Resumes & Cover Letters
A resume and cover letter are important marketing tools. They are your opportunity to demonstrate how your skills and experiences match an employer’s needs. Below you'll find some helpful resources to create a great resume and cover letter to help land interviews with prospective employers!
What to Include in Your Resume:
When creating your resume, avoid using resume templates. These often include unnecessary information and are often formatted poorly. Using a template with poor formatting can also make your resume difficult to read by a recruiter or an automated applicant tracking system. Do not include your photo or other images on your resume.
Use section headings to organize your information on your resume. While every resume is different, some common section headings for student resumes can include (but are not limited to):
- Education (typically first; do not include high school)
- Work Experience
- Activities & Involvement
- Honors & Awards
- Relevant Skills
Create and customize your resume for every job or internship that you apply to. Use the position description to emphasize in your resume how your skills and experience make you a good fit for the role.
Keep your references on a separate document. Do not put them on your resume, and do not include “References available upon request” on your resume either.
How To Write About Your Experiences:
- Use bullet points to organize your descriptions of each experience, not paragraphs
- Begin each bullet point statement with an action/power verb. Here are two great resources to select action verbs: Power Verbs | Action Verbs
- Do not use abbreviations - write out the full words & names (ex: instead of UC, write University Center)
- Be sure to proofread to avoid grammatical and spelling errors
Formatting Your Resume:
- Be concise. A one-page resume is often adequate unless you have extensive relevant experience.
- Highlight important headings and aspects of your resume by bolding, underlining, indenting, capitalizing, and/or italicizing to attract the reader's eye, but make sure this formatting is consistent.
- Use standard, non-serif fonts such as Courier, Arial, or Times New Roman in a readable font size (10-12 point font). Create 1/2 inch to 1 inch margins on all 4 sides: top, bottom, right, and left.
- Use black font and avoid any colors that may be difficult to read (ex: pastel, neon)
- For printed resumes, use white or off-white resume paper only unless you're in an art/creative field.
Sample Resumes by College:
Below are some resume samples to give you some ideas about what a resume looks like, what you might include in one, and how to format it. Even if you don't see your specific major listed here, these are general resume samples that will guide you in creating or revising a resume.
Corporate and Health Communication: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Journalism: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Public Relations: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Accounting Double Major: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Accounting - MBA: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Business Analytics: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Finance: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Human Resources: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Information Technology: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Management: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Marketing: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Occupational Safety: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Supply Chain Management: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Biology - Pre-Biomedical Professions Emphsis: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Biology: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Computer Science 1: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Computer Science 2: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Environmental Science: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Integrated Science-Business: PDF | Editable Word Docx
International Studies: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Mathematics: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Political Science: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Psychology: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Public Policy and Administration: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Social Work: PDF | Editable Word Docx
Associates Degree: PDF | Editable Word Doc
A cover letter allows you to introduce yourself to a prospective employer and express why you are interested in the position and the employer or organization. In addition, it allows you to demonstrate that you understand the needs of the employer or organization, and how your education and experience qualify you for the opportunity. Finally, it serves as a good example of your writing ability and gives you the chance to express your knowledge and enthusiasm for the position and the organization.
General Cover Letter Writing Guidelines
- Use a standard business letter format. Typically block style formatting is recommended. This format requires you to justify every line along the left-hand margin.
- Look carefully at the qualifications and responsibilities in the job description; be sure to highlight the experiences that you have had that best match the position.
- Communicate your enthusiasm, but keep sentences short and clear; use active, not passive, verbs. For example, use "investigated", "gathered", "evaluated", instead of "was responsible for investigating, gathering, or evaluating" (see Resume Guide for an extensive list of action verbs).
- Vary your writing - do not start every sentence with "I".
- There is no "right way" or specific writing style for a cover letter; your letter should reflect who you are and your writing ability.
- Proofread your letter to ensure that it is error-free; sometimes one typo can cause your letter (and your chance at the job) to end up in the discard pile.
- Avoid using cover letter templates.
- Tailor your cover letter to every job and internship you apply to.
Steps for Writing a Cover Letter:
Your first paragraph is used to introduce yourself and to provide an attention-grabbing preview for the rest of your letter. Give a brief overview to set the tone of the rest of the letter. What sets you apart and make you a great candidate? To begin your cover letter you should explain:
- What position are you applying for and how did you find out about it?
- What is the objective of your letter (i.e. to apply to a full-time job or an internship)?
- Why are you interested in this position and employer/organization?
There may be one or more body paragraphs. This is your opportunity to communicate why you are an ideal candidate.
- Begin the second paragraph with a topic sentence; consider the main points you wish to make and then create a sentence that introduces those ideas.
- Write about your strongest qualifications for the position. Look at the job description to learn about the duties and desired qualities for the position, and align your strengths with these desired qualities.
- Explain your experiences that illustrate how and where you acquired these skills. Be specific and use examples. (e.g. "Aqcuired a strong ability to multitask as a double major student athlete...")
- Make the connection between your skills, background, and the position.
- Express your desire and enthusiasm to work for the organization, as well as specific reasons why you are interested in them. This is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge about the employer.
Try to create a paragraph that is brief and to the point. Reaffirm your key reasons for why you are the best candidate for this position. Make sure to:
- Thank the reader for their time and consideration.
- Clearly indicate when you will be in contact with the person if you plan to follow up.
- Convey a proactive attitude.
There are multiple ways that you may need to submit your cover letter. Here is some information to do this properly:
- For electronic submissions (email, Handshake, application system, etc), save your letter with a file name that includes your name and that it is a cover letter. Example: Joe Smith Cover Letter.
- If emailing your cover letter, you can either type your cover letter directly into the body of the email and include your resume and other application materials as attachments or compose a short email directing the employer to read the attached cover letter and then attach the letter and your resume. Be sure to include your name and the position title in the subject of the email.
- If sending your materials via U.S. mail or applying in person, print your cover letter and resume on high-quality paper; sign your letter and enclose all documents in a matching envelope.
Cover Letter Samples:
Click the images below to download sample cover letters that you can reference when creating your cover letter.
Looking for feedback on your resume or cover letter? We can help!
- Schedule an appointment to receive personalized feedback on your resume or cover letter. Please note that we do not offer same-day appointments, but we do offer weekly drop-in hours for career advice.
- You can email your resume or cover letter to career@uww.edu for a review. Please note that emailed reviews take approximately 5-7 business days to be completed.