Resumes and Cover Letters: Making Them Better than Before!
What a Resume is and What is it's Purpose...
- It's your primary marketing document
- It summarizes experiences, skill sets, and qualifications
- It should be a quick and easy to read document
- It showcases your skill sets through short, high-impact statements and streamlined bulleted lists
The primary goal of your resume is to land you an interview for a position!
What to Include in Experiences
This section can include jobs, internships, and sometimes volunteer experience (if it is particularly relevant to your application - otherwise use a separate section).
Always list positions in reverse chronological order - most recent to least recent.
Include a space between positions at different organizations - no space between positions at same organization.
TIP:
Related Experiences and Additional Experiences sections, can be used if needed, to highlight relevant positions that are further back in your history.
Bullet Points
Use bullet points to describe your experiences - not paragraphs or full sentences.
Quantify experiences when possible
Open each bullet point with a strong action verb that demonstrates the skill you used.
Write your bullet points in the first person - but do not use "I" or "me."
Write your bullet points in the appropriate tense -
End bullet points with or without periods - but be consistent!
LEADERSHIP, ACTIVITIES, and VOLUNTEER
SKILLS
List only hard skills that consist of computer skills, languages, or technical skills:
If you study Computer Science, Information Technology or Cybersecurity you may want to list your skills:
If you're majoring in Nursing or any Healthcare related major, you may want to also list your certifications.
RESUME TIPS TO NOT FORGET...
- On average, resumes should be 1-page. However, career changers or experienced career professionals may have longer resumes. Also if using a CV it will be much longer
- Make sure you are using a font that is easy to read and the size should be no smaller than 10.5 pts.
- Don't use unconventional formatting or symbols as it is distracting and off-putting
- Don't use full sentences, employers want to read through it quickly. Use bullets instead for your experiences (Remember the 7 second scan!)
- Use only a professional email address. When in doubt use your name (and numbers) if necessary (consider your Mercy.edu email account)
- Write in the first person without using "I" pronouns and always use the correct verb tense
- Don't overload your resume with jargon or use elaborate designs
- Don't list your hobbies and what your weekend plans are.
- Don't include any unnecessary personal information like marital status, religion, political status or social security number
- Don't include references or a statement that says "References available upon request"
CPD Resume Resources Available
Visit career.mercy.edu to access all the Resume and Cover Letter Guides (Choose the ones aligned to your major).
It Includes:
- Sample Resume Formats
- A List of Action Verbs
- Sample Bullets for Experiences
- Career specific resume samples
It's Your Turn
See if you can
find the errors...?
Writing the Cover Letter
- A strong cover letter accomplishes the following:
- Identifies the exact position you’re applying for. Include Requisition # after position (if applicable)
- Summarizes your strengths and experiences that are relevant to the job description, (review job description when writing, to pull out key points, words, and responsibilities to highlight)
- Provides the employer with examples of how and when you developed or demonstrated those particular skills
- Helps the hiring manager understand how this position fits into your short term and long term career plan
- Alleviates any concerns or red flags that you think they might have when reading your resume
Cover Letter Tips to Not Forget...!
- Be sure to write a new cover letter every time you apply for a position.
- Tell your story (personalize the letter so the employer gets to know who you are, professionally)
- Don't over share (keep it professional!)
Sample Cover Letters can also be found on our website at career.mercy.edu
The Anatomy of a
Cover Letter
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
- 90% of large companies use Applicant Tracking Systems to search for qualified candidates from large applicant pools*
- These systems scan for contextual keywords and key phrases in resumes and CVs, surfacing candidates that best match the position while filtering out those who don’t.
To get through ATS, be sure to:
- Use exact keywords- refer to the job description
- Use the skills section
- Write out acronyms i.e. CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
- Use Spell Check
- Use jobscan.co to test how you fare with an ATS system
*75% of resumes are never read by a human—here’s how to make sure your resume beats the bots (CNBC)
Try Jobscan
- https://www.jobscan.co/
- Job Scan uses similar software to ATS to calculate your match rate
- Upload your resume and a job description
- Compare your resume to the job description
Jobscan continued...
- Match rate generated after plugging in resume/job description
- Breaks down by category on how to improve resume
- Allows up to 5 free scans per month (can pay for more if desired)
- It also includes a LinkedIn scan feature
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