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Resume and Cover Letter Guide
This Employment Ontario project, program or service is funded in part by the
Government of Canada
WHAT IS A RESUME ?
• Amarketingtoolwhichyoucanusetohighlightyourpositivefactualandmarketablequalities,skillsandexperiencewiththegoalofobtaininganinterview
• Anemployer’sfirstglimpseofyou
• Aworkinprogress–aresumeisadocumentthatyoushouldbecontinuallyupdating.Whenyouaccomplishsomethingoryoutakeonanewresponsibilityaddittoyourre-sumeimmediately.Bytreatingyourresumeasaworkinprogressyouwillsaveyour-selfalotoftimewhenyoubeginanewjobsearch
• Aconfidencebooster
• Anintegralpartofthejobsearchprocess–itisveryhardtoobtainemploymentinto-day’slabourmarketwithoutaresume
RESUME GUIDELINES
Resume and Cover Letter Guide
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• Keepyourresumetoamaximumof2pages–employersdonotwanttoreadanovel;theyonlywanttoreadasummaryofwhatyouhaveaccomplished
• Usebulletsandpointformstatementswhendescribingyourskillsandduties
• Donotincludepersonalinformation(E.g.gender,age,maritalstatus,religiousaffiliations)
• Ensurethatyourcontacte-mailaddressiscorrectanddoesNOTcontaininappropriateorvulgarlanguage
• BeHonest!!–donotexaggerate
• Tailoryourresume–Youshouldhavedifferentresumesifyouareapplyingfordifferentoccupa-tions
• Nospellingorgrammarerrors:usespellcheckandbesuretoproofreadbeforesending
• ALWAYSuseacustomizedCOVERLETTERtoacompanyyourresume.Avoidsendingoutagenerallettertoeveryemployer;tailorittothespecificpositionyouareapplyingto
• Personalizeyourresumewithyourownlookandstyle(i.e.bold,italics,underlining)
• Usegoodqualitywhiteoroff-whitepaper–stayawayfromflashycoloursorprints
• UseaCLEANTYPEOFFONT,nosmallerthan12pointsothatitiseasytoread
Who can you use as a reference?
•Peoplefrompastorpresentsituationswhoyoufeelcouldprovideanemployerwithpositiveinformationonyourpersonality,workhabitsandexperience
•PotentialReferences: □Formeremployers □FormerSupervisors □Co-workers □Customers/Clients □Teachers/Instructors □Individualsyouhave volunteeredwith/for
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Functional
ThistypeofresumeplacesemphasisonyourSKILLSandEXPERIENCEnotonyourworkhistory.Yourresumeisorganizedbasedontheneedsoftheemployerutilizingyourtransferableandrelevantskills.
Use this style if you:• Havelimitedornopaidworkexperienceinthefieldofinterest
• Possessexperienceandaccomplishmentsfromeducation,volunteerworkorhob-biesthataredirectlyrelatedtothefield
• Arechangingcareers
• Haveagapinyourresume
• Havemultiplejobsorworkedforoneemployeronly
TYPES OF RESUMES
Chronological
Mostcommontypeofresume.Itprovidesadetailedhistoricalaccountofanindividu-al’semploymenthistory.ItfocusesontheWHENandWHEREyouworkedandyourspecificDUTIES.Theaccountisplacedinthereverseorder,startingwithyourmostrecenttoleastrecentexperience.
Use this style if you have:
Combination
Thistypeofresumehastheadvantagesofboththechronologicalandfunctionalformats.ItplacesemphasisonyourSKILLSandEXPERIENCEaswellashigh-lightingyourhistoricalworkexperience.
