Preparing and Applying For Jobs

Discover tips on cover letters, resumes, interviews, and effective job search strategies. The Exchange offers mock interviews, job fair preparation, and document reviews to all students and alumni.

Resumes and cover letters

Before applying for a job or internship, you must develop a concise list of your qualifications in a resume/CV and write a compelling introduction to your professional strengths in a tailored cover letter. Browse the below resources to get started, or take a look at our example resumes or CVs in our resume database for design inspiration.

Browse example resumes and CVs

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Develop your resume

Video tutorial on starting your resume:

For more information:
Format your resume

Resume or CV formatting should be clean and consistent, without distracting colors or images. The Exchange recommends formatting your own resume and not using a template online in order to save time and frustration, as templates can be quite difficult to work with. See below for an example of how to easily format your document to look professional and sleek.
Write a strong experience description

Strengthen your resume experience descriptions with strong action verbs:
Resume vs. CV
Write a tailored cover letter
How to upload a document for review on Handshake
Tailor your documents for applicant tracking systems

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) & Resumes:

ATS is usually the FIRST step in getting your documents through to a "real" person. It is the software that you upload your resume and cover letter to when applying for positions. Its function is to sift through your documents using key word searches that the company has set. Your documents could stay here, or move on to an actual recruiter based on your relevance. RESEARCHING THE COMPANY AND USING COMPANY LANGUAGE IN YOUR DOCUMENTS has the potential to propel you past the companies ATS and get you in front of an HR professional.

Below are some tools that can assist you in making sure your documents are ATS friendly:

JobScan.Co: Assists in optimizing your documents and gives job seekers an instant analysis of how well their documents are tailored to a particular position and how it can be made even better.

PannaScore: Analyzes your documents using algorithms from a job posting to provide a relevance score that evaluates your documents.

For more information on ATS, use the links below:
References
A professional reference is a recommendation from a person who can vouch for your qualifications for a job. References can include;
- former employer
- colleagues
- clients
- supervisors
- professors
- coaches
- college personnel
The key is picking references who have observed you acting in a productive capacity where you displayed your skills and credentials for employment.
A Reference Page Should: (an example is provided here )
- Be formatted with the same heading as your resume, cover letter and thank you letter (name, email, contact information)
- Include at least 3 references (make sure you have their permission first)
- Be a separate document and not included on your resume

Interviews

Marian University students have a wealth of resources to hone their interviewing skills. First, you may review the below resources for basic interview preparation. Next, check out Big Interview, our virtual interview training platform:

Register with your Marian University account and get started interviewing today. Big Interview allows students to browse through thousands of pre-loaded interview questions, conducting and reviewing their own web interviews.

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