A resume is a key job-hunting tool used to get an interview. A resume
summarizes accomplishments, education, work experience, and
will usually reflect a job seeker's special skills and strengths. Common
formats for resumes are:
- Chronological (reverse chronological, listing all
your experience from most to least recent).
- Functional, which lists experience in skills clusters.
- A combination or hybrid of those two types, sometimes
known as a chrono-functional format.
There are no laws governing truthfulness of statements included on resumes.
However, it is important not to lie or stretch the truth on a resume, as
a false resume may be grounds for dismissal.
A cover letter in the employment context is a letter that should accompany
your resume when you contact a potential employer. A good cover letter
gives a glimpse ofyour personality and describes specific strengths and
skills you offer the employer. It should entice the employer to read your
resume.
Cover letters can fall under the following categories :
- uninvited (cold contact) cover letter -- The most
common type of cover letter, since such a large percentage of the job market
openings are not advertised. Usually part of a direct mail campaign in
which the job-seeker is trying to uncover hidden jobs.
- invited cover letter -- Written in response to
an advertised opening, whether in a newspaper, trade publication, on the
Internet, or even on the company's bulletin board.
- referral cover letter -- An extremely effective
type of cover letter that springs from networking efforts. The referral
letter uses a name-dropping tactic as early as possible in the letter to
attract the reader's attention and prompt an interview.
