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The principle of "Distinguishing Your Self" relates to the single most important ingredient for success in resume and cover letter writing-differentiation. By differentiation we mean, standing out, making a positive impression, and stimulating the desire for an employer to want to learn more about you.
Effective resumes and cover letters communicate a compelling differentiation strategy and value-added proposition. In other words, these written documents must identify how your background and experience makes you unique among competitors and demonstrate how you can apply these strengths to challenges facing the organization. A one-page cover letter and resume provides the best length.
Differentiate Your Self within Your Resume and Cover Letter By.
- Clarifying your job, position and career objectives
- Analyzing the functional components of the position you desire
- Articulating your skills, achievements and qualifications, and
- Providing proven layout, format and design techniques
Formatting Your Resume for Maximum Impact
The moment your resume is read by a potential employer, it should appeal to the reader from a visual level, while accurately portraying your strengths. In order to guarantee that your resume receives the initial attention it deserves, it is important to adhere to appropriate formatting standards regarding template and font choice, effective use of white space, and prioritization of data.
Template and Font Choice
The maxim regarding templates and font choice is: "Make It Easy to Read"
An effective template will present company names, dates, job titles, academic information, and all other pertinent data in a clear manner so that a quick glance will tell the contact person what they need to know. (See our Resume and Cover Letter Writing Resources and Website Links for examples of effective templates for: Business Major, Communications Major, Education Major, Engineering Major, and Liberal Arts Major).
Resumes written in bold text or italics are extremely difficult to read and present challenges when they are uploaded to a resume database. Two good font styles are Times New Roman and Arial in 12 points - no smaller, or the text will be difficult to read.
Effective Use of White Space
In today's fast-paced world, you must get your point across quickly, with a minimum of words presented as bulleted sentences within special sections (i.e. Career Skills and Abilities, Education, Work History), separated by well-placed white space. White space should be thought of as providing organizing boundaries for your information.
Prioritization of Data
Your resume should begin with a paragraph of information highlighting your background and experience by describing your knowledge, skills and abilities. No potential employer will read every single resume. Nor will they invest a lot of time and energy searching for important candidate information. In today's tight job market it's up to the candidate to prioritize data so that a potential employer knows at a glance what the job seeker has to offer the company.
Crafting an Effective Cover Letter
Never send a resume without a cover letter as it is a powerful method to further differentiate yourself from competitors. A recent study by Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) professionals indicates that 4 out of 10 resumes do not include a cover letter. Without a cover letter that sells your qualifications, your resume is just a piece of paper among a pile of similar ones.
The SHRM study identified the following factors about recipients of resumes and cover letters:
- Cover letters are typically read in less than one minute,
- Typos can kill candidates' chances,
- Personalized cover letters are favored and
- e-mail submissions are preferred.
The cover letter should be more than simply "Enclosed please find my resume." It is the first thing the potential employer sees, so it has to impress. Keep it to one page only. List pertinent skills and experience that specifically satisfy the qualifications listed in the ad. Be specific.
More information can be found within Rowan University's Cover Letter Writing information (see links on our Resume and Cover Letter Writing Resources and Website Links page).
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