Resume and Cover Letter Assistance
Resume Workshops
Career Services offers resume and cover letter assistance weekly in our workshops
located on the third floor of the Student Union and Library Building in room 349.
The workshop schedule is as follows:
- Tuesday 10 a.m. - 11 a.m., 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
- Wednesday Noon - 1 p.m., 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
- Thursday 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
If you have scheduling conflicts, resume and cover letter assistance can be arranged to fit your personal schedule. Please call 219/989-2419.
Resume and Cover Letter Examples
A resume is a summary designed to give employers an overview of past experience, knowledge and skill. A cover letter accompanies a resume and explains why the resume is being forwarded.
Below are links to different resume and cover letter examples.
Resume Writing Tips
Basic Guidelines
- Resumes should be easy to read, typed (quality print) and
spaced neatly.
- Present a logical format with relevant information.
- Skills and qualifications should match what the potential
employer is seeking.
- Include an organized and consistent with format and headings.
- Concise, but not at the expense of accuracy or completeness. A
typical resume is one page in length but this depends on your
particular background.
- There are many styles and formats... Choose one that works for
you and your experience! Using Templates can help you get started
but should be personalized for your final copy. By making unique
changes you won’t run the risk of having your resume look like
everyone else's resume.
- Use margins and titles... to guide the readers and inform them
of skills and attributes.
- Use bold facing, underlining, capitalization, and/or italics
to highlight important items. Also explore other options such as
small caps or using lines to separate sections.
- Develop sections for education, work history or experience,
activities etc. from the list you made so the employer can get
highlights quickly.
- The amount of space that you provide for an item indicates the
importance of that item
- Use phrases when describing duties rather than full sentences.
A resume is a first person document so you do not need to use,
“I”.
How to get started
- Complete a self assessment and begin to develop sections (i.e.
Activities, Volunteer Experience, Leadership Experience, etc.)
- Do not worry about length for the first draft.
- Once you complete your assessment you can begin to format your
resume and describe your experiences. Remember, descriptions,
order and categories depend on your experiences and goal.
Personalization
- Make your name stand out
- Complete address, include zip code and correct state
abbreviations.
- If you have 2 addresses put your campus address in the upper
left corner and permanent address in the upper right hand corner.
- Phone Number, including area code, and email address
(preferably a conservative one). Provide numbers where you can
reached and remember to keep voice mail or answering machine
messages professional.
SAMPLE
Perry E. Student
perry.e.student@calumet.purdue.edu
0000 Arch Street
Hammond, IN 46323
219-555-5555
Objective
- Not all resumes have an objective; if you are unsure of what
you want you can consider leaving it off. If your major is
different from your career objective, this section can allow you
to clarify. Also, if you are interested in a summer position,
internship, or co-op this can also help your resume from falling
into the wrong pile!
- Short and to the point is best. You are seeking a balance
between you and the position/organization, and between general and
specific. If it is too general it is unnecessary, if it is too
specific you may be limiting opportunities.
- The purpose is to specify the position you desire and skills
you possess.
- Consider making a different objective for each position you
are applying for, making it focused on that particular position.
SAMPLE
To obtain a summer internship in the field of marketing to expand experience
with market research and analysis.
OR
To obtain an entry-level position in pharmaceutical sales utilizing business
background and knowledge of biology.
Education
- Use chronological order. PUC and then high school if you
choose
- Be sure to list name and location of school, degrees(s), date
of graduation, major(s), minor(s) and concentration(s)
- If you choose, and if applicable, list overall GPA/major GPA,
class rank, academic honors/scholarships, projects, thesis,
research, conferences, seminars, computer skills, foreign
languages, pertinent coursework, and/or certificates.
- Including GPA is a personal decision with pros and cons each
way. Generally, if it is a 2.8 or higher you can list it or if you
feel it is a positive reflection of your potential.
