Resume, Cover Letter, and Reference Page

Get Started With Your Resume

As you begin writing your resume, do the following:

1. Format your resume in a way that is professional and easy to read. Review the CREW Career Center Resume Resource Packet (pdf) to learn formatting suggestions with examples.
2. Review sample resumes to get formatting and content ideas.
3. Utilize CREW Career Center resume templates to create your resume
   
4. Incorporate some of the Top Ten Skills employers look for when reviewing resumes. Be specific about how you have demonstrated these skills
5. The most effective resume is a resume that includes the skills and experiences important in your career field. To write a career field specific resume, you should:
   1. Review sample resumes to learn how others have made their resumes industry specific.
   2. Consider your major or career field and locate important skills to create accurate skill statements.
      1. Find your career field on ONET to determine important and relevant skills.

Create Draft Resume and Schedule Appointment

Schedule an hour-long appointment to receive in-depth resume development assistance from a CREW Counselor.

Prior to your appointment:

1. Review CREW Career Center Resume Resource Guide and the CREW Career Center resume samples.
2. Create a resume draft using the CREW Career Center resume templates or utilize ResumeSmart.
   

   1. ResumeSmart prioritizes content creation over formatting. We suggest scheduling a follow-up appointment with the CREW Career Center for further assistance or integrating your content into one of our templates.

Schedule a CREW Appointment

Get Feedback on Your Candidate Materials: Resume Dropbox #section

Would you like quick feedback on a draft of your documents? You can use the Resume Dropbox service to receive feedback on your candidate materials within 3-5 business days. Read these tips before submitting your resume, cover letter, or reference page:

1. Review the CREW Career Center Resume Resource Guide, resume samples and templates, and CREW Career Center Cover Letter and Reference Resource Guide for assistance in formatting your drafts.
2. Submit your documents in Microsoft Word format (not PDFs) to facilitate commenting and formatting adjustments.
   
   1. All documents, including resumes, reference pages, and cover letters,
      whether with or without feedback, will not be retained by our staff.
      Please ensure you save your documents securely.

(Note: Metro College students completing CAPP resumes should not submit their resume to the Dropbox. Log on to your My MC page for directions.)

Submit Your Resume and Cover Letter

Develop a Reference Page

You usually need 3-4 professional references when applying for a position. A reference should be an individual who can provide positive feedback regarding your work or academic experiences; supervisors, professors, volunteer or student organization contacts, and colleagues are examples of commonly used professional references. Be sure to ask permission before including the reference’s contact information on a reference page.

• Review the CREW Career Center Cover Letter and Reference Page Resource Guide to learn how to create your reference page.

Write Your Cover Letter

You also leave a lasting impression with your cover letter. The cover letter is your opportunity to address why you are applying to a specific opportunity and why you would be a good fit at that company. The cover letter can also serve as an example of your writing skills.

• Review the CREW Career Center Cover Letter and Reference Resource Guide to learn how to create your cover letter.

Upload Your Resume To Complete Your Handshake Profile

After you have activated your Handshake account, upload your resume to complete your Handshake profile.

The Handshake Student Guide will walk you through how to upload your resume to your student profile.

Complete Your Profile - It is important to thoroughly complete your profile in Handshake, just as you would with LinkedIn, or any other professional networking platform. This is very important if making your profile visible to others.  No one will be impressed with an incomplete profile. 

Change Your Profile Privacy Setting - There are 3 privacy settings: Community, Employers, and Private.  Some Handshake features require profile to be set to either Community or Employers. It is recommended to use the private setting until profile is complete and you are ready to network.

Change Your Resume Visibility by Employers - Do not inadvertently make your resume visible to employers until you have had it reviewed by the UCC staff or other experts. You do NOT want your incorrect or incomplete resume coming up in employer searches! Note: resume visibility is different from profile visibility.