opportunity to participate in
________________.
[What Happens Next]
I would welcome the chance to discuss this opportunity with you at your convenience. If you require any
additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at ___________ or by telephone at
___-___-____. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
[Your signature]
Your name
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at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Cover Letter
format
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The preceding cover letter outline is geared toward
responding to a particular position opening. The
format could easily be converted to a broadcast
letter by changing the first paragraph to:
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
I am interested in pursuing career opportunities in
your _________ [city, state or location] office. I am
currently a _________ at ____________, and it is with
enthusiasm that I ask to contribute my training
and experience to your organization.
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 83
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Continue
to page 84
for sample
cover letters.
Sample Cover
Letters
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
› The letters in this section demonstrate a variety
of formats, fields, and professional levels. Don’t take
the examples here as prescriptions. Instead, use them
as inspiration for creating concise correspondence that
reflects your strengths. These letters contain fictionalized names and organizations, but the information is
based on real work histories and position listings.
CHAPTER 4
Sample Cover Letter 1
A Specific Position
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Although somewhat lengthy, this letter does a
thorough job of emphasizing the relevant skills and
goals of the applicant. Note that it is addressed to
Human Resources and therefore includes the job
number as a subject header. Ideally, addressing an
individual is preferable to just going with Human
Resources Administrator or Hiring Manager; you
can call the organization to inquire about the hiring
person’s name and title. Note, too, that the heading
matches the style and format of the heading the
candidate used on her resume.
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at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
June 10, 2011
LETICIA ROBERTS
111 Fox Hollow Rd.
Buffalo NY, 12077
716-555-3232
leticia.r@mail.com
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
World Art Museum
200 Lafayette Street
San Francisco, CA 94100
FAX: 415-555-9410
RE: Position # 436654, Membership Assistant
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 85
From Resume
tO Interview
Leticia Roberts
CHAPTER 7
Sincerely,
digital delivery
As a result of these experiences, I am enthusiastic about continuing to work with nonprofits, and would
like to further explore career possibilities with public arts organizations. A position as Membership
Assistant with the World Art Museum would combine my member services and clerical skills, my
interests, and my career goals. I am confident I can be of value to your organization and the customers
you serve. Please feel free to call me to set up an interview, or if you need more information. I look
forward to hearing from you.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
I am very interested in education and the arts. At Bryn Mawr College, I took courses in both art and art
history, and I participated in an educational exchange program through which I studied Renaissance art
in Florence, Italy. Since then, I have taken extension courses through UC Berkeley in Asian and Latin
American art history.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
I have several years of customer service and administrative experience in the nonprofit community.
As Member Services Assistant for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC),
I responded to daily requests for the association’s library services department, providing publication
information and resource referrals to association members and the public. I was also responsible
for editing informational and promotional materials, as well as preparing for and working on-site
at the association’s annual international conference. As office support person for the ASPECT
Foundation, I processed applications to the organization’s study abroad program, distributed program
materials to applicants, and used Microsoft Word and Excel extensively. These duties required strong
communication skills, attention to detail, and an ability to both organize and prioritize several tasks at
once.
CHAPTER 4
I am applying for the position of Membership Assistant with the World Art Museum. I learned of the
opportunity through your online posting on Craigslist.org, and feel that my qualifications are a good
match for the responsibilities of the position.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Dear Human Resources Administrator:
Sample Cover Letter 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Personal Contact
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
This letter is quick and to the point. The
introduction can be brief, as the employer has
already heard of the candidate through their
mutual contact. Note that the employer is
addressed by her first name; only do this if your
contact has suggested it is appropriate. When
in doubt, include the full name and title of your
addressee.
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Bill Pendleton
380 Johnson Ave
Gloversville, NY, 12078
518-555-3900
bp@rmail.com
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
June 14, 2011
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Cathy Stevenson
McKinsey & Company
75 Park Plaza, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02116-3934
Dear Cathy,
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Frank William suggested that I forward my resume to you for your consideration. I am a
second-year MBA student at the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue
University, and I am currently working as a summer associate at Motorola in Chicago.
Sincerely,
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
I will call you next Wednesday to discuss next steps. If you’ve any questions regarding my
resume or qualifications, please do not hesitate to call. I look forward to speaking with you.
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
As Frank may have mentioned, I am in the top 5% of my class at Krannert, and I was
recently elected president of the MBA student body. In and out of the classroom, I have
consistently demonstrated my capacity to make a positive impact, regardless of the
situation. My analytical and personal skills are ideally suited to management consulting,
and I am confident that I would be an asset to McKinsey & Company.
Bill Pendleton
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
87
From Resume
tO Interview
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Sample Cover Letter 3
Broadcast Letter
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
As mentioned earlier, the broadcast letter can
introduce you to a company where no opening
or specific match exists. Linda emphasizes
her personal qualities, as well as some of her
background. This letter style is assertive, and
will be most effective if she has done a good job
researching the qualities this firm looks for in
its candidates. The conclusion suggests a very
proactive approach to targeting the prospective
employer and requires follow-through.
