Resume and Cover Letter. What Is A Resume? A resume is a summary of your qualifications and professional history It includes information about your career.

Resume and Cover Letter

What Is A Resume?• A resume is a summary of your

qualifications and professional history

• It includes information about your career goals, education, work experience, activities, honors, and special skills

Purpose

• To market your skills

• To obtain an interview (not a job) by communicating your unique knowledge, skills, and values for a specific job

Resume Guidelines• Length: Limit an entry-level resume to one

page. Be as concise as possible in each section. If you use more than one page be sure your name is on any additional pages and do not staple pages together

• Font: Use 11-12 point font for body text. Make sure font style/size are appropriate, consistent, and easy to read (i.e., Times Roman Numeral, Arial, Calibri)

• Margins: Use ¾ - one inch margins on all sides

Resume Guidelines• Paper: Use 8 1/2” x 11” 20 lb paper. Print

your resume with a laser or high quality ink-jet printer; white or off-white shade is preferred (and best for scanning)

• Format: Chronological or Functional to illustrate skills and experience

• Do NOT use a resume template which can create future editing challenges

• Have your resume reviewed by at least two people

Chronological Resume Design• Represents your experience in dated order

with the most recent/relevant experience first• The major emphasis is on the job titles

you’ve had and the companies you’ve worked for

• Highlights a progressive career path• Best if your next job is in a direct line or

logical progression up from your past experience

• Use paragraphs or bullets

Functional Resume Design• Organizes experience by specific categories (e.g.,

Nursing, Teaching, Marketing, Sales)

• Puts a stronger emphasis on skills rather than dates: what you can do, as opposed to what you’ve done

• This style is best if:

– You’re changing careers/reentering the workforce

– You’re a new college graduate with limited experience

– You have acquired a lot of experience through volunteer activities

Resume Sections• Name and Contact Information

• Career Objective/Summary of Qualifications

• Education and Relevant Coursework

• Areas of Expertise/Work History

• References

Name/Contact Information• Your name is located at the top in the largest

font size (up to 16 point) followed by your permanent address and phone number

• Mailing address and phone number are current (with a professional message on your voice mail)

• Provide only one, professional email address • Avoid using a nickname

Richard Jeffrey Roberts 3496 Snouffer Road, #100

Columbus, OH 43235

[email protected]

(614) 336-2664

Career Objective and Summary of Qualifications

• Career Objective:

– One to three sentence summary of your area of expertise and career interest

– Tells the employer concisely and quickly your goal in applying for a position

– Relates your existing skills directly to the job you are seeking

– Supports the rest of your resume

• Summary of Qualifications: (may be the most important part of your resume)

– Contains three to five sentences highlighting areas of expertise, education, examples of leadership, or personal strengths

Career Objective and Summary of Qualifications• Career Objective:

– To obtain a position as a personal trainer and develop my skills in providing professional training advice with an emphasis on working with adolescents

• Summary Of Qualifications Objective:– Graduate of the six-month/500 hour personal training

certification program as offered by the National Personal Training Institute. Experienced in the design, coordination and supervision of a wide variety of exercise programs. Proficient in the discussion of diets and other nutrition-related issues.

Education• General rule is if your degree is over five years

old or if you do not have an important credential, than this section should go last

Education/Certifications

• Certified Personal Trainer by the National Personal Training Institute

• Completed course work in Business Administration at Cuyahoga Community College

• CPR/AED by the American Red Cross

Areas of Expertise and Work History

• Order depends if resume is functional or chronological

• List experience starting with most recent position first

• Emphasize full and part-time jobs, paid or unpaid internships, volunteer work, etc. related to your career objective

• Include your job title, organization, location (city, state only).

• Include the month and year (no abbreviations) of employment, not exact dates

Areas of Expertise and Work History• Use strong action verbs (supervised, oversaw,

designed, etc.) to describe responsibilities and accomplishments (avoid passive phrases such as “responsible for” and “duties included”).

• List job duties with bullets instead of writing them in paragraph form

• When writing numbers, 10 and over are numerical, nine and under are written out as words

• Use appropriate verb tense. (Use past tense action verbs to describe all past and present employment experiences.)

• Emphasize skills appropriate to your stated objective.

Areas of Expertise Example

Personal Training• Skilled in exercise instruction and program design • Able to perform client evaluations and provide

programming for a diverse clientele including children and adolescents, pregnant women, geriatrics, overweight clients and those with specific musculoskeletal disorders or injuries

• Extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology including muscle structure, cells and tissues, kinesiology, energy systems and skeletal, muscular, lymphatic, nervous and cardiovascular systems

Areas of Expertise Example Cont.• Knowledgeable on nutrition related issues

such as micro- and macronutrients, supplements, hydration and proper guidelines for healthy diets

• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Windows

Work History Example• Owner, Corey’s Cool-Aid Corporation.

Columbus, Ohio. May, 2002-present.

• Owner, Shannon’s Private Eyes Are Us Services. Columbus, Ohio. May, 2001-April, 2002.

• Owner, Chrissy’s Pizza Palace. Columbus, Ohio. January-April, 2001.

References• Obtain three to five references from individuals

familiar with your academic, leadership, teamwork, and/or work habits

• Include a separate reference page (with references centered on page) or the line “References available upon request” at the end of your resume.

• In general, do not include the names and addresses of your references on your resume

• It is enough to state that references are available upon request.

