Resumes and Cover Letters

General Tips

1. Match each cover letter to the employer and position you’re applying to.
2. Include your name, email, and phone number at the top of your cover letter.
3. Check, double-check, and triple-check spelling and grammar. While you’re at it, make sure you have the right employer in your opening paragraphs!

First Paragraph

• Introduce yourself, state the position you are applying for, and where you saw the job posting.
• Indicate if someone recommended you apply. You should always get approval from your referral to use their name.
• Discuss your interest in the position and the employer in particular.
• Highlight the employer’s practice, mission statement, or values and why you’d fit in with them.

Second Paragraph

• Read through the job description and write about how your experiences demonstrate the qualifications and skills the position needs.
• These experiences can include work experience, club/organization involvement, volunteer work, and education.

Third Paragraph

• Speak to any additional experiences and involvement you may have and help the employer understand how they result in skills applicable to this position.
• You can also use this paragraph to speak to something on your resume you feel needs more explanation (like gaps in employment).
• Always make positive statements about your credentials.

Final Paragraph

• Restate why you are interested in the position and why you are unequally qualified.
• Thank the reader for their time and consideration.
• State that you looking forward to speaking with them via phone or email.

Tailor Your Resume to Each Employer

The first question you have to ask yourself is, “What does my employer want to see on my resume?” The good news is that you can answer this question yourself! It’ll take a little research, though. Start with the description for the job you’re applying for, and then check to see if previous applicants have public resumes.

By tailoring your resume, you’ll look like more than a candidate: you’ll look like the best person for the job.

How to Name Your Resume File

You should have a professional name for your resume file, such as LastName-FirstName-Resume-March20XX.pdf.

Include Your Contact Info

Include your name, email, and phone number at the top in a large font (14-16pt). If you’re active on LinkedIn, you can also include your customized profile URL.

Formatting and Appearance

• Keep content to one page in most instances.
• Use a readable font like Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman (11-12 pt).
• Use headings to differentiate sections (e.g. Education, Work Experience, Volunteer Experience, Skills).
• Don’t include pictures, text boxes, or tables, which can trigger errors in applicant tracking systems.
• Don’t list professional references or the statement, “References Available Upon Request.” Your reference list should be a separate document not attached to your resume.

Professional Summary

This is optional, but can be useful if you are applying to a position where you have little experience or want a recruiter to know why you want a job that doesn’t align with your past experience.

• Keep your summary short and concise.
• Avoid phrases that give the impression that you are only interested in the role to benefit your career. For example, “to find a job that will help me grow as a professional.”

Education

Write out West Virginia University College of Law at the top of the Education section. Underneath, include Juris Doctorate, as well as any relevant concentrations. You may also want to include Latin honors (e.g. “cum laude”) if applicable.

West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV Juris Doctorate, Concentration in Public Interest Law, Summa Cum Laude

Work Experience, Leadership, Involvement, and Volunteering

• Begin with your most recent position and go backwards from there.
• Include full-time and part-time jobs, paid/unpaid internships or practicums, and volunteer work and leadership roles, especially if it’s related to your desired job. Oftentimes, unpaid internships, practicums, etc. should be included in separate sections from paid work experience.
• Use bold print to highlight your company/organization name and job title. Choose the one you want to stand out the most to stack on top (and then be consistent throughout the rest of your employment section).
• Include city and state for employer location, not the complete address.
• When listing dates, you may include the month and year or semester and year, but be consistent with the format.
• List job descriptions/duties using bullets points instead of writing them in paragraph form. More on writing great bullet points below!
• Use strong action words (e.g. coordinated, managed, and cultivated) to describe your work experience. Avoid passive phrases such as “responsible for” and “duties included.”
• Eliminate personal pronouns (I, me, we) and articles (a, an, the).
• Use appropriate verb tense. Use present tense action words to describe present employment experience and past tense action words to describe past employment experience.

Building Better Bullet Points

• Focus on your accomplishments/results and how you were valuable to past employers instead of your responsibilities.
• E.g. instead of “Responsibilities included implementation of policies and procedures, training of new employees, interfacing with subordinates and vendors,” try “Worked with staff and vendors to increase product turnover by 15% and sales by 23%. Trained 14 new employees, 5 of whom were rapidly promoted.”
• Use quantifiable and measurable information in your bullets. For example, # of employees supervised, $ amount of budget managed, # of workshops taught or projects coordinated.

Technical Skills/Certifications

• Include relevant computer and programming languages skills, proficiency levels, and certifications.
• Include language skills if applicable. (Non-native English speakers should not include English; it is assumed).
• Do not simply list soft skills (e.g. teamwork or leadership). Demonstrate them via the bullet points of your experiences.

Additional Categories

You may also include some of the following categories if it will make your resume more marketable to potential employers:

• Honors/Awards
• Relevant Experience
• Leadership Experience
• Extracurricular Activities
• Volunteer Work/Community Service
• Certifications/Licenses
• Research
• Publications
• Presentations