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Job & Career: Resumes & Cover Letters

This guide provides an overview of library resources that can help with career exploration and job seeking. Use the tabs at the top to learn about each topic, and please reach out to us if you have questions or would like additional information.

Prepare Your Resume and Cover Letter

Before you apply for any open positions, it’s important to have your resume and cover letter prepared. While a resume and cover letter are not always required for an application, you’ll have a MUCH better chance of being hired if you use these two documents to highlight your work experience, skills, and enthusiasm.  

Employers often sift through hundreds of applications for each position, and some might even discard applications that do not include a resume or cover letter. These documents are your first introduction to an employer, which makes them an important tool in showing them you are a strong candidate for the job. 

What’s the difference?  

Resumes and cover letters present some of the same information, but they serve two distinct purposes. 

A resume is a one to two page document—often in the form of a bulleted list—that provides an overview of your professional qualifications. Resumes are typically written in the third person, and use as few words as possible to summarize your experience.  

An effective cover letter is a short declaration of your enthusiasm for the job itself, and an extra chance to make yourself look like the ideal candidate. While a resume is concise and to the point, a cover letter can provide detailed examples of how your work experience relates to the job you’re applying for.  

It can feel like a challenge to write these documents, but the Library has resources, materials, and staff expertise to help you!  

Request an Appointment 

Library staff can review your resume and cover letter, conduct a mock interview, and more!  
Contact Us: 412-622-3114 or info@carnegielibrary.org 

Need Help? Contact us!

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Job & Career Librarian
Contact:
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
2nd Floor, Main Library
412-622-3133

Resources to Get Started

Here are some general resources to help you get started:  

Library Resources 

DigitalLearn: Creating Resumes  
DigitalLearn a rich resource for self-directed learning that won’t be overwhelming. All courses are broken down into short videos with helpful handouts so you can follow along. You can learn everything from computer basics to Microsoft Excel and more! Click here to see all DigitalLearn courses. 

LinkedIn Learning:*  

  • Writing a Resume with Stacey Gordon 
  • The New Rules for Resumes with Emilie Aries 
  • Resume Makeover with Jenny Foss 

* Log into LinkedIn Learning with your Library card number, then search for the class title. 

Print Books Available at CLP: Expert Resumes Series  
The Expert Resumes book series is a useful resource if you’re looking for resume examples for specific job types. These books can give you examples of good (and bad!) resumes, as well as provide guidance on how to think about getting your work history down onto paper and into resume shape. 

Print Books Available at CLP: Knock ‘Em Dead Series 
The Knock ‘Em Dead series is another great resource for resume examples, templates, and more. 

Internet Resources  

Indeed: How to Make a Resume (With Examples) 

The Balance Careers: How to Write a Resume (With Examples) 

Indeed: Resume Examples by Industry 

Monster: Resume Examples by Industry 

Zety: Resume Examples and Samples for Any Job and Industry 

Resume Review 

CareerLink RezScore  
Once you have a first draft of your resume, you can use CareerLink’s useful, free tool for resume review called RezScore. Upload a copy of your file to the website and RezScore provides you with a score that can help you make effective edits to improve readability. 

Writing a Resume

Resumes can be formatted in several different ways, but there are certain elements every hiring manager will be looking for, including contact information, work or professional history, educational background, and skills.  

Before sitting down at a computer to write your resume, it can be helpful to gather the information you want to include in your resume. Our Resume Worksheet can help you have all your information ready. 

How to Digitize Your Resume 

Once you’ve gathered the information you want to include in your resume, you can start typing up your resume on the computer. Here are some ways to get started.  

Pro Tip: Keep It Simple. It can feel tempting to spend a lot of time making your resume flashy and full of color and graphics. However, unless you are entering a design field, a basic resume with clear information is most important for your applications. 

Microsoft Word 

You can access the full, desktop version of Microsoft Word on any Library computer. You can also access a free, online version of Word by creating a Microsoft account with an email address. Use the search bar in either the desktop or online version to find ready-to-edit resume templates, or browse downloadable templates at office.com

Google Docs 

Similar to the online version of Microsoft Word, Google Docs is accessible with a Google account and offers template options for creating your resume. Your progress will save in the cloud, and you can download, print, and email your document when it’s finished. Hover over the “plus” icon in the bottom right corner and click “choose template” to find ready-to-edit resume templates, or browse available templates at ResumeGenius.com 

Resume Builders 

A word of caution about resume builders: there are many available online, but be aware that most are not free of charge. Many resume builders will allow you to write your whole resume before requesting payment for full access to your document, costing you time, effort, and money.  

resume.com is a simple, free resume builder that allows you to build, download, and print your resume for free. You can even download a text version of your resume to save and edit later. However, you’ll need to have or create an Indeed account if you want to download or print your resume.  