Use this style if you have:
• Experienceintheparticularindustryyouareapplyingtoenter
• Aworkhistoryandeducationthatreflectsaconstantupwardgrowth
• limitedexperienceinthefieldofinterestandwanttohighlightyourskills
• workexperiencethatissomewhatrelatedtothefieldbutnotintheexactposition
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• Ensurethatthecontactinfoyouputonyourresumeisanumberwhereyoucanbereachedbetween8am–5pmMondaythroughFridayorhasamachinewhereamessagecanbeleft
• Beforeprovidingreferences,notifythepeopleyouaregoingtousesotheycanbeprepared
• Proofreadyourresumeandcoverletter
• Ifpossiblehavesomeoneelseproofreadyourresumeandcoverletter
• Makesureyousendyourresumeandcoverletterintheformattheemployerrequestsinthejobposting:mail,fax,e-mail
• Ifemailingyourresumeandcoverletter;sendittoyourselffirsttoensurethefilesarenotcorrupt.Savethefilesintheformattheemployerrequests(.doc,.pdf,.rtf)
TIPS ON SENDING YOUR RESUME
Functional Outline:NameAddress
City,ProvincePostalCodeTelephoneNumber
OBJECTIVE:Yourcurrentgoalregardingemploymentorareasonforapplyingtothisparticularindustry/lineofwork.
RELEVANT SKILLS/PROFESSIONAL PROFILE:BulletedstatementsrepresentinganOVERVIEWofyourTOPskillsandqualifications,aswellaspersonalqualitiesthathighlightyoursuitabilitytotheposition.
Thinkaboutthepositionyouareapplyingforandchoosethepertinentandtransferableskillsyouhaverelatingtotheposition.Organizetheseskillsintocategories,suchasManagerialSkills,TechnicalSkills,etc.Thissectionshouldprovidetheemployerwithclearandconcisedetailsofyourskillsacquiredthroughpreviousemployment,education/training,hobbiesorvolunteerexperience.
EDUCATION: Listyoureducation,trainingandothercertifications.
Program,Certificate School,Institution-provideabriefdescription YearCompleted
RELATED EXPERIENCE: Listanyrelatedworkexperiencewithoutresponsibilities.JobTitle/Position DurationofPosition(dates)
Company City,Province
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE:Listanyotherwork/volunteerexperience(ifapplicable).
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/ ASSOCIATIONS/ MEMBERSHIPS
ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS
References available upon request
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OUTLINES
Chronological Outline:
NameAddress
City,ProvincePostalCodeTelephoneNumber
OBJECTIVE: Yourcurrentgoalregardingemploymentorareasonforapplyingtothisparticu-larindustry/lineofwork.
HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS/ SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
PROFESSIONAL PROFILEBulletedstatementsrepresentinganOVERVIEWofyourTOPskillsandqualifications,aswellaspersonalqualitiesthathighlightyoursuitabilitytotheposi-tion.
WORK EXPERIENCE OR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCEAsummaryofyourworkhistoryandexperience.Itshouldbeinchronologicalorderstartingwiththemostrecent.Ifpossibleaddquantitativefacts.
JobTitle/Position DurationofPosition(dates)Company City,Province• Outlineresponsibilities/tasks• _______________________
EDUCATION Listyoureducation,trainingandothercertifications.Program,CertificateSchool,InstitutionAdditional:(ifapplicable)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/ ASSOCIATIONS/ MEMBERSHIPS
VOLUNTEER WORK/COMMUNITY INTERESTS
ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS
References available upon request
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Combination Outline:
NameAddress
City,ProvincePostalCodeTelephoneNumber
OBJECTIVEYourcurrentgoalregardingemploymentorareasonforapplyingtothisparticu-larindustry/lineofwork.
RELEVANT SKILLS/PROFESSIONAL PROFILEBulletedstatementsrepresentinganOVERVIEWofyourTOPskillsandqualifications,aswellaspersonalqualitiesthathighlightyoursuitabilitytotheposition.
