Preparing

Job-
Application
Documents
Asst. Prof. Jinky De Jesus-Reyes, MAEd

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Common documents for job application:

 Resumé ▹ Application Letter

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 Type of Job
Application
Solicited

• any job application that

is sent in response to a
Unsolicited Paper
company's promotion of
a job opening
• Pro: Sure job vacancy
• Con: High competition
Online Email

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 Type of Job
Application
Solicited

• any application that is

Unsolicited Paper
sent in without
connection to a hiring
announcement
• Pro: limited
Online Email
competition
• Con: Uncertain job 5
 Type of Job
Application
Solicited

• fill out a paper application in

person at the company's office
Unsolicited Paper or location
• it may be useful to prepare all the
information you may need ahead
of time and bring a printed resume
with you
• You may also attach the resume
Online Email
itself to the paper application and
write "see resume" when the
application asks for a list of
previous jobs. 6
 Type of Job
Application
Solicited

• use online systems for job

applications
Unsolicited Paper • sometimes allows candidates to
create profiles and use them to
apply to multiple jobs
• Sometimes, companies may
specify a preference for application
submissions at the end of their
Online Email posting, so it can be helpful to read
all postings thoroughly to the end
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 Type of Job
Application
Solicited

• a brief personal introduction in

the body of the email, with a
Unsolicited Paper cover letter and resume attached
• double check the submission
instructions to see if the
company to which you're
applying has particular
instructions
Online Email • include an informative and
concise subject line
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 Preparing your job-
application requirements

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Resume

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What is a CV?

▹ A CV (full form Curriculum Vitae which is Latin for “course

of life”) is an in-depth document which describes the whole
course of your career in full detail. It is usually two- or three-
page long but can just as well be laid out over 10+ pages, if
necessary.

▹ contains details about your education, professional career,

publications, awards, honors, and other achievements.

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What is a resume?

A resume (or résumé, from French “to sum up”) is a short, concise

document used for job applications. The purpose of a resume is to
provide recruiters with a brief overview of the candidate’s work history. A
good resume should be targeted at a specific job and one to two pages
long.

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How to write a winning
RESUMÉ?
Key components of a winning resume:

An understanding of the role

 take some time to research the job role so you have an
understanding of what's expected and how you meet
those expectations.
 Research the company itself to understand its value or
mission statement. Craft your resume to reflect similar
values.

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Key components of a winning resume:

Tailored information

A resume that is written with the job and company in

mind can show you went through the effort to learn what
the company does and who they are. Aim to include
information that is relevant to both.

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Key components of a winning resume:

A list of accomplishments

Instead of listing job duties, spotlight your

accomplishments on the job. Even if they were small,
highlighting what you did, rather than the job description
gives vital information to the employer about how you
work.

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Key components of a winning resume:

Relevant keywords
Companies send applications and resumes through
scanners that search for particular keywords or phrases. A
simple internet search can help determine industry-related
keywords to include in the body of your resume and in the
professional summary.

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Key components of a winning resume:

Featured hard and soft skills

Identify which relevant hard and soft skills to highlight.

Consider which skills relate to the job and decide which to
include.
Hard Skills (Measurable abilities). This can be anything from coding in Python to
knowing how to cook Thai cuisine.
Soft Skills (Personal skills). These are a mix of social skills, communication skills,
personal traits, career attributes, and so on. Leadership, critical thinking, management,
and communication, just to name a few.
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SKILLS

Example hard skills: Example soft skills:

▹ Computer skills ▹ Communication
▹ Analytical skills ▹ Teamwork
▹ Marketing skills ▹ Adaptability
▹ Presentation skills ▹ Problem-solving
▹ Management skills ▹ Creativity
▹ Project Management ▹ Work ethic
skills
▹ Interpersonal
▹ Writing skills
▹ Time management

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RESUME FORMAT

▹ CHRONOLOGICAL ▹ FUNCTIONAL ▹ COMBINATION

(Reverse chronological (Functional/skills-based - a great choice for job-seekers
resume format) resume format) with a very diverse skill-set. It
- This is the most popular  – This is for aspirants is useful if you’re applying for
resume format and is a role that requires expertise in
who lack relevant work
ideal for people with 3-4 different fields, and you
experience because they want to show all that in your
plenty of work are students/recent resume. Say, for example,
experience that is graduates, or looking to you’re applying for a senior
relevant to the position make a career change management role, and the
they’re interested in. requirements are expertise in
Management, Sales, and
Software Development.

