Your résumé and cover letter are your professional marketing materials. They highlight how your strengths and skills align with the job and needs of the organization. The resources below can help you write effective résumés and cover letters.
Getting Started
What to Put in a Résumé
Your Experiences
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Résumé Brainstorming Introduction (presentation) - Review tips on how to start brainstorming what you can include on your résumé.
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Résumé Brainstorm Worksheet (handout) - Use this worksheet to brainstorm your ideas.
Your Skills
- Career Readiness Skills - In college, you develop career readiness skills that prepare you for success in professional workplaces. These skills are developed in every major. Review these skills and the sample behaviors to better describe your experiences.
- Reflect on Your Skills (presentation) - Use this presentation to brainstorm the skills you develop in college. A brainstorming template is provided in the presentation.
Your Strengths
- Cultivating your Professional Identity (presentation) - Your lived experience is valued by employers and your cultural knowledge and skills can enhance the workplace. Review this presentation to brainstorm your community cultural strengths and related work skills to better describe your college experiences.
- Community Cultural Wealth (video) - This video series can help you brainstorm your strengths using the six community cultural wealth categories.
Your Professional Brand
- Professional Brand Worksheet (handout) and Review Rubric (handout) - Use the professional brand worksheet to start building your professional brand in your major. Then, use the review rubric to see how you can advance your brand.
- Professional Development Plan Worksheet (handout) - Use this worksheet to plan what you will do each semester to explore your major and career.
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College Résumé Annotated Sample (handout) - Use this sample to learn how to approach writing each section.
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College Résumé Accomplishment Statement Worksheet (handout) - Use this worksheet to draft how you will talk about your experiences and projects.
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College Résumé Writing Introduction and Samples (handout) - Review this introduction, which includes action verbs and samples of various résumé types.
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Customize your Résumé Introduction (presentation)
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Customize your Résumé Checklist (handout)
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Cover Letter Samples (handout) - Review these samples, which include various cover letter types.
- Cover Letter Review Rubric (handout) - Use this to evaluate how to improve your cover letter.
- How to Customize a Cover Letter Introduction (presentation) - Review how to customize your cover letter to the job position.
- LinkedIn Profile Checklist for College Student (handout)
- Career Center Photo Booth - Stop by the Career Center to get your professional photo taken; no appointment is needed.
Résumé and Letter Builder
We provide an online résumé and letter builder called Skills First. This AI-feedback résumé builder helps you create keyword-optimized résumés. You can submit your résumé for AI review and for review from our peer career advisors.
Additional Support
We offer workshops throughout the year to help you build your skills in writing professional résumés and cover letters. Sign up for workshops on the Career Center calendar.
Employers host events where you can learn more about what they prefer to see in a résumé and cover letter. They also come to campus to provide résumé reviews. Sign up for employer events using Cal State LA Handshake.
We provide professional headshots with our self-service photo booth. Cal State LA students, faculty, and staff can take professional photos to use on platforms like LinkedIn. Learn about the photo booth.