7. Instructions
1. Write down your name on ALL documents & make sure they’re attached.
2. Put all documents in the middle of the table.
3. Swappity swap!
4. Get those pens out - this is your chance to pretend you’re Minyoung.
5. Grab the real Minyoung if you have any questions.
9. Cover Letter Formatting
● Left aligned (NOT justified)
● No indents on paragraphs
● Bullet points vs. paragraphs
● 2-3 relevant skills
● Consistent font size (minimum size 10)
● Appropriate font
● Margin sizes
● Spacing between paragraphs
● White space
● One page
10. Addressing the Cover Letter
Date
Contact Name
Title
Company
Address 1
City, Province Postal Code
Re: Position Title (reference number if given)
Dear [First name Last name],
or Dear Hiring Manager/Committee,
12. Ending the Cover Letter
Sincerely, / Regards, / Best,
(Written signature if you want)
Your name
BCom Candidate 20XX
Sauder School of Business
Enclosed or Attached*: Resume
* Enclosed: physical copy
* Attached: electronic copy
13.
14. Opening: What to Include
● Expresses very keen genuine interest and/or
passion for position
● Makes a clear expression of the
skills/experience matching the job
description
● Integrates genuine and unique primary or
secondary research indicating interest in firm
● Name drop (when applicable)
● HOOK
Remember
CAN-WANT-FIT!
15. Opening: Branding
● Provides strong, insightful research that demonstrates knowledge and interest in
the industry or organization
● Clearly illustrates how the candidate will “fit” into the industry or organization
“I want to belong to Devon Canada because its mantra “be a good neighbor”
aligns with my goal of building relationships to enrich the area where I work
and live. This desire, along with the skills I have gained from my previous work
experiences in the Calgary energy industry, will allow me to make valuable
contributions to Devon Canada’s initiatives.”
16.
17. Skills Matching
● Describes specific skills that are clearly
matched to the job description, referencing
specific examples that leverage experiences
and qualifications
● Experiences highlighted are specific and
concise linking past experiences through
transferable skills
● Results show success or strength in past
experiences
● STARL format – emphasizes actions and
creating links where applicable
● Emphasizing individual action in team
experiences
SHOW the employer,
don’t tell them!
Link: why should the
employer care?
18. Skills Matching: Link Example
“I spent this past summer at Total E&P Canada, where I compiled and
calculated information for numerous government payment and application
documents. I had to prioritize my tasks and organize my progress as I updated
versions of multiple documents, and was constantly in correspondence with
external auditors and other departments. At Devon Canada, the accounting
department faces numerous deadlines and supports a variety of different parties. My
ability to efficiently manage multiple projects will be vital to my success.”
19.
20. Closing
● Very clear reference to specific skills
Interest and request for meeting aka “call to
action”
● Graciously thanks the employer for their
consideration
● Ties back to hook/intro
● Demonstrates branding
Remember
CAN-WANT-FIT!
22. Resume Formatting
● Titles formatted the same
● Spacing is consistent
● Margins are reasonable (≥1.5cm)
● Phrases either ALL end in period or not
● Dates
○ Usually right-aligned
○ All have month and year, or just year
○ All months are abbreviated to same # of letters
● Uses hyphens (–) OR dashes (-)
● Font size is 10-12 and generally no more than two
types of font
● Numbers under 10 spelled out (i.e. two vs. 2)
● Bullets: same size/style, aligned
● One to two pages
23. Resume Formatting
Header
● Name is preferred name with (given name) in
brackets
● Phone and address are included
● LinkedIn URL is personalized
General
● No personal pronouns (I, we, he, she)
● Reasonable amount of white space – is it easy to
read?
● Experiences listed in reverse chronological order by
start date
24. Profile
● No more than 5 lines for key competencies (4 for profile)
● Can include languages
● Does it clearly and convincingly summarize strengths/experiences/skills?
● Does it match the job posting (multiple references)?
● Does it provide a clear, convincing link to the rest of the resume (i.e. is there PROOF
elsewhere in the document?)
25. Education
● Does it clearly summarize education experiences (i.e. including academic projects /
relevant courses / grades / awards)?
● Is there any ambiguity with respect to the info provided?
● Does it match the job description?
26. Education
● Bachelor of Commerce, not BCOMM or B.Comm
● Start with the degree
● List expected date of completion (either as “Completion: …” or “Expected Completion: ...”)
● No laundry lists of courses: only specific, relevant courses
● GPA – score/%/letter grade, indicating the school scale
● Key/relevant projects and awards: write in accomplishment statement form
27.
28. Work Experience
● Reverse chronological order by start date
● You can include explanation sentences of companies/experiences if necessary
● Eliminate filler words
● Written in third person
● Keep it to one sentence (2 lines is best)
● The elements of the RATS statement should be apparent (but not necessarily in RATS
order)
29. Work Experience
● Are experiences achievement based?
● Do numbers clearly quantify achievements where appropriate?
● Do statements have Accomplishment, Proof, Transferrable skills, and Scope of Action?
● Are the result verbs varied and strong?
● Does language indicate familiarity with industry/company? Does it match the job
description?
30. Accomplishment Statements
Removed ambiguity from taxation budget by correctly coding over 250 invoices, through
the research of taxation legislation and analysis of archived invoices for the cost control
department’s budget report
Qualitative:
Reduced stress among new BCom students by providing academic support and mentorship,
through the creation of individualized exam preparation schedules during one-on-one coaching
sessions.
Quantitative:
Doubled previous year’s number of appointments with new BCom students by creating
individualized exam preparation schedules and building authentic, trust-based relationships
during one-on-one coaching sessions
31.
32. Interests
● Do the interests show personality? Are they specific? Are they relevant to the job (not
always necessary)?
● Do they differentiate the candidate? Are they memorable?
● Be fun! And appropriate
33. Branding
● Personal qualifications are well tailored to
requirements of job (clear 60-70% match)
● Multiple words from job description are
included in resume (5+)
● Interests section show personality and
relevant specific interests
Remember
CAN-WANT-FIT!
37. How to Have a Killer Resume & Cover Letter
1 Ask friends for feedback.
2 Sign up for office hours.
3 Edit your documents multiple times.
38. What’s Coming Up
Sign up for office hours and/or career peer advising and/or
BCC coaching appointments (available on COOL) & work
on your documents over reading break
Book off the evening of Thursday March 9th for the
202 networking event
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Remember it’s lecture week after reading break - your
LinkedIn profile assignment is due before your lecture time
(assignment details on the course blog)
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