How Do You Format Your Cover Letter and Resume? + Any Helpful Insight

[Star-Lord]

Hey everybody,

As the title suggest I'm working on spicing mine up and was wondering how everybody has their formatted or any tips or tricks they have.

Mine is pretty basic and I know my girlfriend suggested to get a picture of my signature and translate it to my cover letter and my resume is very basic. I won't lie being 25 and looking for jobs is rough, makes me feel like I went into the wrong schooling with these damn requirements. I also have a question, some of these jobs are out of left field and was curious do you re-write a brand new cover letter / resume if it doesn't apply to your experience? It sounds silly but for example, my background is mental health and working with individuals with disabilities but one job is an event planner and looking at the requirements I have the basic schooling portion but no experience in the field. Let me tell you, they need to make this shit easier for people to get jobs, how the hell do people branch out when it feels like your restricted to what all these jobs want from you before hand.

 

[treasureyez]

Cover letters should be unique to the position you're applying for and explain why you'd bring value to the team/organization.
In terms of formatting, honestly, the simpler and easier to read the better. Highlight what you did and any impact you created.
Definitely don't include your signature (or any images for that matter).

 

[Star-Lord]

Cover letters should be unique to the position you're applying for and explain why you'd bring value to the team/organization.
In terms of formatting, honestly, the simpler and easier to read the better. Highlight what you did and any impact you created.
Definitely don't include your signature (or any images for that matter).

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Gotcha thanks so much!
I realize I also need to just apply to any job that interest me because the requirements are usually overwhelming and hoping one will get back to me.

 

[RobotHaus]

I'm not sure what your field is, but for me as a Graphic Designer I decided to make my resume into art and my cover letter has some echos of it to help connect the two.

But as said earlier, you should try to make different resumes/cover letters based on what type of job you're going for. If you have to make 5 different ones then so be it.

 

[Malverde]

It depends on your field and what they find "acceptable". I'm not a designer by trade, but I still got creative with it. Mine is green and beige with a unique format to show that I can navigate a computer and make a lot of information easily readable. It covers a mix of personal and professional while also having a picture of me. Cover letter uses the same font and color scheme as the the resume. I started doing it because I realized that I wouldn't want to work for a place that couldn't appreciate a more creative resume anyway. If an organization is that much of a stickler for "professionalism", then they can go to hell. My colorful resume has scored me two jobs, a fellowship, and acceptance into grad school so it has done alright by me.

As for the contents, the resume stays the same always but the cover letter is tailored to the position.

 

[Star-Lord]

It depends on your field and what they find "acceptable". I'm not a designer by trade, but I still got creative with it. Mine is green and beige with a unique format to show that I can navigate a computer and make a lot of information easily readable. It covers a mix of personal and professional while also having a picture of me. Cover letter uses the same font and color scheme as the the resume. I started doing it because I realized that I wouldn't want to work for a place that couldn't appreciate a more creative resume anyway. If an organization is that much of a stickler for "professionalism", then they can go to hell. My colorful resume has scored me two jobs, a fellowship, and acceptance into grad school so it has done alright by me.

As for the contents, the resume stays the same always but the cover letter is tailored to the position.

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That sounds really cool, how did you add a picture of yourself into it? I would love to see that format you use :)

 

[Ivy Veritas]

If you're applying to a company that reads the submissions manually, then any moderately professional-looking design is fine. Just pick a template from your word processor and go with it, if you're not comfortable designing your own. The people who are reading it are looking at so many that they honestly don't give a shit what it looks like as long as they can read it and it looks like an actual resume. They're not going to mark you down for your resume design unless it looks like crap (though if you're a graphic designer, you probably need to pay more attention to the design than other people would).

If you're applying to a larger company that processes resumes electronically, you might need different design criteria to make sure their system can read your content. Google for tips on automated resume screening.

Your resume should remain pretty constant, just tweaking it to emphasize different things for different fields, but you should write a new cover letter for every position. Your goal here is to connect your resume and your experiences to the specific position you're applying for. The cover letter does not need to be overly formal or obsequious. Just talk plainly and clearly. And to those people who hate writing cover letters, just know that the people who are reading them hate them too. They're not going to spend a ton of time evaluating the little details, as long as it's clear and it gets across the points you want to make.

