Any good job hunter needs a resume package. The cover letter
and resume always go together and do the same basic thing
in slightly different ways. A job hunter without both of them
will probably not get very far in the search for a good career
position.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what these crucial
documents should do for you. The first part, the cover letter,
is a short one page letter consisting of three or four paragraphs.
It serves as an introduction to the resume. It is the part
that will always be seen by the gatekeeper.
The second part is the resume itself. Many job hunters make
the mistake of thinking they can just leave a resume without
a cover letter. That is like putting on a suit and tie, but
forgetting the shirt or the pants. They are a package and
they go together.
The resume itself may be in either functional or chronological
format. The functional format concentrates on skills. The
chronological format concentrates on employment listings.
The most effective resumes use elements of both formats to
create a combination resume that gets results. It should be
laid out in a graphically appealing style, with adequate use
of white space, bullet points to draw attention to important
parts, and conservative fonts used. While you will occasionally
bold face or italicize a font to draw attention to a point
or break up a large section of type, changing fonts often makes it hard
to read, so stick with one basic font. Also never go smaller
than ten point type, and if possible stick with twelve or
eleven point. Those sizes are easier to read. If your cover
letter and resume are in a small type and hard to read, they simply will
not be read, and will not help you.
Many job seekers wonder how they should present the resume
package to the decision maker. There are several acceptable
methods. If mailing it, use a large nine by twelve white envelope
to avoid folding your materials. The white envelopes
look nicer than the tan manila commonly used in business.
Also large envelopes are generally the first thing people
open when they get their mail. If not the first then they
may save the large envelope for last. Since people tend to
remember the first and the last – the alpha and the omega
– while forgetting much of what is in the middle, either
first or last is a good thing.
If you are hand delivering your documents stop by an office
supply shop and pick up a clear plastic folder with a pressure
binder spine and place your cover letter and resume in it.
It makes a great presentation and will complement it perfectly.
Use these tools well and you are on your way.
Heather Eagar provides reviews of the top resume writing
services that put you in charge of your career so that you
can get the job you deserve. sign-up for your free Job Search
Tips E-course. http://www.resumelines.com/
and http://www.resumelines.com/ecourse.html