Thinkaboutthepositionyouareapplyingforandchoosethepertinentandtransferableskillsyouhaverelatingtotheposition.Organizetheseskillsintocategories,suchasManagerialSkills,TechnicalSkills,etc.Thissectionshouldprovidetheemployerwithclearandconcisedetailsofyourskillsacquiredthroughpreviousemployment,education/training,hobbiesorvolunteerexperience.
WORK EXPERIENCE OR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Asummaryofyourworkhistoryandexperience.Itshouldbeinchronologicalorderstartingwiththemostrecent.Ifpossibleaddquantitativefacts.
JobTitle/Position DurationofPosition(dates)Company City,Province• Outlineresponsibilities/tasks• _______________________
EDUCATIONListyoureducation,trainingandothercertifications.Program,Certificate School,Institution
Additional:(ifapplicable)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/ ASSOCIATIONS/ MEMBERSHIPS
VOLUNTEER WORK /COMMUNITY INTERESTS
ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS
References available upon request
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Wedevelopandenhanceskillsthroughavarietyofexperienceswhetheritisthroughwork,educationorhobbies.TheskillsthatwecantransferamongactivitiesarecalledTransferableSkills.Transferableskillsshouldbeincludedinyourresume.Therearemanypublicationsthathelpdescribetransferableskills.Belowaretwopublications:
1.ServiceCanadacreatedtheEssential Skillstoolsothatpeoplecanrealizetheskillsthat areusedeverydayinworkandlife.
2.AnEmployability SkillsdocumentwaspublishedbytheConferenceBoardofCanadatooutlinetheskillsneededtoenter,stayinandprogressintheworldofwork.Useeitherthelinkhttp://www.conferenceboard.ca/topics/education/learning-tools/employability-skills.aspxorseepage9.
Essential SkillsEssentialSkillsarethefoundationalskillsrequiredtosuccessfullyparticipateintheCanadianlabourmarket.Definitions,typicalapplicationsandactualworkplaceexamplesareoutlinedbelowtohelpreadersunderstandeachEssentialSkill(adaptedfromDefiningEssentialSkills,ServiceCanadaPublicationHIP-024-11-04).
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Reading TextReadingmaterialsintheformofsentencesorparagraphs
Document UseTasksthatinvolveavarietyofinformationdisplaysinwhichwords,numbers,symbolsandothervisualcharacteris-tics(e.g.,lines,coloursorshapes)aregivenmeaningbytheirspatialarrangement
Numeracy Usingnumbersandthinkinginquantitativetermstocompletetasks
• Scanforinformation• Skimforoverallmeaning• Readafulltexttounderstand,learn,
critiqueorevaluate• Integrateandsynthesizeinformation
frommultiplesourcesorfromcomplexandlengthytests
• Readsigns,labelsorlists• Interpretinformationongraphsor
charts• Enterinformationonforms• Readorcreateschematicdrawings• Readorcreateassemblydrawings
• Numericalestimation• Numericalcalculation• Moneymath• Schedulingorbudgetingandaccount-
ingmath• Measurementandcalculationmath• Dataanalysismath
Autoservicetechniciansreadrepairmanuals.Theyreadmanualstofindtechnicalinforma-tionforeachmodelsothattheycandiagnoseandrepairmechanicalfaults.
Bricklayersinterpretblueprintstoestablishtheheight,lengthandthicknessofwallandthematerialstobeused.
Carpentersconvertbetweenmetricandimperialmeasurementssystems(e.g.,feettometres,kilogramstopounds)asrequiredbythejob.
Essential Skills Typical Applications Workplace Example
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
Cookspreparedocumentationaftercompletionofacateringeven,outliningwhatwasserved,quantities,prices,rangeofservicesprovidedanddates.
Machinistsdiscussworkplansandcoordinatetaskswithothermachiniststocompletelargeorders.Theydiscussschedulingandworkloadstoensurejobsmeettimelinesrecordedonworkorders.
Earlychildhoodeducatorassistantsaremembersofateam,workingwithearlychildhoodeduca-torsandotherassistants.Theyworkaspartnerswithotherstaffmemberswhenjointlysupervisinglargergroups.
