3 Responses to “How to write resume and cover letter for college student, first time job?”

1. Roz says:

   March 19, 2010 at 9:17 am

   1) How to write a cover letter (see below website)

   http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2143-Cover-Letters-Resumes-Top-10-Tips-for-Your-2010-R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9/?sc_extcmp=JS_2143_advice&SiteId=cbmsn42143&catid=cl

   2) Since you don’t have much job experience I’d see if any of your teachers could give you a letter of recommendation. I did that when I was in high school & didn’t have any experience. I have always included letters of recommendation when appying for my first few jobs, since I didn’t have much experience.

   3) You need to come up with as many ways for you to stand out from the crowd of many applicants, such as asking really good questions that demonstrate to the interviewer that you are on the ball & thinking.
   I’ve used this question & caused the interviewer to pause & think, which is good. The questions were: (A) If you had to pick one thing that you liked about your job, what would it be., then
   (B) If you had to pick one thing that you least liked about your job what would it be?

   4) If you are lucky enough to get an interview, make sure that you have answers ready for any questions that they may ask. Such as what are your goals, what are you strong skills (you could say your dedication to always do the best at anything you undertake. Another one is that you always are interested in learning new things & to constantly improve yourself. Things along those lines.

   5) Also, think of some really good questions to ask them just to let them know that you are on the ball & thinking.
   Some of the questions I asked them when I used to interview were:
   A) If you had to name three things that you enjoyed about your job what would they be?
   B) If you had to list three of the things you least liked about your job, what would they be?
   (I rec’d alot of interesting looks from the interviewers askin this question)(They were impressed with the questions & it showed that I was thinking & not just a lump on a log.

   6) Here are some other questions I found on line that looked good, too:

   You’ve landed the job interview, and it’s going well. There’s that awkward pause as the interviewer runs out of steam. The guy who could be your future boss asks, “Do you have any questions?” This is your chance to find out what you need to know about the job and the company and impress the interviewer with your interesting and thoughtful questions. Here are ten questions to help you find out what you need to know.

   So, what should you ask? Here are ten great questions for you to use.

   - What are the top three qualities an employee needs to be successful in this job?

   - What would I do during a typical workday?

   - How will I be trained or introduced to the job?

   - What is a typical career path from this job?

   - What are some of the goals and challenges your group is likely to face in the next year?

   - How would my job performance be evaluated?

   - What are some of the things that you like about working for this company?

   - Who would I work with?

   - What hours do people typically work?

   - What are the next steps?

   Let’s look at what you can learn from these questions. In most cases, there’s no right or wrong answer – you just need to be able to assess if you are comfortable with the answer.

   - What are the top three qualities an employee needs to be successful in this job?

   If the interviewer says he values attention to detail, good writing skills, and the ability to juggle several tasks at once, you’ve learned a lot about his expectations. You’ll also be able to assess if the job is a decent match with your skills.

   - What would I do during a typical workday?

   Ok, it’s obvious why you would want to ask this. But watch out for a possible problem – if the interviewer says, “Well, every day is different,” he may not know what he wants. There may be confusion about responsibilities. If you get that answer, say, “Tell me about the sorts of things I might do over a typical week or month.”

   - How will I be trained or introduced to the job?

   Understand if you’re on your own on day one or if there’s a plan for getting you up and running successfully.

   - What is a typical career path for this job?

   This may not apply to some types of jobs.

   - What are some of the goals and challenges your group is likely to face in the next year?

   You’re looking for two things here – information about what’s likely to happen, and whether people are thinking about the future. A company is more likely to be successful if its staff is thinking ahead.

   - How would my job performance be evaluated?

   There should be a clear answer to this. If there isn’t, you may be at the whim of an arbitrary boss. Most companies have a process for performance evaluations.

   - What are some of the things that you like about working for this company?

   If the interviewer can’t come up with a couple of things he likes about the company, you may want to learn more before accepting a job offer.
2. Marcela says:

   March 19, 2010 at 9:39 am

   You can try searching prosampleresumes on the search engine to view various resume formats and tips on how to write a good and professional looking resume.
   this site will also give you tips and insights on writing a professional looking resume.
   Always remember that a well-written resume will help you get the job. good luck
3. Muralidharan says:

   March 19, 2010 at 10:16 am

   Dear Becca

   We could professional help you to right your resume and cover letter. Meet me at muraly@live.com for further information.