Perfecting your resume and cover what . . .

By Sarah Dawson, Western Alumni Career Coach

As a career coach, I field loads of questions spanning from the highly individualized “How do I find more satisfaction in my career?” to the more technical in nature, such as “how to I search for a particular job.” Among the most frequent are questions about how to write effective cover letters and resumes (and if cover letters are, in fact, a necessity!).

Traditionally, cover letters serve as a vehicle by which an applicant can convey their interest and suitability for a particular employer and/or position. They accompany a resume and, if I am honest, almost always seem to duplicate the information, essentially making the cover letter itself ineffective. 

In order to understand the role of the cover letter let’s just quickly review the resume. The resume is a marketing tool and successful marketing involves packaging your skills and experiences to demonstrate your strengths to a potential employer. Employers sometimes use software that will scan for keywords, so it’s important that you choose to highlight the skills that match the position to which you are applying.

Accomplishment statements are what you will write to demonstrate your experience on your resume. They are not descriptions of your job duties; they are specific contributions you have made to your organization, either individually or as part of a team.

There are three parts to an accomplishment statement:

  • Skill Action verb: Planned, initiated, coordinated, etc.
  • What you did: Planned a meeting, initiated a program, etc. (connected to an interesting detail, e.g., who you did it for, number of people, size of budget, size of caseload, type of issues/population). 
  • Results: The bottom-line effect of your effort (e.g., saved time or money, exceeded sales goals, reduced errors, increased student retention. Quantify the results in numerical or percentage terms whenever possible and appropriate (e.g., How much? How many? What time period?)

Sentences with this structure create a scenario and emphasize what you did, not what you were required to do. This is the time to “toot your own horn.” Recognize your skills and what you have achieved. Highlight one primary action and result for each statement. An accomplishment statement should include all three parts but the order does not matter.

Here are a few examples:

  • Planned a meeting for over 100 employees to educate them on changes to the UC benefits plan, which resulted in a decrease in phone calls to the help desk.
  • Designed departmental policy and procedures to handle customer complaints. Reduced complaints by 50%.
  • Coordinated all facets of record keeping system for a small department, involving payroll, insurance, banking, accounts receivable, accounts payable and general ledger.
  • Monitored budgets of $600,000 - $650,000 monthly for eight years, reconciling discrepancies and preparing financial reports for management.

In contrast to a resume, a cover letter shows how your experiences make you a great fit for the position you’ve applied for. A strong cover letter keeps the employer's interest and allows you to stand out from the competition.

So, if you are wondering if you need a cover letter, the answer is YES! Cover letters hold weight and shouldn’t be used to re-state what you already demonstrated in your resume, use your cover letter to do something your resume just can’t; use it to tell a story. Software scanning for keywords may not love stories, but people do and you will surely stand out if you can show the hiring manager how you will fit in and make a positive impact on their bottom line.

Looking for more? Western Alumni Career Management offers supports to alumni and is accessible online.

Sarah Dawson
Alumni Career Management