Did you know that recruiters take less than 20 seconds to scan a resume before moving on?
Whether you’re a first-year or master's student, when it comes to writing a resume (or curriculum vitae) and cover letter, everyone worries about their application being good enough. Although there are multiple online resources on how to write the perfect resume or cover letter, you want to consider your background, the type of role you’re applying to, and any industry norms for that field.
So how can you stand out among the other candidates?
One of the most impactful things that I learned was to have a recruiter’s perspective when tailoring my cover letter, and to think about how the company can benefit from my personal work and volunteer experiences. You can also think about how this job helps you with your future career goals. Along with the Career Centre's resume and cover letter tips, here are 7 pointers to consider when you’re creating your next job application:
DO
Read the job description and the required skills carefully, and match your skills to the responsibilities.
DON'T
List all of your personal skills and strengths that are not directly related to the job.
DO
Write accomplishment statements that begin with action words to showcase outcomes and results when describing an experience.
DON'T
Just list your most impressive tasks in your resume.
DO
Decide how much relevant experience you want to share. Most employers prefer 1 page, but 2 pages is acceptable if your amount of experience warrants it. Cover letters should be 1 page long.
DON'T
Make your resume longer than it needs to be. Relevant and concise is what employers prefer. They can invite you to an interview to ask more questions. Don’t simply state your experience without circling back to its relevance to the job you’re applying for or its outcome.
DO
Place your education and skills higher up on your resume, as these are quick at-a-glance facts that can inform an employer of your competencies if they don’t have time to look at work experiences.
DON'T
Worry about having your resume sections in the right order as there is no set in stone, right or wrong way of writing one.
DO
Choose if you want to be creative with the visual look of your resume. Employers may have a better chance of remembering and separating your application from the others based on your visuals.
DON'T
Use fonts that are hard to read, or make your resume and cover letter too jam packed with information.
DO
Keep track of application deadlines, as you don't want to take time finishing an application to realize it has closed.
DON'T
Wait until the last minute to create and submit applications in case you run into technical difficulties or more screening questions than expected.
DO
Write specific stories to describe an experience in the cover letter, using the STARR formula (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Relevance).
DON'T
Have a general description of experiences in your cover letter. Be specific!
Don’t stress out about the application by yourself!
As a UBC student or alumni, you have a variety of tools to assist you in looking for jobs and preparing a job application:
- How to align your resume to a job on LinkedIn Learning
- Check out our sample resumes and other tips.
- Learn how to use AI to draft a cover letter that reflects your skills on LinkedIn Learning.
I cannot stress enough the value of having a fresh set of eyes look over your resume or cover letters, since you want someone who knows nothing about you and your goal of getting the job to understand the whole picture.
Head over to CareersOnline to book a session with a Career Advisor or come to Drop-in hours from 11am to 1pm, Monday to Friday at the UBC Career Centre.