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
LINDA S. BRADFORD
305 Locust Drive #12
Los Angeles, CA 90046
310-555-0883
linda.s.bradford@mail.com
August 30, 2011
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
Hamilton Trout
Accenture Consulting
Spear Street Tower
One Market Plaza
Suite 3700
San Francisco, CA 94105
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 89
For Your
Reference
Linda S. Bradford
From Resume
tO Interview
Very truly yours,
CHAPTER 7
I plan to be in San Francisco the week of September 15 and would like to meet with you
then to further discuss my qualifications. I will call you on Friday and look forward to
scheduling a meeting at your convenience in mid-September.
digital delivery
Accenture’s excellent reputation and corporate clientele are an ideal match with my
interests and background. In particular, I believe my experience in formulating legal
strategies and preparing analyses for complex litigation cases would be an excellent
addition to your Strategic Services Competency Group.
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
I am writing to introduce myself as a candidate for a consulting position at your firm. I have
excellent academic and professional credentials, as indicated on my enclosed resume.
Throughout my professional career, I have adhered to the highest standards of excellence
and have demonstrated strong communication skills, analytical ability, poise, creativity, and
dedication.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Dear Hamilton:
Cover Letter Dos and Don’ts
As you start writing the powerful, compelling cover letter that will entice any employer to take a good,
long look at your equally powerful resume, keep these basic principles in mind:
DON’T
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 6
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
DON’T
DO
misspell anyone’s name, confuse their job title
or department, or incorrectly name the job for
which you are applying. Pay close attention to
the language used in the job listing, if you’re
responding to one, and double-check any
personal names you use.
address your cover letter to the proper hiring
manager, by name. Don’t know who that is? Do
some research, or pick up the phone and call. Still
can’t find out who the correct person is? Then
address your letter to the name of the human
resources manager who will probably be reading
the letter.
DON’T
DO
try to be too cute or use humor that might not be
funny or appropriate to everyone.
craft a compelling opening line that will draw the
reader into the body of your letter..
DON’T
DO
restate the facts of your resume. Your cover letter
should complement your resume by introducing
you in a personal way, stating your reasons for
applying for a particular position, and enticing the
hiring manager to look at your resume.
point out any connections you have to the
company, either through a colleague, background
in the company’s business, or particular interest
in the company’s service or product.
DON’T
DO
go on and on and on. You should be able to state
your case in three to four well-crafted paragraphs.
craft clear, concise sentences that are error-free
and professional, without being stuffy or fluffy.
DON’T
DO
be arrogant or presumptuous. You are the one
approaching the employer, after all.
be convincing and assertive with your letter. You
don’t want to come off as passive.
DON’T
DO
use bloated or flowery language. Make your
statements clearly and get to the point as
quickly as possible.
state the next step, as in “I’ll call to set up an
appointment,” “I am available on Tuesday
afternoon for an interview,” or “I’ll follow up
next week to answer any questions you have.”
DON’T
DO
rush through writing your cover letter.
As we stated before, while cover letters are not
always read, a poorly written one will send your
application to the “no” pile as quickly as a poorly
written resume will.
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
include all of your contact information in your
cover letter. There is always the chance that your
resume and cover letter could be separated, and
you don’t want to leave a potentially interested
hiring manager with no way of contacting you.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
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WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
Digital Delivery
7
This Application
Is Experiencing
Technical Difficulties...................94
Getting Past the
Spam Guard Dogs........................95
Using Online
Application Systems.....................96
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
digital delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
This Application
Is Experiencing
Technical
Difficulties
› You may think email is the best thing since the
Pony Express, but that doesn’t mean your recruiter
does. Don’t expect the person on the receiving end
to fumble around with an attached file in a desperate
quest to review your qualifications. If you have any
doubts about the quality of the format in which your
resume will arrive, because of platform or application
variables, it’s best to send a hard copy as well. “Nothing
is worse than printing an emailed resume with a bunch
of garbage symbols in it!” rants a recruiter. Faxing
is almost as fast as email, and often more reliable,
although it’s definitely a good idea to follow up a faxed
resume with a phone call to make sure it was received
in legible form.
Let’s take a look at some steps you can take to
increase the likelihood that your exquisitely planned
and masterfully written resume actually makes it into
the hands of its intended recipient in legible form.
Save Four Versions
of Your Resume
Once you’ve crafted the perfect resume, be sure to save
it in four electronic versions:
1.Microsoft Word or other word processing software
document: This is your presentation resume—the
one with every formatting and stylistic bell and
whistle, and which you’ll print on high-quality, heavy
bond paper. This is the one that you’ll send to recruiters via regular mail and the one you’ll take with you
when you interview. Keep several copies on hand.
