Chapter 12
PREPARING A RESUME AND COVER LETTER
Chapter overview
This chapter tells students how to prepare a resume and cover letter — two documents of
practical value to many students.
Brief outline of the chapter
I. Preparing a resume. The emphasis is on a chronological resume.
II. Preparing a cover letter. Cover letters can recap high points from the resume.
III. Exercise.
General comments
I tell my students this chapter helps them prepare a product they’ll need sooner or later: a
resume. I try to make things as realistic as possible for them so they really do end up with that
product.
When I teach resumes, I emphasize these points:
• Many resumes fail because of errors and because of poor layout.
• Many resumes fail because they tell only what the writers did — and not how well they
did it. I tell my students to point out they’ve been good on the job (not just on the job).
Undergraduates, who often don’t have much employment history or accomplishments
outside of academics, need to emphasize their strengths (“I think of myself as a hard
worker”). Then they should give an example. Tone is very important here.
• And some other resumes fail because they don’t properly target the job they’re applying
for.
Throughout, I keep asking students this question: “Why should I hire you?” I want them to tell
me, face to face. Then I ask them if that’s what comes through on their resume.
Additional exercises
I use two exercises that aren’t in the book: a selection panel to choose the best resume and a
mock interview. Both are quite effective. Here’s more about them:
Exercise using a selection panel
I use this exercise before the final resumes are due. Students bring several copies of the draft of
Exercise using a mock interview
I usually do this exercise the day students turn in their resumes. Because a mock interview often
causes a lot of anxiety among undergraduates, I ease them into it:
• I ask students to come to class having done a little research into a company they’d like to
• As a class, we brainstorm a number of standard questions they’d expect to be asked
• We then brainstorm some creative questions: What are the characteristics of a good
• Finally, we brainstorm what an interviewee needs to do to have a successful interview:
• I then appoint half the class to be interviewers and the other half to be interviewees.
• Then I set up a desk and two chairs in the front of the room and conduct interviews
This process may take a couple of class periods, but it can help students with the practical
Notes on the exercise
Exercise (preparing a resume and cover letter)