Application Materials

Prior to applying to jobs, it is very important to have a finalized cover letter and resume. Our center has a Resume and Cover Letter Guide, that can walk you through the basic steps of creating these documents. We have walk-in hours on Tuesday-Thursday from 3:00 pm-4:30 pm to get your resume reviewed, as well as appointments available on Starr Search.

Resumes and Cover Letters

• In the US Job Search Process
• • A resume is a marketing document and a concise, tailored summary of your experience, education, and skills
  • A cover letter is a complete record of your academic and professional achievements, typically used for positions in academia
  • Main purpose: to get an interview
  • The resume and cover letter is your first initial impression on them, so make it a good one!

resume

Understanding Resume Basics

• Must be no longer than one page – they will be looking at this resume for about 45 seconds to about a minute
• It serves as a writing sample
• Be clear and concise – relay why you want to be a part of this industry/company
• Avoid personal pronouns (“I, my his, her, them, their, your, mine”) and abbreviations (“corp, etc.”)
• Avoid using templates that were created by Google Docs or Microsoft Word

When Formatting Your Resume:

• Use a clear readable font such as:
  • Times New Roman, Calibri, Cambria, or Arial
• Font size can be between 10-12
• Carefully use Bold, Underline, Italics, or CAPITALIZATION to add emphasis
• Margins can be between .5 – 1.0 inch wide

4 Core Resume Sections

1. Contact Information
2. Education
3. Work Experience
4. Skills

Other Sections You Can Include:

Including these sections will demonstrate to your employer that you have some type of interest in their industry. It is also helpful to show these things in case you don’t have other internships that you can show to employers

• Honors and Awards – deans list, scholarships, fellowships
• Relevant Courses* – highlight most high level classes, that relate to your industry
• Projects* – add projects in classes that would relate to your industry
• Interests – highlight interests as an icebreaker at the bottom of your resume
• Publications – research publications are good to include
• Competitions – hackathons, challenges within Baruch or outside of Baruch
• Leadership Activities* – any type of leadership activity (clubs, work, etc.)
• Volunteer Work – professional organizations or local
• Presentations 
• Professional Organizations

* Most important to include on your resume

What NOT to Include (for jobs in the U.S.):

• Personal information such as age, marital status, number of children, pictures (these may be required in some countries), or inappropriate email addresses.
• Objective statements, such as “Seeking a position in the finance industry.” Instead, use your cover letter to emphasize the position you are applying for and how your background relates.
• Repetition of words such as “responsibilities” and “duties included” before each description
• List of references or “References Available Upon Request.” Instead, prepare a separate document and bring this list of references with you to interviews or submit the separate references document when requested
• Typos or inconsistencies. Ensure that the resume has no spelling or grammatical errors and that all punctuation is consistent
• Social Security number, passport number or other identification numbers

Contact Information:

• Name is bold and in larger font
• Current contact information
• If up to date, add your customized LinkedIn URL

Optional:

• Listing your US address – city and state is usually sufficient
• Listing your international address – if you apply for international opportunities 
• Adding a link to your personal website, LinkedIn or online portfolio

Education:

• GPA if it is a 3.0 or above 
• Include other schools you have attended if you are a transfer student (include the GPA as well, as long as it’s 3.0 or above)
• Spell out your degree
• Include major and minor
• Optional: relevant coursework and interesting classes

Experience:

• Prioritize bullets based on relevancy – most current experience listed first
• Quantify when possible 
• Don’t discount part-time/transferable experiences
• Use strong action verbs for each bullet
• Include months and years
• Don’t use more than 7 or 8 bullet points per experience 

Leadership and Activities

• Add bullets for activities, especially if you hold a leadership role
• Activities do not have to be career focused or directly relevant

Tip: Campus involvement is a great way to enhance your resume and develop soft skills that employers want!