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Steps in writing your
RESUME

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FOLLOW THE STEPS

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Resume Content

▹ Contact Information

Must-have Information
▹ First Name / Last Name 
▹ Phone Number
▹ Email Address
▹ Location 

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Resume Content

▹ Contact Information

Optional Information
▹ Title 
▹ LinkedIn URL 
▹ Social Media 
▹ Website / Blog 

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Resume Content

▹ Contact Information

What NOT to Include in the Contact Info Section

▹ Date of Birth (unless specifically required in the job
ad) 
▹ Unprofessional Email Address - 
Do: name.lastname@gmail.com 
Don’t: player69@gmail.com
▹ Headshot 
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Resume Content

▹ Resume Summary or Objective

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What’s a Resume Summary & When to Use it

▹ A resume summary is a 2-3 sentence summary of your career. You should

use a resume summary in basically any situation, unless you’re a recent
university graduate or switching careers (in that case, you use a resume
objective)
▹ In your resume summary, you need to mention:
• Your job and years of experience. E.g.: Customer support representative with
5+ years of experience in the IT industry.
• 1 or 2 top achievements (or core responsibilities). E.g.: Specialized in
technical support, customer care, and user retention.
• Desired goal (generally, passion for working at a specific company).
E.g.: Looking for new opportunities as a support lead for a SaaS company.

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 What’s a Resume Objective & When to Use it
▹ A resume objective is, in a nutshell, the goal of your
resume. It communicates your motivation for getting
into a new field. As with a resume summary, a resume
objective should be around 2-3 sentences. 
▹ As we’ve mentioned before, a resume objective is the
go-to for anyone that either has no work experience or
is going through a career change.

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 Formula to Create Your Resume Objective:

▹ (1) [SKILL/EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION RELEVANT TO THE

JOB WITH JOB TITLE]. 
▹ Looking to apply my (2) [years/months of EXPERIENCE RELEVANT
TO THE JOB DESCRIPTION] at [COMPANY YOU ARE
APPLYING TO]
▹ to help (3) [TYPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES YOU WILL HELP OUT
WITH SUCCESSFULLY]. 

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 Examples of Resume Objectives

1) So, here is how that would look like if you’re a STUDENT:

▹ “Hard-working recent graduate with a B.A. in Graphic Design from New
York State University seeking new opportunities. 3+ years of practical
experience working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, creating
illustrations & designing UX / UI. Looking to grow as a designer, as well
as perfect my art, at the XYZ Design Studio.”
2) Or, on the other hand, if you’re going through a career change:
▹ “IT project manager with 5+ years of experience in software
development. Managed a team of developers to create products for several
industries, such as FinTech and HR tech. Looking to leverage my
experience in managing outsourced products as a Product Owner at
XYZ.”

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Work Experience

The standard format for your work experience is as follows:

 Job Title/Position - Your job title goes on top of each work experience entry. When the HR manager
scans your resume, you want them to know, at a glance, that you have relevant work experience for
the job.

 Company Name / Location / Description - Then, you mention the name of the relevant employer, as
well as the location of the office you work/have worked in. In some cases, you may also want to briefly
describe the company, if the organization is not a famous household name.

 Achievements and Responsibilities - This is the core of each work experience entry. Depending on
your field, you want to list either your achievements or responsibilities.

 Dates Employed - The timeframe of your employment in each company. Not sure about the exact
dates you worked somewhere? Don’t worry - you don’t have to be accurate by the day, as long as it’s
close. The standard format expected by recruiters and employers is mm/yyyy (this is especially
important when your job application will be parsed by an Applicant Tracking System).

