Employment Materials
The typical employment package will require at least two pieces of writing: a resume and a cover letter. You can find ICC's Writing Center information on resume writing by clicking the button below.
The Resume or Curriculum Vitae
One document which is usually required in applying for a job is a resume or curriculum vitae (the curriculum vitae is generally more in-depth than the resume, which tends to be more concise). You can read about the differences between a CV and a resume here.
There are different forms of resumes, depending on the way in which you wish to organize your information. Common forms of resumes are the following:
There are different forms of resumes, depending on the way in which you wish to organize your information. Common forms of resumes are the following:
This is the standard format for a resume, listing education and experience in reverse chronological order.
This type of resume can be used in certain situations when the standard resume form will be more difficult to produce, especially when you have had long periods of unemployment for which it is not easy to account. However, functional resumes should be used only in specific situations. See the linked article Demise of the Functional Resume for reasons why this form of resume is not universally accepted. This type of resume is necessary when your information needs to be scanned into a document or a form, so that it won't end up garbled when used within a different software application. Purdue University's OWL has a Resume Workshop which you can find at this link. Monster, a career website, offers tips for resume writing in different fields. |
Cover Letter
Generally, when applying for employment, in addition to a resume, you will need to provide a cover letter or letter of application. For tips on writing effective cover letters, see the following link.