Resumes and Cover Letters - Module 2 of 5

Your resume and cover letter are often your first introduction to an employer, and they have to impress them enough that they want to meet with you. This module will show you how you can create effective resumes and cover letters.

Top Tips

• Customize your resume to match job requirements.Provide details of relevant experience, qualifications and education, and use keywords from the job posting, and occupation-specific terminology.
• Use a simple and professional resume format.Showcase your experience with a two-page resume and avoid using graphics or multiple styles of bullets. Ensure that your formatting is consistent throughout.
• Resumes are often read in 30-60 seconds, so make it easy to find important information.Employers might miss information in a quick read of your resume, so make sure that your relevant qualifications, skills, etc. are easy to see.
• Emphasize your education.Review your program and course learning outcomes, and describe labs, assignments, work placements and co-op experiences that you have completed during your studies.
• Include transferrable or “soft skills”.Describe your communication, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork skills and/or other soft skills..
• Go beyond what you know, and highlight what you have done.These accomplishments can include awards and formal recognitions as well as contributions you made that had a positive impact on your workplace.
• Add relevant links.Include links to an online portfolio, a completed professional LinkedIn profile or other relevant links that demonstrate your work.
• Customize your cover letter for each employer.Research the employer, and demonstrate your knowledge of the company, how you could benefit their team, and why you want to work for them.
• Use your cover letter expand on key points from your resume.Don’t add new information, but don’t restate your resume word-for-word. Expand on information from your resume that relate to the employer's needs, and highlight your assets.
• Keep the format of your cover letter consistent with your resume.Use the same font type and size as your resume. The documents should look like they belong together.
• Keep it error free!Proofread your resume and cover letter; do not rely on spellcheck. Attend a Drop-In session or make an appointment at an employment support centre in your college.

Test Your Knowledge

Before you begin, test how much you know about creating resumes and cover letters. Once you’ve competed the module, come back and take this quiz again to see how much you have learned. opens in new window

Working With Your Resume and Cover Letter

About Your Resume and Cover Letter

Your resume and cover letter are documents that help you market yourself to prospective employers. They are usually submitted as a package as part of a job application, with the cover letter appearing first, followed by the resume. An effective resume and cover letter should convince the employer that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the job.

List relevant knowledge and experience in your resume

A good resume will summarize your education, skills, work, and achievements as they apply to the job. The employer needs to be able to find the essential information quickly. Often, resumes are read or scanned in only 30-60 seconds.

By placing all the most relevant and important information on the first half of the page, you are strategically increasing the chances of having the employer identify the qualifications that you demonstrate that match the requirements of the job. Therefore, resumes with strong profiles and summary of qualifications sections are more likely to be selected for an interview.

A well-planned resume will:

• Provide an example of your ability to organize and present ideas clearly
• Demonstrate your attention to detail by being free of grammar and spelling errors
• Provide details of relevant experience and education credentials
• Demonstrate your fit with the company culture

There are several types of resume formats, but this module will cover a skills-based resume format (also known as a combination format). This format lets you highlight skills you learned in your program as well as practical experience from jobs, field placements, co-op, applied research and team projects.

Expand on your qualifications in your cover letter

Cover letters must be customized for each employer because they are intended to show why you are a good fit for that specific job. The employers want you to demonstrate several things in your cover letter:

• your knowledge of the company
• how you could benefit their team
• compelling reasons why you’d like to work for them

Avoid presenting information not covered in the resume. There are several reasons for this:

• In some cases, a cover letter is not a requirement. If the employer chooses not to read it, he or she may miss some key information about you.
• There is more emphasis placed on your resume as it serves as proof of the skills, knowledge and experience you describe in your cover letter.

Your cover letter is opportunity for you to highlight the skills and experience that are covered on your resume and explain how they make you a good candidate for the position for which you are applying.

Follow the steps in the tabs to learn how to build an effective resume and cover letter.