A resume is a summary of a person’s experiences and skill relevant to the field they are currently working or wishing to find employment in. it is thus the first step in job application process. Cover letter on the other hand often represent you first chance to make a good impression on a potential employer. Thus a cover letter should be personalized for each job opportunity and together with the resume; it should tell a compelling story about who you are, what you have accomplished and why the potential employer should want to meet you.A cover letter accompanies a resume. One should not send a resume without a cover letter because it usually makes the recipient to guess what one is asking for. A resume is usually specific and usually tell the recipient what the sender is asking for. It also informs the recipient how the sender got to learn about the organization/position.A cover letter serves the purpose of convincing the reader to look at the resume. It is usually seen before the resume hence it has to be well written and targeting the employer. It calls for attention to the elements in the resume for instance the leadership, experience and education among other relevant information. The information on the cover letter is usually very specific while that in the resume is detailed. The cover letter just entices the recipient to look at the resume.
At the same time the cover letter gives you an opportunity to position yourself in a way that show you did enough research concerning the functions of the organization of the organization and thus you have something to offer to the organization. Thus the cover letter set up the organization’s recruiting officer to read the resume with its context in mind. In deed while reading the cover letter the organization is concerned with the grammar, punctuation and thus a cover letter with ether grammatical or punctuation error definitely raise red flags even for the most accomplished applicant. Thus a good cover letter should be well written, concise and free of typos. In addition the cover letter should also make it clear why you are interested in the position as well as why you are the best candidate for that position. This means that the organization look at how well the cover letter articulate the candidates’ strong passion for an organization’s mission and the letter should point to specific expression that demonstrate the passion. Also the cover letter should be one page maximum while resume should be two or three pages in length. Thus if you have a long list of publications or speaking engagement that you want to share then you should create an addendum to the resume rather than give long resume. At the same time both the cover letter and the resume must be easily legible.
For most organizations the resume lay out is very important. In addition the resume should be simple, clean and consistent. This means that the visual appeal is of any resume is very important to the organization because it may convey information regarding the organization skills of the job seeker.Organizations also focus on the accomplishments rather than activities, responsibilities or educational background. Thus while applying for a management position; the focus of your resume should be on professional accomplishment such as how you instituted performance management plan and reduced turnover of field staff or something that you accomplished for the organization.Also well evaluating you resumes the organization look at whether you articulate experience in a way that emphasizes their transferability to the specific job you are pursuing. Thus one should for example highlight functional expertise such as marketing, technology or accounting or emphasize having managed individuals from different back ground and departments. Also of concern are the individual’s extracurricular activities. Thus one should make sure that he or she highlights all of his or her relevant nonprofit involvement and the skill one developed through that work. This is because having a specific section of the resume dedicated to community involvement or nonprofit work can help make the experiences more visible to the resume reader.Also of concern to most organization is whether you application is relevant. One should for example avoid applying to something totally irrelevant to his profession. Thus one should not come in for a number of jobs that aren’t really relevant to you skill set, because this make it difficult for the organization to take you seriously, even if the job fitted you. A resume should have all the appropriate training, certifications and education. One should begin with the most recent qualification and work backward. This section should have the name of the school attended and its location, the certificate, diploma and degree attained and the year of completion, year of completion, field of study and the honors awarded. If one has not yet completed their particular degrees, they should make use of the word expected before the date of graduation. The organization also expects the most recent resume in case of an application. Thus one should keep his or her resume updates and therefore if you are to apply for any post then you must give you potential employer or recruiter you most recent information. Also organizations expect resumes that look at you academic record from a skill and ability perspective. The organization is interested in knowing for example whether you undertook any special project or collaborative assignment as part of team work and group leadership abilities, talents that most employers prize. Also of importance to organization are you membership to professional and academic organizations. The employer or the organization looks at whether you were a member of any academic or professional organization, society or committee. Thus a good resume should note any organization in which you are or have been involved and describe the role you played as well as write down any notable achievement or how you helped these organizations fulfill their aims.Also of great concern to the organization while evaluating a resume are volunteer or community activities. A good resume should for example take account of the voluntary experience. This is because volunteering is a great way of gaining valuable experience that can be applied to a job. Thus a good resume take note of any community participation an individual deed. This is because