Try to avoid spelling errors and grammatical errors in both documents. If I get 50 cover letters for a position, I'm not going to pay much attention to the one that spells the name of our product wrong (a six-letter name clearly shown multiple times on the position posting--it doesn't even require any research to look it up).

 

[Lightus]

I had my first hard push to find a new job earlier this year so I can relate a bit. I made a basic resume that covered most of my experience and I left like 10% to tweak for the specific job I was applying for. I did the same for cover letters. I had a few different letters to choose from and edited them to match the position. I spent more time on the ones for jobs I really wanted and less time for ones I didn't (necessary for me due to how many jobs I was applying to per day)

The main thing I learned (which seems obvious but can actually be hard to put into practice) is that you won't be hired off your resume, so don't worry about putting your whole sum of experiences on there. The point of a resume/cover letter is to get you an interview. Keep it focused on things they wanna see, you can use their job description as a guide.

Finally, I got hired in 3 weeks of job hunting. I applied to about 35 jobs a week, so about 100 jobs. I got about 15 rejection letters total and about 5 interviews by the time I got my job. My resume that I sent to them was very basic, just two columns with a bit of color around my name. My LinkedIn profile was just my resume, didn't even have a profile picture. I'd say definitely work on your resume formating etc but in most cases it's the resume content that matters. Pick a format that's standard to your industry, fill it out with your experience and just throw it out there everywhere. I wasn't qualified on paper for the job I applied for but they still gave me a job after the interview process. You can probably still apply if you don't have some of their minor "nice to have/preferred" experience.

 

[Ultima_5]

Something to keep in mind is to make your resume readable when printed out in black and white. Something to consider if you use color font&backgrounds

I have a standard resume and maybe have a one sentence statement near the top I️ switch out for different jobs. Cover letters I'd tailor a bit especially if you're trying to pivot to something different. I'm in a STEM field for what it's worth.

I'm sure other folks in different fields dress them up a lot more but I️ just have a simple bullet point list for most of my sections. Most online job applications pull the text directly from your uploaded pdf so the bullet point list translates without much fuss

 

[Ultima_5]

That sounds really cool, how did you add a picture of yourself into it? I would love to see that format you use :)

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Id be weary of doing the photo unless you're going into modeling or something.

 

[Small Red Boy]

As others have said Cover letters should be targeted to the position job you are applying for. I have mine with a generic presentation of my self and the rest is variable, targeted to the job and company. Usually saying how I love the company, and would love to work there. It is usually worth to go to the job requirements and copy and paste the transferable skills (team worker, communication, easy going, etc.) that they are looking for in both you resume and cover letter. The rest of non-transferable skills I wouldn't lie too much since could be more problematic for yourself in the future (Like if you say you can do certain procedure that they require, but you can't). The standards for puting a pic of yourself or signatures I think varies from country to country, for instance in the UK everyone recommended me not to put any of that. But might be different for you country.

 

[Star-Lord]

Thanks again so far! And interesting I thought having a signature at the bottom of the cover letter was normal.
Also when you write cover letters I was told to write it in past tension on where I currently work.

 

[fracas]

My main suggestion would be to keep your resume at one page and try to only include relevant positions you've had. I've been able to do this and I'm in my late 20s, but I also job hop a lot. It's also a good idea to ask someone with an editorial eye to look it over for any typos/overall cohesion, or maybe look at hiring someone on fiverr or something. I'd just find a nice template you like for the design, that sort of stuff isn't super important for most jobs.

As for cover letters, I'd also write up a template that covers a certain position you want, then just add in a paragraph specific to the job/company you're applying for. Landing a new job is a numbers game and nobody has time to write dozens of these things from scratch.

 

[Malverde]

That sounds really cool, how did you add a picture of yourself into it? I would love to see that format you use :)

Click to shrink...

It is just a picture in the top left corner like this.

I am both selfish and terrified of being recognized so I don't want to put my actual resume here, but you can look to websites like Canva that have free templates that are a bit more creative than you see on word if you want something premade with a bit more pizzaz (or to get inspiration before making something original).