2.Adobe’s PDF format: Increasingly, PDF is the preferred format for sending a formatted copy of your
resume via email. PDF documents tend to display
and print with greater consistency on different com-
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
puting platforms than Word documents do. In addition, Adobe Reader is a free download and comes
preinstalled on nearly every computer shipped today.
PDF also strips out macros and revisions (sometimes
exposed by your software’s “track changes” tool) that
could potentially cause problems.
3.Plain text format with line breaks: Formatting
your resume as plain text allows databases and data
recognition software to read it without the confusion caused by formatting. Use this version to cut
and paste your document into the body of an email
message. In Microsoft Word, use the “Save As”
option to save your resume (named differently from
the first version) as plain text. Select the “Insert line
breaks” checkbox.
4.Plain text format without line breaks: Use this version when you’re cutting and pasting parts of your
resume, such as into multiple fields on a Web form.
In Microsoft Word, use the “Save As” option to save
your resume as plain text, but don’t select the “Insert
line breaks” checkbox.
Using plain text versions will help you avoid formatting conflicts that can make your document difficult to
read. Unfortunately, in the plain text versions you’ll lose
much of the formatting you took great care to develop
for the presentation resume. To minimize the damage:
1.Replace bullets with asterisks (*).
2.Offset category headings with a row of tildes (~) or
capital letters.
3.Change your margin settings to 2 inches; 60 characters (including spaces) is the maximum line length
you should use to ensure your resume displays correctly in different email programs. This setting will
allow you to see and control where line breaks occur.
4.Select a fixed-width typeface like Courier and a
12-point font size.
5.Add white space for readability.
6.Do a test run. Email to yourself or a friend.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 95
digital delivery
If you have been instructed to send your resume as
an attachment, there’s often an accompanying list
of acceptable file formats that you should most definitely pay attention to. If not, we’d recommend either
PDF or Microsoft Word. A word to the wise on Word,
however: Starting with the release of Microsoft Office
2007, Word will by default save files using a new format (Open XML, with a .docx extension) that older
Don’t leave the subject line blank, but do keep it short
and sweet. Avoid words that are often used by spammers, such as “free,” “offer,” “increase,” and so on. In
short, the less your email looks like a spam message,
the less likely it is to be filtered. If you’re responding to
an online job announcement, you may want to include
the job title or requisition number in the subject line,
keeping in mind that the recruiter receiving your message may be responsible for filling multiple positions.
The job posting will often include specific instructions
for what to include in the subject line. These aren’t suggestions; Follow the directions that the employer has
outlined.
Leave punctuation marks (especially exclamation
marks) out of the subject line, and don’t use all capital
letters or colored backgrounds. While it may be tempting to use the subject line of an email as a marketing
ploy to grab a recruiter’s attention—Attention! Ace
Analyst Available—we recommend a more conserva-
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Two Words: Easy Access
Use a Spam-Filter-Resistant
Subject Line
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
If a company has advised you not to send email attachments, don’t. In fact, unless a company or recruiter
specifically instructs you to send your resume as an
attachment, send it in the body of your email in plain
text format.
We know that plain text resumes won’t win any
beauty contests, but they often represent the most reliable way to communicate your qualifications to hiring
personnel. If you simply can’t bear the thought of sending a plain text resume on its own, you can always follow
up with a beautifully formatted paper copy in the mail.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
First and Foremost,
Follow Directions!
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
› Spam and computer viruses have changed
the rules of the road for communicating with potential employers via email. Many companies now use
sophisticated filtering to guard company inboxes from
potentially hazardous emails. In many cases these filters
delete or divert suspected spam before it even reaches
its intended target. You might be wondering how this
affects you, the innocent job seeker. After all, you’re
not peddling Viagra or get-rich-quick schemes, so your
emailed resume should be safe, right? Wrong! Most
spam filters don’t even bother notifying the sender,
meaning your email may disappear into a black hole.
How can you avoid the curse of the overzealous spam
filter? We suggest the following precautionary measures:
versions of the software won’t be able to open without a converter. So don’t forget to save your materials
using the “Save As” command, selecting the older .doc
format. Along the same lines, never send zipped or
otherwise compressed files that the recipient will have
to manipulate in order to read; a busy consultant isn’t
going to bother.
While we’re at it, here’s a quick note on naming your
document: Be sure to include your name (at least your
last name) in the name of the file (Jane_Doe_resume.
doc) so that it can be reunited with your cover message
if the two part ways.
One last tip for resumes and cover letters attached to
e-mails: When you run a spell check before sending off
your attachments, make sure to click on “Ignore All” for
any words, terms, or proper names that your spell check
doesn’t recognize. You don’t want the recruiter to open
up a resume or cover letter filled with red and green
squiggly lines.