Automotivepaintersexperienceproductionsprob-lemswhenimportantpiecesofequipmentsuchasventilationsystemsandpaintboothsbreakdown.Theyinformtheirshopsupervisoraboutthebreakdownsandcompleteotherworkuntiltheequipmentisrepaired.Iftheequipmentcannotberepairedimmediately,theymaynegotiatetem-poraryaccesstoequipmentusedbyco-workersorbypaintersinothershops.
ElectriciansmayuseaDistributedControlSystemorsimilarsoftwaretocontrolelectricalequipmentinaplanttoaidintroubleshootingequipmentorinstrumentfailure.Thesystempresentsavarietyofviewsofthedatafromthousandsofsensorsandcontrolswithintheplantthancanbeanalyzedbeforeadjustmentsaremade.
Plumbersneedtoupgradeknowledgeandskills.Forexample,changestotheCanadianPlumbingCodeperiodicallymodifyproceduresfortheinstal-lationofpipingsystems.Advancesintechnol-ogyarealsohavingasignificantimpactontradeprocedures.Forexample,theuseofcomputerassisteddesign(CAD)softwareisrequiredinsomejurisdictions.Advancesintechnologyarealsochangingthedesign,applicationsandmaterialsofsystems.
• Organize,recordordocument• Informorpersuade• Requestinformationorjustify
arequest• Presentananalysisoracom-
parison
• Greetpeopleortakemes-sages
• Reassure,comfortorper-suade
• Seekorobtaininformation• Resolveconflicts• Facilitateorleadagroup
• Workindependently• Workjointlywithapartneror
helper• Workasamemberofateam• Participateinsupervisoryor
leadershipactivities
• Problemsolving• Decisionmaking• Criticalthinking• Jobtaskplanningandorga-
nizing• Significantuseofmemory• Findinginformation
• Operateacomputerizedcashregister
• Usewordprocessingsoftwaretoproducelettersormemos
• Sende-mailswithattach-mentstomultipleusers
• Createandmodifyspread-sheetsfordataentry
• Aspartofregularworkactivity• Fromco-workers• Throughtrainingofferedinthe
workplace• Throughoff-sitetraining
WritingWritingtextandwritingindocuments,suchasfillinginforms,andnonpaperbasedwritingsuchastypingonacomputer
Oral CommunicationUsingspeechtogiveandexchangethoughtsandinformation
Working with OthersEmployeesworkingwithothertocarryouttheirtasks
Thinking SkillsTheprocessofevaluatingideasorinformationtoreachrationaldecision
Computer UseUsingdifferentkindsofcom-puterapplicationsandotherrelatedtechnicaltools
Continuous LearningWorkersparticipatinginanongoingprocessofacquiringskillsandknowledge
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Fundamental SkillsTheskillsneededasabaseforfurtherdevelopment
Youwillbebetterpreparedtoprogressintheworldofworkwhenyoucan:
Communicate• readandunderstandinformation
presentedinavarietyofforms(e.g.words,graphs,charts,diagrams)
• writeandspeaksootherpayatten-tionandunderstand
• listenandaskquestionstounders-tandandappreciatethepointsofviewsofothers
• shareinformationusingarangeofinformationandcommunicationstechnologies(e.g.,voice,e-mail,computers)
• usearelevantscientific,technologi-calandmathematicalknowledgeandskillstoexplainorclarifyideas
Manage Information• locate,gatherandorganizeinform-ationusingappropriatetechnologyandinformationsystems• access,analyzeandapplyknowl-
edgeandskillsfromvariousdis-ciplines(e.g.,thearts,languages,science,technology,mathematics,
socialsciencesandthehumanities)
Use Numbers• decidewhatneedstobemeasuredorcalculated• observeandrecorddatausingappro-
priatemethods,toolsandtechnology• makeestimatesandverifycalcula-
tions
Think & Solve Problems• assesssituationsandidentifyprob-
lems• seekdifferentpointsofviewand
evaluatethembasedonfacts• recognizethehuman,interpersonal,
technical,scientificandmathematicaldimensionsofaproblem
• identifytherootcauseofaproblem• becreativeandinnovativeinexplo-ringpossiblesolutions• readilyusescience,technologyand
mathematicsaswaystothink,gainandshareknowledge,solveproblemsandmakedecisions
• evaluatesolutionstomakerecom-mendationsordecisions
• implementsolutions• checktoseeifasolutionsworks,and
actonopportunitiesforimprovement
Personal Management SkillsThepersonalskills,attitudesandbehav-ioursthatdriveone’spotentialforgrowth
Youwillbeabletoofferyourselfgreaterpossibilitiesforachievementwhenyoucan:
