Resume/Cover Letter Workshop

September 2008

This information is confidential and was prepared by Bain & Company solely for the use of our client; it is not to be relied on by any 3rd party without Bain's prior written consent.
Agenda

• Resume

• Cover letter

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A resume should represent the truth about
you in the best possible light

• The main purpose of your resume is to get you

in the door for a job interview

• On average, employers spend less than 60

seconds reading a resume, so you have to
make a good impression quickly

• Employers may look for mistakes in resumes as

frequently as they look for great achievements

• Your resume will be important throughout your

entire career, though the format will change as
you gain more experience
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Five types of information are traditionally
included in a resume

Heading • Name
• Permanent address, current address, telephone number(s)
• E-mail address

Education • Degree and expected date of graduation

• Concentration, GPA
• Thesis title (if any), relevant coursework
• Awards/academic societies
• SAT scores (optional – many firms still request them)

Work experience • Include job title, name of employer/activity, dates of position

• Use action verbs to describe skills utilized
(or: Experience)
• Emphasize impact/results of your roles

Leadership experience • Same format as work experience

• Emphasize managerial capabilities in positions held
(or: Activities)

Personal • Fluency in languages, interests, computer skills, (& fun stuff)

- Anything on your resume can be a topic of discussion during an interview,
so choose personal information wisely

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You can think about any activity or
experience along four dimensions…

The goal of the organization

The goal/scope of your

work at that organization
The specific tasks
you performed
Focus
The results
you achieved

What did you do? Why does it matter?

Put your actions in the context of the organization

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Resume Basics: Education

Instead of assuming that everyone knows all about what you studied…

Education
RANDOM COLLEGE
Class of 2003, degree in Underwater Basket Weaving. Got honors and a scholarship.

Use specific detail and numbers to describe your coursework, grades and
academic achievements:

Education
Harvard University Cambridge, MA
BA in Economics, expected 2003. GPA: 4.0. Joker Scholarship for class clown.
Coursework included: Advanced economic theory, statistics, calculus, joke-writing.
[Other possible bullet points: SAT score; thesis topic; awards/grants; summer courses

In your education section, give a

complete description of what you studied
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Resume Basics: Jobs and Activities

Instead of glossing over your achievements vaguely…

Professional Experience
McBain Consulting Boston, MA
Associate Consultant September 2003-present
•Worked on team of McBain consultants
•Analyzed costs for McBain client on assigned project

Use action verbs to describe precisely your actions and numbers to

describe results that you achieved:

Professional Experience
McBain Consulting Boston, MA
Associate Consultant September 2003-present
•Led recruiting campaign that increased applicants by 20% to all-time high of 3,000
•Conducted analysis that led to a 40% cost reduction for major McBain client

Use action words and numbers to summarize your

achievements and focus the reader’s attention 7
Resume Basics: That first job that you took
just to make some money
If the only good day at your first job was pay day…

Work Experience
City Sports Chestnut Hill, MA
Sales Clerk May, 1999-August, 1999
•Sold shoes to thieving soccer moms, was responsible for register and stocking
shelves, got a discount on shoes

Make your “results” the hours that you worked and the money you
raised—working to pay for your expenses shows maturity and responsibility:

Work Experience
City Sports Chestnut Hill, MA
Shoe Slinger May, 1999-August, 1999
•Raised $2,500 to defray the costs of my education by working 40 hours/week as a
sales clerk in the athletic shoes department

Focus on the results of your actions;

make the most of any situation
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Resume Basics: The very end—stuff that
you’re actually interested in

Believe it or not, interviewers want to know about you as a person too.

Interests: Reality TV, collecting stamps, reading mystery novels

Skills: Juggling hot knives, cooking, playing pool, skiing
Languages: French (fluent), Chinese (basic)
Travel: France, Portugal, Suriname; Visited every state in the US

Employers want interesting and

skilled colleagues

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Resume formats vary, but most successful
resumes share a few key characteristics

• Limit your resume to one page (except academic resumes)

• List your activities in reverse chronological order (most

recent ones come first) within each section

• However, place more important activities before lesser

ones (regardless of chronological order)

• Use bullet-points for emphasis of important achievements

and for spacing

• Consistently use bolding and italics for titles and headings

• Use a structure that is appropriate for the type of job to

which you are applying
- Add a “Research Experience” section if applying for a science job
- “Volunteer Experience” may be applicable for some non-profit jobs
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Five Steps for Resume Preparation

1) Review resume samples– Don’t reinvent the wheel

-OCS, Harvard Guide to Careers, Web

2) Inventory your skills, accomplishments, and

experiences

3) Prepare a draft

4) Have your resume critiqued

-Get feedback specific to the industry that interests you
-Ask your friends who have already gotten jobs

5) Modify resume as necessary for different types of

jobs and additional experiences
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Important resume Do’s and Don’ts

Do Don’t
• Be clear and concise—make • Use more than one page
a few words say a lot • Use too-small font/margins

• Use action verbs • Lie

• Quantify your achievements • Use strange fonts or colors

where appropriate

• Focus on the results of your • Print on colored or perfumed

actions paper

• Proofread • Make speling mistakes

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Agenda

• Resume

• Cover letter

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A terrific resume might never get read if the
cover letter is not up to par

A good cover letter . . .

• Offers you the opportunity to personalize your
application packet

• Enables you to state clearly why you are

interested in the company and how you match
their needs

• Allows you to direct attention to specific skills

and go into more detail about your key attributes

• Allows you to answer (in some circumstances) any

specific concerns not covered in resume

• Opens the door to future communication and

follow-through
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General format of the cover letter

• State the purpose of your letter at the beginning

-Explicitly state the position for which you are applying

• Briefly describe your interest in the company and position

-Why do you want this job? What about it interests you, and
what skills or knowledge could it teach you?

• Pick a few succinct selling points from your resume and

elaborate on them
-Demonstrate why you are a good candidate through your
experiences and actions in a given activity, situation, or class
-Be detailed; don’t just restate a favorite resume bullet point

• Thank the reader for his/her consideration and encourage

a response
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Treat your cover letter as a narrative

Introduction • How did you become interested in this general

area or type of work?

Plot • What steps did you take to pursue this interest?

• How did key experiences shape this trajectory?
- Did you realize new interests through an experience?
- Did you learn key skills through an experience?
8Describe how you gained these interests/skills

Conclusion • Why does your trajectory lead you to seek an

opportunity of this sort?
- Tie your experiences/interests/skills to the position
• How would getting this position help you pursue
the interests you have described?
• Why would the organization be a good fit for you?
- What special characteristics makes it a good match?
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Important cover letter Do’s and Don’ts

Do Don’t
• Demonstrate you’ve • Refer to the wrong industry
researched the employer or a different employer
and the position

• Highlight one or two items • List everything that is

from your resume included in your resume

• Describe items in more • Repeat exactly what is in

depth than your resume your resume

• Address potential relevant • Draw attention to minor flaws

concerns from your resume • Use more than one page

• Proofread • Make spelling mistakes

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