Is the past in your future? This presentation was slightly tailor to those graduating with an Anthropology degree and beginning their job search.

1. RESUMES AND
COVER LETTERS
‘IS THE PAST IN YOUR FUTURE?’
P R E S E N T E D B Y :
C A R R I E K L A P H A K E
C A R R I E . K L A P H A K E @ S O N O M A .
E D U
6 6 4 - 3 7 3 2

2. “THE ONLY THING THAT
STANDS BETWEEN YOU AND
YOUR DREAM IS THE WILL TO
TRY AND THE BELIEF THAT IT
IS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE.”
–JOEL BROWN

3. OVERVIEW
• Introduction
• Resume writing
• Cover Letter writing

4. SERVICES OFFERED
PEER ADVISING
• Resume Help & Review
• Cover Letter Help &
Review
• Starting the Job Search
• Seawolf Job-Link
Questions
STAFF
ADVISING
• Advance Resume and
Cover Letter Review
• Career Exploration
• Career Planning
• Job Search Assistance
• Graduate School
Planning
• Interviewing Assistance
• LinkedIn Support

5. QUESTIONS
• Who has a resume?
• Who’s resume is updated and current?
• Who has looked at your resume?
• Who has participated in an internship?
• Who is involved in student
organizations or clubs?

6. WHAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF A
RESUME?

7. PURPOSE
• Get an interview
• Give a GOOD first
impression
• Content
• Layout
• Language
• Grammar
• Tone

8. TRUE OR FALSE?
My job duties,
What I have accomplished,
What I am good at!
Where I am going?

9. FALSE
• Not totally false
• MORE about how these things make
you qualified for a position
Why should I consider you over someone
else?

10. TARGETING EMPLOYERS
• Use your resume to convince employers that
your academic success is transferable to the
workplace.
• Optimizing keywords
• Show employers how you can help them
achieve their objectives
• Have a clear understanding of the
company/industry when creating your resume

11. RESUME APPEARANCE
• One page preferred, sometimes 2 is
needed
• Make sure formatted correctly when
sending digitally (PDF form)
• Standard fonts (Arial, Times, Helvetica)
• Margins: .5 (narrow)
• Smallest 11 point font
• Emphasize points with bullets
• UPPERCASE, bold, italics

12. RESUME FORMATS –
REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL
• Employment history organized: most recent
position first
• Highlights accomplishments within each
position
• Recruiters and employers often prefer this
format

13. HEADINGS
• Contact information
• Education
• Work/Relevant/Volunteer Experience
• Skills
• Activities/Campus Involvement
• Awards and Recognition
• Coursework

14. CONTACT INFORMATION
• Name (largest font)
• Address, City and State (optional)
• Phone
• Email Address/avoid silly email addresses.
Using your first and last name is the most
professional
• LinkedIn URL

15. EDUCATION
• Include expected graduation
date, major, minor
• If you attended more then one
school list most recent
education first
• GPA (if 3.0 or greater)
• Academic honors
• Study Abroad

16. EXPERIENCE
• Include job title, name of company,
location, dates, accomplishments,
description of responsibilities & results
produced
• Can be paid, volunteer or internship
• Be specific – give numbers and details if
possible

17. ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS
Formula:
Action verb + Object + Context+ Results Produced
Action Verb: Planned, initiated, coordinate
Object: Planned a meeting; Initiated a program..
Context: interesting detail- who you did for; time frame; number of people;
types of issue/population etc.
Results: the bottom lime effect of your effort (saved time or money, exceeded
sales goals, reduced errors)
Quantify whenever possible

18. ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS
• Skills
Languages -- Specify language and degree of
fluency
Computer -- Name software and hardware
• Professional Affiliations
• Publications

19. WRITING STYLE - EXPERIENCE
• Use present tense for current job
• Use past tense for previous jobs
• Don’t use pronouns – “I, We, They”
• Don’t refer to yourself in 3rd person
• Complete sentences and periods are not
necessary

20. VOLUNTEER/INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
• Paid or unpaid work is experience and valuable
• Make sure to list the hours you committed/weekly,
monthly
• Describe the environment that you worked in and the
responsibilities that were required of you.

21. WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE
• Quirky, silly email addresses
• Personal info. – religion, marital status,
health
• Hobbies
• References- separate document
• Bad formatting
• Imagery –your pic
• Difficult to read fonts
• Embellishing the truth about your
accomplishments
• Anything that could work against you

22. FINAL POINTERS
• Put your best foot forward - be proud of your
accomplishments!
• Be honest – would former supervisors agree
with what you’ve included?
• Ask a few people to review your resume: is it
clear, specific, and to-the-point?
• Proofread, proofread, proofread! Assume
employers will catch all mistakes

23. CULTURAL RESOURCES TECHNICIAN

25. COVER LETTERS
Purpose of letter of introduction:
Supplements and clarifies resume
Should be targeted in response to a specific job opening
 Do not send out general letters
Should be addressed to hiring manager, by name
 Spell correctly!

26. COVER LETTERS
Paragraph 1
Position you are applying for
How you learned of opening (ad? referral?)
State who you are
Why you are interested in the company

27. COVER LETTERS
Paragraph 2
Describe how your skills and background match job
description
State top 3 skills in the first sentence – topic sentence
Transition with soft skill
Refer to the fact that your resume is enclosed

28. COVER LETTERS
Paragraph 3
Reiterate interest in position
Let them know when/if you will follow-up
Call them two weeks after application closing date?
State that you would be glad to provide the employer with
any additional information needed
Thank the employer for his/her time and consideration