The purpose of a resume and cover letter is to get you noticed and land you the coveted interview. They are marketing tools to attract interest and motivate the recruiter or hiring manager to meet with you and determine if your skills are a good match for the position and you are a good fit for the company.
Some companies are even moving away from asking for the traditional resume/cover letter and have candidates complete an on-line application form where they are asked to respond to a series of questions and/or upload samples of work.
A US-based, on-line company called “CredHive” that launched earlier this year, boldly claims that “we know the resume is an antiquated document. Today, it is one size fits none. Talent hates writing them and employers hate reviewing them. The resume doesn’t reflect the real work or an innate ability to do a job.” What the company offers is a platform for candidates to store a private collection of work experiences curated in real time that is more visually attractive. This can include samples of work in various media. When a candidate is seeking a position, they can select to have their profile broadcasted to recruiters who subscribe.
While for now, resumes and cover letters are still widely used and asked for by employers 
and the “one size fits none” rule definitely holds true. You should never use a generic resume and cover letter to apply for multiple jobs. Each resume and cover letter needs to be customized for the position and employer. You need to research the company and the position, find out what business challenges the company is facing and how you can solve them, give examples, find a way to demonstrate your alignment with the company culture and keep in mind “what’s in it for the hiring manager?” Remember to apply to the company in the way that they specify. If you do not follow the instructions or the format that they want to receive applications, your application will likely be overlooked.
Most prospective employers will check your social media profile so make sure that there 
isn’t anything that can be viewed about you publicly that could create a negative impression. If you are on LinkedIn, take some time to create a professional profile showcasing your work experience. Here’s an article written by Michael Tingle, Director, Corporate Business Development, Ortech Consulting, called “How Engineering Students (or anybody) can find a job using LinkedIn.” Here’s a LinkedIn Profile Checklist for College Students created by the staff at LinkedIn.
Here’s a link to an article written by the CEO of CredHive with some advice for job seekers, called “Six Things Job Seekers Do That Hiring Managers Love.”
Links to On-line Resources:
- Career Realism
is a website that posts numerous articles written by career experts. Check out the “Job Search” link for short articles and tips on Interviews, Resumes, Cover Letters, Personal Brand, Linked In and Networking. - SFU On-line Learning Centre – excellent website that provides tips and samples of cover letters, resumes and even an interview question database with hundreds of questions
- Resunate –
helps you optimize your resume for applicant screening systems, which are used by many companies to pre-screen applications usually searching for keywords related to the job description. Simply upload your resume and the job description you’re applying for and it will score you on how well matched the two are.
- Career Cruising – Check out the “Employment Guide” section for good information on looking for work, resume building, letter writing, interviews, and more. If you don’t know the school’s username and password, please email Patrizia at ppaoluzzi@vsb.bc.ca
- Making the Cut: a Recruiter’s Insight Into Making it onto the “Yes” Pile – this article gives some great tips on how to make your application stand out from the pile
- University of Toronto On-line Career Centre – check out the “Resume and Cover Letter Toolkit“
- Quintiessential Careers – for samples of resumes, cover letters, branding statements, interviewing and thank you letters
- Youth Canada – resumes, cover letters, interview preparation, job search
Links to On-line Interview Questions:
- Monster.com – 100 potential interview questions
- Pongo – great information on how to answer behavioral interview questions
- Top 5 Toughest Interview Questions
- Skype Interview Tips
- Weird Interview Questions and Why
- Government of Canada Site – while this site is intended to help employers with Human Resources management, there is some useful information (and interview questions) to help you think like an employer
VSB Adult Education Career Centre 