If you are a college senior, before long you’ll be interviewing with companies in preparation to leave academia for the business world. Lots of your fellow students will be moving on with you while a small number will continue their studies on the master’s level.

One of the most important documents that you will need when interviewing is your resume. These days, a lot of people have decided to forego their hard copies and have, instead, posted all of their details online. Though this is a great thing to do, as a new job seeker you should be prepared to submit a paper copy upon request.

I’m not going to share the point by point details of resume writing, as I outlined that information previously in an article titled: Career Prep: Building Your Resume.  In addition, you can find articles about cover letters and references which will help you with your job quest.

What I want to help you with are the finer points of your resume, those details which can really set you apart from other candidates. In this competitive world and tight economy you need every edge that you can get. The following are those finer points to remember when you build your resume:

Your contact information — How will prospective employees contact you? If you’re still in college and interviewing for work, make certain that you supply a cell phone number and an email address for prospective employers to keep in touch with you. BTW, don’t use a sexually suggestive or silly email address — hotgirl @ aol.com just doesn’t cut it!

No work experience — You may have tons of academic experience, but little work experience to show for it. That’s okay, if you are a gifted student finding time to hold down any job can be next to impossible to do. Instead, emphasize your extracurricular activities including your role as treasurer for your club, organizing skills for your sorority, special assistance given to your professor, etc.

Academic achievements — If you were a dean’s list recipient, president’s scholar, or won any type of award or was recognized for an achievement, you’ll want to include that information on your resume as well. List your GPA, especially if it was a high one, mention scholarships received, particularly if they were given for academic excellence, and more.

Nail down your references – Though you will want to list your references separately, start putting together a list of three or four people who will be willing to vouch for you academically, via a job, or through your church or club. These people must know you well enough to provide a compelling reason to anyone who calls why you would be an asset to the firm. Separately, get your letters of recommendation as soon as possible and copies of them to employers.

The internet offers terrific examples on how to build a resume as does your college career center. Get started now and you’ll remove a huge amount of stress from your life. Keep paper and electronic copies of your resume handy and go ahead and build that website featuring your biography, resume, and other pertinent information.

Tags: career, cover letter, curriculum vitae, job interview, jobs, references, resume

This is one in an ongoing series of articles to help college seniors prepare themselves for their careers.

The last time that we discussed career preparation, we took a look at the components of creating a successful resume. Although having a well written and accurate resume is essential, it won’t do much for you without a cover letter. A personalized cover letter with a resume attached and sent to the right person is much better procedure than a resume sent out all by itself.

Sending off a generic cover letter is a mistake, however. You’ll want to personalize your cover letters to include your contact’s name and title in addition to remembering some other important points. Please read on for an overview of creating a cover letter that will help you get noticed.

Like your resume, your cover letter should have your personal information on top of the paper. I like to match up the header on my cover letter to look like the header on my resume.  Same information, same font size and style, and the same grade of paper used (bond, for example).

In order, you’ll want to list the following information:

• Today’s date.

• Contact name and title followed by company mailing address.

• Re: tell your reader what your letter is about.  For example, Regional Sales Manager opportunity.

• Dear Person’s Name.  You should find out as much information about the person who should receive your resume. Mail it to the person who is hiring for the position directly. Otherwise addressing your cover letter to Ladies and Gentlemen is sufficient.

• In the body of your letter, you’ll want to tell the person what position you are applying for, highlight the skills you will bring to the job, mention that your resume is attached, and ask for an interview; 3-5 brief sentences and you’re done.

• End your letter with Sincerely, followed by your name.

If emailing your cover letter, send it directly to the contact person’s email address. It is okay to include your cover letter within the body of the message; your resume can be attached unless specified otherwise.

If sending your information off via postal mail, neatly tri-fold the cover letter and your resume add put them in an envelope that matches your cover letter and resume. Include your return address and make sure that the contact person’s address matches the information on your cover letter.

That’s it! You now have a cover letter that has all of the components needed to explain to the person doing the hiring what position you are looking for and more. If you don’t hear from the recruiter withing 7-10 days, follow up your work with a phone call. Show persistence and you’ll set yourself apart from the pack.

Tags: Career Planning, cover letter, employment, hiring, job application, resume, work