Application Materials: Resume, CV, & Cover Letter

Application Materials: Resume & Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Purpose of Application Materials

Application materials give you the opportunity to market yourself to a potential employer by connecting the dots between your experiences and the position they are trying to fill. They also provide space to demonstrate industry knowledge, align with employer values, and highlight your most marketable qualifications. Your documents should be well-organized, carefully proofread, and tailored with your audience in mind.

Types of Application Materials

The most commonly requested application materials for job or internship opportunities are a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) and a cover letter. While both resumes and CVs are used to apply for opportunities, they are different types of documents, so it is important to consider which is most appropriate for your field and interests.

At the undergraduate level, the CV is typically more of a hybrid of a resume and CV, as you will likely not have the content for many of the suggested CV categories just yet. Wondering which document you should use? Go with a resume for industry jobs/internships and a CV for research and academic roles.

Download any of our approved resume/CV templates to help you get started with creating your resume or CV! Simply download the Word document for any template you would like to use and begin editing the document! Once you have created your resume or CV,  schedule an appointment with a Fleishman Center staff member in hireBING for feedback!

Resume & Curriculum Vitae (CV) Tips

Organizing Your Document

The organization of your document can help to highlight your most relevant experiences, signal interest in the field, and improve the overall readability for your intended audience. Splitting up your experience using section headings is one of the most popular ways to organize your resume or CV. Group your experiences within sections based on themes, knowing that you may update them based on your individual experience, the position, or the employer.

Ultimately, your document should work for you, so choose section headings that best align with your background and experience. Within each section, list your experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent role and working backward.

Create a master resume: a polished document that includes your full work history, campus involvement, and community experiences to use as a foundation when applying for positions. From this document, you can easily pull relevant experiences to create more tailored versions that are personalized for each employer and role.

Writing Strong Bullet Points

Bullet points articulate the skills you’ve developed through your experiences and clearly connect them to the qualifications employers are seeking. Your bullet points should emphasize impact, highlighting your personal skills and contributions.

Bullet Point Formula:

Action Verb, What you did, How you did it, Why it was important/Outcome

Cover Letter Tips & Outline

Purpose of a Cover Letter

Resumes should be tailored to the intended audience, but cover letters are where applicants can explicitly connect the dots between their experiences and the opportunity they are pursuing. A strong cover letter generates interest in you as a candidate, clearly demonstrates how your skills and experiences align with the position, and motivates the reader to review your resume and invite you for an interview. When given the opportunity to submit a cover letter, even if it is optional, it is in your best interest to take advantage of it and write a unique letter that highlights your skills and demonstrates your interest in the position.

Steps To Writing A Strong Cover Letter

Utilize our Cover Letters resource for in-depth instructions on how to write a cover letter, best practices, and samples. Once you have developed a draft,  schedule an appointment with a Fleishman Center staff member in hireBING for feedback!