Resumes and Cover Letters MA MAPH PH Spr Spring ng Wor orks - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Resumes and Cover Letters MA MAPH PH Spr Spring ng Wor orks kshop hop grad.uchicago.edu

graducon.uchicago.edu gradcareers.uchicago.edu

Why Attend GRADUCon? • LEARN HOW TO LAUNCH A CAREER IN VARIOUS FIELDS • Careers in Museums panel • Careers in Nonprofits panel • Where Else Can You Teach? panel • CONNECT WITH MAPH ALUMNI • Kamran Swanson, Asst. Professor, Harold Washington College • Katie Rahn, Director of Marketing, Art Institute of Chicago • Anna Piepmeyer, Manager, Chicago Public Education Fund • BUILD NEW SKILLS • Negotiation workshop • LinkedIn workshop grad.uchicago.edu

AGENDA 1. Job Doc Overview 2. Drafting Resumes 3. Drafting Cover Letters 4. Resume Workshop grad.uchicago.edu

AGENDA 1. Job Doc Overview grad.uchicago.edu

Overview • Resumes and cover letters are arguments • They use claims and evidence to convince employers that you are a great fit • They must be tailored to every job description • They are not a replacement for networking grad.uchicago.edu

How do they fit together? Life Resume Letter Abstract Sources Article grad.uchicago.edu

AGENDA 2. Drafting Resumes grad.uchicago.edu

Formatting: 11-12 Pt. Font AVOID USE Garamond Arial Georgia Times New Roman Calibri Palatino Linotype Cambria Helvetica Neue Light Comic Sans Century Gothic Trebuchet MS grad.uchicago.edu

Formatting: Margins .6” – 1” for all docs grad.uchicago.edu

Formatting: Structure Contact Info Education  Thesis?  Awards?  Study Abroad? Headings Bullets Spacing grad.uchicago.edu

Formatting: Structure Vertical  Reverse chronological order in each section  Under each heading, most relevant bullets on top  More bullets for most recent, relevant experiences, fewer for past grad.uchicago.edu

Formatting: Structure Horizontal  Most important information on the left  Compound bullets can get lost  Strong action verbs should run down the left-hand side grad.uchicago.edu

Content: Education • Top of page • Lead with name of university • Degree-based programs only (incl. study abroad) • Prominent awards/honors • Relevant course work (optional) • Thesis title (optional) grad.uchicago.edu

Content: Experience • Begin with a master resume containing Reality all experiences, then tailor to each job • Consider organizing experiences by job function • “Research Experience” • “Administrative Experience” • “Customer Service Experience” Resume • “Teaching Experience” • Include academic and volunteer experiences • Proportions of information included do not need to reflect actual work responsibilities grad.uchicago.edu

Content: Experience Brilliant Bullet Points • Begin with strong action verbs : led, analyzed, organized, optimized, developed, etc. • Try not to repeat the same verbs or competencies • Implied first person sentence fragments (no pronouns or periods) • Present tense for ongoing roles; past tense for past roles • 1 or 2 lines , never 3 Demonstrate Your PPI • Project : What did you do? • Purpose : Why did you do this? • Impact : What impact did your actions have? grad.uchicago.edu

Content: Skills Skills and Languages Section: Recommended • Technical skills: Highlight most impressive, less common competencies • Language skills: Fluent, conversational, basic Interests Section: Optional • Chance to “humanize” yourself • Make these specific and unique • Use only when space allows • One line maximum grad.uchicago.edu

AGENDA 3. Drafting Cover Letters grad.uchicago.edu

A Good Cover Letter . . . • Expands on a few items in your resume • Discusses your motivation for seeking employment in this field • Explains why you are a good fit for the specific organization and/or team • Shows how you will make an impact • Provides proof of legitimate interest in and knowledge of the organization • Demonstrates writing skills grad.uchicago.edu

Generic Cover Letter • Introduction • Reason(s) for interest in organization ¶ 1 • Mention conversations with employees • Thesis: 2 distinct competencies, A & B • Claim and evidence of competency A ¶ 2 • Relate example back to the company • Claim and evidence of competency B ¶ 3 • Relate example back to the company ¶ 4 • Wrap up and thank you sentence grad.uchicago.edu

Cover Letter Formatting Your contact info Their full address Date Address a real person Physical signature

AGENDA 4. Resume Workshop grad.uchicago.edu

Resume Workshop • Form small groups • Share your resume • Receive feedback from your peers • What story is this document telling? • Is it organized and easy to read? • Do the bullet points show impact? • What changes would you suggest? grad.uchicago.edu

Questions? cwiersema@uchicago.edu Appointments? gradgargoyle.uchicago.edu grad.uchicago.edu