SAMPLE
Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN
Bachelor of Science, May 2005
Major: Electrical Engineering
Major GPA: 3.2; Overall GPA: 3.0
Experience
- Use chronological order (most recent first).
- Include name and location of organization, title and dates of
employment.
- Use action statements to describe your position (See Power
Verbs for help).
SAMPLE
Sales Associate, Zany Brainy, Highland, IN
(Summer 2005)
Provided excellent customer service in this high volume children's educational
toy store. Assisted with inventory procedures. Trained new employees on company
practice. Awarded Outstanding Employee of the Month for an increase of 30% in
personal sales.
Power Verbs
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Accomplished
Achieved
Acted
Adapted
Adjusted
Administered
Advertised
Advised
Affected
Aided
Analyzed
Anticipated
Applied
Approached
Approved
Arranged
Assembled
Assessed
Assigned
Assisted
Budgeted
Built
Calculated
Catalogued
Chaired
Clarified |
Coached
Collaborated
Communicated
Completed
Conceived
Conceptualized
Conducted
Consulted
Contracted
Controlled
Cooperated
Coordinated
Counseled
Created
Decided
Defined
Delegated
Demonstrated
Designed
Determined
Detailed
Developed
Devised
Directed
Distributed
Drafted |
Edited
Educated
Enlarged
Established
Evaluated
Examined
Founded
Fund-raised
Generated
Governed
Guided
Handled
Headed
Hired
Identified
Implemented
Increased
Influenced
Informed
Initiated
Innovated
Inspected
Invented
Led
Maintained
Managed |
Manipulated
Mapped
Marketed
Mediated
Merchandised
Moderated
Modified
Monitored
Motivated
Negotiated
Obtained
Operated
Ordered
Organized
Originated
Participated
Performed
Persuaded
Planned
Presented
Proposed
Provided
Publicized
Published
Recommended
Redesigned |
Recorded
Recruited
Rectified
Regulated
Related
Renewed
Reported
Represented
Researched
Resolved
Revised
Scanned
Standardized
Stimulated
Supervised
Surveyed
Synthesized
Systemized
Taught
Team-Built
Tested
Trained
Transmitted
Utilized
Verified
Wrote |
Activities
- Place items in order of importance. Highlight
leadership/responsibilities.
- Other headings to more specifically discuss your experiences
(i.e. Volunteer Work, Athletics, Related Activities, etc. is
acceptable)
SAMPLE
Orientation Day; Captain, Intramural Basketball; Special Olympics Volunteer;
Blue Key Society, Delta Delta Delta Multicultural Sorority
OR
It is permissible to divide those activities into Volunteer Experience, &
Leadership Experience Categories. It is okay to mix employment and activities as
long as the heading describes each.
Don't Forget!
- Your Final resume should be free of errors! Read backwards to
check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Don’t rely on spell check
only!
- Print out resumes on a laser printer. Every resume should be
an original (do not make copies)!
- Buy resume paper at the bookstore or office supply store, with
extra paper for extra copies and cover letters.
- Be cautious with strange fonts and graphics, because often
they may not convert well if sending your resume electronically.
Extra Resume Writing Tips for On-Campus Employment, Internships, Co-Ops, and
Summer Jobs
First Resume - Because of having had less time to develop experiences,
it may be more appropriate for undergraduates seeking on-campus employment,
internships, co-ops, or summer jobs to include (more) high school information on
their resumes. Appropriate high school-related information may include
extracurricular activities, leadership experiences, part-time or summer jobs,
foreign exchange student experiences, honors/academic achievements and awards,
and special skills developed (i.e. computer skills, language skills, etc.)
Coursework - Again, because of the likelihood of not having as many
opportunities to develop related skills through work experiences, potential
interns may want to include information on pertinent classes, class projects,
senior projects, or seminars that they have been involved in. This could serve
as proof to prospective employers that you have a certain knowledge base, the
ability to grasp and apply concepts related to the work you may be performing in
their summer position, etc.
Adapted from guidelines created by Villanova University’s CSO
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