Creating a Resume and Cover Letter

Resumes are very important for college applications, personal interviews, and
recommendation letters. Learning how to write and send a resume and cover letter is also
great practice for the future, or even for summer jobs and internships.

There are various formats to writing a resume, and the one below is just an example. If
you’re passionate about an extracurricular activity (such as ballet, or basketball) then you
may want to devote more space to that and organize the resume as the example below
(Academics, Extracurriculars, and Awards). Another format for a resume is to organize it
by year. This is recommended for students who have done many different activities or
received awards per year, and it would be better than organizing it by category.

Resume Tips:
-Only provide relevant information
-Length: 1-2 pages (one page if possible)
-Keep resume simple and updated

You should also include a cover letter before your resume. A cover letter is a brief
letter talking a little about yourself, why you’re interested in applying to a school/job,
how you found out about a position, etc. You can include a paragraph that describes
yourself in a little more detail than the resume would (complimentary adjectives that
people use to describe you).

Make sure you research a school/job/internship before writing the cover letter. Research
is key to showing colleges and employers that you care about this position and you’re
ready to be accepted/hired right away.

Some helpful web resources:

- www.about.com
- www.collegegrad.com/jobsearch/best-college-resumes/
- http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/36957.html
- http://www.bc.edu/offices/careers/skills/resumes.html

1
 Resume

Your Name
Your Address
Your Phone
Your Email

General Information:
Date of Birth: Social Security Number:
Year in School: Year/Date of Application:

School Information:
School’s Address
School’s Phone
School’s Fax
College Counselor (if you have one)

Academic Information:
GPA
Class Rank (if your school provides it)
SAT Reasoning Test Scores: V- M- W- Date Taken: (Retake On)
SAT II Subject Test Scores: Date Taken: (Retake On)
AP Courses:
Honors Courses:

Athletic Information:
Sport: Coach:
Experience: Coach Phone:
Position:

Video Available: Uniform Number:

Awards:
Camps Attended: Club Coach:

Club Team: Club Phone:

Activities:
List clubs and the years involved:

List service projects:

Outside Activities:

List anything outside of school that you enjoy:

Honors or Awards Received During High School:

2
 Cover Letter

Your Name
Your Address
Your Phone
Your Email

Date

School/Employer Contact Information (some of the items below may not be available):
Name of Person Addressing Resume to
Title
School/Company
Address

Salutation (Mr., Mrs., Ms) OR To Whom it May Concern

Body Paragraphs (1-3):

Describe yourself, what you have to offer to the school/job, why you’re interested in the
school/job. Include any mutual contacts and make sure you show that you’ve researched
the school by providing specific names of programs or job positions.

Conclusion:
Thank the Admissions person or Employer for taking the time to consider you, and be
sure to include any additional follow-up information.

Sincerely,

Your signature (if mailed letter)

Your name in print

Bibliography

About.com: Cover Letter Format

Georgetown Visitation College Handbook 2010-2011