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How much work experience do you include in your resume?

Here’s how much information you’d mention in your resume depending on your level
of experience:

 Job hunters with no experience - If you don’t have any experience, it might be a
bit hard to fill in your work experience section. You can either keep it empty and
focus on all the other sections, or fill it up with work experience in student
organizations, non-profits, etc.

 Entry-level candidates - List all the work you’ve done up to now.

 Mid-level professionals - ONLY mention work experience relevant to the position

you’re applying for.

 Senior professionals - List up to 15 years of relevant work experience MAX. If

your recent experience is as a CEO, no one cares about how you started your
career as a cashier in your teenage years.
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 Education

How to List Education on Your Resume

 Program Name. E.g.: “B.A. in Business Administration”

 University Name. E.g.: “New York State University”

 Years Attended. E.g.: “08/2008 - 06/2012”

 (Optional) GPA. E.g.: “3.9 GPA”

 (Optional) Honors. E.g.: Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum

Laude.

 (Optional) Academic achievements. Any interesting papers you’ve written,

courses you’ve excelled in, etc.

 (Optional) Minor. “Minor in Psychology”

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▹ Note:
 If you don’t have any work experience, mention your education
section first.

 Mention your latest educational entry on top.

 If you have a university degree, don’t mention your high school

at all.

 ONLY mention GPA if you had a very impressive academic

career (3.5 GPA plus).
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Skills

When mentioning skills in your resume, there are 3 essential steps to follow:

▹ Step #1 - List Hard Skills with Experience Levels. For each hard skill you list, you want
to mention your proficiency level:

As a rule of thumb, you can divide them by:

▹ Beginner - You have some experience with the skill, whether it’s from some entry-
level practice or classroom education.

▹ Intermediate - You’ve used the skill in a work environment with a good level of
understanding.

▹ Advanced - You’re the go-to person for the skill in your office. You can coach other
employees, and understand the skill on a high level.

▹ Expert - You’ve applied this skill in more than a handful of different projects &
organizations. You’re the go-to person for advice about the skill, not just in your office,
but even amongst some of the best professionals in your field.
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 Skills

Step #2 - Tailor Your Skills to the Job. You might have some super rare,
awesome skills, but they’re not always going to be useful. For example, it’s
awesome that you know accounting, but would you really need it at your new
job as a line cook? Exactly!
▹ Take a look at the job ad and list 2-3 essential skills required for the job.
Step #3 - Include Some Universal Skills - “Universal Skills” are the type of
skills useful for almost any job out there. These are both soft skills
(leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, etc.) and hard skills (Excel,
Powerpoint, Photoshop, writing, etc.). Whatever job you’re applying to,
chances are, these skills will in one way or another come in handy, so feel
free to include them, even if they’re not specifically required for the position.

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Other Important Sections (If needed)

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BEST RESUME LAYOUT

▹ 1. One page in length

▹ 2. Clear section headings
▹ 3. Ample white-space
▹ 4. Easy-to-read font
▹ 5. Pick the right font size
▹ 6. As a rule of thumb, save your resume as PDF.

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Checklist for Resume Writing

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How to write a convincing
APPLICATION/ COVER
LETTER?
 Here’s a format you could follow:

 Introduce yourself (and leave an impression) - As a start, give a brief

run-down on your work experience and mention why you’re interested in
working for the company you’re applying for. You can also mention 1-2 of
your top professional achievements to leave a good first impression.

 Explain how you’d excel at the job - Identify the top 3 requirements in
the job ad. Then, dedicate one paragraph to explaining how you fulfil
each requirement. So for example, if the requirement is “Facebook
Advertising Experience,” mention how you have done Facebook ads in
the past and how you’ve excelled at it.

 Wrap it up and say thanks - Thank the reader for reading your cover
letter and propose the next steps. For example, “If you’d like to know
more about my experience with Project XYZ, I’d love to chat!”
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Sample

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thanks!
ANY QUESTIONS?

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