Resumes and Cover Letters
A resume or CV is a summary of your educational qualifications and work experience. Companies usually want to see your resume when you apply for a job. A cover letter or covering letter is the letter that accompanies your resume when you send it to a company. Both of these documents are vitally important in the job application process.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression
When you apply for a job, most employers want to have these two important documents from you:
- a resume or CV
- a covering letter
First impressions are important. Your resume/CV and letter are usually the first impression that an employer has of you. And because an employer may have hundreds of job applications to consider, you have about 15 seconds to make sure that first impression is a good one.
Why you need a good CV
Your resume/CV's job is to get you an interview.
Your resume/CV is your visiting card, your ambassador, your shop window. It represents you and it has a specific purpose: to get you an interview! To do this, it must:
- attract
- inform
- persuade
- sell
A good resume/CV is one of your most important tools in the search for employment.
What a resume/CV is not
A resume/CV is not a book.
A resume/CV is not an obstacle.
A resume/CV is not a tombstone.
A resume/CV is not boring or difficult to read.
A resume/CV is not your life story or autobiography.
A resume/CV is not a catalogue of your personal opinions.
A resume/CV is not a list of problems with past employers.
What a resume/CV is
A resume/CV is short.
A resume/CV is seductive.
A resume/CV is an important document.
A resume/CV answers the question 'Why?'
A resume/CV is interesting and easy to read.
A resume/CV is a list of benefits for the employer.
A resume/CV is as much about the employer as about you.
Why you need a good cover letter
Your covering letter must sell your resume/CV.
Before even looking at your resume/CV, an employer usually reads your covering letter. If it is badly-written, or untidy, or difficult to read, your resume/CV will probably go into the nearest trash-bin. If it is well-written, attractive, easy to read and persuasive, the employer will turn to your resume/CV. It's that simple!