Resume, Cover Letter and CV Guides
Building your Resume, Cover Letter or CV?
A polished and targeted resume and cover letter are essential to your job search. We can help you develop well-crafted documents that can create a great first impression and increase your chances of landing an interview.
Check out the following resources below to get started:
Quick Tips
When you’re creating your resume and cover letter, you’ll want to:
- Highlight your skills, as employers look for transferable skills relevant for the job
- Phrase your bullet points using action-based SAR statements to highlight your skills, experience and accomplishments
- Use Action Verbs which relate to the skills set you are hoping to display
- Always tailor your resume and cover letter for each position
- Proofread your documents to ensure they are free of spelling and grammatical errors
- Visit the Career Services office in 401 Tory for a review!
Resumes
- Compare the 3 Types of Resumes to help you decide which template works best for you.
- A Chronological Resume emphasizes your work history and professional achievements over time in increasingly expert positions.
- A Skills-based Resume emphasizes your skills and education as they relate to the position you are applying for.
- A Combined Resume emphasizes your work experience as well as skills, accomplishments and achievements gained in other areas.
Cover Letters
- Use the Cover Letter Template to build a targeted and polished cover letter for each position you apply to.
- Review Tips on Cover Letters to make your cover letter stand out!
Academic CVs
- Unsure whether to use a Resume or CV? Find out here!
- Review our CV Template and get Tips on Writing a CV to help you format and write your CV for academic or research positions.
In-person Review Services
Book an appointment online for Resume, CV, and Cover Letter reviews which includes:
- Reviewing resume and cover letter for structure and organization – bring in a hard or digital copy!
- Providing feedback regarding written content, including SAR statements
- Supporting your efforts to tailor your resume to specific job requirements – bring in a job posting with your resume!
Visit Career Services in 401 Tory!
For in-person support, visit the Career Centre in 401 Tory Building Monday to Friday, from 1p.m. to 4p.m (last check in at 3:30 p.m.). To book an appointment, either virtual or in-person, please contact us via email (career@carleton.ca), phone (613-520-6611), or live chat.
Applicant Tracking Software
- ATS (Applicant Tracking Software) is a software application extensively used by recruiters and HR professionals to screen and organize candidate profiles during the hiring cycle.
- From a job seeker’s perspective, an ATS is a tool that screens candidate resumes for specific keywords, experience, background, or training when they apply for a job posting. This, along with candidate contact information, resume, and cover letter, is uploaded to a database. HR personnel then use this candidate file to screen candidates, contact them, schedule interviews and eventually hire them.
Resumes, Cover Letters and AI
You may be turning to ChatGPT for career document writing assistance because writing a resume and cover letter can be time consuming, especially when you’re adjusting each document to each job.
While ChatGPT is a helpful tool to write career documents, you should not submit them without revision or personalization. Here are a few prompts that may assist with creating your tailored application documents:
- “Highlight the top 10 keywords in this job description: [Insert Job Description]”
- “Name five transferable skills that are relevant for the [industry name].”
- “Identify three job titles similar to [position title].”
You must review your output to check for mistakes and ensure your tone and delivery are what you were looking for. Make sure to always tailor ChatGPT outputs to ensure your resume or cover letter is in your own voice, avoids obvious conflicting or gibberish information, or concerns of plagiarism.
If you are using ChatGPT to assist with any of your writing, make sure to use it alongside AI detection tools, such as ZeroGPT. You can also review Carleton’s citation information if you are considering using ChatGPT for coursework, or learn more about AI and your Job Search.