{"id":9987,"date":"2020-09-24T14:36:30","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T14:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/?page_id=9987"},"modified":"2023-02-13T21:02:23","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T21:02:23","slug":"resume-cover-letter-checklist","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/resumes\/resume-cover-letter-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Resume\/Cover Letter Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Use a job description (or relevant aspirational job description) to direct your unique resume<\/em><\/p>\n

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Formatting<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Borders are even and spaced \u00bd to 1-inch on all sides<\/li>\n
  • Format for Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Arial, Tahoma or Calibri font and no lines; minimize caps\/bold\/italics<\/li>\n
  • Main sections should be 10-12 pt. font size; dates are in same month\/day format<\/li>\n
  • Only include information for no more than 12 \u2013 15 years so you do not risk looking old and outdated<\/li>\n
  • Confirm hashes between all dates are formatted uniformly<\/li>\n
  • Must be completely error free<\/strong>: check for grammar\/typos<\/li>\n
  • Do not use pronouns in a r\u00e9sum\u00e9; in cover letters you can<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Header\/Contact Information<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Name includes first and last name; All CAPS; 14-16 font and bold such as JANE DOE <\/strong>and not Jane Doe<\/li>\n
    • Format is clear, spaced, and neat; address is current; email address is professional looking; use Gmail accounts for email addresses ONLY<\/li>\n
    • Phone number is a direct line, formatted like (203) 123-1234; ensure answering message is professional sounding and there is no music playing at any time<\/li>\n
    • LinkedIn profile address is added and customized as some version of your full name; no numbers or miscellaneous letters should be included<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Profile\/Summary Statement<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Goes directly above the Education (or Experience) section<\/li>\n
      • Brief; written in bullets or short concise phrases; no sentences and no periods after any bullet point<\/li>\n
      • Must give a short\/concise snapshot of your experience and skills\/qualifications that match the job description; each job is different so each r\u00e9sum\u00e9 you send out should be customized for the position in which you are applying<\/li>\n
      • Do not list subjective opinions such as \u201cDetailed-Oriented,\u201d or \u201cHard Working,\u201d etc.: Must have examples to list for the skills or attributes you say you have<\/li>\n
      • Included most relevant technical skills in this section and not at the bottom of the page<\/li>\n
      • Include the impact or what you have improved; what distinguishes you from everyone else?<\/li>\n
      • Add Languages spoken\/written; software knowledge, qualifying if relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Education<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        • If you are a student and have no relevant experience, place Education <\/strong>directly under your Profile\/Summary<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Spell out degrees and include major\/minor, grad date (use \u201canticipated\u201d if not yet graduated)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Example:<\/p>\n

          \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Your School, Town, CT<\/p>\n

          \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology; Minor in Writing<\/p>\n

          \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Anticipated date of graduation: May 20XX<\/p>\n

          \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0GPA 3.7\/4.0<\/p>\n

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            \n
          • Do not include information related to high school or community college<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
          • If GPA is above 3.0 include it; Do NOT include GPA if it is less than 3.0; Do not forget to include the scale in which it is calculated: GPA 3.7\/4.0<\/li>\n
          • List upper level coursework and international study if relevant; Do not list introductory courses or Level I & II courses that everyone takes because it is not optimal use of space<\/li>\n
          • List honors received upon graduation, if any: \u201cMagna Cum Laude\u201d<\/li>\n
          • Include certifications or 3rd party training achievements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Experience<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            • All entries are in reverse chronological order<\/li>\n
            • Each entry must include company\u2019s name and city\/state but no zip code; Include commas after company names if the town and state directly follow<\/li>\n
            • Bullet format: begin with powerful verb + brief description of work accomplished + impact\/result\/why<\/li>\n
            • Each bullet is concise description of activity and achievement; include most impactful career skills; Do NOT include menial job functions such as: \u201cOpen and closed,\u201d \u201cFilled orders,\u201d \u201cOrganized shelves,\u201d etc. You MUST include what it was you accomplished while doing the job or task you had at hand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Clubs, Organizations, Professional Affiliations, Volunteer, Sports, etc.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                \n
              • \u00a0Add if relevant and supportive of skills helpful to job to which you are applying<\/li>\n
              • \u00a0List offices\/leadership held within organizations<\/li>\n
              • \u00a0This section is not required if there is no space available for it on the page<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Other <\/b>Miscellaneous<\/u><\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

                  \n
                • \u00a0Use consistent verb tense: If experience was in the past, use past-tense<\/li>\n
                • Exclude irrelevant personal information<\/li>\n
                • Spell out acronyms and abbreviations that are not universally known; spell out words like \u201cRd.,\u201d \u201cSt.\u201d Blvd.,\u201d etc.<\/li>\n
                • Check punctuation usage; appropriate use of capitalization; no periods at end of phrases\/bullets<\/li>\n
                • Do not put your references or other people\u2019s names on your r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/li>\n
                • Do not add \u201cReferences available upon request\u201d <\/strong>at the end of your r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/li>\n
                • Should be no longer than two pages, max; If there is a second page, the information on the second page must meet the half-way mark of the second page. If not, you must condense the info on the second page back to one page<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Use this equation for help in creating bullet points<\/em><\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n

                  ACTION VERB + SKILL\/TASK + IMPACT\/RESULT YOU HAD = BULLETED PHRASE<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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                  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDownload Checklist \t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
                  <\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Use a job description (or relevant aspirational job description) to direct your unique resume   Formatting Borders are even and spaced \u00bd to 1-inch on all sides Format for Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Arial, Tahoma or Calibri font and no …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3635,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9987","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9987\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/careersuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}