From the The Career Development Center (CDC) Knowledge Base: 921 Boylston St. - 1st Floor - Uchida 6 1 7. 7 4 7. 2 2 4 6 www.berklee.net/cd cdc@berklee.edu Resume Tune Up Worksheets For More Information on How to Write a Resume and Cover Letter: www.berklee.net/cd/resumeguide.html Resume Tune Up Tuesdays Morning Tune Up Starts @: 10am Afternoon Tune Up Starts @: 2pm No Appointment Necessary, Please Be On Time.
Resume Tune-Ups Objective of Resume: To get you an interview. This is the first thing employers will see (along with your cover letter). First impressions are important! Your resume will summarize your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience. Objective of Cover Letter: To connect your resume to the job you re applying for. This will convey what you can offer and how you can benefit the employer (not how the job will benefit you). Explain what you already know about the company and why you re a good fit for the position, based on your similar experience and the job description that they ve provided or as you understand it. > See worksheets attached for the type of information that should be included in both the Resume and Cover Letter, as well as a selfcritique outlining what we look for when we critique them. You should be able to create a good first draft or update an existing draft with these tools. > See examples of Resumes and Cover Letters, learn more about putting them together, and view formatting ideas in the CDC s online Resume & Job Search Guide: www.berklee.net/cd/resumeguide.html
Resume Worksheet Name, Address, Phone, Email: Skills: Music-related: Computer-related: Work ethic-related: Experience (jobs, internships, volunteer positions): Name of company: Location: Job title: Accomplishments/responsibilities: Dates (started/finished): Achievements/Awards: What it was: Who honored you: Dates: Clubs/Memberships: Name of club: Role in organization: Dates: Education and training (no high school): Name of school: Location: Degree or program: Dates (started/finished): Profile (one concise sentence that sums up who you are and what you bring to the employer): Think of it as a hook. A summary of who you are based on the information above what you want the employer to remember about you. This should be placed at the top of your resume under your name. Examples: Computer-savvy, organized, and efficient, with strengths in transcription and MIDI. Bilingual piano teacher with professional music background, computer skills, and a high standard for accuracy. See Resume Guide for formatting, examples, and more info: www.berklee.net/cd/resumeguide.html
SAMPLE FIRST LAST Mailing Address City, State Zip PROFILE One or two concise sentences about what your strongest assets are that you re bringing to this employer. Make yourself stand out from the rest of the candidates, especially those with a generic objective statement. EXPERIENCE Title of Position Company/Institution Boston, MA 06/2006 present Map your highlighted content using priority flow (most important to least important) Consider listing accomplishments and achievements before main responsibilities Avoid redundancy by utilizing strong action verbs Office Assistant, Office of Student Activities Berklee College of Music Boston, MA 08/2004 08/2006 Coordinated catering, room reservation, speaker selection and general logistics for the Students Speak event Designed and developed new digital filing process with FileMaker Pro and Microsoft Excel Maintained highest level of professionalism and student service while collaboratively coordinating the front desk duties Conducted marketing research with online resources and student survey email blast for new office branding initiative Exercised strong attention-to-detail while filing, faxing, spreadsheet maintenance and other general clerical work Role or Contribution to Project Name of Project Boston, MA 04/2004 06/2006 Experience is not confined to employment Take inventory of your academic career and consider listing experience that highlights your initiative, relevant skills, professional commitment to your academic and future professional career Examples of this experience include: responsibility you took on with student organizations (office held or special event coordination),your role and accountability to relevant school projects, responsibility you took on with volunteering and community outreach SKILLS Music-Specific Software & Hardware: Notation: Finale, Sibelius Analog Recording: Tape splicing; multi-track recording on 2-inch tape; mixing 1 4 inch tape Digital Recording: Multi-track recording experience on DA-88 and ADAT Hard Disk Recording: Pro Tools, Logic, Digital Performer, Cakewalk, Cool Edit Pro Administrative Computer Applications: Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Power Point Databases: Filemaker Pro Graphic and Web Design: Photoshop, Quark & Quark Express, Macromedia Dreamweaver, HTML EDUCATION Berklee College of Music Boston, MA 08/2004 Present Bachelor of Music in Music Business & Management Anticipated Graduation: 05/2008 GPA: 3.6 Dean s List: Fall 2004, 2005 2006 Highlights & Achievements: List awards, committees, student organizations, community service projects, etc. Related Coursework: Computer Applications in the Music Business, Entrepreneurship, Touring and Promotion References available upon request Email Address Phone Number
