Writing for College-Bound Students Resume & cover letter

Yes, writing… Writing will be an integral part of your high school career, and especially important once in college and beyond. Much of your writing as a student will be geared towards advertising yourself. Your resume and cover letter should be evolving documents. This means they should constantly be added to, deleted from, or edited on regular basis. Did you volunteer over the summer, did you join student government, or were you the student of the month? If yes, add it to your current resume. You will have the opportunity to submit your resume to universities as part of the college admissions process. Developing your resume now will save you time and effort senior year!

Why is it important to know how to write? Writing is the primary basis upon which your work, your learning, and your intellect will be judged—in college, in the workplace, and in the community. Writing expresses who you are as a person. Writing fosters your ability to explain a complex position to readers, and to yourself. Writing ideas down preserves them so that you can reflect upon them later. Writing out your ideas permits you to evaluate the adequacy of your argument. Writing stimulates you to extend a line of thought beyond your first impressions or gut responses. Writing is an essential job skill. http://www.marquette.edu/wac/WhatMakesWritingSoImportant.shtml

Give an example of when you write: When or how do you write? Give an example of when you write: Do you only write for classes? Do you write for therapeutic purposes? i.e. does writing make you feel better? Do you write for artistic purposes? Have you ever done a poetry reading or slam? Do you write for job pursuits? Have you ever had to create a resume or cover letter? Do you ever compose emails? No, not texts, tweets, posts, or snaps!

Writing Essentials for 10th Grade Resume and Cover Letter Development: 1) Brainstorming Worksheet 2) Sample Cover Letter Template 3) Sample Resume Worksheet 4) Peer Revision Worksheet

Direction & Outcome: Students will use the Sample Resume Template as a guide to create their own resumes. Each student will use the Brainstorm: Resume Worksheet to help guide the creation of their document. Ask students to break into groups of two and discuss career objectives, past employment, volunteer experience, and anything that could add to their resumes. Students should be encouraged to utilize action verbs throughout their resumes. Each student will create their resume or workshop/update their current resume. The Sample Cover Letter will be used to guide students to also create their first cover letter. Every student will critique each other’s cover letter and resume using the Peer Review worksheet.

Brainstorming: Resume Creation Identifying Information Name, current address, city, state, etc. Career Objective (optional) e.g. What kind of job are you seeking? Are you seeking an internship, FT, or PT work? Educational Background List high school and expected graduation date. Part-Time Employment & Summer Jobs List start and end dates for each job and/or internship experiences. Awards, Talents, Honors, & Civic Engagement Were you a part of Student Government Association, honors, Future Farmers of America, etc.

Sample Resume Template -First and foremost, utilize sample resume template. -Make an outline. Make a quick list or outline of all possible experiences, paid and unpaid, to include in your resume before you try to find the right language to describe them . -Include informal work experience. If you have formal paid work experience, certainly include it. Otherwise, you can include informal work like babysitting, pet sitting, lawn mowing, shoveling snow, or anything else you’ve done to earn money. Even if you didn’t collect a regular paycheck, informal work still displays skills and your reliability as an employee. -Include all your activities. Since most high school students haven’t held a lot of jobs, it is important to draw upon all aspects of you life that show you have the right character, work ethic, skills, and personality to succeed in a job. Mention your extracurricular activities, volunteer work, academies, and athletic pursuits.

Sample Resume Template (Cont.) Include leadership positions. If you held any sort of leadership positions in these roles (such as secretary of a club or team captain), be sure to note this. For each item, include a bulleted list of your responsibilities and accomplishments. Mention your achievements. Employers look for staff who have a history of making positive contributions. Review each of your experiences and ask yourself if there are achievements in class, clubs, sports, or the workplace that you can include. Keep it short. Your resume doesn’t need to be any longer than a page. Some sections of the resume—such as the contact information and experience– are required. But others—such as an objective or career summary– are optional.

Sample Resume Template (Cont.) Organized and succinct. You want to make sure that your resume follows the same format, fonts, and has no spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes. Have somebody proofread your essay and cover letter before submitting to an employer.

Sample Resume Template (Action Verbs) What is an action verb? An action verb expresses achievements or something a person does in a concise, persuasive manner. Why is it important to use action verbs in workplace writing? Use action verbs in resumes to describe all skills, jobs, or accomplishments. Using action verbs will allow you to highlight the tasks you can do. Word choice is critical in order to describe what you have done and to persuade potential employers to give you an interview. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/543/01/

Sample Cover Letter (Template) - Utilize Cover Letter Template. Keep it brief. Your letter should not go over one page. Avoid flowery or excessive words when fewer words will get your point across equally well. Be assertive and proactive. Explain what special skills and qualities you can bring to the job. Tailor the cover letter to the specific company. Don’t write generic praise about the company. Be as specific as you can and demonstrate your knowledge of the company. Research the company using its own website. Revise your cover letter for each application. Different aspects of your background will fit different jobs. Focus on relevant job experiences and skills. https://www.fastweb.com/career-planning/articles/top-ten-cover-letter-tips

Sample Cover Letter (Template) Proofread. Typos will land your letter in the trash. Check grammar, spelling and especially the spellings of names. Have somebody else read you letter.

Questions, Comments, Concerns?