Résumé and Cover Letter

UC Irvine — Information & Computer Science — ICS 139W — David G. Kay

Résumé and Cover Letter

One specialized form of writing that most professional workers prepare is a résumé and an associated cover letter. The conventional path towards getting a job, particularly in medium to large organizations, is to prepare and send a résumé.

The résumé is a brief summary of your professional qualifications and experience. In most fields, entry-level or early-career candidates keep their résumés to a single page.

A cover letter is an even briefer page that one typically sends along with a longer or more complete document. If you want to send something long or complex or unfamiliar to someone, what happens if you just put it in an envelope and drop it in the mail? The recipient opens the envelope and out comes your document. The recipient (who is probably very busy, with a lot of things to be thinking about) says, "What's this about? Who sent it to me? I don't have time to look at it now; I'll get to it later." And then it goes into a pile on the recipient's desk. When it comes out of that pile, and what the recipient can recall about why it's there, is anybody's guess.

A cover letter is a customary and courteous way to help the recipient out (and, at the same time, subtly influencing the recipient to pay closer attention, sooner, to the author's document). The cover letter says, very briefly, "Here's what I'm sending you; here's why I'm sending it." If the author was referred by someone the recipient knows, or if the author had some previous contact with the recipient, who invited the author to send whatever it is, this is the place to remind the recipient of that connection.

The web is full of examples and advice for creating résumés and cover letters. One place to start would be UCI's Division of Career Pathways. Check out a couple of sites and then pick a format that suits you and your situation. Here are a few bits of advice:

A résumé or cover letter is not a place to express yourself creatively. Be businesslike and professional. Say what needs to be said.
There's a little room for presenting the best picture of what you've done, but never embellish to the point of untruth.
Some large organizations scan résumés and use software to identify likely candidates. Use standard terms and typefaces.

The Peer Review Guidelines indicate the qualities we're looking for.