Resume & Cover Letter Guide
The Career Connections department is a Certified Professional Résumé Writing Department. Choose a sample resume and cover letter according to your program or career interest. These samples are designed to give you an idea of the kind of formatting; the key words and phrases that can be used when describing experiences when looking for a job in a particular field. They also show the order in which to maintain experiences and education.
If you need further assistance, please consult our Upcoming Events for résumé writing workshops or schedule a career appointment with our office.
Seven Secrets to Writing an Interview-generating Résumé
- Focus 50% of your time on prioritizing common requirements in the job description.
- Use a targeted job title to help your resume be visible to recruiters.
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Ditch the job objective--Employers don't need to know what you want until they're sure you are who they want.
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Include a summary statement as it relates to the job description, at the top of your résumé
- List your professional skills—relevant examples of the skills you bring to a job are crucial to your résumé.
- include keywords around your resume to emphasize your learned professional skills within the duties of past employment listings.
- Understand what employers are looking for—your experience and skills should tell your employers you can fulfill the job requirements.
Résumé Action Verbs
Below are some action verbs that can help you effectively describe your work experience on your resume and cover letter. For our complete list use the following document: Action Verbs PDF
Leadership skills |
Communication skills |
Research skills |
Finance/Data skill | Creative skills | Helping skills | Organization skills |
administered |
addressed advertised arbitrated arranged articulated authored clarified collaborated communicated composed condensed |
analyzed clarified collected compared conducted critiqued detected determined diagnosed evaluated examined |
administered adjusted allocated analyzed appraised assessed audited balanced calculated computed conserved |
acted adapted began combined conceptualized condensed created customized designed developed directed |
adapted advocated aided answered arranged assessed assisted cared for clarified coached collaborated |
approved arranged cataloged categorized charted classified coded collected compiled corresponded |
Handshake's Resource Library that includes:
- Free downloadable resume templates
- A guide to writing summary statements
- 6 steps to effective resume bullet points
- Outlines and examples to teach you how to format the perfect cover letter
Individual In-Person & Virtual Appointments for students and alumni
- Simply log into your Handshake account using your CCP email address
- Click on "Career Center" and then click on "Appointments" to schedule
Group Workshops that review tips and tricks for making your application stand out!
- View upcoming workshops on Handshake, under the Events tab.