Spring clean your résumé – Archive
Written by Amanda Pretulac, Mar 7, 2011, 0 Comments
Amanda Pretulac
Entertainment Editor
Besides perfecting your tan over spring break, opt to work on preparing for that bright future of yours. To help you achieve your dream internship or career upon graduation or over the summer, you’ll need the basics—a polished cover letter and résumé, and professional interview skills. The job market is competitive these days—here are some tips to keep you one step ahead of the crowd.
The Cover Letter
A cover letter should be no more than three paragraphs long. Remember that employers look at your cover letter and résumé, and make a decision within seconds. They may overlook a lengthy cover letter. Don’t address the letter, “To Whom it may Concern.” Look up the employer that will be reading your documents by using LinkedIn or by calling the company itself.
Your résumé will have all of your experience listed, so instead of repeating yourself in the cover letter, discuss what makes you such a good fit for that particular company and what you can bring to table that separates you from other applicants. The cover letter is your opportunity to summarize what you admire about the company and to convince the employer that they should read on to your résumé.
The Résumé
Use classic white paper and a professional font such as Times New Roman. Most employers today have you submit your résumé via e-mail, so keep that in mind when choosing a font. To make your résumé stand out, put your name in a bold, but professional, hunter green or violet. This is a simple tweak that will catch an employer’s eye and bring out a bit of your personality. Save space on your résumé and don’t put your name in a huge font, which can look tacky.
Keep your résumé to one page in length, and print your references on a separate sheet of paper, giving you more room to list your experience. Always start out by listing an objective or challenge that you seek for a particular job, and always tailor it to the company you are applying for. List your job experience next and in order of most recent. Don’t list a job that has no relevance to the one your applying for. List your university, with each activity you participated in, awards you’ve earned, or anything else you’ve accomplished in college.
Don’t forget to proofread. Have a friend read it over before sending it to an employer and if you’re e-mailing it, make sure they can open it without the document looking unprofessional.
Acing the Interview
Before the day of your interview drive to the interview location so you won’t get lost the day of, and you can gauge how much time you’ll need to prepare before you go.
Look over interview questions in advance to come up with appropriate answers. For example, many employers ask the question, “What is your worst trait?” This is your chance to turn a possible negative answer into a positive one. Make sure to look the part for the interview; dress for your dream job.
Bring along a hard copy of your cover letter, résumé and reference sheet if the documents were sent via e-mail. Make eye contact during the interview, which shows confidence and professionalism. Ask questions about the job and the company, but don’t ask when you can take off for vacation or how much your salary will be unless you want to guarantee you won’t get the job.
Follow up the next day by sending the interviewer a thank you note. Remind the employer why you are fit for the position, and that you appreciate the time they took to meet with you.
Resources at Your Fingertips
The Career Center offers resources to help students on the way to their dream jobs, such as self-assessment tests, events, internship information, part-time job information on and off campus, and counseling for the job search process.
Students interested in further education can attend the USF St. Petersburg Master’s Degree Open House on Saturday, March 5 at 2 p.m.to 5 p.m. in the Science and Technology building to learn more about the school’s graduate programs. If your cover letter and resume is in perfect shape, check out the Spring Career Fair on Thursday, March 10 to meet with potential employers.
