Virtual Career Center

Job Search Strategy: Resumes and Cover Letters

There is more than one right way to write a resume or a cover letter. The following tips can help you deliver your essential professional message clearly and effectively.

Be the author of your resume and cover letters — you know your story best.

• Make the page easy to read: omit fancy fonts and use a font size of at least 10 points. Two-page resumes are acceptable for those with extensive work experience.
• Include an Objective if it is specific to your occupational target and addresses how you can add value to the company.
• A short Career Summary or Highlights of Qualifications section introduces your strengths and successes, which you then outline in the body of your resume.
• New graduates may keep their education credentials at the top of their resumes, but after your first post-college job, Education usually follows your work history. Include additional training in a Professional Development section.
• Deliver your message in bullet points that highlight results of your work and indicate the impact of the action you took.
• Quantify results whenever possible: for example, dollar amounts or percentages of revenue, costs saved, or increased productivity.
• Add an Interests section at the end of your resume if you have activities that are relevant to the position, or that are unique and may spark conversational interest.

Cover Letters

• Send a one-page cover letter with every resume including e-mail and fax.
• Effective cover letters point out why you are the best candidate for the position. Avoid a one-letter-fits-all format. To get the interview, customize your letter for the job and company.
• Get the reader's attention in the first paragraph with a sentence that thoughtfully and specifically describes how your qualifications match what the employer is seeking.
• In the second paragraph include one or two specific examples from your work history, including the impact, related to how you meet the employer's needs. (New graduates, use an example from your education.)
• Exclude any reference to qualifications you might not have.
• If you write that you will follow up with a phone call, be certain to do so. Affirm your credibility, as employers advise that this is where most candidates fail to follow through.
• Take the time to demonstrate that you pay attention to the details; proofread your resume and each cover letter carefully!

How can the Alumni Career Center help you promote your experience effectively in your resume and cover letters?

• Career Advising — A review with you of your resume and cover letter can strengthen the presentation of your accomplishments, enhance the layout of your pages, and help you tell your professional story more confidently. Career advising is a feature of the Alumni Career Center's Comprehensive Service Package, available for an annual fee of $160 to Alumni Association members. An option to meet one time for one hour with a career adviser for a $40 fee is also available to Alumni Association members.
  
  
• Professional Development Workshops — Sessions on resume tune-up and on job search correspondence can give you the tools to tell your story on paper, at any point in your career. Fees for individual workshops are $25 and all workshops are offered at no additional charge as a feature of the Alumni Career Center's Comprehensive Service Package. See the calendar at www.uiaa.org/calendar for details.
  
  
• One Hour, One Time Appointment — Get your resume and/or cover letters critiqued. Fee is $40. University of Illinois Alumni Association membership is required.
  
  

• Through the Brick Wall by Kate Wendleton
  
  
• Resumes for Dummies Joyce Lain Kennedy
  
  
• Resume Magic by Susan Whitcomb
  
  
• Resumes for the Over 50 Job Hunter by Samuel N. Ray
  
  
• Cover Letters That Knock 'Em Dead by Martin Yate
  
  
• Winning Cover Letters by Robin Ryan

Can't find the resources you are looking for? Have questions about the Alumni Career Center services? University of Illinois alumni can ask our career experts for help with job searching and career questions.