Resumes, CVs,

and Cover Letters

STEM Routes
Joe Villanueva
April 23, 2021

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We are here for you!

Do you have questions about

your future STEM Career and
how to get there?
Email us at
stem_routes@colorado.edu

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Resume vs CV
❑ Résumé – French Word -- “to sum up” – 1 to 2 pages
❖ Summary of your education, work history, credentials, other accomplishments
and skills
❖ Used for a specific job
❑ CV– Curriculum Vitae – Latin Word – “course of life” – No limit of pages
❖ Complete summary of your experiences and skills
❖ Includes detailed information about your education, professional career,
publications, awards, honors, and other achievements
❖ In the USA, is typically used for academic job applications

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 Resume CV

How long? Keep it short, one to two pages maximum. As per need, they can get to 5 or 6 pages!
Every job you apply for needs you to It’s like an academic diary, tracking your
customize your resume. Focus on your qualifications, achievements, and
What goes into it?
professional skills rather than your certifications. By its very nature, it’s static and
academic ability. universal, but you need to keep it up to date.
Your CV is a record of achievements, so it
You need to make it relevant to each
doesn’t change. New information gets added
Customizability? position you apply for with it so you can
as your career progresses, but nothing gets
shine a light on your relevant skills.
added or removed for different applications.
In a lot of the world, like Australia, India,
and South Africa, resume and CV are Across Europe, the UK, and New Zealand the
Where to use it? mostly interchangeable, but in the US they word resume barely gets used and CV covers
are different and distinct types of both types of documents we’re talking about.
document.
There are a few different formats to use,
such as reverse-chronological, functional, Your CV will look like a list of what you’ve
What should it
combination or targeted and we’ve got achieved and will be in chronological order,
look like?
more details about them in our resume that is the order in which they happened.
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formats guide.
Résumé: What to Include
I am the Candidate

1. Contact Information
2. Education
3. Work Experience
4. Skills
5. Additional Sections (Awards,
Courses, Publications,
Certificates, Conferences, etc.)

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 First and Second
Year Resume Template

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Third and Post
Grad Resume
Template

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 CV: What to Include – Your Life
1. Contact Information 10. Grants and Fellowships
2. Research Objective, Professional
Profile, or Personal Statement 11. Conferences
3. Education 12. Leadership Experience
4. Professional Academic Appointments 13. Research Experience / Lab
5. Books Experience / Graduate Fieldwork
6. Book Chapters 14. Non-Academic or Club Activities
7. Peer-Reviewed Publications 15. Languages and Skills
8. Other Publications 16. Memberships
9. Awards and Honors 17. References
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CV Template

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 Formatting Your CV

❑ Dates- Present them in reverse chronological order-your current

experience comes first

❑ Specify Education with Name of institution, city and country

❑ Highlight skills and experience with bullet points

❑ Use an easy-to-read font (not too small or big)

❑ Use bold and italics to help the reader (not overwhelm them)

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CV: Communicating Value
List 5 things you want to
communicate to anyone who looks
at your CV?
• Take a few minutes and write
them out
• Consider your skills, knowledge,
interests and experience
• You should be able to back these up
with examples in your CV.
Example
1) Knowledge about URM issues and treads
2) Good at developing and delivering
workshops and small 1-3 day conferences
3) Capable of building strong external
partnerships
4) Driven to improve programs though
assessments and planning
5) Proven track record of securing ‘the bag’
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Create ‘Dynamic’ Bullet Points
• Go beyond simply listing your tasks and duties
• Highlight what you know how to do and the impact you’ve had
• Specific details
• Quantify when possible
• Accomplishments/ results (Show with examples, don’t kist list)
• Focus on those that demonstrate your qualifications for the target position
• Go beyond simply listing your tasks and duties
• Nitty-Gritty
• Bullet points should start with an action verb
• No defined number of bullets (consider relevance and duration)
• Current position = present tense, previous positions = past tense

