Resume and Cover Letter Workshop Recap
Last week, 50/50 Leadership hosted a Resume & Cover Letter Workshop to help participants fine tune their resume and cover letter for their ideal career.
The workshop began with a resume portion hosted by Aimee Malgapo. Aimee discussed the definition of a resume, what it is used for, and why you need a resume. Then, she gave a breakdown of the components of a resume, including your name, objective, experience, education, and skills. Lastly, Aimee discussed a few examples of resumes in different styles for various skill sets and explained what made these examples successful.
The second half of the workshop, which went over cover letters, was led by Kristen Albertson. Kristen began by defining what a cover letter is, then went into what to consider before writing a cover letter. Next, she discussed the format of a cover letter as well as six steps to writing a great cover letter. She ended her presentation with an excellent sample as a visual aid. Participants discussed the strengths of the letter as well as how it could be improved.
The workshop concluded with a Q&A session in which participants could ask any questions they had about the presentation or about writing a resume or cover letter. One question asked by a participant was, “Do we need to show our entire work experience in a cover letter?” Kristen explained that it is more useful to highlight a few experiences or anecdotes about your previous job experience, rather than listing every achievement you have made. She suggested that the best way to do this is by focusing on the tasks and projects you have completed that are most relevant to the job you are applying for. Additionally, Kristen advised that the cover letter should be tailored to the position you are applying for and should reflect your personality and enthusiasm for the job.
Attendees left the workshop feeling more confident and empowered to present themselves to potential employers. They could also walk away knowing they had the tools necessary to create a competitive resume and cover letter. By providing instructions on how to craft a professional resume, as well as tips on how to write a convincing cover letter, the workshop gave attendees the confidence that they needed to succeed in their job search.
