Cover Letter and Resume Peer Review

1. Please sit in groups of
4 (or 5) for today’s
tutorial!
Hand in one copy of your resume + cover letter in the front

2. COMM 202: Career Fundamentals: Tutorial 4
Theo Guevara
T08 & T15

3. 1. TA Feedback Summary
2. Resume and Cover Letter Peer Review
3. Networking Basics
Agenda

4. Tutorial:
Resume and Cover
Letter Peer Review +
Networking
What’s Due:
Bring 2 hard copies of
resume and cover letter
to class
Tutorial:
Informational Interviews
What’s Due:
Resume and cover letter
assignment due Tues,
Nov. 6th @ 11:59PM on
Turnitin and COOL
Lecture:
Interview Prep
What’s Due:
Have informational
interview time and date
confirmed
Networking Event: Tues,
Nov 13th, 6-8PM @ CPA
Hall
Course Timeline
WEEK 9 WEEK 10 WEEK 11

5. TA Feedback
START CONTINUE STOP
Sharing slides
More Assignment
Feedback
More examples of what
NOT to do
More personal
experience
More interactive activities
Sharing personal
experiences
Weekly emails
Good Vibes
Memes
Cold calling people to
participate

9. Resume and Cover Letter
Peer Review

10. Instructions
• Write your name on ALL documents
• Put all documents in the middle of the
table – 1 pile for resumes, 1 for cover
letters
• Trade to the person on your left when
specified and trade again if you get your
own document
• Get out your marking utensils!

11. Watch Out for These Errors
Spelling & Grammar
Inconsistency
Incorrect order of
Information
Improper FormattingIncorrect Information
Missing Information

12. GRAB A RESUME!

13. Resume Formatting
• Titles formatted the same
• Spacing is consistent
• Margins are reasonable (≥1.5cm)
• Phrases either ALL end in period or not
• Dates
• Usually right-aligned
• All have month and year, or just year
• All months are abbreviated to same # of
letters
• Uses hyphens (–) OR dashes (-)
• Font:
• Smallest size is 10
• Generally no more than two types of font
• Numbers under 10 spelled out (i.e. two vs. 2)
• Bullets: same size/style, aligned
• One page

14. Header & General
HEADER
• Name is preferred name with (given name) in
brackets
• Phone and email address are included
• LinkedIn URL is personalized
GENERAL
• No personal pronouns (I, we, he, she)
• Reasonable amount of white space – is it easy
to read?
• Experiences listed in reverse chronological
order by start date
• Spelling and grammar

15. Optional: Key Competencies / Profile
• No more than 5 lines for key competencies (4 for profile)
• Can include languages
• Does it clearly and convincingly summarize strengths/experiences/skills?
• Does it match the job posting (multiple references)?
• Does it provide a clear, convincing link to the rest of the resume (i.e. is there PROOF elsewhere in
the document?)
• OPTIONAL** - depends on the industry you are applying to, include if need a way to fill up your
resume (i.e. Not enough experience but can’t have too much white space on resume)

16. TIME TO TRADE

17. Education
• Bachelor of Commerce not BCOMM or B.Comm
• UBC Sauder School of Business not Sauder School of Business
• Start with the degree
• List expected date of completion (either as “Completion: …” or “Expected Completion: ...”)
• No laundry lists of courses: only specific, relevant courses (full course name written out)
• GPA – score/%/letter grade, indicating the school scale
• Key/relevant projects and awards: write in accomplishment statement form
Do not include high school education!

18. TIME TO TRADE

19. Experience
• Reverse chronological order by start date
• Written in third person
• Eliminate filler words
• You can include explanation sentences of companies / experiences if necessary
• Keep it to one sentence (2 lines is best)
• Elements of RATS statements should be apparent (but not necessarily in RATS order)

20. Experience
• Are experiences achievement based?
• Do numbers clearly quantify achievements where appropriate?
• Do statements have Accomplishment, Proof, Transferrable skills, and Scope of Action?
• Are statements led with strong result verbs? Are the verbs being used varied across bullet points?
• Does language indicate familiarity with industry/company? Does it match the job description?

