Hello Students!
Here are a couple of interesting resources about preparing resumes and cover letters: “How to Write a Cover Letter People Will Actually Read” (NY Times) and “Resume Do’s & Don’ts 2023 Edition” (LlinkedIn). You’ll get paper copies in class tomorrow (Tues Feb 28). You don’t need to agree with everything in them! There are lots of different views and approaches to resumes and cover letters, as we’ve seen and discussed. But you might find some of the suggestions useful as you finalize your resume and cover letter, which final versions are due by the end of Thursday, March 2.
So . . . By the end of Wednesday, March 1, please read the articles and choose one suggestion from either of them that you find helpful, or interesting, or incorrect, or whatever! Then please REPLY to this post with a few sentences in which you identify the suggestion you chose, and respond to it in some way, explaining why you agree, or disagree, or whatever. Your classmates might find your responses useful for their own documents!
Cheers!
KC
The article that I suggest looking into is “Resume Do’s & Don’ts 2023 Edition” provided by Linkedin. One point that stood out for me, is the third suggestion in “What’s ‘In’ for 2023?”. Which gives good information about writing a perfect resume. I’m referring to the 3 B’s. Such advice can make a difference between a good resume and a great resume. For example, being specific in your resume will help employers see why you stand out against your peers.
The article I suggest is “ How to write a Cover Letter that people will actually read” because there is a lot of factual details and things that I can relate with when writing a cover letter. This one point really stood out to me and it says “eworked.
“It’s to complement your rĂ©sumĂ©, not repeat it,” Mr. O’Neill said. “Cover letters where you’re just rewriting the content of your rĂ©sumĂ© aren’t effective.” And I totally agree the whole point of a cover letter is to give a brief overview on why you are good for the job and a small piece of your resume. There is no need to write exactly what was in your resume they are gonna see it anyways. Just lure them in with the cover letter not give them a reason to not look at your resume.
The article i suggest looking into is Resumes Do’s and Don’ts because reading this the first sentence caught me off guard when it said “did you know Tuesday is the best day to submit your resumes…’ I found that to be very interesting because normally when i apply to a job i don’t really put into thought about what day is a good to send in my resume, i normally just apply to the job and attach my resume with it at the same time. So, I think I would put some though into that the next time I apply for a job. Another thing that stood out to me was the part where it said no more two pages, I think that is very true because people tend to write so much that they can’t put on one full page so a good practice would be to put the more important things and keep the words limited with useful information.
The article I selected is “Resume Do’s & Don’ts 2023 Edition” (LlinkedIn). I chose this article because it offered very simple ways in which one can improve your resume. I especially liked the suggestion to add color to the resume. It even gave the colors that are more suited to the legal profession, among others. The article also told you with software to use and gave examples of how and what to use, to make your resume stand out. This article was most appealing as it not only offered suggestions, told you why they would make a difference and how to implement these suggestions. This article, to me, was very informative.
While reading Resume Do’s & Don’ts 2023 Editions one of the best suggestions I noticed was in the what’s is for 2023 section. The first suggestion was “say yes to color and design”. The suggestion talked about color th theories and how they can be helpful in drawing the appropriate attention to our resumes.after reading this suggestion, I found it use for my own resume construction. Prior to reading these suggestions I wasn’t quite sure about colors and résumé designs. I assumed color and design overall was unprofessional. Currently I understand how colors like blue and green represent a sense of calm and professionalism. I definitely will be utilizing this new tips
In the article, “How to write a cover letter that people would actually read,” I notice the author wrote that saying your a hard worker and that you do above and beyond is very unnecessary to write in a cover letter. I disagree because I feel like putting that you are a hard worker can be helpful and makes the hiring manager know that you have ambition. Another thing that stood out to me that I didn’t know its better to send out resumes and cover letters on a Tuesday. Also the type of colors ink you use can attracted employers to read both cover letters and resume.
The part that resonated with me came from the NY Times article. The very end where it said not to use too many items and that “The company isn’t posting a job for charity or to improve your life; they’re trying to fill a position they consider essential. Convince them that you’re the one who would most help them, not that you’d benefit the most from it.”
A lot of times when applying for a job and asking for a chance, we focus on why WE want the job, why WE need the job, and it’s almost a sense of . . desperation. ‘Please give me a chance! You won’t be disappointed!’ So I think it makes sense to shift the focus from US onto THEM. If we can focus on their needs, proving we understand what those needs are, and then explaining why WE specifically can fulfill them, we will probably have a greater chance at an interview, at least!
I loved the part that talked about how the company is not posting this job for your benefit they’re posting it for theirs. We can go into this using a bunch of I’s making this fit for us. We are supposed to be fit for the job instead of the job being fit for us. We have to focus on their needs and meet their needs.
The article that I found interesting is ” Resume Do’s and Dont’s : 2023 edition” because of the points/suggestions it has, specifically “say yes to color and design”. It suggests how you should add some color and design but not too much. I agree because it can help make your resume stand out, make you seem dedicated to get the position you’re applying to, and impress recruiters.
I’d gotten a chance to internalize both articles and the info that I agree with most can be found in the “How to write a cover letter people will actually read,”” piece.Specifically, the headliner of, “Don’t rehash your rĂ©sumĂ©” because it gave me a fresh perspective on the presentation of a cover letter. That is, our wording doesn’t need to necessarily replicate what our rĂ©sumĂ© already is; the space can be utilized towards something else. Providing that your cover letter hits on your worth as an applicant. As uttered by Mr. O’Neil, “It’s to complement your rĂ©sumĂ©, not repeat it.” “Cover letters where you’re just rewriting the content of your rĂ©sumĂ© aren’t effective.” If your attention shifted more so towards summarizing an important highlight of a previous job you held and how it can tie into ur fitness for that open position can bode well. Maybe even introduce whatever your skills you accrue whom of which aligns with the company’s goals and/or direction(s). I believe this can be a huge difference maker.
I found both articles contained some helpful general information, like leaving out addresses, references (unless specifically asked), and not sticking to a template. In regard to templates, I do think that they are good to loosely follow in many cases, but I agree that a cover letter shouldn’t look like you obviously filled in some blanks on a template. I found many of the other pieces of advice seemed like tips that would make sense for one field but may hurt your chances in another. For example, adding color and design elements would be a great idea if you’re applying to be a graphic designer but I’m skeptical that it could still turn hiring managers off in the legal field. Likewise, using your cover letter to talk in detail about specific projects you’ve worked on makes perfect sense if you have experience in the field you’re applying for, but if not, it may be very confusing for a hiring manager even if you attempt to relate it to the position you’re applying for.
After reading ” Resumes Do’s & Don’ts 2023 Edition” What caught my attention was the ” no more than 2 pages ” section because I do agree that a resume should be short and simple it should not be more than 1 page because of the many resumes that the hiring manager is looking at could affect if they read your resume or not. What I found interesting in the other reading “How to write a Cover letter people will actually read” Was the not rehashing off your resume because you just end up repeating yourself and probably have a really long cover letter in the process.
Both of the articles are really helpful for people that are now making their resumes but one thing I don’t fully agree on is on the article of Resumes Do’s and Don’ts mainly on the part the part that says to use color and design which in one hand it would stick out more with other people that are applying for the same job position but I don’t think it would look professional for this type of field. Other than that the rest is really useful information.