If you’re willing to pay, some resume builders include resume critiques, reviews, and proofreading. Check out this guide by Balance Careers to find a resume builder that suits your needs. However, keep in mind that you can make an appointment with the Library to have your resume reviewed for free! 

Parts of a Resume 

Heading: The heading of your resume includes your full name and contact information, like your phone number and email address.  

Email Address: Include a professional-sounding email address, ideally something that contains your first and last name. If you do not have an email address, library staff can help you set one up, or you can click here for a quick guide.  

Phone Number: You should include the best phone number to reach you, and make sure your voicemail box is set up so you can receive messages.  

Home or Mailing Address: You can include your home address if you’d like, but most employers won’t need it until further into the hiring process. If you are applying for jobs outside of the city where you currently live, consider leaving your home address out of your resume (though keep in mind that if you’re chosen for an interview, they’ll likely expect you to appear in person).  

Career Summary: Including a summary of your professional achievements can be a more effective way of grabbing an employer’s attention. Remember to keep it short; include one or two sentences that sum up the skills and experience you think are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. 

What About the Objective Statement? If you’ve written resumes in the past, you may remember the “Objective Statement” that used to start most resumes. The Career Summary is a more modern introduction to your resume that allows you to highlight your qualifications, rather than stating what you seek in a position.  

Resources for Writing a Career Summary 

Indeed: A Complete Resume Summary Guide 

Monster: 15 Awesome Resume Summary Examples 

The Balance Careers: How to Write a Resume Summary Statement with Examples 

Professional Experience: This section makes up the bulk of your resume. Here, you’ll list your past jobs and other professional experience. For each entry, you’ll include:  

  • Your job/position title 
  • The employer or organization and their location (city and state) 
  • Dates of employment (month and year) 
  • Several bullet points describing your role and responsibilities 

Pro Tip: The most common way to list your professional experience is chronologically, with your most recent job first. However, if you’re writing a resume for a career change, or have a large gap in your professional history, you might want to explore using a functional resume or a combination resume. Be aware that some application tracking software programs reject resumes without a chronological work history.  

How to Write About Your Professional Experience 

  • List your most prominent and important duties first.  
  • Focus on your skills and achievements.  
  • Quantify your achievements. As often as possible, use numbers, amounts, dollar values, and percentages to describe your work. For example, you might say “Increased monthly sales by 40%” or “Supervised and trained 4 new employees.” Learn more about including numbers in your resume at The Balance Careers.  
  • Start each bulleted item with a strong “action verb.” You can find examples of these words at The Balance Careers, Carnegie Mellon University, and Indeed 
  • Include Keywords. You can choose relevant keywords from the description of the job you are applying for and use them to describe your past experience. This helps automated systems recognize that your experience fits the requirements of the new position. Learn more about keywords at The Balance Careers, Indeed, and Jobscan 

Pro Tip: If you’re having trouble finding the right words to talk about your accomplishments, try using O*Net Online to search for your job title. O*Net provides descriptions of common occupation-specific tasks, technology skills, work activities, and more.  

Resources for Describing Your Professional Experience 

The Balance Careers: How to Write Job Descriptions for Your Resume 

Indeed: How to Write Resume Job Descriptions (With Examples) 

Drexel University: Work Experience Descriptions 

O*Net Online: Occupational Data 

Education: If you completed your education or degree in the last 5 years, you can list your education section at the top of your resume, before your work experience, as it is likely the most prominent piece of your resume. If you graduated more than 5 years ago, move your education section below your professional experience. List the name of the school or certifying body, the dates you attended, and the degree or certificate you achieved. You can also include any honors received, and your GPA if it is above 3.4. If you are currently enrolled in a program, list the year of intended graduation. Learn more about including your education history on Indeed, Monster,  

Skills: Here, you can list specific skills you possess that relate directly to the job you are applying for. You can include computer skills, technical skills, and soft skills. Learn more about listing skills on your resume on Indeed, RobertHalf, and The Balance Careers 

Optional Categories: Achievements, Languages, Awards, etc.: There may be additional information you’d like to include on your resume that doesn’t fit in other sections, or skills that you’d like to draw special attention to.  