Demonstrate Positive Attitudes & Behaviours• feelgoodaboutyourselfandbeconfi-
dent• dealwithpeople,problemsandsitua-
tionswithhonesty,integrityandpersonalethics
• recognizeyourownandotherpeople’sgoodefforts
• takecareofyourpersonalhealth• showinterest,initiativeandeffort
Be Responsible• setgoalsandprioritiesbalancingwork
andpersonallife• planandmanagetime,moneyandother
resourcestoacheivegoals• assess,weighandmanagerisk• beaccountableforyouractionsandthe
actionsofyourgroup• besociallyresponsibleandcontributeto
yourcommunity
Be Adaptable• workindependentlyoraspartofateam• carryoutmultipletasksorprojects• beinnovativeandresourceful:identify
andsuggestalternativewaystoachievegoalsandgetthejobdone
• beopenandrespondconstructivelytochange
• learnfromyourmistakesandacceptfeedback
• copewithuncertainty
Learn Continuously • bewillingtocontinuouslylearnandgrow• assesspersonalstrengthsandareasfor
development• setyourownlearninggoals• identifyandaccesslearningsourcesand
opportunities• planforandachieveyourlearninggoals
Work Safely• beawareofpersonalandgrouphealth
andsafetypracticesandprocedures,andactinaccordancewiththese
Teamwork SkillsTheskillsandattributesneededtocon-tributeproductively
Youwillbebetterpreparedtoaddvaluetotheoutcomesofatask,projectorteamwhenyoucan:
Work with Others• understandandworkwithinthedynam-
icsofagroup• ensurethatateam’spurposeandob-
jectivesareclear• beflexible:respect,beopentoand
supportiveofthethoughts,opinionsandcontributionsofothersinagroup• recognizeandrespectpeople’sdiver-
sity,individualdifferencesandperspec-tives
• acceptandprovidefeedbackincon-structiveandconsideratemanner
• contributetoateambysharinginform-ationandexpertise
• leadorsupportwhenappropriate,moti-vatingagroupforhighperformance
• understandtheroleofconflictinagrouptoreachsolutions
• manageandresolveconflictwhenap-propriate
Participate in Projects & Tasks• plan,designorcarryoutaprojector
taskfromstarttofinishwithwell-defin-edobjectivesandoutcomes
• developaplan,seekfeedback,test,reviseandimplement
• worktoagreedqualitystandardsandspecifications
• selectanduseappropriatetoolsandtechnologyforataskorproject
• adapttochangingrequirementsandinformation
• continuouslymonitorthesuccessofaprojectortaskandindentifywaystoimprove
The Conference Board of Canada255 Smyth Road, OttawaON, K1H 8M7, Canada
Tel (613) 526-3280Fax (613 526-4857
Internet: www.conferenceboard.ca/education
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
accelerated correlated handled participated spearheadedachieved corresponded heightened performed specifiedacted counselled persuaded stimulatedadapted created planned strengthenedadministered critiqued identified presented studiedadvised improved presided submittedallocated developed increased prioritized summarizedanalyzed decided influenced processed supervisedappraised defined informed produced surveyedapproved delegated initiated projected synthesizedarbitrated delivered inspected promoted arranged demonstrated instituted providedassembled designed instructed publicizedassessed detected integrated taughtattained diagnosed introduced transformedaudited directed invented recommended translatedauthorized dispensed investigated reconciled transmitted displayed recorded treatedbalanced distributed labelled recruited tutoredbegan drafted launched reducedbilled lectured referred updatedbudgeted earned led regulated upgradedbuilt edited released utilized educated maintained removedcalculated encouraged managed re-organized validatedcalibrated engaged manufactured repaired verifiedcanvassed enabled mapped reported visitedcatalogued enlisted marketed representedchaired estimated measured researched workedchanged evaluated mediated resolved wroteclarified examined moderated respondedclassified expanded monitored restoredcoached expedited motivated retrievedcollaborated explained reviewedcollected negotiated revisedcompared facilitated notified revitalizedcompiled familiarizedcomposed forecasted observed savedcomputed formulated obtained scheduledconceived founded operated securedconducted orchestrated selectedconfirmed gathered ordered servedconsolidated gauged organized setupcontracted generated originated shapedcontrolled granted oversaw soldco-operated guided solicitedco-ordinated solved
