Getting To The Interview:
Résumés and Cover Letters for Non-Academic Jobs
GradUCon
April 10th, 2015
Michael A. Tessel, PhD
Assistant Director, Graduate Career Development
Office of the Provost- Graduate Student Affairs
The University of Chicago
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•  academic job search advising
•  career planning and exploration
•  resume and cover letter review
•  practice interviewing
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Session Overview
Part I: Résumé Format & Conventions
Part II: Bullet Points: The Finer Details
Part II: Cover Letters
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Part I:
Résumé Format &
Conventions
C.V. vs. Résumé
Curriculum Vitae
Résumé
•  Exhaustive summary
of you as a scholar
•  Used mostly for
academic jobs
•  Tailored for each
application
•  Includes publications
•  Bullets optional
•  No page limit
•  Concise “snapshot” of
you as a professional
•  Used for jobs outside
of academia
•  Acutely tailored for
each application
•  No publications
•  Bullets format used
•  1 PAGE
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Format: Fonts of Un-wisdom
Arial
Times New Roman
Calibri Cambria Comic Sans
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Format: Fonts That Do Better
Garamond
Georgia
Palatino Linotype
Sans
Gotham Light/Bold
Serif: Helvetica Neue Light
Century Gothic
Trebuchet MS
Size:
11 - 12
Serifs:
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Format: Margins of Error
.7’ – 1” all around for all docs
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Format that Aids Content
2-line contacts
Education
§  Thesis?
§  GPA?
§  Study Abroad
Headings
Bullets
Spacing
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Format that Aids Content
Vertical
§  Reverse order
§  Most relevant
on top
§  In each section,
broadest to
most specific
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Format that Aids Content
Horizontal
§  Most important
information on
the left
§  Compound
bullets get lost
§  Strong action
verbs should
run down the
left-hand side
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*Tricks*: Right-Align Dates
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*Tricks*: Right-Align Dates
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Sections: “Education”
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Top or bottom of page
Include only degree based programs
Awards/honors including brief
explanation
GPA and GRE scores may be
appropriate
Relevant course work-3 max (optional)
Dissertation title/advisor (optional)
This section should not exceed ¼ of page
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Sections: “Experience”
•  Start with master resume containing all
experiences, then tailor to each individual job
•  Consider breaking up into more specific sections
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“Analytical Experience”
“Project Management Experience”
“Teaching Experience”
“Leadership Experience”
“Additional Experience”
Combinations (“Management and Leadership
Experience”)
•  Includes graduate/postdoc experience
•  Lead with name of employer/institution in bold
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Sections: “Experience”
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Information must be properly balanced throughout
Most recent experience should have most detail
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Level of detail decreasing for experiences farther in past
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Exception for highly relevant experiences
The proportion of information included for each experience
DOES NOT need to reflect work responsibilities
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Resume Sections: “Skills/Interests”
Skills section- optional
•  Computer skills- highlight most
impressive, less common competencies
•  Language skills- fluent, conversational,
basic
Interests- optional
•  Chance to “humanize” yourself
•  Make these specific and unique
•  Use only when space allows
•  Can lead to interview conversation
•  One line maximum
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Part II:
Bullet Points: The Finer
Details
Writing Effective Bullets
1.  Follow Basic Conventions
2.  Introducing: PPI Method
3.  Be Specific and Quantify
4.  Diversify competencies
5.  Focus on transferrable skills
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Resume Bullet Conventions
Structure
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Begin with strong action verb: led, analyzed, organized, etc.
Implied first person, no pronouns
Technically fragments, not sentences: no periods at end
1 or 2 lines
Tense
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Present tense for ongoing experiences
Past tense for past experiences
Best Practices
•  Avoid passive verbs: assisted, observed, helped, participated
•  Try not to repeat same verbs
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P.P.I. Method
Ideal bullet: What you did, Why you did it, and So What?
Project
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Define the problem or obstacle
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What did YOU SPECIFICALLY do to address this?