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Getting Past the
Spam Guard Dogs
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
digital delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
tive approach that will help the person on the receiving
end track, file, or forward your resume to an interested
colleague. When in doubt, include your name and the
position applied for. For example:
• Grace Adler, Business Analyst
• Karen Walker, Strategy Consultant
Check Your Resume for Words
that Are Overused in Spam
Stay away from action phrases that are also used to market unsavory content over email. You may not wish to
say, for example, that you’ve “enhanced” or “enlarged”
anything, even if these terms are used in a perfectly
appropriate way in your resume. A word to the wise
about numbers: Rather than citing the $50,000,000 in
sales you’ve personally supervised, change your numerical reference to $50 million, which is less likely to set off
the spam filter alarm bells.
Send Emails in Plain Text—Not
HTML—Format
How can you tell which is which? If you’re writing an
email in which you can alter the appearance of text (you
can italicize words, underline text, or change the font),
then you’re likely composing an HTML email. Most
email programs allow you to toggle between the two
formats; if you’re using Microsoft Outlook and want to
double-check, click on “Format” in your new message
window and be sure that “plain text” is selected.
Use a Professional Email
Address
Stay away from clever, cutesy or—even worse—potentially provocative email addresses. You may think that
drolltroll@underthebridge.com is absolutely hilarious,
but the overworked consultant on the receiving end
may be less amused.
Play It Safe
If you are able, ask a personal contact within the firm
to forward your resume to the appropriate hiring man-
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W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
ager on your behalf; that way you can check to be sure
that your email has been received without incident.
Alternatively, if you can, follow up on your emailed
resume with a hard copy sent through regular mail.
Using Online
Application
Systems
› Many firms today use online tracking systems
to manage their inflow of resumes; some even use their
online systems exclusively. If you fail to properly enter
your information into the system, you may never be
visible in the candidate pool. Recruiters rarely add
hard copy resumes into these systems, so even though
you may prefer human contact, it’s a mistake to avoid
the online application process. You do, however, need
to be savvy about how these systems work so you can
optimize your application materials for the best results.
How They Work
Though they differ in the amount of information they
capture, online application systems tend to be quite
similar behind the scenes. Most automatically evaluate a candidate’s fit against a given open position. They
also typically dump your information into a candidate
database, for automated matching against positions
that open up in the future, or for recruiter-driven data
searches. Regardless, expect to apply directly for each
position that interests you, which may involve repeating the whole form-filling process again or creating an
account on the firm’s site.
After you submit an application, some systems will
send you a confirmation email, some will display it on
screen, and some will give you no sign that your submission has gone through successfully. If the instructions
indicate that you are supposed to receive a message and
you don’t, try reapplying, or contact the company to
ensure that your application has been received.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Personal
Characteristics
Analytical ability
Attention to detail
Client focus
Communication skills
Follow-through
Intellectual curiosity
Interpersonal
aptitude
Goal orientation
Motivation
Multitasking ability
Negotiating ability
Persuasiveness
Quantitative skills
Results focus
Tolerance of
ambiguity
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
97
CHAPTER 7
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
digital delivery
Tools
Excel spreadsheet
Financial modeling
PowerPoint deck
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Baseline
Benchmarking
Branding
B-to-B (or B2B or
business-to-business)
B-to-C (or B2C or business-to-consumer)
Business process
reengineering
Case team
Change management
Commerce chain
management
Consultancy
CRM (or customer
relationship
management)
Engagement
Enterprise
application
ERP (or enterprise
resource planning)
Five forces
Gross margin
Internal consultant
Inventory
management
Just-in-time (JIT)
delivery
Knowledge
management
Market
segmentation
Outsourcing
Sell-through analysis
Six Sigma
Supply chain
Total quality
management
CHAPTER 3
Industry Terms
Analysis
Applications
Applied research
Balanced scorecard
The Recipe for
Resume Success
You may be aware that many firms try to streamline
their recruiting process by using specialized software
that scans your resume and other materials for keywords and phrases selected by the recruiter. The more
matches, the higher your application’s score. As this
type of software has become more prevalent, career
advisors have begun suggesting that candidates pepper
their resumes and cover letters with frequently occurring keywords and phrases.
Here’s what you need to know about them: They’re
generally nouns or short phrases. They include specific
skills, tools, credentials, attributes, and experiences
germane to the job in question. They probably mirror
some of the language used in the job postings and on
the firms’ websites. If you get the chance to interact
with employees at the firm, listen to the words they use,
keeping in mind that firms specializing in a particular
industry or function—such as health care or human
resources—have their own lingo as well. We’ve composed the list to the right to get you started.
