Joseph says:
The resume I use is more of an educational type resume that definitely highlights my interdisciplinarity because I show the different types of classes I have taken. I try to highlight those classes I feel more directly reveals what type of person I am. If you have a cover letter, does this sound familiar?
Dear Hiring Manager/To Whom It May Concern:
I am extremely interested in such and such position.
I am a junior/senior at the University of Central Florida pursuing such and such degree.
My qualifications are such and such
Please contact me at this number/email to discuss … Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Your name
Your name
This is the basic format of almost every cover letter that is out there. I recommend trying something a little different to make yours stand out. Talk about the research you did about the company and your knowledge of the company and incorporate that into your cover letter. You can find many examples of cover letters online, with the same basic format, just make sure to personalize it as well.
Ada says:
One thing I would strongly recommend for learning to write good resumés and other business documents is a technical writing class. I took Writing for Technical Professionals a couple terms ago, and even though I had already considered myself to be a very strong writer, it taught me a lot of important things about business communication. Aside from giving me lots of practice in writing different types of letters and memoranda, I received a lot of good feedback on my resumé. (And somehow this was the first time I had heard the tip that resumés should almost never be more than one page!)
Highlighting your interdisciplinarity is, I've found, very important. Skills I wouldn't have expected to use at a particular job have turned out to be valuable to potential employers. For example, when I applied for my research assistant job, I didn't expect my linguistic skills to be terribly important, but it turned out that my interviewer was looking for somebody with strong computer skills _and_ strong language skills (for reviewing/proofreading technical papers).
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What are ways your resume can highlight your interdisciplinarity?
What are some questions about cover letters you've have?
Share your best cover letter.
What are questions about resumes that you have and/or share some advice?
Share any resources you've found about cover letters and/or resumes.
A resume can highlight my interdisciplinarity because it lists the clubs I am/have been in. When the employer see that I am in the pharmacy society, the math culb, and the chemistry association they will see that I am involved in many different subject areas. Another thing that will display my interdisciplinarity is the different jobs I have had. I have had jobs ranging from in a restaurant to being a camp counselor.
ReplyDeleteI have never actually written a cover lever so I am unsure about how to go about it. I saw the format you gave Joseph and that looks good to my so my fist cover letter will probably be very similar to that format.
As I said before I went to UCF career services and they helped me improve my resume. The main thing that they said was to make sure you have a unified format all the way through the resume. They also said to get as much information across with the smallest amount of space taken up. You generally want your resume to be only one page long.
Ada,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good idea to take a technical writing class to help improve your resume. I wasn't even aware that UCF offered Writing for Technical Professionals. That seems like it would be an incredibly helpful class! I knew that UCF offers the writing center where you can take in things and have them critique you. I'm not sure if you can bring a resume into them but if you can I'm sure that they would be a good help also.
I have also taken the Writing class for technical professionals, and I have taken the Writing class for business professionals, and they help you somewhat. They both were good classes but I don't remember too much about them, but I am sure that I incorporated their materials into my writings now. Just remember Amy that the format I wrote above is just a basic one, and you need to make yours stand out. One thing I found out the other day from one of my friends who works with someone who hires people is that many hiring individuals no longer read the cover letter, but I still recommend putting one on just in case.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the technical writing class was required for my major (when I was majoring in computer science) and although it wasn't quite what I expected, I got quite a lot out of it. (For some reason I had been expecting it to be a "technical writing" class rather than more business writing-oriented.)
ReplyDeleteAs far as cover letters, they're certainly not a bad idea, but it does seem to be, based on my experience and what I've been told, that they're sort of phasing out. I'll be honest, I've never had to use a proper cover letter, unless you count an e-mail accompanying an attached resumé, which serves as a sort of cover letter, I suppose.
What are ways your resume can highlight your interdisciplinarity?
ReplyDeleteI can’t figure out a way that a resume can highlight my interdisciplinarity. My experience is administrative. As you guys have discussed, a resume should only be one page. I wonder how I could include my work experience and detail my education on one page.
What are some questions about cover letters you've have?
How do you make it stand out? What are some phrases that really make an impact on potential employers?