With that said, always always always make sure it is easy to read. I have reviewed resumes that try to get fancy with formatting then end up being corner to corner walls of text. Less is more, there is totally such a thing as too much detail. Don't be afraid of empty space.

 

[johnnyquicknives]

As for cover letters, I'd also write up a template that covers a certain position you want, then just add in a paragraph specific to the job/company you're applying for. Landing a new job is a numbers game and nobody has time to write dozens of these things from scratch.

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On the flip side, sending out generic cover letters means that you don't stand out, look like you made little effort and make it a numbers game. Obviously it varies from industry to industry, role to role etc. but if you're applying for work in your own field, or have a bit of general experience under your belt (rather than trying to enter a hyper-competitive field for the very first time) taking the time upfront to 1) Look for jobs that you think you are a good match for, and 2) putting effort into the applications has always proved more fruitful for me. I sent two applications this year, they each took a decent amount of time spread over multiple days, but I heard back from both and in both interviews I was specifically complimented on them.

Plenty advice already posted on the resumes themselves but I'd just reiterate to keep it concise (I was sent a twelve page one this year. twelve. If you had a paper round in the 90's you can leave that off now) and also proof read everything, especially if you're going for a shotgun approach. The cover email I got this year that mail-merged my name rather than the company name didn't get far.

It sounds silly but for example, my background is mental health and working with individuals with disabilities but one job is an event planner and looking at the requirements I have the basic schooling portion but no experience in the field. Let me tell you, they need to make this shit easier for people to get jobs, how the hell do people branch out when it feels like your restricted to what all these jobs want from you before hand.

Click to shrink...

This is what your cover letter is for, and accounts for one of the things people complain about a lot "How do I get experience when everything needs experience". Your experience doesn't (or will very, very rarely) need to be 1-to-1 with the job role, but what you do need to do is to make it clear in the cover letter that you read, processed and understood the requirements they are looking for, and to explain how you could leverage experience you do have (and that could be taken from roles in different sectors, university projects, even personal life in some circumstances) to meet the requirements they have listed in the job.
"While I don't have experience in requirement X, Y has these similarities and my experience doing that is what inspired me to move towards X in my next role. I love the challenge of learning new skills, one of the most satisfying experiences in [current role] was [specific project] where I had to pick up Y fast".
In your instance think about what you've specifically done in your current/past roles, and what is making you think about switching to event planning. Do you plan any events or go on excursions with the individuals you work with? Or even help them develop schedules to manage their days? Do you have to plan your own schedules to travel between multiple people you work with on the same day? Basically if you try and break down the things you do in your current role, but detached a little from the specific field you will probably find more places that start to tie in to new positions than you expect.

Another thing worth considering, especially if you're early in your career or pivoting, is looking at the types of companies and who you're applying to. In my experience you will have better luck in smaller companies, and especially if you are sending the application to a real person rather than through automated screening. It's not always an option, but it's where I've found the most success.

 

[Star-Lord]

Thanks again everybody for the advice!

Another question what websites do you use for looking up jobs besides indeed and linkedin?

 

[Minthara]

Thanks again everybody for the advice!

Another question what websites do you use for looking up jobs besides indeed and linkedin?

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Depends what kind of job you are looking for. For instance, there are always industry specific job boards such as Hitmarker for the video game industry, so make sure you are combing places like that. Here in Montreal we have Isarta for marketing jobs, another good example.

As for resume: I'm no longer a fan of the basic standard resume template and I'm even less of a fan of it now that I'm in a position to hire people. I'm a big fan of the deconstructed resume , which highlights the skills and strengths you think apply to the position rather than just your work history. In fact, I encourage people to just put their work history these days on LinkedIn and make their resumes deconstructed, although that does not work in every industry.

If you want an example of a deconstructed resume, I can post one here later or you can reach out to me via DM and Ill share one.

For cover letter: Again, be cautious. Sometimes no cover letter helps you more than having a cover letter would, especially if you are sending out a generalized cover letter that doesn't really speak to the role.

If you or anyone else has any other CV questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me! Like I said, I'll try and remember to post a deconstructed resume I like here later as an example of what I mean.

