Resumes, Vitae & Cover Letters

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."  (Elisabeth Kübler-Ross)

 

Most employers want resumes or vitae.  While resumes/vitae seldom secure a job, poorly constucted resumes/vitae can be the reason an employer eliminates a candidate from consideration.  

Spend time developing, updating & editing your resume/vita. Be sure it reflects your talents & who you are as a professional. Tailor it to each position you're applying for, changing wording, emphases & style accordingly.

Individualize cover letters, too. Spell addressee's names correctly. Use correct titles. Avoid "To Whom It May Concern".

General Resources

"Be yourself, that’s all there is of you."  (Ralph Waldo Emerson) 

collegerecruiter.com

Career Planning and Management Tools

Salary Calculator

Cost of Living Indicator

monster.com

See sample selections below.

Articles: Resumes and Cover Letters

ACA's Counselor Resumes 101
Rev Up Your Resume: Expert Secrets...
Resume Writing Tips (excellent, concise tips for everyone)
Tips for Creating a Concise Resume
Free Resume Builder
Sample Resumes
Cover Letter Dos and Don'ts

Resume/CV Builder and Template

IntaJob is a FREE online service that helps you build your resume or curriculum vitae from scratch. Select one of their designs and use their 3-step process to create your resume/cv. IntaJob even allows you to host that resume/cv on a private website, which gives you the ability to be selective in terms of potential employers you direct toward that url.  Why FREE? They're supported by advertising partners.

Cvwriting.net is another option. " You only have 30 seconds to impress an employer with your CV so excellent layout and content are crucial to your success. The CVwriting.net CV builder can help you because the format of the CV is what employers expect and the step by step guidance is targeted to your own career circumstances."  There is a charge for this service (see FAQs, 3rd item for fees).

Professional Vita or Curriculum Vitae Rather Than a Resume?

Certain positions (e.g., teaching in a college or university, and research positions in research centers or institutes) usually require a professional vita, also known as a curriculum vitae. A vita is generally quite lengthy. It includes a complete history of the candidate's professional positions, publications, conference presentations, service with state/regional/national professional associations & organizations, special awards, unique achievements, media appearances & interviews (e.g., television, radio & newspapers), grants received, and even significant work pending completion or awaiting notification of acceptance/rejection (e.g., grants submitted, major projects in process, books awaiting publication).

Usually those in need of a vita have been mentored by their faculty advisors and/or their thesis or dissertation chairs, in terms of creating, maintaining and building a vita. They've probably also been mentored in terms of decisions related to shifting the balance of professional life toward teaching or research, perhaps in preference to clinical practice. Often the decision to seek a focused or specialized career is made in graduate school, but no firm rules make this a necessity. Students often experience ambiguity about desired career pathways, sometimes changing directions significantly while in school. Advisors are usually willing to discuss options with their advisees and can offer their own vita as an example.

Help With Resumes, Cover Letters & Professional Vitae

• Use website resources.
• Edit initial drafts.
• Ask friends & colleagues for feedback.
• Edit. Edit. Edit.

Need more help?  Contact Marcia Silver, Director, The Writing Studio   
Rogers 409    silver@lclark.edu     503-768-6166

Podcasts on Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviewing...

Audio Podcasts On Many Topics

Video Podcasts On Many Topics

Interviews

The Only 5 Questions You MUST Be Able to Answer

Prep for the Top Ten Interview Questions 

Networking

Connect for Career Success

Broaden Your Network

Seven Tips for Social Networking Online

Create a Personal Networking Plan

The Time to Network (audio)

Trends

Scroll down ACA's Career Center page to these articles and others.

Improve Your Interviewing Skills  (ACA April 2008)

How NOT To Find a Job  (ACA December 2007)

A Cornucopia of Career Tidbits  (ACA November 2007)

Independence is the key to today's career path (PDF) By Amy Reece Connelly
(ACA July 2007)

Other Links We Should Include?  Feedback?

Please send us links you've found to be especially helpful, as well as feedback and suggestion to help us serve you better & to improve this site. cpsycpr@lclark.edu