Resume

Resume

Have multiple versions of your resume prepared. Say you are a Full-Stack Software Engineer, which might mean you are comfortable working with the front-end technologies (JavaScript, React, HTML, etc.), or back-end technologies (Java, Node.js, etc.), or both. During the course of your master’s or bachelor’s, you might have done several projects using front-end, back-end, and/or full-stack. So you should prepare 3 different resumes -- one for each of front-end, back-end, and full-stack developer roles -- each resume should be focused on the role-specific skills, projects, and customized previous job descriptions. Don’t just use the same resume for all the roles that you apply for.

Recruiters on average spend around 6 seconds to visually scan and go through your resume on a high level. If your resume is not clean or well-organized, chances are they might just trash it. So, stick to a 1-page resume (unless you have 10+ years of relevant industry experience). Maintain consistency in bold and italicized text. Don’t overdo text formatting. Use whitespace effectively. Consider your resume as your real-estate asset: don’t clutter it with too tight text, nor leave a lot of wasted white space. You can use a slight bit of color but err on the side of caution. Lastly, have your resume reviewed by your co-op advisor/faculty or the NU Career center.

Cover Letters

The same goes with Cover Letters. Before you commence your job search, have multiple versions of cover letters ready for each type of role you are interested in. Have a cover letter “template” prepared for each of these types of roles. A template is like a draft version of your cover letter where you leave blanks for some fields like company name, role name, etc. Whenever you want to apply for a job, just pick the role-specific cover letter template, then fill out the blanks (like the company name, role name, hiring manager name, and some other company-specific customizations), and apply. Again, don’t just use the same cover letter for all the roles that you apply for. It’s good practice to customize your cover letter according to the company, but don’t start writing a new letter or use the same letter for each of your applications. Use the templates.

Organizing your resumes and cover letters

A simple and good strategy to manage your job applications is as follows: In your Google Drive or OneDrive, create a folder called “JOB SEARCH”. Inside, create a folder for “RESUMES” and another for “COVER LETTERS”. Also, create a folder for each of the companies you apply for, like “AMAZON”, “MICROSOFT”, etc. All the documents you send for different applications of a particular company should be grouped and placed in that company-specific folder. Also, in the JOB SEARCH folder, create a spreadsheet for tracking the job application statuses. The columns should be at least these: Company, Job Role Title, Location, Job Role URL, Recruiter Name, Hiring Manager Name, Documents supplied (Resume, Cover Letter, Work Samples, etc), Job Status (Applied, Rejected, Expired, Callback), Notes. Update this spreadsheet as soon as you receive communication from the company/recruiter via LinkedIn, Email, Text alert, etc.