myresumebd.com :: Connect with Job Market

Who you are? : A cover letter briefly addresses "who you are" and "what you want"; highlights your most relevant experience and skills; tells employers what you can do for them; and addresses any "red flags" that will be raised by your resume.

What You Can do? : A resume should give off a professional, polished appearance. In your resume and cover letter, show potential employers what you can do for them.

Resume Page : A resume must be at least one full page in length. Two pages is acceptable for highly accomplished and experienced candidates, but more than two pages will more than likely leave your resume unread.

Pages of Cover Letter : A resume should always be accompanied by a cover letter and A cover letter should never exceed one page.

Paragraph of Cover Letter : Cover letters should have three or four paragraphs: The Introduction should tell the reader the purpose of the correspondence; the Body should explain your experiences and skills; and the Conclusion should summarize and request an interview. You can split the Body into two paragraphs if you wish: the top for work experience and the bottom for a summary of skills. You can also mix it up a bit and do one paragraph for experience, one for education (if necessary to your profession), and incorporate your summary of skills into the Conclusion.
Attatch Resume : To apply for jobs online, you can easily develop an electronic resume and send it to potential employers by email. Use a plain-text version of your resume and paste it into the body of your email after your cover letter or attach a file of your resume to the email and paste your cover letter into the body of the email, explaining that you have enclosed your resume as an attachment.

Spelling : Employers will not automatically throw away your resume if there is even one tiny spelling or grammatical error on it, but make sure to correct your mistake immediately before your next submission.

Update : Always try to keep your resume updated. The more current your resume is, the less time you'll have to spend remembering minor details.

Verbs : Use action verbs to describe your daily duties. The right verb is always eye-catching.

Spelling Check : Check your resume for spelling and grammatical errors before you send it out.

Font : Only use resume-friendly fonts such as Times New Roman, Book Antiqua, or Garamond.

Font Size : Font size should never exceed size 12pt. unless it is for your name at the top of your resume. It should also never get any smaller than 10pt. font.

Margin : Re think those margins. A good combination is top and bottom 0.6" with left and right at 0.7." If you need less room, use top and bottom 0.8" with left and right at 0.9."

Formatted Font : Do not overuse bold, italic, underlined, and other formatted styles of text.

Capital Letter : Never write in all capital letters unless it is for your name at the top of your resume.

Bullet : For bullet points, try dragging them as far left as you can to put more words on one line.

Italic : Use italics instead of underlining publications or journals for a cleaner resume format.

References : You do not need to state the phrase "References available upon request" on your resume. It is assumed that you will be able to provide references if asked for them.

Experience : If you are an experienced candidate, list your "Education" section after your "Work Experience" section.

Experience Period : For each job position, make sure that the date of employment and the location of the employer are listed. You can get away with just using years alone, but it would be more forthright to use months and years. If you write that you worked at ABC from 2005-2007 and at XYZ from 2007-Present, some employers might ask themselves (maybe even you) if there was a gap somewhere during 2007. Days are not that important.

Salary : Do not list salary requirements on your resume or cover letter unless you are instructed to do so.

Skills : A profile at the top of your resume can highlight skills and accomplishments if you are an experienced candidate.

GPA : GPA is not always necessary on a resume. However, if you manage to get a high GPA, make sure to post it in your "Education" section.

Students : Students and recent graduates should write as much as they can in their "Education" section because that is where potential employers will be looking.

CV : A curriculum vitae (CV) is not the same as a resume and usually runs much longer.

Inerviews : Interviews can teach you about the effectiveness of your resume and cover letter.