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Include technical competency if relevant
Purpose
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Key objective or mission must be clear
Impact
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Tangible outcome from your involvement
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Academic: publications, successful grant applications,
recognition in popular media
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Business-like: increased revenue, reduced costs,
optimized efficiency, innovation, sustained growth
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Be Specific/Include Quantities
Specificity helps the reader contextualize your experiences
Less Specific…
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Led discussion sections
More Specific…
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Led weekly discussion sections with 18 undergraduates majoring in
psychology
Conceived of and initiated section discuss board; posted daily optional
practice problems and monitored student discussion surrounding answers
Awarded “Teaching Assistant of Year” based on TA performance in this class
Always Quantify When Possible
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Dollar amounts- Grants and scholarships awarded, budgets managed
Percentage changes- Growth, cost reduction, measurable workflow
efficiency
Number of People- Attendees at presentations, students in classes
Honors and Awards- Specify level of selectivity or prestige
Use numerals: 18, not “eighteen”
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Diversify Competencies
•  Each bullet should represent a specific and
unique competency
•  Avoid redundancy: multiple bullets that
convey similar technical abilities are
unnecessary
•  Think about what each bullet says about you
and your abilities
•  Sometimes minor responsibilities are highly
relevant and should be emphasized
•  Minimize technical language
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Transferrable Skills
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How does what you have done relate to the job?
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Think of the organization of your dissertation as
project management
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For scientists, think of the lab as a small business
enterprise
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Extracurricular activities show management and
leadership skills- treat these like other jobs
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Important skills to highlight: communication
(oral and written), teamwork, leadership,
management, innovation, administrative,
accounting, customer service, organizational
skills, general business acumen
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Part III:
Cover Letters
Purpose of a Cover Letter
•  Expand on a few items in your resume
•  Discuss your motivation for seeking
employment in this area
•  Explain why you are a good fit for the
position
•  Demonstrate written communication skills
•  Provides proof of legitimate interest in job
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Cover Letter Basics
Basic Structure and Strategy
•  ½ to ¾ of a page
•  Well structured: Start with outline
•  Use examples and avoid lists
•  Emphasize how you will help them
•  For non-research based jobs, include at least one
example of an accomplishment outside of research
•  Maintain a positive tone
Tailoring
•  Research company and use language that reflects
how company describes itself and its mission
•  Cite conversations with actual employees
•  Relate each example back to the company
•  If possible, address actual recruiter/hiring manager
by name
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Generic Cover Letter Outline
Paragraph 1
•  Introduction
•  Specific reason(s) for interest in company
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Conversations with current/past employees
Info from website, publications, media
•  Thesis: 2 distinct competencies, A & B
Paragraph 2
•  Example using competency A (research)
•  Relate example back to employer
Paragraph 3
•  Example using competency B (non-research)
•  Relate example to different aspect of employer
Paragraph 4
•  Thank you sentence- Look forward to interview
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Paragraph 1
As a current PhD student at the University of Chicago with
experience in the field of monetary hygiene, I am applying for
the position of Sr. Money Launderer at Trustworthy Bank.
From my conversation with Tex E. Vader, Assoc. Director of
Cleanliness, I learned that Trustworthy not only launders
currency, but is developing a proprietary disinfectant to
create the world’s cleanliest money. Given my extensive
research on sanitary paper and my established record of
misdemeanor crime, I am confident I could quickly deliver
value for Trustworthy Bank and its clients.
A
B
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Introduction
Specific reason(s) for interest in company
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Conversations with current/past employees
Thesis: 2 distinct competencies, A & B
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Paragraph 2
My doctoral research focused on ways to improve the
cleanliness of toilet paper. I sought to create a tissue that not
only cleaned but disinfected at the same time. By combining
household cleaners with industrial strength disinfectants, I
was able to create the first tissue that makes the skin 90%
more resistant to microbial infection than standard tissue. At
Trustworthy, I intent to use similarly innovative techniques to
maintain optimal money laundering conditions.
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Restate Competency A
Example of applying Competency A
Link Competency explicitly to company/role
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Paragraph 3
Beyond my expertise in laundering, I also bring a uniquely
morally indifferent attitude that will serve Trustworthy
well. During my internship at the Maroon Bank, I routinely
embezzled office supplies. I amassed such a collection
that after one summer, I was able to sell it on eBay for
$500. This was enough to buy my first forgery kit. This
propensity toward white-collar crime will be an asset to
Trustworthy in its effort to defraud investors while also
providing them with the world’s cleanest currency.
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Restate Competency B
Example of applying Competency B
Link Competency explicitly to company/role
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Paragraph 4
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to
learning more about Trustworthy and elaborating on my
skills and experiences in an interview.
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Thank you sentence- Look forward to interview
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Thank You!
Questions?
[email protected]