Key words
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Key in on Key Words
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Don’t be fooled by the one-sidedness of these systems;
recruiters really are on the other end evaluating your
responses. So don’t skip questions, ignore instructions,
or bang out your answers without editing them, thereby
proving your lack of fitness for consulting. You should
treat your responses with the same seriousness and care
you bring to your other written materials. Another tip:
Some of these systems allow you to both enter your
information into web forms and upload your materials;
unless you are specifically instructed not to, we recommend you do both, because this may make your information more visible to the recruiter.
CHAPTER 2
Be Thorough and Thoughtful
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Having said all this, we should close with a warning—it’s best to temper your enthusiasm for keywords
with a healthy dose of good judgment. Particularly if
you’re applying for a consulting position through an
on-campus recruiting process at your college or business
school, your resume will be reviewed first and foremost
by a human being (and quite possibly an entire committee of them who will decide on your interview fate
by consensus). For better or for worse, consulting firms
have their own unique set of screening criteria that
enable them to pare down the consulting hopefuls from
the consulting hapless, and at the resume review stage,
it’s typically the perceived quality of the school you’ve
attended (both undergraduate and graduate), your academic achievement (read: GPA and test scores), and the
quality of your work experience to date that matter.
So don’t get carried away. Never attempt to cut
and splice the entire job description into the body of
your resume (or cover letter) in an attempt to cram
in as many keywords as possible. This strategy almost
always backfires; to the recruiters who are reviewing
your resume, you’ll come across as contrived rather than
credible. Rather than trying to outsmart resume scanning software, your best bet is to focus on the skills that
the consulting profession requires and write a resume
that highlights a record of sustained achievement in
these areas.
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
digital delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 7
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
98
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
Do Cover Letters Still
Apply Online?
When it comes to online cover messages, we suggest
you follow the same guidelines we gave you when talking about cover letters in print. If you can do without,
great (especially if you’ve already answered some openended questions—like “What most qualifies you for the
XYZ position?”—during the application process). If
you’re given a text field in which you can paste a cover
letter, you probably should. If you’re not given one,
but have a valid reason to submit a cover letter, simply
include it in the same document with your resume. (If
you do this, be sure to add a hard page break between
your cover letter and resume so that your formatting
stays intact and the entire package is more presentable.)
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 7
digital delivery
From Resume
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 99
From Resume
to Interview
8
Following Up............................. 102
Anticipate Your
Interviewer’s Questions.............. 103
Send Those
Thank-You Notes....................... 104
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Digital Delivery
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
From Resume
tO Interview
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Following Up
› What a relief! The writing, editing, and proofreading are finally over. You’ve hit “Send,” and your
perfectly tailored resume and cover letter are with your
prospective employer. Tingles of anticipation run up
and down your spine as you daydream about the call
you’ll soon be receiving for an interview. Think you can
relax? Think again. Support all that hard work by following through with an additional step. If you really,
truly want the job, continue to show your interest after
you have sent your application.
If you have submitted your application materials
directly to someone in the company or to the company’s HR department, place a phone call or send an
email to reiterate your desire to learn more about the
position. Don’t become a nuisance, but do be persistent. Use the opportunity to present your basic qualifications and affirm your interest in the company.
Follow these basic guidelines for constructive
follow-up, and you won’t go wrong:
• Be persistent but not pesky. Two calls in one day
are overkill; two calls in one week are probably fine.
• Be prescriptive in your requests. Ask specifically for
what you want, whether it’s to schedule an interview
or to have a casual chat on the phone.
• Keep the ball in your court. You’ll probably feel
more in control if you can plan the next steps rather
than wait by the phone.
• Make yourself easily available. Provide a number
where a message can be left at any time.
Employers say that at this early stage, there is a fine
line between the interested candidate and the pushy
one. But the hiring staff we interviewed unanimously
said it couldn’t hurt and could most definitely help
your application if you take some time to follow up by
contacting them in a respectful manner—a few calls or
emails, and that’s it.
102 W E T F E E T I N S ID ER GUID E
If you need guidance on what to say, try adapting
one of these scripts:
Sample Script 1
“This is Kelly Purcell. I sent you an application for the
EMT position a few days ago and am following up to
provide any additional information you may want. If
you are available to discuss my qualifications at greater
length, I would like to schedule an interview. I can be
reached today at 555-444-5555. On Thursday and
Friday, it’s best to call my cell phone, 555-657-6699.
I’m looking forward to speaking with you directly.”
Sample Script 2
“This is Merrill Morgan calling on Wednesday. I’m an
MBA candidate from Fuqua with experience in the
M&A group at UBS. At John Smith’s request, I sent
my resume to you on Monday. I would like to schedule
an interview and will call you on Friday to discuss my
qualifications.”
In the latter script, the candidate leaves a brief message with some information on his background so the
associate or recruiter will remember seeing the resume.
He is specific about his plans to call back on Friday,
which gives him an opportunity to inform John Smith
that he followed up on his request.
