Create Resumes and Cover Letters That Get Noticed!
Landing an internship, job, or an offer in a graduate program starts here. This page has step-by-step guides, samples, and expert tips to help you stand out. Your resume is your personal marketing tool. Highlight your education, experience, and skills that match your goals. Use our practical advice and examples to make it shine. Your cover letter introduces you to an employer and connects your qualifications directly to the position. The best letters are addressed to a specific person and tailored to the job and organization to show that you have done your research and are the right fit.
To build your professional story step by step, start with the Professional Resume & Job Search Letter toolkits below:
Professional Resumes Toolkit
Your resume is your personal marketing tool which should be unique to you and designed to highlight your education, experience, and skills that best align with your goals and the position. Think of it as your personal ad, hence it should be clear, compelling, and targeted. To create an effective resume, include some or all the sections outlined below to ensure your document is polished, professional and impressive.
A résumé may include some or all of the sections detailed below.
| Contact Information | Name, city, state, phone number, email address, and customized LinkedIn URL. If you need more than one page (rare for students and new graduates), include contact information on the following pages. |
| Objective (optional) | Use only if you can state clearly the type of work you are looking for. You may need more than one resume, each with a different objective. |
| Profile or Skills Summary (optional) | Short, bullet list stating your key skills that match theemployer’s requirements, e.g., superb research skills, excellent writing skills. Include languages, computer skills, and lab skills as appropriate. |
| Education | Degrees and colleges attended in reverse chronological order. Include city, state (country) of colleges, month and year of graduation (or expected graduation), major/concentration, and minors, if applicable. GPA if 3.0 or higher, honors and awards, studies abroad. Key courses and academic projects relevant to the position you are seeking. Include high school only if you are a first-year student or if you are a sophomore applying for your first co-op, internship, practicum, or other experiential learning opportunity. |
| Experience | In reverse chronological order, for each experience, include job title, organization, city and state, employment dates (month and year) and bullet descriptions of your key job responsibilities and accomplishments. Start each bullet with an action verb. You may include a variety of experiences, including class projects, internships, co-ops, relevant paid work, other paid work, and community service/volunteer positions. Separate experience into different sections if you have especially relevant experience to highlight. For example, separate it into two sections, “Relevant Experience” and “Additional Experience.” Whenever possible, quantify experience (e.g., Developed two-module leadership training for 20 new Resident Advisors). |
| Activities/ Professional Affiliations | List professional associations and campus/community organizations you belong to. If applicable, include position held, organization name, dates, and brief description of duties. |
| Interests | If space allows, you can include interests and hobbies, especially if they are relevant to your career or industry goals. |
- It’s about marketing. Remember, your résumé is a marketing document. It “sells” you and your qualifications for a job opportunity. Its purpose is to prompt an employer to invite you to an interview.
- Keywords are critical. Your résumé may be scanned into an applicant database. Use keywords that a recruiter may enter into a search query so that your résumé comes up in search results.
- Customize if possible. The document should get across the most important points for your desired job. Select information and language that supports your job objective, highlights your qualifications, and reflects the job of interest as much as possible.
- Write tightly. Résumés need to be concise. Undergraduates and new graduates rarely need more than one page to tell their story.
- Make it easy and inviting. Résumés should be logically organized, visually appealing, and “scannable” by the reader under 20 seconds.
- Spell it out. Avoid acronyms that the reader might not understand. If you use an acronym or abbreviation, use it after the spelled-out version. For example, if you write University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell), you can refer to UMass Lowell from that point on.
- Consistency counts. The text needs to be consistently formatted. Layout, font, style, punctuation, and organization should be the same throughout the document.
- Not too personal. Do not include information about your race, age, marital status, or religion, or your Social Security number. Also avoid using first person pronouns such as “I,” “we,” and “my.”
- Tell the truth. Always be truthful on your résumé; but you can be selective about what you include.
- No typos! Make sure your résumé is error-free. Using Spell Check on your computer is NOT enough! Have someone read your résumé for content, flow, grammar, and spelling. Try reading it out loud, too.
- Don’t use templates. Templates seem convenient, but are very difficult to edit and often don’t make the best use of space. Creating your resume on a blank Microsoft Word document allows more control over the look of your resume.
- Practice talking about it. Be prepared to discuss everything on the résumé in an interview. A practice interview with a career counselor is a great way to rehearse this process.
HAVING TROUBLE FITTING EVERYTHING ONTO ONE PAGE?
- Arrange job title, company/organization, city/state, & dates on same line
- Combine contact information into one line in heading
- Set margins to 0.5” (half inch) & font no smaller than 11pt. font
- Use single spaced lines (0pt. before and after)
- Try other (professional) fonts like Arial, Calibri, Bierstadt, Tahoma, or Verdana – these fonts are shown in 11pt, and, as you can see take up different amounts of space)
Power Up Your Resume with Action Verbs
The words you choose on your resume matter. Strong action verbs bring your experiences to life, showing employers not just what you did, but what you accomplished. Instead of saying “responsible for,” use verbs that demonstrate impact—like “led,” “developed,” or “designed.”
Use the categories below to find the right verbs that highlight your skills, achievements, and contributions. Choosing the right words will make your resume stronger and show employers the value you can bring. For a more detailed action verb list click the button.
