The University of Dayton’s Career Services Web site offers resume tips and interviewing assistance.

Tips for writing a strong résumé:

·         Keep your resume to approximately one page in length.
·         Stress your accomplishments using strong descriptive words in an easy-to-read, short- statement format.
·         Be truthful about your accomplishments and background.
·         An objective is optional. A meaningful career objective succinctly states the position or job functions in which you are interested.
·         If you choose to include courses, only include those directly related to the job and that are not required of all students in your major.
·         You do not have to include every job you have had. If you have worked in your field before, consider using the heading “Related Experience”, and include unrelated jobs in a section called “Other Experience.”
·         When describing your experience, include the name of the company, location, dates of employment and a job title. The description of your duties and accomplishments should be in the form of bullet points, each starting with an action verb.
·         Do not include personal information such as age, gender, race, religion, weight, height, state of health.
·         Do not include a picture on your resume.
·         Do not include previous salaries or the dollar amounts of scholarships or grants you have received.
·         Avoid using personal pronouns (“I”) and abbreviations.
·         Proofread your resume carefully for spelling errors, as well as for clarity and accuracy of information.

Tips for writing a strong cover letter:

The key to a successful job or graduate school search is to communicate with the person who has the ability to hire or admit. Effective cover letters convey a sense of purpose, project enthusiasm for the position or program, and demonstrate your knowledge of the employer or graduate program’s goals and needs. Remember that your cover letter not only accompanies your resume, it is usually on top of your resume when the envelope is opened. Each cover letter should be customized to fit the position for which you are applying.

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