All About Resumes, CVs, and Cover Letters!1
What is the difference between a resume and a CV (curriculum vitae)? Contrary
to popular belief, these terms refer not to the same document, but to different kinds of
lists about your work, both of which lay out details about your career, job experience,
pursuits, activities, and portfolios. A resume focuses on all or most of your work
experience, whereas a CV addresses specific work you have done that relates to the
position you are applying for, and goes into more detail. Usually, either a resume, or CV
is requested by name in a job posting, though employers may request both documents.
Having a resume, CV, and basic cover letter already prepared and on file can help you
save time when applying for future jobs. All you have to do is edit them so that they
appropriately address your suitability for the job you are requesting.
1. Guidelines for The Resume:
As explained above, a resume provides a more general overview of your
experience than a CV does. While reading the resume, the prospective employer sees
your entire career to date, and can tell what you did by year, and how busy you have
been. These facts and details about your work also provide indications of whether you are
industrious, creative, motivated, or innovative, so be careful how you word each entry.
In order to compose the most efficient, useful, and succinct resume possible, you
should follow these simple guidelines:
1) Highlight your full name, address, phone number, and email address in the
header of your document in a large size font. If your document font is the
usual 12 point size, make your heading at least 32 point font so that it stands
out and is visible.
2) The best fonts to use for your resume are Arial, Calibri, Cambria,
Garamond, and Helvetica.
3) Fonts like Times New Roman, or Times can appear commonplace and
boring, so avoid using them in CVs or resumes, unless required. Do not use
unusual fonts that include such distracting details as flourishes or large,
complicated script.
4) Begin by listing your most recent job position, along with a brief description
of your duties, and the dates you started and left that place of business.
5) Use bullet points if necessary. See the following template examples for
guidance and ideas.
6) If you have worked at many places, you may need to exclude your earlier
jobs, or jobs that are non-relevant to the position for which you are applying.
For example, if you are applying for an engineering position, your 2010
summer internship at major engineering corporation Caterpiller, Inc is much
more impressive to a perspective employer than your 2007 stint at the nowdefunct Blockbuster video store when you were a freshman in high school.
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For more information, see the resume/CV/cover letter samples and citation Powerpoint!
7) Make sure your information is accurate. Prospective employers will factcheck behind you, and you may lose your chance at the position if part of your
resume appears to be inaccurate or cannot be verified by a former employer.
8) Do not include references until the potential employer contacts you.
2. Guidelines for The CV:
Unlike the resume, the CV shows your prospective employer what activities and
projects you have been doing that qualifies you for this particular job position. It provides
a comprehensive overview of works you have created such as essays, presentations,
publications, former and ongoing projects or exhibits, computer programs, prototypes,
websites, etc. Eliminate all jobs, works, or activities that have no bearing whatsoever on
the skill set required for this position.
In order to compose the most efficient, useful, and succinct CV possible, you
should follow these simple guidelines:
1) Highlight your name and address at the top left or center of the document.
Place your phone number and email address at the top right of the document,
along with any relevant web addresses such as personal websites or work
webpages.
2) Use the same font that you used for your resume. Again, the best fonts to use
are Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, and Helvetica.
3) Remember, fonts like Times New Roman, or Times can appear
commonplace and boring, so avoid using them unless required. Do not use
unusual fonts that include such distracting details as flourishes or large,
complicated script.
4) Sometimes CVs contain a paragraph at the top providing an overview of the
information you are about to provide. It is commonly entitled Profile, and
summarizes the qualities, skills, and abilities that you possess. End with the
phrase Areas of strength include: and list your basic strong points that make
you a good candidate, as seen in several of the following templates.
5) The rest of your CV should be divided into three sections: 1. Education, 2.
Appointments, Positions, or Experience, and 3. Publications, Essays, or
Projects are subject lines most commonly used, though they can vary by
discipline and depend on your credentials. As with the resume, continue by
describing the most recent work or activity that you have done in the next
sections. If you have not published anything, for example, list papers you have
written or presented at conferences, or essays written for classes relating to
this job opportunity, and specific assignments such as a supervised
undergraduate thesis.
6) Under the first heading, list your most recent or expected degree, followed by
the next most recent. Include the name of the institution, your GPA, and the
years you attended. Under the second heading, Under the third heading, list
the year of the essay/project/exhibit, then the title, followed by a brief
description about the class, assignment, or event for which you created it,
including names of supervisors, teachers, project leaders, peers, etc.
7) Explain what you gained from or did at each school, position or work.
8) Make sure your information is accurate. Prospective employers will factcheck behind you.
9) Do not include references until the potential employer contacts you.
3. The Cover Letter
Once you have written or updated your resume and CV, the dreaded cover letter
actually becomes a lot easier to write! Basically, the cover letter is your chance to
specifically explain the facts in your resume, CV, or both, while presenting yourself in a
formal, but personal way to your potential employer. Since a cover letter is basically a
letter, you can express yourself more freely and specifically reference the work you have
done that you think qualifies you for the available position. There are many excellent
approaches to writing a cover letter, but you should also be aware of several mistakes you
should not make when writing your cover letter.
In order to compose the most personable, creative, and succinct cover letter
possible, you should follow these simple guidelines:
1) Type the prospective employer’s name and address in the top left corner. Begin
the letter formally with the salutation Dear Sir, or Madam, unless you know the
specific name of the person receiving your cover letter.
2) Specifically reference the name of the position for which you are applying,
together with the name of the business, university, or institution that finances and
oversees it.
3) Explain who you are, why you are applying for the position, and then proceed to
summarize why you believe your skills and experience qualify you for the
position. Sometimes applications contain a prompt for the cover letter, such as
“Explain why you are the best candidate for the position.” Make sure not to
misinterpret this prompt by writing about your superior abilities compared to your
peer applicants; the prospective employer simply means, “Tell me why you think
you can do this job well.”
4) Express yourself clearly. Don’t use exaggerated or difficult prose, but maintain a
fluent, professional writing style. Ideally, you hope to showcase your efficiency
and verbal skills without appearing pretentious or vague.
5) Close by thanking the prospective employer for considering you for the position.
6) Underneath your signature, type your name, address, phone number, and email
address.
Don’t make the following blunders when composing a cover letter:
1) Don’t write a cover letter for multiple job positions and forget to change the
names of the businesses to which you are applying along with any specific details
about your fitness for the position. A manager at Fish Pools and Co. won’t be
impressed by a cover letter explaining how you are perfect for a job at Trout
Streams and Associates.
2) Don’t forget to include your personal information and explain how you can be
reached. Your reader may want to get in touch with you right away to set up an
interview.
3) Don’t be overly familiar or use sarcastic, obscure, or humorous phrases. Hi! My
name is _____________ is not an appropriate way to begin a cover letter. Good
phrases with which to end a cover letter include Yours, Sincerely Yours, or
Sincerely, _________, not Bye, See you soon, or Peace Out, ________________.