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Dynamic Bullets
• List of Duties and Tasks
• Responsible for data collection
• Accomplishments (action verbs,
qualify/quantify
• Conducted a survey with >300
respondents in 3 regions of CO to
build first ever dataset of youth
engagement in natural resource
governance
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Dynamic Bullets
Facts ❑ Collected and categorized over 100 different
species of animals for Panamanian sustainable
1) Collected sample species for company community
2) Assisted in organizing conferences and ❑ Coordinated the presentation schedule for one
public events international research conference and two-
3) Lead team of software developers yearly chapter meeting, which included >50
speakers and saw and attendance of >2000
4) Conducted research on the electoral people
volatility of Turkey
❑ Lead a team of 6 software developers on a
$2m, 12-month project, meeting deadlines and
increasing productivity gains for users by 30%
❑ Examined open source reports on violence
associated with Turkish elections and
conducted phone interviews with over 20
protesters and security personnel

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 Cover Letters – Expanding Beyond CV/ Resume

❑ Your opportunity to tell employers how the

information in your CV/Resume fits into their
workplace
❑ 3-5 paragraph essay format that highlights specific
experiences/ skills for a job

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 Muhammad Ali Khan
Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology Peshawar
Email: abc@gmail.com, Cell: 0333-1234567

To Whom It may Concern

Respected Director Operations

I am excited to submit my application for the [Position] role at [Company Name]. With
[Number of Years] of experience in [Related Field], I am confident that my skills and
General expertise make me a strong candidate for this position.
As someone who is passionate about [Industry/Field], I am always looking for ways to
Cover Letter improve my skills and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies. My
experience has taught me the importance of [Key Skill/Value], and I am confident that I

Template can bring these skills to your team and contribute to your company's success.
Throughout my career, I have gained valuable experience in [Key
Responsibilities/Projects], and I am confident that I can apply these skills to your
company's specific needs. Additionally, I am a team player who is comfortable
collaborating with colleagues at all levels of the organization.
I am excited about the opportunity to join your team and contribute to your company's
success. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you
soon.
Regards

Sincerely,
[Your Name] 17
 Muhammad Ali Khan
Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology Peshawar
Email: abc@gmail.com, Cell: 0333-1234567
To Whom It may Concern
Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express my interest in the Engineering position at [Company Name]. As a highly skilled and
experienced engineer with [Number of Years] years of experience in [Related Field], I am confident that my skills
and expertise make me a strong candidate for this role.
Engineering Throughout my career, I have developed a strong foundation in [Key Engineering Skills] and have applied these
Cover Letter skills to a variety of projects, including [Related Project Examples]. My experience has taught me the importance
of attention to detail, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, all of which are crucial in the engineering field.

Template I am particularly interested in joining your company because of your commitment to [Related Company Values]. I
believe that my skills and experience align with your company's mission and that I can contribute to your team's
success.

In my current position as an engineer at [Current Company Name], I have successfully [Key Achievements or
Accomplishments]. These experiences have provided me with valuable skills and knowledge that I can apply to
this position.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my qualifications further
and learn more about this exciting opportunity.

Sincerely, 18
[Your Name]
Cover Letters – What to Include

❑ Header – Use the same format/ info from your resume/ CV

❖ This contains your contact information and the position you are applying to
❑ Opening paragraph
❖ Address someone directly – if you can not find someone, use, “To whom it
may concern”
❖ Describe how you found the position: If someone referred you, mention them
here
❖ Describe why you are interested in the job and why your 2-3 specific skills fit
into the position / company

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Cover Letters – What to Include
Middle Paragraphs
❑ Expand on those 2-3 skills by giving concrete
examples that demonstrate those skills through
experience
❑ Highlight your researched knowledge of the company
by indicating how your experiences fit their company
objectives
❑ Address specific qualifications mentioned in the job
description

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Cover Letters – What to Include

Closing Paragraph
❑ Reiterate your interest in the position
❑ Thank the employer for taking the time
to read your cover letter
❑ Indicate how and when the employer
can contact you

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 LinkedIn and Recruiters Use Robots
❑ Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
❖ The robot that will read your resume
❖ >75% of employers use ATS to find applicants, especially if
they use a recruiter
❑ Keys to matching algorithms
❖ Format – use .docx (PDF, pages, etc. are often not input types)
❖ Avoid using headers/ footers. Format them within the body of
the page
❖ KEYWORDS! – read through job description and highlight any
skills, tech, software or repeated words, especially in the
‘qualifications’ section, and match those directly (but do not
copy and paste! It can catch that too!!)
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 Resumes and CV contain the same information in different formats

Include a cover letter when applying for a position

Take
Aways Highlight how your skills match the job description

Format your resume for both computer and human readers

Obtain help at every step in the process

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