ReferencesJeff Richard Bob

National Personal Training Institute of Ohio

3496 Snouffer Road, #100

Columbus, OH 43235

(614) 336-2664

• Include the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your references

• Do not assume that someone is willing to serve as a reference for you

• Contact your references before including them on the reference sheet

Common Resume Errors

• Grammar/Spelling–NO typos or misspellings!

–Proofread carefully-do not rely solely on spell check!

–Utilize capitalization and punctuation consistently

Common Resume Errors• Name and Contact Information:

–Mailing address, phone number, and email address are current

–Make sure your outgoing phone message is professional and audible

–Email address should be professional!• Musculargourmet@• Workoutqueen@• 2bigbiceps@

Common Resume Errors• Lying:

–Your resume should contain accurate and honest information

• Do Not Include Personal Information:

–Age

–Gender

–Marital status

–Height/Weight

–Photos

Common Resume Errors • Make It Easy To Read

–79% of employers spend less than 30 seconds reviewing a resume

–Employers must immediately see skills and background to perform the job

–Don’t use a cutesy font or graphic that makes it hard to read or childish looking

Common Resume Errors • Too Much Information

– Keep your resume to one page unless you have extensive related experience

– Don’t use “I”, start your sentences with action verbs (i.e., collaborated, marketed, designed, involved, acquired, obtained)

– Avoid phrases like “hard worker” or “good customer service skills”

– Do not list past salaries or reasons for leaving past jobs

Common Resume Errors • Technology

– Avoid fax machines, always mail a copy

– 40%-60% of emailed resumes are unreadable

– Clean up or take down all social networking sites under your name

• Myspace, Facebook, ect…

• Employers will look for these

– Google your name

• What will employers find?

Common Resume Errors • Don’t Be Too General

–Each resume should be tailored to the position you are applying for

–Note specific skills, actions, and results

–Have a clearly stated job title as your career objective

• Do include a cover letter

Cover Letter• Why:

–First thing an employer sees –Opportunity to differentiate yourself from

the rest of the applicants by showing precisely why you should get the job

–Shows your communications skills and a little about your personality

–Tells the employer that you are serious about the job

–Assist in getting the interview

Header• Address your letter to a specific person, ideally

to the person who will interview you

Miles Rush, MS, ATC, CSCSSchool DirectorThe National Personal Training Institute3496 Snouffer Road, #100Columbus, OH 43235

Dear Mr. Rush:

Introductory Paragraph

• Your first paragraph should:– State which position you are applying for, and

how you found out about the organization and/or position

– Express what is attracting you to work for this organization and in this position

– Increase the reader’s interest to learn more about your qualifications

Introductory Paragraph

It is with great interest that I am applying for the Personal Trainer position at Fitness First which was posted on the fitness careers website. I believe that my education, communication, and leadership skills make me a strong candidate for the position.

Middle• Give detailed information about how your

qualifications fit with the position’s responsibilities

• Use key words from the job description to make the connection between the employer’s needs and your skills

• Include relevant information about your education, job experience, and/or personal attributes

Middle As a recent graduate of the six-month/500 hour

personal training certification program as offered by the National Personal Training Institute, I feel I have many skills and abilities that would allow me to become an excellent addition to your staff, including:

• Extensive knowledge of anatomy, exercise physiology and biomechanics including muscle origin/insertion/action, energy pathways and levers

• The ability to design exercise programming for diverse clients including special populations such as geriatrics, pregnancy and those with specific musculoskeletal disorders or injuries

Middle • Skills in exercise instruction on a wide variety of

equipment including traditional benches and machines in addition to the incorporation of body weight exercise and bands, balls, tubing, wobble boards and BOSU-based exercises

• Knowledge on nutrition related issues such as micro- and macronutrients, supplements, hydration and proper guidelines for healthy eating

Along with my classroom and hands-on practical experience, I also completed a three month personal training internship program at Fitness Together in Westlake, Ohio.

Closing Paragraph• Summarize your qualifications• Refer the reader to your enclosed resume

• Conclude by asking for a personal interview

• Be flexible regarding a date and time for the interview.

• Be specific about how the interviewer should contact you

• Include a thank you

Closing Paragraph A copy of my resume is attached and I would

welcome the opportunity to discuss these and other qualifications with you. If you are interested, please contact me at (614) 336-2664 any morning before 11:00 a.m., or feel free to leave a message.

I thank you for your time and look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bob Jeff Richards, CPT

Key Points to Remember • 100% error free• Tailor the resume and cover letter to each

position and employer• Lead with most relevant information• Avoid items that might promote negative bias• Keep to one page-unless you have a lot of

relevant experience• Do NOT use italics, fancy scripts, underlining,

graphics, or shading• Have cover letter and resume reviewed by at

least two people

What Not To DoDear Sir: I am attaching a resume and cover letter for the teaching position

advertised on nsca.  The letter is outdated by a few months.  I am now living in the W. Palm Fl. area, working in a fitness/physical therapy center.  With summer coming and snowbirds starting to fly, the North and a chance to have a full time, year round position, is looking good to me once again.

 I stopped at the national sport specific conference in Dallas (NSCA) on my way here, and I am making a concerted effort to be aware of what baseball is doing in conditioning it's athletes.

 I am also into aquatics, looking to regain my WSI and lifeguarding credentials soon.  i am also looking into tennis instructor certification, and massage licensure, among other things.

 Let's talk. XXXX, BS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT  333-555-4444