Resume & Cover Letters
Prepared for
CSE/ISE 300: Technical Communications
Andréa Lipack
SBU Career Center
ONLINE PRESENCE
Have you Googled yourself lately?
What does your online presence say about you?
Do you have a professional email address?
What does your voicemail sound like?
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RESUME PURPOSE
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Exactly what is a resume expected to be?
Who will read it?
How much time will be spent reading it?
How often do you need to re-write it?
Who’s opinion matters?
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WRITING FOR THE JOB SEARCH
Job search writing is
• Concise
• Action-oriented
• Persuasive
• Targeted (Keywords)
• Flawless
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ELEMENTS OF A GOOD RESUME
• Contact Information
could include LinkedIn
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address or e-portfolio
Objective or summary
Education & Honors
Related Coursework
Certifications/Skills
Academic Projects
Work Experience
Leadership / Activities / Community Service
References?
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OBJECTIVE
Which one works?
• A software engineering co-op in the finance industry
• A position with vertical growth that will allow me to use my
skills and attain financial success.
• A position with your company that provides me the
opportunity to grow professionally while contributing my
skills in a variety of areas.
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EDUCATION
Stony Brook University - Stony Brook, NY
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, expected May 2015
or you could do something like this:
Bachelor of Science expected, May 2015
Majors: Information Systems and Business Management
Listing other colleges attended?
• Thesis? Academic Honors?
• Related Coursework?
• Study Abroad?
GPA?
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SKILLS
Programming:
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C/C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, SQL, C#, .NET,
HTML/CSS, Perl
Tools:
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Eclipse, GDB, Git, Visual Studio, Photoshop, MySQL,
Microsoft SQL Server 2010
Operating Systems: Android/Linux, Windows 7/Vista/XP,
Solaris
Network Certification: CCNA, CSSA, CISSP
Systems Certification (future): VCP, MCTS (MCSA first)
Other skills? Do you speak other languages?
Do you have security clearance?
SBU Career Center
ACADEMIC PROJECTS
CSE 305: Principles of Database Design
• Received a “A” in the course.
• Designed relational database to support online
stock trading system using MySQL, JSP, and Java
Servlet.
What other course projects could you list?
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EXPERIENCE
Use reverse chronological order
Include Employer, town, state, title, dates
Intelligent Product Solutions, Hauppauge, NY
• Software Engineering Intern, June 2014 – August 2014
– (DESCRIPTION HERE)
Consider clustering your work into categories
• RELATED EXPERIENCE
• ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
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DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE
THINK – “What have I done?”
Then WRITE – write it all down
ANALYZE what you’ve done
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What have I accomplished?
What problems have I solved?
What difference did I make?
What measurable impact did I have?
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DEVELOPING YOUR DRAFT
Use S.T.A.R. & ACTION VERBS
1.) SITUATION:
• Define the general context. Who/What/When
• Mention the problem you had to overcome.
2.) TASK:
• Identify the key objective and issue that you have addressed.
3.) ACTION:
• Describe the action you took or initiated, emphasizing the skills you
used to complete the task.
4.) RESULTS:
• Summarize the outcome in business terms
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STAR EXAMPLES
Task: “Increased client base and advised clients on mergers.”
SAME JOB TASK USING THE STAR METHOD: “Advised clients on mergers
and acquisitions of business segments ranging from $500,000 to
$1.2M resulting in 95% customer satisfaction and 9 new client
referrals.”
Task: “Developed a marketing plan that redesigned a corporate concept and
added 5 new stores nationwide.”
SAME JOB TASK USING THE STAR METHOD: “Developed a corporate
strategy, reformulated the business concept of a one dimensional
specialist to a provider of full customer service, growing from three to
eight stores in 18 months.”
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EXAMPLES
Work Experience:
Sales Associate, Target, East Setauket, NY
• Repositioned merchandise which resulted in an increased
weekly sales of children’s videos by 25%
• Named “Associate of the Month” September 2014
What are your STARs?
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ACTIVITIES
Treasurer, Chess Club, 2010-2011
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Oversaw and managed budget of $1000
Managed detailed records of expenses using Excel
Created charts comparing previous and current year expenses, which helped shape the
goals of the fundraising committee
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) – Internal Vice-President
Chair, Corporate Networking Mixer Fall 2011 – Spring 2012
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Successfully led a committee of 7 representatives from different engineering societies,
working with various university departments, to successfully execute a networking mixer
attended by 40 business executives
Managed a budget of $500
Funding Chair, Pre-College Day Spring 2011-Spring 2012
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Helped plan an outreach program aimed at introducing the advantages of pursuing
engineering through higher education to 100 local students from high schools with low
graduation rates
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COVER LETTERS
Purpose
• Letter of Inquiry
• Networking Letter
• Application Cover Letter
• Follow up letter
• Thank you letter
COVER LETTERS
Are:
• Proof of your writing ability
• Specific to the employer
and position
• Concise & focused
• Addressed to a person
• Your opportunity to describe
why you’re a fit for the job
Are NOT:
• Always necessary (OCR
does not require)
• A template to use for
every employer
• A wish list of things you
want in a job
• A repeat of what appears
on your resume
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COVER LETTERS
Andréa Lipack
4 Stony Brook Road
Stony Brook, NY 11790
631-555-1212; andrea.lipack@stonybrook.edu
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Recruiter First Recruiter Last
Broadridge Financial Solutions
24 Edgewood Drive
Edgwood, NY 11788
Dear Mr/Ms X:
Introduction …
BODY
…
BODY (cont.)
….
WRAP-UP
…
Sincerely,
Sign Name
Typed Name
SBU Career Center
USE YOUR CAREER CENTER
RESUME REVIEWS
• M, T, R, F 1:00pm – 4:00pm (Fri by appointment only)
JOB & INTERNSHIP FAIRS
• IT: Thursday, February 19, 2015, SAC
• Engineering: Friday, February 20, 2015, SAC
• Business & Political Affairs: Friday, February 27, 2015, SAC
• Healthcare, Research, Human Services: Friday, March 6, 2015, SAC
MOCK INTERVIEW DAY
• Friday, March 27, 2015, 12pm – 3pm DEADLINE TO APPLY: 3/9/15
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USE YOUR CAREER CENTER
ON-CAMPUS RECRUITING
Bank of America
Riverbed Technologies
Citi
Cognizant
Amazon
JPMorgan
Arista Networks
RTTS
Vmware
Tata Consultancy Services
Bloomberg
Addteq
ZEBRANET JOB LISTINGS
• Post your resume on ZebraNet and apply, apply!
- Job Search Agent
- Employer Directory
• http://www.stonybrook.edu/career
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