Edit: also avoid anything like those star ratings or rating your skills out of 5 or anything of that nature as shown in that template above (although that template was pretty good for the headshot if you want to include that, although I would not) - that shit is generally laughed at and means nothing, as does putting stuff like Photoshop Expert or Intermediate At Microsoft Office or any of that other stuff.

 

[RolandGunner]

Thanks again everybody for the advice!

Another question what websites do you use for looking up jobs besides indeed and linkedin?

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The best advise I can give job seekers is to develop a relationship with a few good recruiters. Its tough because you don't know the good ones until you're working with them. But a quality recruiter will have a better understanding on the job market than you ever will and can guide you on skills to highlight, salary to ask for etc. I'd start by looking up recruiting firms with good reviews on yelp or google reviews.

 

[Pau]

Surprised by some folks here saying otherwise, but you should definitely tailor your resume to the position. Have a standard resume with all of your experience, but only pick out the relevant stuff for each position. And if you really want to be extra, reorder or rewrite your bullet points to match the job requirements.

I use Google Jobs when searching. If you are looking for jobs in the non-profit space, you can use Idealist.

 

[Jenos]

If you want an example of a deconstructed resume, I can post one here later or you can reach out to me via DM and Ill share one.

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Good advices, if you could post some examples it would be interesting, i don't think i've ever seen a deconstructed CV in Italy (and i did some hiring in this last year)

 

[Star-Lord]

Okay I'd love to see some examples of every bodies resumes :)
I just started looking this past week and it's a bit daunting

 

[Minthara]

Good advices, if you could post some examples it would be interesting, i don't think i've ever seen a deconstructed CV in Italy (and i did some hiring in this last year)

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Okay I'd love to see some examples of every bodies resumes :)
I just started looking this past week and it's a bit daunting

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Here's an example of my deconstructed (also called functional) resume with some details changed.

The goal is to keep it to one page and really hone in on what skills you might have that apply to the position being posted. Like I said earlier, LinkedIn (in my opinion) should have the chronological detailed breakdown of all the work you've done and where but a CV, for me, should be telling me why you would be a good fit for the role.

This is especially helpful for positions I've posted where people have been trying to cross over into marketing because these kinds of CVs show me what skills the applicant thinks will apply to the position that I'm hiring for rather than having to make those connections myself through their CV and work history.

It's also helpful for putting people who may not be put on an equal hiring pedestal in the past because of their gender or color of their skin and instead lets every single person tell their professional story rather than me just combing through past job titles.

 

[Ivy Veritas]

Thanks again everybody for the advice!

Another question what websites do you use for looking up jobs besides indeed and linkedin?

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Another good resource is university career-posting pages. Universities are large enough that they may have hundreds of positions open at once. You won't qualify for most of them (nobody will), but there's such a wide range of positions, you're almost certain to qualify for a few.

Large government agencies will often have similar pages with many different types of positions posted.

 

[Star-Lord]

Another good resource is university career-posting pages. Universities are large enough that they may have hundreds of positions open at once. You won't qualify for most of them (nobody will), but there's such a wide range of positions, you're almost certain to qualify for a few.

Large government agencies will often have similar pages with many different types of positions posted.

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That's what I have been mostly doing actually! There is a university nearby (McMaster) that I have been applying jobs for.

 

[tmdorsey]

This thread is relevant to me as I'm working on my resume for Software Development/Engineering positions and I haven't created a resume in over 20 years.

 

[Jenos]

Here's an example of my deconstructed (also called functional) resume with some details changed.

The goal is to keep it to one page and really hone in on what skills you might have that apply to the position being posted. Like I said earlier, LinkedIn (in my opinion) should have the chronological detailed breakdown of all the work you've done and where but a CV, for me, should be telling me why you would be a good fit for the role.

This is especially helpful for positions I've posted where people have been trying to cross over into marketing because these kinds of CVs show me what skills the applicant thinks will apply to the position that I'm hiring for rather than having to make those connections myself through their CV and work history.

It's also helpful for putting people who may not be put on an equal hiring pedestal in the past because of their gender or color of their skin and instead lets every single person tell them professional story rather than me just combing through past job titles.

Click to shrink...

Yup, this is actually really nice, thanks for sharing