Top Navigation:

Primary Navigation:

Breadcrumb Navigation:

Home>Current Students>Career Services>Tools and Skills>Resumes & Cover Letters

Main Content:

Resumes & Cover Letters

Resumes

A resume is a vital marketing tool created to attract attention, interest, and persuade an employer to interview you. It is an advertisement of your unique skills, education, accomplishments, and professional experience.

To gain a competitive edge in the marketplace, your resume must be well written, error-free, and as quantitative and objective as possible in order to convey a clear and concise image of yourself. On average, a prospective employer will scan your resume for no longer than 30 seconds; a in order to work in your favor, your resume must deliver job-relevant information in less than 30 seconds.

Heinz College Career Services offers samples of successful resumes for you to review, as well as lists of keywords, tips and style pointers in our Resume Writing Guide (.pdf).

Cover Letters

Like the resume, your cover letter is an invaluable personal marketing tool. It should expand on the skills and experiences in your resume, but the letter allows you to advocate more on your own behalf than the resume. While the resume is as objective as possible and almost entirely without tone, the letter conveys your voice, your facility with language, and your specific fit for the position and the firm you are applying to. As with the resume, the goal is to get the reader to scan your entire document.

How can a cover letter help you secure an interview?

  • Identifies the position for which you're applying and how you learned of it.
  • Indicates why you're applying.
  • Describes how your skills and qualifications match the position requirements.
  • Captures your most relevant experiences tailored for each potential employer.
  • Showcase experiences that you had while a student at Heinz College.
  • Provides affect—an affective portrait of you—and subliminal reasons why they should interview you.
  • Requests information on next steps and repeats availability and contact information.

The Heinz College Career Services Cover Letter Guide (.pdf) provides pointers such as a suggested format and strategy as well assample letters, and other resources to help you write a dynamic, compelling cover letter.