If you’ve left three messages and all have been
ignored, you may want to send your resume to someone
else at the organization and try the process again. Many
firms communicate primarily through voice mail,
although you might have luck using email or even leaving a good old-fashioned message with the receptionist.
Tailor your approach to what you’ve learned about how
that particular company communicates.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
Hometown Hires
CHAPTER
CHAPTER 88
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 103
For Your
Reference
If you’ve spent most of your academic and professional
life in Boston, an employer may question your sudden interest in joining the Chicago office of a firm.
Consider writing about your goals or perspectives on
relocating in your cover letter; this can be addressed
with the “why you chose them” paragraph (discussed in
From
From Resume
Resume
tO
tO Interview
Interview
One reason recruiters and hiring managers like chronological resumes is that they want to know whether a
candidate took time off between school years or jobs. Be
Digital Delivery
Time Gaps
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
› While recruiters and hiring managers may
be impressed with the assets listed in your resume, they
will search for potential red flags to probe during the
first interview. In particular, they will look for gaps
in qualifications or employment inconsistencies, and
may even formulate questions directed at resume weaknesses. Read your resume with a critical eye, looking
for things that might appear odd or incongruent—for
example, position titles that don’t seem to correspond
to the duties listed or a series of positions that decrease
(rather than increase) in responsibility. Be prepared to
address these issues should you get an interview.
If you’ve been at several companies in just a few years,
or never stayed at one company longer than a year or
two, you risk being perceived as a job hopper. Your
resume reader may wonder whether you’ve been fired
for poor performance. Frequent career changes sometimes indicate that a person has difficulty sticking with
a situation, working through problems, or committing
to a job. Many employers look for people who want to
stay around for a while—after all, employee turnover is
costly in real dollars because of time spent in the search
and the loss of operational knowledge. However, in
today’s job market, resume readers are more accustomed
to encountering resumes with work histories showing
several different employers. If you can clearly articulate how each job has contributed to your professional
development and if you can produce strong references,
you should have no problem addressing any negative
perceptions.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
Anticipate Your
Interviewer’s
Questions
Job Hopping
The Recipe for
Resume Success
yourself on the
phone, in making
network contacts,
or in an interview
when the interviewer
has not had a
chance to review
your qualifications.
Preparing your
pitch will help
you articulate the
items listed on
your resume. You
should be able to
describe points on
your resume in a
clear, concise, and
convincing manner.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
The best way to
prepare for the
first interview
is to know your
resume extremely
well. Develop and
practice a 20- to
30-second pitch
that summarizes
your experience and
major achievements.
You can base this
presentation on your
objective statements
or professional
summary/profile. You
will use it countless
times to introduce
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Prepare Your 30-Second Spiel
prepared to explain any lapses between jobs or between
your sophomore and junior year, for example. If you
traveled, have ready an explanation, or anecdotes, that
describe something you learned during that time. If you
took time off to have a baby or resolve a personal issue,
you’ll probably need to supply that information to the
hiring manager. It’s usually best not to go into a lot of
personal detail—insiders tell us this is a warning sign,
especially in the cover letter or first interview. But be
clear and focus on what you accomplished during that
time. Employers want to be sure you can handle intellectual rigor, jobs with increasing responsibility, and
balancing your personal and professional pursuits.
aT a GLaNcE
chAPter 1
30 SEcoNDS
To SaTISFy
chAPter 2
oN yoUR MaRk,
GET SET, PREP!
chAPter 3
ThE REcIPE FoR
RESUME SUccESS
chAPter 4
WRITING aND
FoRMaTTING
yoUR RESUME
chAPter 5
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
the “Writing a Tasty Cover Letter” chapter). Be aware
that an employer who is thinking about flying you out
for an interview will probably grill you by phone before
ponying up the funds to pay for you to come out for a
face-to-face interview.
Send ThoSe
Thank-You noTeS
› sAY thAt All your hard work, your customized
cover letter, and tailored resume have led to a meeting
with an employer. Your research into the company and
your own background helped you have a smooth and
convincing interview. Or maybe the interview went
pretty well, but there were a few points you wish you
had covered or stated differently. (We’ve all been there!)
The thank-you letter is another tool you can use
to add extra oomph to your candidacy. Short and
sweet, this note shows gratitude for the time the
employer has taken to review your qualifications,
and it’s an opportunity to demonstrate (again) that
you are clearer than ever in your understanding of
the fit between the position and your qualifications
and goals. The thank-you letter has a bonus function,
too: It gives you a final opportunity to address any
weakness or clarify any misunderstanding that may
have occurred in the interview process. The sample
thank-you letter we’ve included mentions specifics
of the meeting, shows appreciation, and reminds the
employer of the candidate’s strengths. Here’s a sample of an emailed thank you letter that you can use to
model one of your own:
SAMPLE THANK-YOU NOTE:
DIGITaL DELIvERy
WRITING a TaSTy
covER LETTER
chAPter 7
chAPter 6
Dear Ms. Gonzales,
Thank you again for a most inspiring meeting. I know how hectic your schedule is as you head
toward the restaurant opening, and how many resumes you must have received for the assistant
chef position, so I am especially appreciative you took the time to meet with me and share your
insights on the business. I picked up a copy of that issue of Gourmet you mentioned, and you’re
so right—that feature article on Tuscany really missed the boat! There’s so much more to Tuscan
cuisine than steak and white beans, as you’ve demonstrated in your cookbook. I look forward to
branching out from Neapolitan cuisine and am sure our regional specializations will prove a fitting
complement for one another—and a delicious one at that.