extracurricular activities tell an employer about you motivation character, value and work ethics. In addition the organization while evaluating a resume looks at the top accomplishments. This is because a good resume list all the most significant accomplishment either professional, academics or personal experience. Thus while writing a resume one should write each achievement followed by an explanation as well as the models he used to measure their success.Finally the organization looks at you the referee. The referee gives professional experience credentials as well as academic integrity. The reference sheet should be separate and it lists the name, title, office address and the phone numbers of three to five people who know the abilities of the sender. Before offering them as references it is important to ensure that these people have agreed to recommend someone. However there exist a number of differences between online and hard copy resumes. Majority of the online are chronological while hard copy resumes may be formatted as chronological or curriculum vitae. Also with hard copy you have a generous number of font, script and colors that can be used.At the same time online resumes ask for salary history and as well as the salary range while with hard copy you don’t include the two unless they are expressly requested and where it is addressed on the cover letter. The other difference in its format is that in electronic mail the signature block (address) is typed below the name whereas in hard copy it is usually placed at the top of the page. In E mail submissions, a subject line which is coherent to the recipient is required. The subject line determines whether the recipient will open and read the resume. In hardcopy the resume usually have a subject line on the letter, it is usually placed after the recipient address block and before the salutation. It is usually seen when the letter is opened. The hard copy resume has to be signed whereas on the email submission it is not. The paper resume is typed and then printed. The format of this resume is usually easy to read and should be appealing to the reader. On the other hand an electronic resume is saved on a computer and sent to a potential employer through emails. The online submission can be sent as an attachment of fill out an online application form. At the same time the cover letter and the resume differ in format. According to Delombard (1998, pg236) the cover letter constitute of the first paragraph, the second paragraph and the third. The first paragraph should inform the employer why you are writing and which position you are applying for.The second paragraph highlight some of you most relevant experience and qualities as they relate to the position for which you are applying. The third paragraph on the other hand refers to the enclosed resume, request an interview and let the reader know what will happen next. Thus since cover letter and resumes are interlinked in their function then strategies must be formulated in order to achieve the desired goals. One strategy that has been used in resume writing involves covering the full range of your skills. This is achieved through marketing the full range of the skills that you possess and which match the job you want. Also people have often used convincing strategies while writing resumes. This has often involved convincing the employer that they have little or no risk in hiring you. This is achieved by a resume that demonstrate confidence of the job seeker by setting an appropriate image through the resume format and content.Most people have skills that most employers want but they don’t get them any job because nobody knows that they have them. A good resume and a cover letter broadcast the abilities of a person.
They serve to inform the employer that one has qualifications that match a job’s responsibilities. Resumes and cover letters that are well constructed increase the chances of one landing an interview and eventually a job.Weber (2008) argued that most occupations require one to have abilities like team work, communication and reliability. These skills are particularly important for entry level workers. All these qualities should be incorporated within the resume. They resume should focus on the needs of the employers. In addition people have built on their experience while writing resumes, boosting their productive credentials. This is combined with strategies that get the job seeker past the employers screening and which involves highlighting skills which the employer seem to be looking for as well as through good resume formats.Writing a custom resume also gets the resume writer an interview. A custom resume that purposely highlights the experience that the writer has attained is relevant to the job that is being applied for. Writing the custom essay takes time but it is worth the effort especially when sending an application for a job that is a good match for ones qualifications and experience. Writing a custom resume ensures that the writer gets an interview. The writer should also proof read the resume before sending it because typing errors and other minor errors usually show that he or she is not committed. The font used should be legible and basic so that the recipient won’t have a problem going through.In conclusion resume and cover letters are important to both employers and the persons looking for jobs because they provide assessment platforms for the employers while marketing the potential employee’s potential. The employee’s potential is manifested in their education background as well as in their previous job experience. Thus a good resume should provide the personal information and contacts at the cover letter followed by the academic background. Then the professional record followed by the experience and personal attribute should conclude the resume. However it is important to include referees at the end of the resume. Besides the format the language used should by simple and free from jargons. This provides clarity to the person evaluating you resume. Thus a resume that is consistent, clear and functionally holistic enhances chances of winning the confidence of the employer and thus may ease the job seeking process. Thus in deed resumes and cover letter are the tools to winning the heart of the employer and should be handed with great care because they may mean securing a post or losing an employment post.