Writing a Cover Letter

A cover letter is the place to connect the content of your resume to the opportunity and demonstrate that you have done your research about your potential employer, plus any details that may strike an employer as odd. Maybe there is a large gap between jobs or you wanted to expand on a project in your resume. You will want to gather those extra details and the research you did about the job to compile into a cover letter that will show your personality to the employer.  

Our Cover Letter Worksheet can help you collect these thoughts and create an outline to write a strong and personal cover letter. There is also a template included. 

Here are some more resources to get you started with your cover letter:  

Library Resources 

LinkedIn Learning:*  

  • Writing a Cover Letter with Jenny Foss 
  • Cover Letter Tips with Jenny Foss 
  • Cover Letter Dos and Don’ts 

* Log into LinkedIn Learning with your Library card number, then search for the class title. 

Udemy:*  

  • Line By Line Resume Writing: Write a Resume and Cover Letter with Alex Genadinik 
  • Career Hacking: World’s Bestselling Job Search Course with Davis Jones 
  • Job Search Mastery, with Steve Ballinger 

* Log into Udemy with your CLP Library card number, then search for the class title. 

Print Books Available at CLP: These books will help you learn about how to tailor your cover letters to each individual job posting efficiently and successfully. They’ll also provide information on common mistakes so you can avoid them. 

Internet Resources 

GCFGlobal: Cover Letter Tutorial 

Indeed: How to Write a Cover letter 

Monster: How to Write a Cover Letter  

Harvard Business Review: How to Write a Cover Letter 

The Muse: How to Write a Cover Letter: The All-Time Best Tips 

Robert Half: Writing a Cover Letter That Will Stand Out 

Cover Letter Samples and Templates 

Indeed: Cover Letter Samples by Industry 

Monster: Cover Letters by Industry 

The Balance Careers: Cover Letters by Industry 

How to Format a Cover Letter 

You can start your cover letter by using a template from one of the resources listed above, or through Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Generally, your cover letter should: 

  • Be no more than 1 page in length 
  • Use a professional, readable fond like Ariel or Calibri at size 10 – 12 
  • Be aligned to the left of the page and single spaced 
  • Have margins set to 1 inch 

Parts of a Cover Letter 

Heading: In most cases, your heading should match the look and format of your resume. You’ll include your full name and contact information. Remember to use a professional email address, preferably with your first and last name. If you do not have an email address, library staff can help you set one up, or you can click here for a quick guide

You can also include the employer’s name and address, especially if you are presenting a hard copy cover letter by hand or mail.  

Greeting: Do your best to avoid a generic salutation like “To Whom It May Concern." Instead, aim to address your letter to the hiring manager, the direct supervisor of the position, or the head of the department. The best ways to learn contact names are to call the organization’s front office or to review their website. Find out more about cover letter salutations at The Balance Careers, Indeed, and The Muse

First Paragraph: In your opening paragraph, mention the job title, where you heard about the opportunity, and express your enthusiasm for the position. Is there a specific reason you chose to apply? What interests you about the company or organization? This is where you can explain your reasons and show a little about what you know about the employer.  

Middle Paragraph: The middle paragraph will serve as your body paragraph. Here is where you will identify what the employer is looking for in a candidate and connect that to your own skills and experience to demonstrate that you are a strong candidate for the job. It is also good to set yourself apart from other candidates by including something unique about yourself, such as an anecdote about a time your skills helped you achieve a goal or solve a problem.  

Pro Tip: Remember to incorporate keywords and phrases from the job posting in your cover letter. Find out more at Indeed, The Balance Careers, and Resume.com 

Third Paragraph: This will be the conclusion to your letter. Focus on another key achievement or skill that is relevant to the position, or expand on specific stories that display why you would be a good fit for the role. Invite the employer to contact you via the methods listed in the heading. Make sure you thank them for their time and end with your signature! 

Customizing Your Cover Letters 

Taking the time to customize your cover letter for each of your job applications can make a real difference in your hiring prospects. Personalizing your letters to each company or organization will present a compelling argument for why you are the best fit for the position. Here are some ways that you can tailor your cover letters to each position:  

  • Pay close attention to the top requirements listed in the job posting, and aim to relate your experience to these requirements. 
  • Research the company’s mission and describe how you align with their goals 
  • Include keywords and phrases from the job posting 

Resources for Customizing Your Cover Letters 

Indeed: How to Write a Personalized Cover Letter 

TopResume: How to Tailor Your Cover Letter for Each Job Application 

The Balance Careers: How to Write a Custom Cover Letter 

The Muse: This Is the Cover Letter Advice Everyone Misunderstands