Résumés & Cover Letters

Think of your résumé and cover letter as your personal marketing materials. They highlight how your strengths and skills fit the job and needs of the organization. The resources below can help you build skills to write effective résumés and cover letters.

Your Skills and Experiences

Résumés tell your professional story in a way that demonstrates to employers how you are a good fit for the position and company. We provide these resources to help you get started.

What to Put in a Résumé

Recruiters usually spend only 6 seconds reviewing a résumé. Learn how to make your résumé stand out.
 

Brainstorm Your Experiences and Skills

Draft Your Professional Brand

A professional brand is how employers see you in your major and career. It reflects who you are as a professional. You demonstrate your professional identity in your classroom assignments and campus activities. These experiences are included in your college résumé, job applications and job interviews. Use these tools to get started.
 

The College Résumé

The résumé for college students and recent graduates highlights your experiences on and off campus. It includes what you have done in the classroom and how you explored your academic and career interests. You can describe these experiences by writing about your accomplishments. We provide these resources to help you write your résumé.

Parts of the Résumé, Samples and Accomplishment Statements

Sample College Résumé with Scoring Rubric

The Customized College Résumé

Now that you have written a general résumé, use these resources to customize it to each position you seek.
 

The College Cover Letter

Now that you have reviewed the position you seek and have customized your résumé, you are ready to write the cover letter. We provide these resources to help you start your draft.
 

The LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is an online social network that focuses on professional networking and career development. You can use LinkedIn to display your résumé and college portfolio, search for internships and jobs, connect with alumni and meet working professionals.
 
When creating your LinkedIn profile keep in mind it should not look like other social media profiles. You should take a business approach with your photo, about section and experiences. Use the resources below to get started.
 

Résumé and Letter Builder

We provide a free online résumé and letter builder called Skills First. This AI-augmented résumé builder helps you create modern, keyword-optimized résumés. You can also submit your résumé to get feedback from our career peer advisors.

Log In: Résumé & Letter Builder

Additional Support

Career advisors, students and campus mascot Eddie smile while at a booth outside the Career Center

Career Advising

To get quick feedback on your documents, attend a 15-minute drop-in appointment. For help with how to write and improve your documents, sign up for a group appointment with our career advisors. Schedule an appointment with a career advisor.

Career Workshops

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.

Employer Events

Employers host events where you can learn more about what they prefer to see in a résumé and cover letter. Sign up for employer events using Cal State LA Handshake.