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USEFUL VERBS TO DESCRIBE SKILLS ON A RESUME
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EDUCATION___________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________RELATED EXPERIENCE_____________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ ________________________ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE____________________________ ____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ________________________ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS· _______________________________________· _______________________________________· _______________________________________
References available upon request
FUNCTIONAL TEMPLATE WORKSHEET:(refer to the appropriate outline for explanation)______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OBJECTIVE _____________________________________________________________________________
RELEVANT SKILLS___________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ____________________________________________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________
CHRONOLOGICAL TEMPLATE WORKSHEET:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OBJECTIVE _____________________________________________________________________________
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________
WORK EXPERIENCE____________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________
EDUCATION___________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ________________________COMMUNITY INTERESTS· _______________________________________· _______________________________________ACTIVITIES· _______________________________________· _______________________________________
References available upon request
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COMBINATION TEMPLATE WORKSHEET:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OBJECTIVE _____________________________________________________________________________
Professional profile___________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ____________________________________________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________
WORK EXPERIENCE____________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________· ________________________________________________________________
EDUCATION___________________________ ___________________________________________________ ________________________COMMUNITY INTERESTS· _______________________________________· _______________________________________ACTIVITIES· _______________________________________· _______________________________________
References available upon request
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• Aletterthataccompaniesyourresumewhenapplyingforaposition
• Awaytosellyourselfandsetyourselfapartfromtheothercandidates
• Anexplanationofhowyoufoundoutabouttheposition,whyyoufeelyouareagoodfitandanemployeethisemployerwouldwanttohire
• ALWAYSincludeaCoverLetterwithyourresume
• Keepitbrief.Onlyonepageinlength–focusonthetwoorthreequalitiesthatdistinguishyou
• Ifpossiblepersonalizeyourlettertoaspecificperson,ensurecorrectspell-ingoftheirname.Toobtainthisinformationcalltheorganizationtofindout.Ifthisisnotpossiblethenuseageneralsalutation(i.e.DearSirorMadamorTowhomitmayconcern)
• Tailorthelettertomatchtherequirementsofthepositionandyourskills(frompaidexperience,volunteerwork,hobbies,etc.)
• Stresshowyouwilladdvaluetotheorganization,overandabovetheinfor-mationonyourresume
• Projectconfidenceandbepositive
• Donotbevague
• Ensureitexpressesyourownstyleandpersonality
• DONOThandwriteyourletter
• Nospellingorgrammarerrors:usespellcheckandbesuretoproofreadbe-foresending
WHAT IS A COVER LETTER?
