Resumes & Cover Letters
A resume is a document that presents your education, experience, and qualifications in a clear, concise, and compelling way, and shows potential employers how these are the best fit for their needs. Whenever you send a resume or application to a potential employer, you must include a cover letter if the employer requests it. This is essentially your sales pitch. It should introduce you to the employer, highlight your most important experiences or qualifications, and make a clear connection between your skills and the position or workplace.
Resumes
Cover Letters
Remember: In your resumes and cover letters, and any other job-related correspondence, refer to this institution as the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Always err on the formal side.
Resumes
Your resume is, in a very real sense, an advertisement of you. Like all good advertisements, it should communicate essential information within seconds. Most importantly, your resume should win you an interview.
An excellent resume will:
- Get you the interview
- Prepare you to make a strong presentation of your education and experience in an interview
- Structure the interview in your favor
- Remind the interviewer of your best points
- Justify the hiring decision
Each resume that you send to an employer must be tailored to that specific job. You must deconstruct the advertisement or posting, research the company, and make some educated guesses to determine exactly what employers want. Translate your experience into their language, even using the exact words in the job description. Present yourself in their terms.
Resume Help
To get started, read the information below and download our Resume Tips (PDF). This document provides specific details on how to write and format your resume, as well as a list of effective action words. We’ve created some sample resumes to help you draft your own.
To get advice and assistance writing your resume, attend a Career Services workshop (see Events) , workshops in your department or college if they are offered, or work with one of our staff members during Walk-In hours.
The following Web sites also provide guides to writing a resume:
CollegeGrad.com
JobStar
Jobweb
Quintessential Careers
WetFeet
Resume Tips
Before you get started writing your resume, consider the following tips:
As in any writing, you must know your reader. What is most important to communicate? What is the employer looking for? What skills and experiences are most important in this position? Put yourself in the employer’s shoes. If you had only a few seconds to read a resume, would you pick yourself for the job?
Every field is different, but the following qualities are often in demand:
- Ability to acquire new skills easily
- Experience working in teams
- Ability to persuade others
- Creative problem solving
- Demonstrated leadership aptitude
- Strong work ethic
- Ability to learn foreign languages
- Ambition
- Reliability
Which of these qualities do you possess? How can you communicate these? How do your skills, talents, and experiences apply to the specific needs of this employer? Think broadly and creatively, and include such experiences and abilities as:
- Internships and co-ops
- Other work experiences
- Community service
- Classroom projects or other educational experiences
- Travel and study abroad
- Research
- Publications and presentations
- Honors and awards
- Extracurricular activities (Sorority/Fraternity, RSOs, Student Government, Collegian, etc.)
- Sports
- Languages
- Technology experience
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A CV is a specialized resume that generally has more extensive details about your work experience and your skills. Most often, a CV is necessary if you have an advanced degree and you are seeking a job in academia, scientific research, or applying for grants and fellowships.
Be aware that some people will use the terms CV and resume interchangeably, which can be confusing. Faculty members may refer to your resume as a CV when they really mean your resume. In Europe, in some cases, employers will refer to all resume-like documents as CVs. Make sure you know what kind of document is expected.
If you need to create a CV as well as a resume, visit the following Web sites, or come to Career Services.
CV Assistance Online:
About.com
QuintCareers.com
Cover Letters
As with your resume, your cover letter should explicitly translate your skills and experiences into the employer’s needs and language (see Resumes, above).
Your cover letters should:
- Be formal but reflect your personality, attitude, motivation, and enthusiasm
- State the purpose of the letter
- Be tailored to the specific position
- Demonstrate your knowledge of the company or organization and your enthusiasm for the job
- Using short narrative examples, show how your skills and experience are an excellent match for the position
- Highlight key points, but not replicate your resume
- Show your strong writing skills
- Spark employers’ interest in you and encourage them to read your resume
Cover Letter Help
For specifics on how to write and format a cover letter, and to see examples, download Crafting Cover Letters (PDF).
As with resumes, you may also seek advice and assistance with cover letters through Career Services workshops (see Events), workshops in your department or college, or work with one of our staff members during Walk-In hours.
The following Web sites provide guidance on writing cover letters as well as some samples:
CollegeGrad.com
JobStar.com
Jobweb.com
Quintessential Careers
WetFeet