21. TIME TO TRADE

22. Interests
• Do the interests show personality? Are they specific? Are they
relevant to the job (not always necessary)?
• Do they differentiate the candidate? Are they memorable?
• Be fun! And appropriate
*NOTE for the candidate: Be able to speak about these interests
extensively!

23. GRAB A COVER LETTER

24. Cover Letter Formatting
• Left aligned (NOT justified)
• No indents on paragraphs
• 2-3 relevant skills + stories highlighted
• Consistent font size (minimum size 10 and
should match with resume font size)
• Appropriate font
• Margin sizes
• Spacing between paragraphs
• Appropriate balance of content and white
space
• One page
**Headers of cover letter and resume must
match, it’s all about branding**

25. Addressing the Cover Letter
Date
Contact Name (if known)
Title
Company Name
Address 1
City, Province Postal Code
Re: Position Title (and reference number if given)
Dear [First name Last name],
or Dear Hiring Manager/Committee, or Dear
Mr./Ms./Mx. Last Name,
[Opening Paragraph]

26. Signing Off
Sincerely, / Regards, / Best,
(Written signature if you want)
Your name
BCom Candidate 20XX
Sauder School of Business
Enclosed or Attached*: Resume
* Enclosed: physical copy
* Attached: electronic copy

27. GRAB A COVER LETTER

28. Opening
• How is the hook?
• Interest/passion for the position?
• Skills/experience matching the job posting?
• Is primary or secondary research integrated
• Name drop? (when applicable)
• Branding: CAN-WANT-FIT

29. GRAB A COVER LETTER

30. Body Paragraphs
• Skills to match the position?
• STARL format?
• Are there examples – specific & concise?
• Transferrable skills?
• Do results show strengths or success?

31. GRAB A COVER LETTER

32. Closing Paragraph
• Are skills reiterated?
• Is sincere interest expressed?
• Graciously thanks employer for consideration
• Call to action (aka request for a meeting)
• Tie back to hook/intro, wrap it up in a nice bow
• Do not include your contact information – that can already be found in the header

33. Networking

34. Networking Reflection Assignment
Your paper needs to include:
1. Your goals in attending the event:
• What is your purpose in going? What do you want to know about Sauder?
• Define SMART goals beforehand – how will you define the success of your
evening?
1. How did you prepare for the event? (Research potential delegates)
• What was it about these delegates that motivated you wanting to talk to
them?
1. Summary of who you spoke with and what you learned
1. Reflection in lessons you have learned about the networking process
1. Next steps you will take to continue building a relationship with your new contact (if
you plan to)

35. Researching Delegates
1. Check out delegate info on course blog
1. Skim LinkedIn profiles of delegates you’d like to
speak to
• Note any interesting topics
• Hone in on similar experiences or shared
groups
• Think about questions to ask
BE INTERESTED WITHOUT BEING CREEPY!

36. Dress Code

37. Ending a Conversation
Thank them for their
time
Leave with a handshake
Ask to connect after the
event
Be polite and gracious

38. Action Items
1. Submit Resume and Cover Letter Assignment by Tuesday,
November 6th @ 11:59PM via Turnitin and COOL.
- Submit once to Turnitin for marking.
- Submit a second time to COOL (to receive an interview for the
assignment).
Due date is the SAME for both submissions.
2. Networking Event – Tuesday, November 13th from 6-8PM.
3. Office Hours signup on COOL.

39. Networking
We’re changing things up!
Networking will be done in two waves
1. If you are in Tutorial 1-10, attend the networking event from 6-
7PM
2. If you are in Tutorial 11-20, attend the networking event from 7-
8PM
3. Please attend your correct time slot, as we will check your
tutorial section during sign-in.

40. 40
Questions?
Have a great day!