I look forward to continuing our conversation in the kitchen at LouLou in the near future.
Best regards,
Sally
chAPter 8
FRoM RESUME
To INTERvIEW
chAPter 9
FoR yoUR
REFERENcE
P.S.: Your friend and mine, Ruthie, sends her best, and says to say thanks for the pork chop tips.
104 W E T F E E T I N S ID ER GUID E
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 3
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 4
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 5
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 7
Digital Delivery
From
From Resume
Resume
tO
tO Interview
Interview
CHAPTER
CHAPTER 88
For Your
Reference
CHAPTER 9
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 105
For Your
Reference
9
Recommended Resources........... 108
Books......................................... 109
Surveys....................................... 109
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
CHAPTER 2
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
CHAPTER 3
The Recipe for
Resume Success
CHAPTER 4
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
CHAPTER 6
Killer Cover Letters & Resumes
Recommended
Resources
› The resources that follow represent some of
the best tools in developing job search materials. They
correspond to suggestions we’ve made in this guide
about preparation through research, and also provide
access to more resume and cover letter information
and samples. However, be aware that this is but a small
sampling of the information that’s available to help
you effectively develop killer cover letters and resumes.
So use the following as a jumping-off point in your
research endeavors and feel free to explore the vast array
of information that’s out there on this topic.
Resumes and Letters
• Get resume feedback from a career or resume adviser.
Most university career centers offer free resume consultations or workshops for students, and for alumni
at a nominal fee.
• Check out WetFeet’s website for resume advice at
www.wetfeet.com.
• Have a look at the Riley Guide, which comprises
an extensive compilation of links to information on
writing resumes and cover letters, as well as other
useful job search information (www.rileyguide.com).
Digital Delivery
For
For Your
Your
Reference
Reference
CHAPTER 9
Interview
From Resumeand
Beyond
tO Interview
CHAPTER 8
From Resume
to
CHAPTER
8
CHAPTER 7
Researching Employers
• Use Google or another Internet search engine to find
a company or organization’s website (www.google.
com).
• WetFeet Industry Profiles give unvarnished insider
information on top companies, including key indicators for success such as annual revenue, employee
hiring numbers, and latest trends (www.wetfeet.
com).
• NewsDirectory.com or Bizjournals (www.bizjournals.
com) can help you in your search for current information on companies, organizations, and industry
news.
108 W E T F E E T I N S ID ER GUID E
Researching the Position
• The Occupational Outlook Handbook from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics contains valuable information on occupational paths. Learn about qualifications, trends, and related occupations at www.
bls.gov/oco/.
• Salary.com features searchable salary information by
career categories and by location. Use this information to research and respond to salary expectation
questions.
• WetFeet’s Real People Profiles provide a glimpse of
what it’s like to work in a variety of industries, from
accounting to venture capital (www.wetfeet.com).
• Job market and hiring trend information from NACE
(National Association of Colleges and Employers)
can keep you up to date on your job search (www.
jobweb.com).
Industries and Fields
• The U.S. Department of Labor’s America’s Career
InfoNet can give you a sense of the bigger picture
on wages and employment trends (www.acinet.org/
acinet/).
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides its Career
Guide to Industries at www.bls.gov/oco/cg/.
• Search information on associations in almost every
field or industry via online directories: ASAE and
the Center for Association Leadership (www.asaenet.
org/GeneralDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=1796) and
the Internet Public Library’s database of Associations
on the Net (www.ipl.org/div/aon).
• Associations often have useful industry and career
path information on their websites, and contacting members can be a great way to network—one
of the best sources of insider information for your
job search.
at a glance
CHAPTER 1
Barbara Kate Repa (Nolo Press)
ResumeDoctor.com provides expert advice to job
seekers, employers, and members of the media.
ResumeDoctor.com is a subsidiary of Personal
Department Inc. (PDI), Vermont’s largest independently owned staffing agency.
Gallery of Best Cover Letters:
A Collection of Quality Cover Letters
by Professional Resume Writers
This provides valuable cover letter samples across a wide
spectrum of industries, and with a wide variety of styles.
Offers resume samples for diverse college majors and
employment situations.
