Dedicated to making sure students are prepared for the future, Wright State hosted a Career Talks event on Nov. 13. Organized by career advisor Lisa Duke, it informed those who attended about cover letters and resumes.
When starting college, it is important to gain experience in the work force, either through an internship or an actual job. The first thing to do when you want to get your name out to employers is work on your cover letter and resume.
“[The purpose of a resume] is to showcase your skills to show that you are a good fit for the position so you get an interview,” said career advisor Kelly Jenkins, who spoke at the Career Talks event. “[Cover letters are a way] to introduce yourself to an organization.”
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Writing resumes and cover letters can be difficult. Think about what sets you apart from everyone else. Give people a reason to hire you.
Keep in mind that while Googling the best ways to write a cover letter or resume might be helpful, you want your work to be unique. “It’s not going to look the same as everyone else’s,” said Jenkins.
There are also words to steer clear from that employers might overlook and cause them to not give much thought to that applicant.
“[Because they are considered overused], words you don’t want to use are ‘excellent communication skills, or creative, hard worker or detail oriented’; we call them fluff words. [With] qualities like that, employers want to see evidence, not just you statements that you have those skills,” said Jenkins.
Writing a cover letter can be confusing. You want to make sure you are including the best information possible to catch the eye of an employer.
“You want to start out by grabbing their attention and making them want to read the letter. The first paragraph usually [asks] why you want the job, why are you interested in the company and what about them made you want to apply. Paragraph two and three are what develops you as a candidate. That’s where you show [the skills you have]. The last paragraph is when you thank them for their time [and/or] ask them for an interview; it’s just elaborating your skills,” said Jenkins.
If you think about it this way, cover letters are kind of like a small biography.
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“Cover letters are less formal, so you can expand on things that are in your resume. Resumes have a limited amount of space and are more concise, a cover letter can help you connect the dots,” said Jenkins.
If you do not have any professional work experience, mention the exposure of those concepts you have experienced through school.
“If you don’t have anything to put on there, start early and start thinking about things you could do to beef up that resume. Everyone should be doing an internship in their field. That’s valid, real-world work experience towards your major. You can also put part-time jobs on there. Sometimes people put relevant coursework or projects [that they have done],” said Jenkins.
If you are still up in the air or nervous about getting out there in the job or internship universe, consider meeting with a career advisor to help get your foot in the door.
“[As career advisors], we do resume and cover letter reviews, mock interviews, help with job and internship searches as well as student employment,” added Jenkins.
Do not be afraid to ask for help when it comes to job and/or internship searching; that is what career advisors are for.
