Tips for Preparing Your CV & Application Letter

CV/ Letter Dos and Don'ts

When you're writing a CV or application letter, everyone has his/her own "expert" advice and pet peeves. Life can get confusing when one person tells you, "always use bullets" and another says, "never use bullets." My own advice is to listen and then take the advice for what you will--but always make your documents clear, accurate, and easy to read. The following are tips to help you prepare these documents.

Application Letter Hints

• Be honest and accurate in your letter, using the qualifications you actually have to date.
• Make sure to use the appropriate audience name and address when creating your lette. Instead of using "Dear Ma'am or Sir," "Dear Sirs," or "To Whom It May Concern," address the letter to a specific person (if you cannot find out the name of the person to whom you should address the letter, then use the person's title, such as "Graduate Adisor" or "Director of Admissions").
• Remember the requested length: one (full) page. If you make the letter much shorter than one full page, you run the risk of being vague or terse. If you make the letter much longer, you run the risk of getting tedious, irrelevant, or repetitive.
• Remember to use concrete detail, replying to the position as closely as possible. Don't be vague or generic! Show your audience that you have paid attention to who he/she/they are, their needs, and their concerns. When possible, some research into a company can be very useful.

CV Hints

• Consider revising the overall order of your CV sections to highlight your the most significant accomplisments or skills that relate to the program you wish to enter.
• Think about what pieces of information will be to the left and towards the top of the screen or page. These pieces of information are what will be emphasized to your readers. Don't cheat yourself by simply using a template resume's design and content exclusively; think about what looks best and what works for you.
• Establish a pattern within each section.This repetition gives your resume a structure, a sort of skeleton that supports your qualifications.
• Avoid "I"'s; instead, list your skills as verb phrases (Completed...Worked as...Designed...Assisted...).
• Use bullets along with key action verbs to show that you have applicable skills--what you can do.
• Make an Objective meaningful, not just fluff. (An objective is optional.)
• Skip the high school stuff, unless you have a high school job that directly relates to your field or an outstanding achievement.
• Strike a balance between academic/professional experience and "the other education."
• Consider removing "References available upon request" unless you need filler information; this is already assumed to be true.
• Look critically at the textbook examples; don't assume that because you see it in print, it's outstanding.
• Using good content and polished design, try to generally fill up the one page limit. If you're short on info, then use your top and bottom margins to center your resume on the page.

The Bottom Line

Know what your audience is seeking in a candidate and tailor your organization, design, and supporting details to match those qualifications. You might want to consider creating a functional format that sets off the skills you know your audience is seeking. For example, if RESEARCH is important to graduates in the program, use RESEARCH as a category on your CV, along with other relevant categories.

Also see helpful hints about Professional/Graduate School Essays.

 

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c-raisor@tamu.edu/Texas A&M University