Skills

• List computer skills or programs you know. Add proficiency level!
• List language skills you have and whether you are fluent, conversational or basic

Tip: if you are a CIS major or in a technical field, computer/software skills should go toward the top of the resume

Volunteer Experience

• Add descriptions for volunteer experience
• Similar to work experiences, be specific and focus on transferable skills!
• Idealist.com is a great place to start to find volunteer experience

Certifications & Additional Coursework

• Add certifications such as Google Analytics or Bloomberg Terminal
• You can also add supplemental courses you have taken outside of Baruch to develop additional skills

The Bullet Point

• Your bullet points should:
  • Be clear and concise
  • Show relevant skills and qualities
  • Talk about the how and the what
  • Start with strong action verbs
  • Be written in the correct tense (past/present)
  • Show results and accomplishments
  • Be written using relevant industry terminology
  • Not use personal pronouns

Anatomy of a Bullet Statement

“Trash Can” Documents

Avoid the following:

• Spelling errors and/or poor grammar
• Overuse of different fonts
• Sloppy or inconsistent formatting
• Different colored text or paper
• A resume longer than ONE page
• Using a MS Word or any other resume template

To prevent having a “trash can” document, follow our Resume and Cover Letter Guide

cover letter

The Goal of the Cover Letter is to get an Interview!

• Should be brief and interesting – no longer than one page
• Should not be a carbon copy of your resume
• Should highlight what you’ll bring to the job
• Should reflect an eager, positive, & confident tone
• Let the employer know how you will be a valuable asset to them – not the other way around
• Demonstrates that your strengths and skills will make you an asset to the organization

Letter of Application

• Targeted for each specific job posting 
• Highlight that your skill set resonates with the company’s needs 
• Helpful to use terms/jargon found in job posting
• Feature relevant experience throughout the letter
• Tie your experience to your skills
• Show how your skills directly relate to the job description

Three Paragraphs are all you need

1. The Introduction:
   1. Introduce who you are
   2. State what position you are applying for
   3. Clarify how and when you heard about the position
2. The Body:
   1. Explain your interest in the position and organization
   2. Highlight transferable skills
   3. Describe what you can do for the organization
   4. Use approximately 2 specific examples to sell your skills
3. The Conclusion:
   1. Discuss why you want to work for this organization
   2. Show appreciation and express interest in meeting to further discuss qualifications

How to Begin your Cover Letter

Introduction: 

1. State the reason for applying
2. Name the specific position, or type of work for which you are applying
3. Also, be sure to state the resource used in finding out about the opening/company (news, media, friend, faculty, career office, etc.) and when you discovered the posting

How to Write the Body of your Cover Letter

Body: Advertise yourself! Highlight your transferable skills and accomplishment:

1. Start with a transferable skill
2. Provide an example that demonstrate this skill
3. Share how you would apply this skill in this role
4. Explain why you would want to work at this new company

How to Close your Cover Letter

Closing:

1. Refer the reader to the enclosed resume application, and/or writing sample
2. Reiterate 1 or 2 things that you like about the company
3. Thank them for considering your application.
4. Ask for the interview!
5. Repeat your contact information (cell and email) so that it is clear how they can contact you

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Letters longer than 1 page
• Repetition of your resume
• Duplicate letters – forgetting to change the name/address of the organization, the date, or even the addressee
• Noting experiences and skills that do not match the goals or needs of the position
• Indicating what the employer can do for you rather than what you can do for them
• It is helpful to get feedback on your letter from someone else
• Revise the letter so there are no typos/errors

“Trash Can” Documents

• What mistakes will cause your cover letter to end up in the trash?
  • Addressing letter to wrong organization
  • Spelling errors & poor grammar
  • Using a generic letter
  • Overuse of different fonts
  • Different colored texts
  • A cover letter longer than ONE page

References

• Ask people, such as, professors, past employers, and work supervisors if you can use them as references before you give out their names, addresses, and telephone numbers
• Please note that this is not the same as recommendation letters
• A recommendation letter is used for academic related applications such as graduate schools, scholarships or fellowships
• Take your reference list with you to an interview. If you are asked for references, present it to the interviewer
• Remember to notify the people you use as references that a prospective employer may be calling them

Writing Sample

• Choosing your writing sample:
  • Select writing samples that match the type of the writing that you will be doing on the job
• Submit your best writing:
  • If you are deciding between two papers, and one is better written than the other, but your weaker paper is topically more relevant, choose the paper that is better written
• Provide excerpts if your samples are long
  • Most employers will specify how many pages or how many clips they want. If they don’t, then submit 2-5 pages of writing, usually double-spaced
  • Provide an excerpt with a notation at the top that tells the employer that it is an excerpt from a (number) page paper on (topic) and where in the paper this excerpt is from. You might share the introduction, sections of the body, and your conclusion, so the reader is still able to follow your thought process
• Proofread, proofread, proofread!