Writing and
Formatting
Your Resume
CHAPTER 5
Louise M. Kursmark (JIST Works)
CHAPTER 4
Best Resumes for College Students and
New Grads: Jump-Start Your Career
Since 1956, the National Association of Colleges and
Employers (NACE) has been the leading source of
information about the employment of college graduates. The Job Outlook report forecasts the hiring intentions of employers and examines other issues related to
the employment of new college graduates. For more
information, check out www.naceweb.com.
The Recipe for
Resume Success
David Noble (JIST Works)
CHAPTER 3
surveys cited in this book:
› Here’s more information about the two
CHAPTER 2
This book does a good job of informing readers about
their rights and responsibilities as future employees.
On Your Mark,
Get Set, Prep!
Surveys
Your Rights in the Workplace
30 Seconds
to Satisfy
Books
Skillstalking
Lists hundreds of skills to incorporate into your job
search documents.
Wetfeet’s Insider Guides
tO Interview
Interview
tO
Covers all forms of electronic resumes and explains
their uses, strengths, and weaknesses.
CHAPTER 8
From Resume to
CHAPTER
CHAPTER
88
Interview
and
FromBeyond
Resume
From
Resume
e-Resumes: Everything You Need to Know
About Using Electronic Resumes to Tap
into Today’s Hot Job Market
CHAPTER 7
Digital Delivery
WetFeet’s Insider Guides give you real insight into the
industries and employers that interest you most. Check
out the additional titles available at www.wetfeet.com
to assist you with your job search. You’ll find guides that
focus on everything from how to network and ace your
interviews to how to negotiate a good salary.
CHAPTER 6
Writing a Tasty
Cover Letter
Dick Gaither (Job Search Training System)
Susan Britton Whitcomb and Pat Kendall (McGraw-Hill)
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER
For
For Your
Your
Reference
Reference
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 109
>> The WetFeet Story
WetFeet was founded in 1994 by Stanford MBAs Gary Alpert and Steve Pollock. While exploring their
next career moves, they needed products like the WetFeet Insider Guides to guide them through their
research and interviews. But these resources didn’t exist yet—so they started writing! Since then,
millions of job seekers have used the WetFeet Insider Guides and WetFeet.com to research their next
career move.
In 2007 WetFeet became part of Universum Communications, the global leader in employer branding.
Thanks to the integration of WetFeet into the Universum group, WetFeet products are now used by
job seekers all over the world. In addition to our Insider Guides and WetFeet.com, we produce WetFeet
magazine, which features career advice tailored to undergraduate students.
>> The WetFeet Name
The inspiration for our name comes from a popular business school case study about L.L. Bean, the
successful mail-order company. Leon Leonwood Bean got his start because he literally got his feet wet:
Every time he went hunting in the Maine woods, his shoes leaked. One day he set out to make a better
hunting shoe, doing such a good job that his friends lined up to buy pairs of the boots. And so L.L. Bean
was born.
The lesson we took from the Bean case? Well, it shows that getting your feet wet is the first step toward
achieving success. And that’s what WetFeet is here for: To help you get your feet wet and take the right
steps toward ever-greater career goals, whatever they may be.
>> Your objective: Stand out from the pack.
Thanks to the ease of submitting a resume online, recruiters
today receive literally hundreds of applications for each job
opening they post. How do they sift through these stacks of
resumes, and what can you do to position yourself at the top
of the heap? This WetFeet Insider Guide brings you the latest
wisdom from recruiters and hiring managers to get your resume
noticed. In addition, our career experts analyze a broad range
of resume formats and real job seekers’ resumes to help you
determine the ideal focus and format for your resume.
TURN TO THIS WETFEET
INSIDER GUIDE TO EXPLORE
в�… THE CORE COMPONENTS OF A FOCUSED AND
EFFECTIVE RESUME
� RESUME DOS AND DON’TS, AND THE MOST
COMMON RESUME BLUNDERS
в�… HOW TO WRITE COVER LETTERS THAT WILL
GRAB THE ATTENTION OF RECRUITERS
в�… INSIDER TIPS FOR SPECIAL CASES, SUCH AS LACK
OF EXPERIENCE FOR PARTICULAR POSITIONS OR
GAPS IN EMPLOYMENT
в�… WAYS TO PACKAGE YOUR SKILLS SO YOU LAND
AT THE TOP OF THE APPLICANT HEAP
ISBN 978-1-58207-959-2
$ 14.95 U.S.
� RECRUITERS’ TOP FIVE RESUME PET PEEVES
WetFeet has earned a strong reputation among college
graduates and career professionals for its series of highly
credible, no-holds-barred Insider Guides. WetFeet’s investigative writers get behind the annual reports and corporate
PR to tell the real story of what it’s like to work at specific
companies and in different industries. www.WetFeet.com
INSIDER GUIDE

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