UCONSULTING RESUME + COVER LETTER WORKSHOP

By Nick Kellerman

QUESTION: WHO ALREADY HAS A RESUME?

*Raise Hands*

REALITY CHECK

• Resume and Cover Letter advice is abundant (Google “resume advice” and you’ll find 49 million results)
• Examples of successful Resumes and Cover Letters are some of your best resources
• A recruiter may only take 15-30 seconds per resume, so be memorable (in a good way)

THIS PRESENTATION:

• Resume Basics
• Goals, Format, Content, Tips ‘n Tricks
• Cover Letter Basics
• Goals, Format, Content, Tips ‘n Tricks
• Experienced Member Panel
• Kirstie, Sean, Raun, Olivia, Tesia
• Q&A

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THE RESUME

GOALS OF A RESUME

• Express WHAT you’ve done in other positions to show employer WHAT you can do for them
• Clearly and concisely display WHY you should be considered for the position
• Get interviews, not jobs

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FORMAT

• 1 Page
• 0.5 – 1.0 inch margins
• Font (10-12 pt for text, 14-16 pt for headers)
• Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, Century Gothic, Gill Sans MT, Lucida Sans, Tahoma, and Helvetica (NOT Comic Sans)
• Clean and Consistent Format
• Chronological vs. Functional vs. Combination
• Only really need to know chronological for now

CHRONOLOGICAL VS. FUNCTIONAL

• Chronological
• Lays out education, experience, and other activities in…you guessed it, reverse chronological order. Most recent positions come first.

• Functional
• Lays out education, experience, and other activities by by emphasizing skills developed and grouping them

SO…YEAH NO

OH…THAT’S NICE

CONTENT

• Heading
• Objective (let’s talk about this…)
• Education
• Work/Related Experience (a.k.a. Professional Exp. or just Experience)
• Organizational/Leadership Experience (Leadership & Activities)
• Community/Volunteer Experience (not necessary for consulting work)
• Skills (software and languages)
• Interests/Miscellaneous/Additional

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CONTENT (BULLETS)

• Clear and Concise (think professional tweets)
• Start with an action verb (easy to look up or see Career Center Guide)
• Emphasize impact and quantify when possible
• What + How + Why + Impact
• NO spelling or grammar mistakes

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HEADING

• Name
• Address
• Phone
• Email
• Personal website (can also put elsewhere such as in “Interests”)

OBJECTIVE?

• A short statement that tells the employer what you’re looking for
• Tells what your goal is, but isn’t your goal to get the job?
• Companies are looking for the right “fit” as opposed to being concerned with what you want
• Very much optional

EDUCATION

• College/University
• Including study abroad
• GPA (if above 3.0)
• SAT/ACT Scores (if requested or rather impressive)
• Related Coursework (upper division courses only, also depends on position)

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WORK/RELATED EXPERIENCE

• A.K.A. Professional Experience or just Experience
• List most relevant first (but keep chronological format)
• Show experiences that connect to desired skills
• Consider projects that may relate to position

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ORGANIZATIONAL/LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

• A.K.A. Leadership and Activities
• Again, show most relevant first
• Focus on achievements in each position

COMMUNITY/VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE*

• *Not necessary with a consulting resume unless you hold a leadership position within a volunteer group
• Good way to show what you care about

SKILLS

• Languages
• Software (R Studio, C++, Microsoft Office, etc.)
• *Consider incorporating skills into bullets (i.e. “predicted market growth by plotting and analyzing sales in Excel”)
• Show practical application of skills in work

INTERESTS

• Be specific where you can (i.e. “devouring science fiction” instead of “1 <3 books”)
• Be tame, but find a way to stand out

TIPS ‘N TRICKS

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• Always target your resume to job/position description
• Quantify, but don’t lie or exaggerate
• Try to keep bullets one line long
• Already a pro at formatting? Spice it up a little, but remain professional (search “modern resumes” for inspiration)
• Ask for critique(and try scanning bottom-up to spot mistakes)
• Professional, personal, and other contacts
• Take notes on key words the firm or company uses and incorporate those into your content

THE COVER LETTER

GOALS OF A COVER LETTER

• Show that you have researched company
• Show that you’re the right “fit” for the company
• Tell story of how your experience results in skills and plays into WHY you’re applying for this position
• Create interest in WHO you are

FORMAT

• Heading
• Address a person in the company (likely hiring manager or recruiting manager)
• Approximately 3 paragraphs (give or take a few)
• Intro: opening paragraph dictating interest and your research on company
• Body: sell yourself (professionally) and expand on why you’re qualified
• Conclusion: package everything up into a few sentences and then sign-off

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CONTENT

• NOT a repeat of resume material
• Pinpoint challenges in company or work you would like to address
• Keep sentences short, and minimize “fluff”
• Write in a professional, but conversational tone
• NO spelling and grammar mistakes

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TIPS ‘N TRICKS

• Be entertaining, be original
• Know who to address, or go find someone
• LinkedIn or google search
• Name-drop if reasonable
• Show how company can benefit from your skills and experience
• Address company values
• Ask for critique (and try scanning bottom-up to spot mistakes)
• Actually sign the cover letter! (scan signed version and send pdf)
• Take notes on key words the firm or company uses and incorporate those into your content

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EXPERIENCED MEMBER PANEL

• Kirstie (Resume)
• Sean (Resume)
• Raun (Resume)
• Olivia (Resume + Cover Letter)
• Tesia (Resume + Cover Letter)

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Q&A

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