COVER LETTER GUIDELINES
Paragraph Format:
Thiscoverletterismadeupofthreemainparagraphs:
First Paragraph:• Statethereasonforyourletter,thepositionyouareapplyingfor• Whereyouheardaboutit• Yourinterestintheposition
Second Paragraph:• Shouldanswerthequestion“WhyshouldIhireyou?”• Highlightthemostimportantrelevantskills,abilities,knowledge,experienceor
trainingthatareapplicabletotheposition• Includesomeofyourresearchaboutthecompanyororganization
Third Paragraph:• Thanktheemployerfortheirtimeandconsideration• Requestanintervieworstatethatyoulookforwardtohearingfromthem
T-Format:
Thiscoverletteriscomprisedoftwoparagraphsandatable,whichhighlightstheskillstheemployerisrequestingandyourskills:
First Paragraph:• Statethereasonforyourletter,thepositionyouareapplyingfor• Whereyouheardaboutit• Yourinterestintheposition
Table:• Madeupoftwocolumns:ThePositionRequiresandMyQualifications• Youaretryingtomatchuptherequirementstoyourskillset
Third Paragraph:• Thanktheemployerfortheirtimeandconsideration• Requestanintervieworstatethatyoulookforwardtohearingfromthem
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TYPES OF COVER LETTERS:
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Paragraph Cover Letter Outline:
Putyourcontactinformationasaheader
Date
Employer’sNamePositionCompanyAddressCity,Prov.,PostalCode
DearEmployer’sName:
Inthefirstparagraphyouwanttostatethejobyouareapplyingfor,yourinterestinthepo-sition,explainhowyoufoundthejobandinvitethemtoreadyourresumewiththehopeofobtainingameeting(i.e. In reference to the open cook position you have posted on_______, I am very interested in the opportunity. Perhaps after reading this letter and enclosed resume, you will agree we have a mutually beneficial reason to meet).
Thesecondparagraphprovidesyouwithanopportunitytosellyourselfandexplaintotheem-ployerwhyyouwouldbeagoodfit.Highlighttheskillsyouhavethattheyarelookingfor.
Yourfinalparagraphshouldhaveanythingelsethatyoufindinterestingaboutthecompany(i.e.missionstatement)onlyifapplicable.Youshouldendwithrestatingyourinterestinthepositionandameeting,providethemwithcontactinfoandthankthemfortheirtime(i.e. The cook position sounds like an outstanding opportunity, and I would welcome the chance for an interview to discuss your needs and outline my strengths in person. You may reach me at 555-555-5555. Thank you for your time and consideration of my resume and I look forward to speaking with you.).
Sincerely,
YourName
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T-Format Cover Letter Outline:
Putyourcontactinformationasaheader
Date
Employer’sNamePositionCompanyAddressCity,Prov.,PostalCode
DearEmployer’sName:
Inthefirstparagraphyouwanttostatethejobyouareapplyingfor,yourinterestintheposi-tion,explainhowyoufoundthejobandinvitethemtoreadyourresumewiththehopesofameeting(i.e. In reference to the open cook position you have posted on _______, I am very interested in the opportunity. Perhaps after reading this letter and enclosed resume, you will agree we have a mutually beneficial reason to meet).
Yourfinalparagraphshouldhaveanythingelsethatyoufindinterestingaboutthecompany(i.e.missionstatement)onlyifapplicable.Youshouldendwithrestatingyourinterestinthepositionandameeting,providethemwithcontactinfoandthankthemfortheirtime(i.e. the cook position sounds like an outstanding opportunity and I would welcome the chance for an interview to discuss your needs and outline my strengths in person. You may reach me at 555-555-5555. Thank you for your time and consideration of my resume and I look forward to speaking with you.).
Sincerely,
YourName
This Position Requires : My Qualifications are:
List the requirements from the advertisement
List your corresponding skill set
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NOTES:
Copyright H.I.E.C. 2011
This Employment Ontario project, program or service is funded in part by the
Government of Canada