2. WHAT TO COVER HERE?
Why to have a cover letter?
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Keywords
Format of Resume
What company are looking for in there employees
The Do and Dont’s of Cover letter
What to put on Your Resume
How to word your Resume
Ideas to help you
Tips and Pointer
3. WHAT IS COVER LETTER?
A cover letter is a one-page document that
you submit as part of your job application
(alongside your CV or Resume).
Its purpose is to introduce you and briefly
summarize your professional
background. On average, your cover letter
should be from 250 to 400 words long.
A good cover letter can spark the HR
manager’s interest and get them to read your
resume.
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5. THE BASIC START OFF
Not more than one page
Standard fonts, sizes between 10-14px ,single spaced
Print on Quality paper either white or off white
Make a pdf to avoid track changes
Strive for neatness and personality
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7. DO’S AND DONT’S OF COVER LETTER
Don’t’s Do’s
A cover letters with errors.
A Generic cover letter
”this is not like one size fits
all!”.
A cover letter with a incorrect
contact and False details.
Outdated greeting like
“Sir or Madam”.
Have it too short or too long.
Grammer and Spellings.
Mention the Skills,
Experiences and Qualities.
Address it to the right
person , Make sure to use
right Company name.
Use Dear Human Resource
Manager ,Ms. ,Mrs. , Mr.
No longer than 3 to 5
paragraphs.
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8. COVER LETTER ADVICE
AND SAMPLES
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Overview
•Draft your cover letter knowing it is your
first writing sample.
•Understand that a cover letter should
persuade the reader.
•Use the cover letter to “connect the dots”
of your experiences.
•Resist the temptation to restate your
resume.
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9. •Address the cover letter to an actual person.
•Avoid “To whom it may concern” or “Dear hiring committee.”
•Research websites or call employer to determine recipient’s name.
•For firms, address your letter to the recruiting director.
•In the salutation, include the recipient’s title and last name (e.g., “Dear Ms. Raintree”) or write the recipient’s entire
name (e.g., “Dear Jamie Morales”).
COVER LETTER CONSTRUCTION
7/1/20XX 9
Pitch deck title
Address Block and Salutation
10. •Tell the employer who you are and what you are seeking.
•Highlight (past, present, and future) geographic connections.
•Indicate if you have talked to students/faculty/friends/alumni who speak highly of
the organization.
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Paragraph One
11. •Show that you understand the employer’s mission/practice, the work its attorneys do, and
the clients it serves.
•Demonstrate your proven interest in and connection to that mission/practice, work, and
clients.
11
Paragraph two
12. •Describe skills you will contribute to support that mission/practice, work, and
clients.
•Provide evidence from your experiences and coursework.
12
Paragraph three
13. •List the documents included with the letter.
•Tell the employer how to get in touch with you by email, telephone, and mail.
•Convey your availability for a conversation, mentioning upcoming trips to the area.
•Thank the employer for considering you.
•Mention availability of Yale summer funding, if applicable.
•Optional: Promise that you will follow up in a few weeks if you think the employer would
appreciate the diligence.
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Paragraph four
16. WHAT IS RESUME?
A resume (or “CV” ) is a formal document
that provides an overview of your
professional qualifications, including your
relevant work experience, skills, education,
and notable accomplishments. Usually
paired with a cover letter, a resume helps
you demonstrate your abilities and convince
employers you’re qualified and hireable.
The spelling of resume originates from
French, and means “summary.” To this day,
the purpose of a resume is still to provide
employers with a summary of your relevant
qualifications.
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17. RESUME ADVICE
AND SAMPLES
Overview
•Draft your resume with the reader in mind.
•Understand that a resume is a sales tool, not an
autobiography.
•Make it visually clean and clear. What will an employer
see in 30 seconds? 5 seconds?
•Consider a “resume wardrobe” – different resumes for
different employers.
•Be scrupulously honest. Exaggerations or
misrepresentation will damage your reputation and
professional relationships.
•Be prepared to talk about every word of the resume at
an interview.
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18. •Include your name, mailing address, cell number, and Yale email address.
•If you do not have a mailing address in New Haven, that is fine, as mailing addresses are
becoming optional.
•Add your permanent mailing address to emphasize ties to that area when applying to
positions nearby.
•List your gender pronouns if you wish.
RESUME CONSTRUCTION
7/1/20XX 18
Heading
20. 7/1/20XX 20
Pitch deck title
Education Section cont..
•List degrees in reverse chronological order.
•Include all courses of study: past, present, and future.
•List each educational institution, location, degree, and degree date
(expected date if currently enrolled).
•Do not include high school or LSAT score.
•Think strategically about how much space you devote to each
degree. What message are you sending to employers?
•Undergraduate GPA
•Honors
•Activities
22. 7/1/20XX 22
Pitch deck title
Experience Section cont..
•List experiences that demonstrate knowledge and skills in areas relevant to
legal employers, especially research, writing, and analysis.
•Emphasize professional skills including organizational ability, leadership,
initiative, creativity, communication skills, common sense, and intellectual
ability.
•List both paid and unpaid experiences.
•Include work associated with a scholastic experience, including legal clinic
experience, research for a professor, and extensive work for a student
organization.
23. 7/1/20XX 23
Optional Sections
•Languages: List if relevant and/or skill level is high. May be useful to delineate written vs. spoken
proficiency. Be scrupulously honest regarding skill level.
•Be clear about co-authored pieces.
•Interests: Include a few special interests that may be compelling and serve as icebreaker topics during
an interview.
•Other skills: list only relevant skills, eliminating those which are universal (e.g., MS Word) or unrelated
to legal employers’ needs (e.g., C++ programming).
24. HOW LONG DO YOU THINK AN EMPLOYER
LOOKS AT EACH RESUME?
7/1/20XX 24
Pitch deck title
25. THE AVERAGE EMPLOYER LOOKS AT A RESUME
BETWEEN 10-15 SECONDS. THIS IS THE TIME
THEY DECIDE TO EITHER KEEP IT OR TOSS IT.
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28. MY RESUME & COVER LETTER
28
Resume
1
Resume
1
Resume
1
RESUME RESUME COVER LETTER
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29. SUMMARY
7/1/20XX
At Contoso, we believe in giving 110%. By using
energy efficient building methods, we help
commercial businesses grow and foster a
consumer first mindset. We thrive because of our
market knowledge and a great team behind our
product. As our CEO says, "Efficiencies will
come from proactively transforming how we do
business."
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30. “A GOOD LISTENER IS ALWAYS A GOOD
SPEAKER BECAUSE HE THINKS OVER
WHAT THEY HAD LISTENED FROM
GREAT PEOPLE AND ACTS
ACCORDINGLY”
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