Resume Tune Up Length: 1-2 pgs (Try to stick to one unless you easily fill two. Second page should be on a separate page.) Complete contact info: name, address, phone, email (Use a professional email name. Don t provide two emails or two phone numbers pick one.) Overall aesthetics / alignment Size of font / Style of font Profile rather than objective Accomplishments & responsibilities associated with experience should be in bullet points for easy review. (Do not use full sentences and paragraphs. Don't go bullet-crazy either!) Focus on accomplishments or results rather than just describing the position. Quantify when possible (numbers, dollars, percentages): played some gigs (how many?), played out regularly (how often? what size venues/ audiences?), supervised interns (how many?), maintained finances (what was your budget and did you do anything to come out under budget?) Use action verbs (without using "I") Key ingredients included? Name & contact info Experience Skills Education Too many categories / Not enough categories Ask a friend or advisor to proofread your resume Print on nice paper or save as PDF with cover letter Other suggestions
Cover Letters Worksheet Your Name, Address, Phone, Email: Employer s Name, Title, Address: What do you already know about the company? Do you know anyone at the company / were you referred by someone who does? Who? What makes you the best candidate for this position? Mention two to six qualifications you think would be of greatest interest to the employer. (Match these to the job description if possible and use the employers same words.) Tell a story from a similar job to help the employer visualize how you would handle a similar situation there. (It s ok to repeat things from your resume, or to go into more detail about something that isn t expressed on your resume.) See Resume Guide for formatting, examples, and more info: www.berklee.net/cd/resumeguide.html
SAMPLE FIRST LAST Mailing Address City, State Zip Email Address Phone Number Date Name of Person Responsible for Hiring the Position in Question Title Company Address City, State Zip Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name: First Paragraph: Introduce yourself by stating your degree program and your anticipated graduation year. Specify the type of position you re seeking (e.g. summer internship, full-time position). Tell why you re writing and name the position or area that you re interested in. Tell how you heard of the opening or organization (e.g. online job post, referral, etc.) Second Paragraph: Mention two or three qualifications you think would be of greatest interest to the employer. (Match these to the job description if possible and use the employers same words.) Tell why you re particularly interested in the company or type of work. Include any research you ve done that shows the employer you know about the company and how you ll fit in with their mission or goals. If you have related experience, point it out to highlight the relevant skills you bring to the position or company. (It s ok if you re repeating something from your resumé. Resumés don t always get a thorough read-through.) Refer the reader to the enclosed resumé, which will give additional information concerning your background and interests. Third Paragraph: Close by stating your desire for an interview. You may say that you ll phone in a week or so to request an appointment. If you do, be sure to follow-through. Make sure that your closing isn t vague, but makes a specific action from the reader likely. Sincerely, Jane Doe Enc.
Cover Letter Tune Up Length: 1 page Complete contact info: name, address, phone, email (that matches what was used on resume) Same look and use of fonts as resume Addressed to someone in particular (use name of hiring manager) 3 main parts included? Intro (who you are, position applying for, how you found out about it) Body (what you know about the company, why you re the best fit for this job, examples of claims) Closing (restate enthusiasm for position, refer them to your resume, state actions for next steps (interview, follow-up phone call, etc.), thank them for their time) Information included that s specific to the company, rather than vague and generic like a form letter Cite specific qualifications and accomplishments that this employer needs, and explain how you ve done it previously Sentences and paragraphs begin with different words Direct and to the point Avoid negative words or reasons for leaving Print on nice paper or save as PDF with resume Other suggestions