How To Find a Job

How To Find a Job
Resumes and Cover Letters

	from Alison Doyle Welcome to the How to Speed Up Your Job Search class! This week, we'll move from the career planning process to writing effective and compelling resumes and cover letters. Your resume is usually the first impression an employer will have of you - it needs to market your relevant skills, knowledge, and accomplishments. Employers usually only spend 30 seconds or so reviewing each resume, therefore, that first impression needs to be the one that counts. Even if you are not looking for a job right now - have a resume and a cover letter ready to go, so, if you see a position that's interesting you'll be able to send it out right away.
	Sample Resumes
	Your resume is one of the most important job search tools you have. Getting your resume ready used to be relatively simple - write it, design it, format it, print it on good quality bond paper and send it off to prospective employers. The tremendous growth of internet recruiting has changed the process. Now job seekers need to be prepared to design a resume, send it via email or as an attachment to an email, post it to an employer web site or a resume database and create a hypertext resume for the web. Not sure what your resume should look like? Review our samples.
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	Resume and Cover Letter Guide
	The first step is to start with a plain, simple resume you can edit into the various formats you'll need. Give up the fancy fonts and formatting and the expensive paper. Once you have the content set you can adjust the formatting for your paper copy and use the plain version online. Use a simple font like Courier or Times New Roman. Avoid columns and tabs and other spacing adjustments. Also avoid bold, italics, script, graphics, borders and underlining. Use asterisks rather than bullets, they will scan better. While preparing keywords (nouns and phrases that highlight technical and professional skills) make sure you select keywords that adequately reflect your expertise and experience.
	Cover Letters
	Next, you'll need to prepare a cover letter. Write a custom cover letter for each employer. State why you are writing and indicate where you learned of the position and the title of the position you are applying for. Explain the reasons for your interest in the organization and express your enthusiasm for the job. Identify your most relevant skills and experiences and refer to the qualifications for the position and illustrate how your abilities relate to the position you are applying for.
	Cutting Edge Cover Letters
	What it takes for your resume and cover letter to make an impact when the employer has received hundreds of resumes for the position you have applied for.
	10 Steps to a Killer Resume
	An overwhelming majority of job seekers make basic mistakes with their resumes -­ mistakes that ensure that they will not get the interviews they deserve. If you feel as though you're sending your resume into a black hole, try this Ten Step Program to diagnose problems and get your résumé working for you.
	Need Help?
	Have a question or need help? Stop by our Forum for advice and suggestions.
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