Résumés and Cover Letters
When applying for opportunities, your résumé, cover letter, and application materials are your first impression.
This can help you land an interview, so it is important to detail your experience and accomplishments clearly and concisely.
Get Started
- Review our Résumé Guide and Cover Letter Guide for all majors and industries. It outlines suggestions for creating, formatting and organizing your content, and includes suggestions for word choices.
- Review your résumé and cover letter with a peer career advisor during Quick Questions.
- Refer to the Core Professional Competencies and be sure to highlight the skills you have gained during your experiences.
- Need to a Curriculum Vitae (CV) instead of a résumé? Then schedule an appointment with one of our Advisors.
How to Create Your First College Résumé (Quick Overview for Students)
Peer Career Advisor Ava Pihlstrom ‘26.5 explains how to create your first college résumé.
Hi. My name is Ava, and today I’m going to walk you through how to create your first college résumé. To start with a little bit about the Center for Careers and Internships (CCI). You have great resources here in Middlebury, which include advising appointments, quick drop ins with Peer Career Advisors, and tools like Handshake and Midd2Midd to help you get started.
So now going into the résumé first.
Why does a résumé matter? Your résumé is often your first impression with employers. It’s your chance to show who you are, highlight your experiences and demonstrate the skills you bring to the table. So what actually goes on to a résumé?
There are four main sections:
- First, contact information, this should include your name, clearly emphasized, your email and your address. Typically, you’ll use your Middlebury email and decide whether to list your home or school address, depending on the situation.
- Second, education list, Middlebury College at the top, followed by your degree and expected graduation date. Keep everything in reverse chronological order and include relevant details like awards, athletics or academic achievements.
- Third experience, this is where you highlight your most relevant roles. Focus on what you accomplished, why it mattered and what skills you developed. Use strong action verbs, keep bullet points concise and quantify your impact whenever possible.
- Finally, skills and interests include technical or language skills with your level of proficiency, along with activities or interests that show your personality, this section can also serve as a great conversation starter.
When writing bullet points, remember to focus on transferable skills like leadership, communication and problem solving. Use action verbs and think about the STAR, method, Situation, Task, Action, Result, what you did, how you did it, and the result. To wrap up, a strong résumé clearly presents your contact info, education, experience and skills while showcasing your unique strengths and experiences.
Thanks for watching and don’t hesitate to use CCI resources to refine your résumé.
CCI Peer Career Advisor, Clara Wolcott ‘22 shares how to write a cover letter.
Slide 1: In this video, I will be explaining how to write your first cover letter.
Slide 2: To find resources on how to write resumes or cover letters, feel free to go to the CCI at Middlebury’s website and look at the Tool Kit to access resource guides. This is the Build a Tool Kit. Along the left side, you can see that there is information on resumes and cover letters, networking, and interviews available. Today， we will be focusing on the cover letter aspect.
Slide 3: This is a sample cover letter that the Middlebury Cover Letter Resource guide provides. Before going into detail on how to write a cover letter, I will first explain what a cover letter is. A cover letter is an opportunity to craft and share your story. A cover letter is specific to the company and position you are applying to. It is not meant to repeat your resume but to show off your skills and experiences that are relevant to your position. You also want to demonstrate how you will contribute to the needs of the company and employer. Even before you start writing， there are some important steps you can take.
Slide 4: First, research the company or organization you are applying to. Second, read the position description closely and look for required qualifications and what skills and characteristics the employer is looking for. I recommend printing out the job description and looking at it thoroughly while highlighting any skills or qualifications that are mentioned throughout. This, connect with anyone who has applied to the position or works at the company or organization that you’re applying to. That way they can give you an insider scoop on what type of candidate they are looking for and what the work environment is like. Just some information on the company will be useful for your own research and writing your cover letter.
Slide 5: So now we will be referring to the sample cover letter that the CCI provides. At the top of your cover letter, you can include your strict address city, state, and zip code, or you can provide your resume header which provides contact information. After that, include the date or which you are writing the cover letter. Then, include the contact name, title, or position of the contact, the employer, street address, including the city, state, and zip code. Oftentimes this information is included in the job description but sometimes, you might have to do some research on your own. After that, you will want to address the letter.here in the sample, it says “Dear Mr./Ms.__.” You want to write to a specific person when possible. Oftentimes, the contact information is included in the job description, so make sure to use the name when it’s provided. You can also say “Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Hiring Team.”
Slide 6: Now let’s talk about the first paragraph of the cover letter. In the first sentence, you want to peak the employer’s curiosity, so you can talk about why you are pursuing the position or just a sentence that will really grab the reader’s attention. Also, you want to make sure to include what you are applying for and who referred you, if applicable. You also want to reveal insight on the employer or company. Make sure to not tell them what they do but weave in the research that you did. When you want to finish off the first paragraph, you can include what is called a thesis. In this case, the thesis would be you emphasizing your qualifications and skills, as well as what you can contribute.
Slide 7: Now we will talk about the body paragraph.The body paragraph is an opportunity to articulate specific examples that will show how you will excel in the position. For the body paragraph, I recommend that you use the STARR framework because it will really allow you to concisely show your qualifications, skills, or accomplishments that match the job description. The STARR framework stands for Situation, Task, Action, Results, and Relate. For Situation, you want to state the situation you were in. Task: talk about the task you were asked to complete. Action: outline what actions you took to complete the task. Results: describe the results in measurable terms that could be quantitative or qualitative, and then Relate; relate how this example demonstrates the skills relevant for your job.
Slide 8: For the last paragraph of your cover letter, you want to make sure you thank the employer for considering your application and include any contact information, such as your email or phone number. You also should restate your interests and ask for the opportunity to learn more about the position. Then you want to sign off by saying sincerely and include your signature and typed name.
Slide 9: Before I rap up this video, I also wanted to include some cover letter tips: Make sure to keep your cover letter at one page. Use the same font and font size throughout your cover letter, and make sure to read your cover letter aloud before sending it in. Even go to the CCI’s Quick Questions hours at go/qqs to have your cover letter looked over by a Peer Career Advisor so they can provide feedback. Also, make sure to show why you would make a good fit for the position. Good luck with writing your cover letter! Thank you for watching!
Sample Résumés
Please note, to edit these résumé templates you need to first go into the Google Drive word doc version (noted with a *), download it, and then edit it.
Step-by-Step Conversion of Résumé Templates:
PDF to Google Document
- Upload to Google Drive: Go to drive.google.com and click + New, then File upload, and select your PDF.
- Open with Docs: Find the uploaded PDF in your Drive, right-click it, hover over Open with, and choose Google Docs.
- Edit: Google Docs will open the PDF as a new, editable document, allowing you to make changes.
PDF to Microsoft Word
- Open Word: Launch Microsoft Word on your computer.
- Open PDF: Go to File > Open, find your PDF, and click Open.
- Confirm Conversion: Word will ask to convert the PDF; click OK.
- Save as DOCX: After editing, go to File > Save As and choose Word Document (.docx).
**NOTE: With either of these conversions, you will be required to format your resume as the conversion process losses some of the formatting.