Share your best cover letter.
Dear so and so,
I am writing in response to your ad on careerbuilder for an accounts payable professional. I am an experienced, efficient and enthusiastic individual seeking employment in this area.
I believe my extensive experience in accounts payable combined with my strong work ethic would make me an asset to your organization.
I would value the opportunity to discuss this position with you further. Please feel free to contact me at the number/email listed above.
Thank you for taking the time to review my resume.
Respectfully,
Sarah Oppenheim
What are questions about resumes that you have and/or share some advice?
When I sat down with a resume advisor they told me not to put my GPA on there. But for the resume assignment for this class putting your GPA on there was suggested. What is the best thing to do?
I have heard that it’s good to have your contact information simple and I have heard it should be a little flashy (but tasteful) to make an impression…what do you guys think is best?
Share any resources you've found about cover letters and/or resumes.
http://www.resume-help.org/resume_writing_tips.htm
http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-1344-Cover-Letters-and-Resumes-Crafting-an-Eye-Catching-Cover-Letter/
http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-1161-Cover-Letters-and-Resumes-6-Tricks-for-a-Recession-Proof-R%c3%a9sum%c3%a9/
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI've also gotten conflicting advice about putting GPA on a resumé. Based on my experience, and all the varying advice I've received, the best thing to do seem to be to go ahead and put your GPA on there, but only if it's at least a 3.0. If it's below 3.0, wait for them to ask. (Obviously, if the employer asks for it up front as part of the application process, go ahead and put it on your resumé.)
Ada,
ReplyDeleteI guess for the purposes of the e-portfolio assignment its appropriate...we will be presenting ourselves as recent college graduates.
Wow that is interesting. I have never heard that you shouldn't put your GPA on your resume. I guess I just always assumed that it needed to be on there. But that makes sense that if it is low and could hurt your chances you probably don't want to put it on there. But I think that if it is a decent GPA it could only help you not hurt you.
ReplyDeleteA resume is a great tool to showcase ones achievements in many different aspects of life. A resume can highlight educational accomplishment, job-related successes, and even volunteer work and special awards that have been received over the years. My resume, specifically, would be a great way to emphasize the interdisciplinary aspect of my college degree in order for my future employer to see that I am experienced as well as educated in multiple areas. Not only will the resume show the degrees and minor I have obtained, but will more than likely outline the work I did within each area as well as any extra circular activities pertaining to these specified studies.
ReplyDeleteSome questions I have about the cover letter are: What is the best way to set my cover letter apart from all of the other applicants without losing the professional touch? I know that the cover letter should be straightforward, but sometimes I can be verbose, is this alright to do as long as I don’t stray off of the main idea?
I haven’t actually completed an actual resume to submit to a company or program and I was curious as to how important the format was. Although we were given a proper format in class, is it really that important to follow those rules and are things such as word/line spacing and bold lettering really taken that much into consideration? I would want my resume to me as perfect as possible so is there anything I could potentially add or weed out in order to further please the person viewing it?
When it comes to putting a GPA on the resume, I agree with the majority. As long as it is a decent GPA it won't hurt your chances, however if it is on the low side it is probably best to leave it out unless the company/program asks for it specifically. I am sure that most graduate programs etc. will definitely need a GPA in order to compare and contrast applicants however a company or business may not care at all.
ReplyDeleteAs far as formatting, I think the most important thing is for it to be easily readable, and formatting can help or hurt that. The reader should be able to quickly glance over it and see all the important points and find information they're looking for. Hence it's important to properly utilize things like bolding or negative space. Sure, you want it to be aesthetically pleasing, but I think it's more about readability than how "nice" it looks.
ReplyDeleteI think it really depends on what type of position you are applying for if the GPA matters, because many positions out there just want you to have a degree because it is evidence that you are teachable. I honestly put my GPA on all of the cover letters I submit, because I feel that the positions that I want necessitate a higher GPA, and whether I have that or not is up to them.
ReplyDeleteI meant resume, and not cover letter. In my cover letter, I try and show that I have a true interest in the business and even talk about some of their history or some of the current events that are going on involving the company.
ReplyDelete