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Resume and Cover Letter Help

Resumes

An important career skill you need is to learn how to write a resume. A resume is a formal document that highlights your education, work experience, knowledge, skills and abilities. Resumes should be well thought out and customized for each position you apply for. You should update your resume often to keep track of your achievements and experiences. Be honest about your skills and experience and do not embellish. Alternatively, don’t underestimate your skills! Making an appointment with a career coach can help you identify skills that you may be developing both professionally and in your volunteer work, classwork, and in your family and home life.

Employers want to know what you have to offer in the first 10-15 lines of your resume (about six seconds of reading), so show your strongest skills first. Tailor your resume for each job application but have a "master" resume, where you keep track of all of your experiences and accomplishments.

Download a resume template. This template will open in Google Docs and will need to be downloaded to your computer or added to your Google Drive to edit. Be wary of using downloadable templates from the internet. While they might look nice, employers prefer a simple resume format rather than one with sidebars and lots of colors and graphics. Also, software used for vetting resumes can’t discern text from images and you may be passed over for a job you’re qualified for!

Learn more resume tips from career experts and employers.

My experience with Lynn from Career Services elevated my resume and cover letters. She showed me how to emphasize my strengths, use professional language, evaluate a job's requirements, and organize my resume cleanly and effectively. I met with her in November of 2023 and got the job of my dreams a month later!

Onyx Hammond
Aims student Onyx Hammond wearing black and brown argyle sweater with arms crossed in front of window overlooking campus

Cover Letters

A cover letter introduces who you are, why you are interested in the position, and is a way for you to expand on your skills and experience to paint a picture of why the company should hire you. This is a good place to communicate why you want to work for this organization (make sure you’ve done your research!), and to share something about your story that brings your qualifications to life. Make sure you customize your cover letter to each position you are applying and double- and triple-check that your cover letter is free of grammatical and spelling errors before submitting.

Highlight what you can offer, what you have accomplished and why you want to work there. 
Show specific examples of your qualifications and how those qualifications make you a better fit for the company and its culture.

Download a cover letter template. This template will open in Google Docs and will need to be downloaded to your computer or saved to your Google Drive to edit.

Learn more cover letter tips from career experts and employers.