University Career Services
Northwestern University
Resume & Cover Letter About the Resume What is it?
A tool used to market your skill-sets and accomplishments to employers.
Why is it important?
• To generate interviews with employers.
• To network with contacts who might be able to assist you.
Resume Writing Step 1: Self-Assessment Brainstorm any and all information about yourself for each of the areas listed under resume content. You should develop an exhaustive list of content to consider for inclusion on your resume.
• To provide as an aid to those persons
Step 2: Skills Inventory
who will act as your references.
Resume Content Contact Information Include your full name, permanent and school address (if applicable), telephone numbers that you want employers to call, and e-mail address. Education Include your school’s name, location, degree type, date of anticipated graduation, major(s), minor(s), and GPA. You have the option to list coursework and/or academic honors. Experience List your experiences in reverse chronological order. For each position, provide the company name, position title, location of the company, and dates employed. For each experience, describe the work performed, contributions, achievements, and demonstrated skills and abilities. When appropriate, use the technical language of your chosen field. Leadership Include offices/positions held, organization name, dates, significant contributions, projects, and demonstrated skills and abilities. It is common to format this section similarly as the experience section, including the use of bullet pointed descriptions.
Identify the skills the employer is seeking and how you have employed those in your experiences. This will ultimately help you to demonstrate alignment with the opportunity you seek. Consider your transferable skills, skills that are useful in a variety of settings.
Step 3: First Draft Start with a blank page, not a resume template. Use your first draft to start organizing your relevant information. Identify what section headings to include and invest time and effort in describing your experiences in a bulleted format.
Helpful Hints
Use action verbs to strengthen descriptions of your experiences. Describe your experience in terms of what you accomplished. Eliminate the pronoun “I” and do not use full sentences. Avoid introductory and wind-up phrases such as “My duties included...” State qualifications that best meet an employer's needs.
Activities and/or Community/Civic Involvements Include offices held, organizations, dates, significant contributions, projects, demonstrated skills and abilities. This section is most commonly organized in a list format.
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Honors/Awards Include the name of the honor/award and the date(s) granted.
Step 4: Review & Get Feedback
Professional Affiliations Content in this section includes organizational memberships and offices held, certifications, and licenses. Skills This category lists computer competencies, language skills, and or job-related skills you would like employers to know.
University Career Services Main Location: 620 Lincoln Street Career Lab: Main Library, Core Reserves, 2nd Flr Phone: 847-491-3700 www.northwestern.edu/careers
As you prepare your final document, consider the following: Is my resume easy to read? Does it look professional? Can you read your important information in 30 seconds? Does it conveys career purpose and direction? Does it convey my strongest qualifications? Is the formatting consistent? Is it an error-free document?
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University Career Services
Northwestern University
Resume & Cover Letter Cover Letter Content
Purpose of a Cover Letter To provide depth to your resume. To highlight important attributes of your background. To show your potential value to the organization. To convey your interest in the organization & position. To personalize your message to an employer.
Opening Paragraph - Introduction Purpose The purpose is to capture the employer’s interest. Use the first paragraph to introduce yourself, highlight your interest in the position/organization, and why you are the best candidate. Content Introduce who you are, state your reason for writing and how you learned about their organization. If someone referred you to the position be sure to include the person’s name and title/affiliation with the employer
Getting Started Know the employer
Research the employer’s organization to see how your skills and abilities meet its needs.
Analyze the job description
Take a good look at the job responsibilities and qualifications and design your cover letter to match these as much as possible. If a job listing is vague. In these cases, draw from your experience of similar jobs to infer what skills and abilities might be required.
Analyze your background
Ask yourself, “What have I done that is similar to what this job entails?” Consider courses taken, classroom projects, work experience, summer jobs, internships, volunteer experience, extracurricular involvement, and travel.
Middle Paragraph(s) - Market Yourself Purpose Use this section to persuade your reader why you are a good fit for the company and the job. Emphasize and elaborate on your strongest qualifications, especially any the employer highlighted on their job description. Content Provide 2-3 specific and tangible examples of how your skills contributed to the success of a project. Indicate what you can do for the employer rather than what the employer can do for you.
Closing Paragraph - Be Proactive! Purpose The final paragraph provides an opportunity to briefly reiterate your interest in the position/organization and your qualifications. You should also extend your appreciation and express your interest in an interview. Content Thank them for their consideration. Indicate how an employer can contact you (phone, email). If you are doing a long distance search indicate when you will be in the area to interview
Cover Letter Advice
Focus on the specific employer- stray away from generic or form cover letters
Analyze your own background and identify experiences similar to those desired by the employer
Address the letter to a specific name and title; otherwise, use “Dear Hiring Manager”
If you are mailing a hard copy use high quality paper that matches your resume and envelope
Research the employer and demonstrate how your background, skills and abilities fit with their organization
Do not mirror your resume, rather they should work together to present a complete picture of you
Review the position description for desired skills and qualifications
Make your writing style direct, strong, and error free
University Career Services Main Location: 620 Lincoln Street Career Lab: Main Library, Core Reserves, 2nd Flr Phone: 847-491-3700
Email: careerservices@northwestern.edu Fan UCS @ www.facebook.com/northwesternUCS Follow UCS @ twitter.com/northwesternUCS Join UCS @ www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1926036