Leadership & Management
Led · Directed · Supervised · Organized · Coordinated · Delegated · Mentored · Oversaw · Facilitated · Guided
Creativity & Innovation
Designed · Developed · Created · Launched · Invented · Conceptualized · Produced · Initiated · Improved · Customized
Analysis & Problem-Solving
Analyzed · Evaluated · Researched · Assessed · Identified · Streamlined · Solved · Diagnosed · Investigated · Improved
Communication & Collaboration
Presented · Advised · Informed · Persuaded · Negotiated · Trained · Educated · Wrote · Collaborated · Supported
Technical & Task-Oriented
Operated · Programmed · Engineered · Tested · Built · Installed · Upgraded · Implemented · Maintained · Utilized
Achievement & Results
Achieved · Increased · Reduced · Generated · Expanded · Exceeded · Secured · Completed · Delivered · Strengthened
- Katherine Kilby—Biology major with related academic projects
- Nicholas (Cole) Martin—Transfer student with a business major
- Sara Friends—Computer Science major with project-based experience
- Wang Xiu Ying—Engineering major with limited relevant experience
- Rachel Smith—Education major emphasizing teaching practicum
- Ajay Patil—Graduate International student
- Mateo Chavez—Veteran pursuing a psychology degree
- Josh DeGregorio—Exercise Science with a minor in Nutrition
- Francine Wafo—Criminal Justice major on the pre-law track
- Rachany Ly—Nursing major with student clinical experience
Job Search Letters Toolkit
1. COVER LETTER
Accompanies your resume when you are applying for a specific position. The key purpose is to engage the reader, so that your reader will review your resume. Therefore, it should be tailored to the position you are applying for. The cover letter can be an opportunity to explain what may be missing from your resume (e.g., gaps in work history, skill gaps, or explaining skills or experiences that are not traditional for the field). Given the prevalence of AI to review career documents, it’s helpful to utilize key words that match the job description directly. The most effective cover letters are addressed to a specific person. The cover letter can be an attachment to an email, in the body of an email, or uploaded to an application.
2. INQUIRY LETTER/ EMAIL
Sent to a company of interest when the type of position you are interested in is not advertised. Your focus should be on your key skills and qualifications that directly relate to the company’s current needs, emerging challenges, specific products and services, and/or customers. It is like a cover letter, and you should attach your resume.
3. REQUEST FOR AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW
Used to expand your network and learn more about your field of interest. This request briefly describes your background and goals but the main point of the request is to outline the type of information or advice you are seeking from the conversation. In this type of request, it is inappropriate to ask for a meeting about job openings or opportunities. Therefore, you should not attach your resume.
4. THANK YOU / FOLLOW-UP NOTE
The thank you/ follow-up comes after an interview and is welcomed and expected by employers. This is much more than a simple “thanks”. It is used to place yourself at the forefront of your interviewer’s mind by thanking the person for their time, reminding them of your key qualifications, and restating your sincere interest in both the position and the company. Make sure you get the interviewer’s business card or information to ensure proper spelling of the interviewer’s name and title. If sending via email, consider using “Interview Follow-up” or “Thank You for Your Time” as a subject line.
DO
- Use the samples on the following pages as guidelines
- Customize your letters to the company / position of interest
- Make your best effort to address your letters to specific people*
- Use proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and letter format
- Have the career center review your letter when writing one for the first time
- If sending by email, use your email message to further promote your qualifications
- Follow up by emailing or calling the person within a week of sending your letter
DON’T
- Don’t indent paragraphs
- Don’t forget to attach your resume if you’ve referenced it in your email
- Don’t address a letter to “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”
- Don’t assume that all you need to do is send a resume; persistence and follow-up are key
- Don’t send the exact same “thank you” letter to every person you interviewed with
- Don’t email your letter or resume from your work email
- Don’t forget to get your interviewer’s business card before leaving an interview
- Don’t neglect to update those who referred you to a company on your progress
* If you have done your research and are aware of an individual’s preferred pronouns, address the letter as “Dear Mr./Ms. _______:”; if you are unsure, write out their first and last name instead. If you are unable to find a contact person, address your letter to “Dear Recruiter” or “Dear Hiring Manager”.
Your name (optional)
Your return address
Phone
Date
Name of the contact person
Title
Name of organization/company
Address
City, ST Zip
Dear Mr. / Ms. [Last name] or [First and Last name] or [Dear Recruiter] / [Hiring Manager]:
Introduction paragraph: reason for writing the letter
- How did you learn about this job opening?
- If you have been referred to by a contact, include the person’s name.
- What is the title of the position and the reference number (if listed)?
- Why do you want to work for this organization?
- Briefly convey your enthusiasm for position and knowledge of their products, services, and/or projects.
Body paragraph: an overview of your skills and qualifications
- What 3-4 key skills do you have that relate to this position?
- Match your experience to the job description.
- Make it easy for the employer to see how you are qualified for the job.
- Draw on skills from work experience, volunteer experience, internships or co-ops, and classes.
Optional body paragraph: specific accomplishments / examples of how you’ve used your skills
- What projects did you work on – either at a job or as part of a class?
- Use the PAR formula – Problem-Action-Result.
Final Paragraph: closing
- Where can they reach you? List email and phone number. *
- State that you look forward to an interview.
- Thank the person for their consideration of your application.
Sincerely,
Student Name
*Be prepared to receive emails and answer calls from employers. Check your listed email (inbox and junk) daily, ensure there is space in your voicemail, and create an outgoing voicemail greeting is professional.
