Notes on Resumes, Cover Letters, and the Job Search Process

I gathered the information below from the following sources:

• Embarking Upon a Career with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology, ASA
• Using Sociology, 3^rd Edition by Straus
• Applied Sociology: Concepts, Constructs and Careers by Steele and Price

· Getting a Head Start on Your Career as an Applied Sociologist. Mobley, Steele and Rowell.

1. Figure out what your career interests are:

a. Look at job ads in newspapers, on-line, and at Campus Recruiting sessions: what industries and occupations are interesting to you? What skills do the job ads for these industries and occupations identify?

b. Identify your skills. Make lists of your past professional positions (paid and unpaid) and the courses you’ve taken. Next to each position and course, list all of the skills you learned from that experience.

Skills include the following: interpersonal skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, leadership skills, analytical skills, computer skills, language skills.

See list of skills on course website (http://people.uncw.edu/pricej/socskills.htm)

See page 18 and 19 of Embarking Upon a Career with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology

See page 115 Applied Sociology: Concepts, Constructs and Careers

c. What industries and occupations need the skills you possess?

d. Most job ads will not say “sociology” in the list of degrees wanted. That doesn’t mean you are not prepared for the job. It means the person who wrote the job description didn’t know what sociology is.

e. Do research on occupations. See section “Information on Careers.” (http://people.uncw.edu/pricej/teaching/jobs.htm)

f. Seek internship opportunities to learn more about the careers you are interested in.

g. Seek volunteer opportunities to learn more about the careers you are interested in.

h. Conduct informational interviews with professionals who hold positions you are interested in. (http://people.uncw.edu/pricej/infoquestions.htm)

2. Writing your resume.

a. It takes several drafts before you produce a professional resume.

b. Make a “master” resume that includes all of your professional experiences, training, skills, etc…

c. Under each Professional Experience, list the skills you developed or used and any accomplishments you achieved while in that position. Refrain from simply listing your duties in each position. Refer to current job ads to determine how to name your skills.

d. For each job that you apply for, tailor a resume from your master resume.

e. Your resume should include your name and contact information at the top. It a minimum it should list your Education, Professional Experiences, and Skills. Optional sections include Professional Objective, Community Involvement (Volunteering), Conferences Attended, Presentations, Publications and Reports, Professional Affiliations, Military Service. Your Professional Experiences section can include paid and unpaid work such as internships. Or you may choose to include unpaid work under Community Involvement.

f. You should use the functional format described in Embarking Upon a Career with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology. List your professional experiences in the order of applicability to each individual job for which you apply.

g. Your resume can be 1 or 2 pages long. If 2 pages, you should copy it to the front and back of one sheet. You should put your References on a separate sheet.

h. References include people who can speak to your experience, skills, initiative, personality, etc.. References are often professors, former supervisors or colleagues, community leaders, successful business people, etc.. You should have 3 references, whom you should ask to serve as a reference before you apply for each job. Give each reference a copy of your resume and notify them of each job you list them as a reference on, so that they are prepared if contacted.

3. Cover Letters

a. Address the letter to the person making the hiring decision, if possible.

b. The cover letter should substitute for your resume, as some people may only read your cover letter.

c. The cover letter should summarize why you are the ideal candidate for the position. What experiences and skills do you have that directly speak to this position?

d. It should be one page with a minimum of three paragraphs.

The first paragraph should identify you, the position you are applying for and how you learned of the position. It should briefly (one or two sentences) summarize your applicable skills and interests.

The last paragraph should again briefly (one sentence) identify you as an ideal fit for the position. Again, briefly (one or two sentences) summarize your applicable skills and interest in this position (identify different ones than in your opening paragraph). Close by stating something like “I am looking forward to hearing from you….” If you are applying for an out of town position and are going to be visiting this area, you might inform them of the dates you will be in town, in case they would like to meet with you.

The middle paragraphs should describe specific professional experiences, skills and accomplishments that speak to the position for which you are applying.

4. Job Searching

a. Takes an average of 6 months of full-time searching.

b. The odds of gaining employment through responding to a job ad are 1 out of 20. The odds of gaining employment through networking are 1 out of 4. Many job ads are listed in exclusively in databases/media that you are either not aware of or are not privy to. Hence, you should use your networks to identify positions whenever possible. Your networks include family, friends, professors, colleagues, past colleagues, supervisors, past supervisors, friends of family, people you have conducted information interviews with, mentors, alumni, etc…

c. If your search will be in the town in which you live or relocate to, identify all of the major employers in the area and contact their human resource departments to learn how and where they list their openings. Contact the local government agencies to determine how and where they list their openings. Go to the Career Services department/website of the local college to learn of available job search resources. Z

d. If you are using on-line databases, you may need a list of job titles on which to search. If you have not identified job titles from your own research above, see:

Embarking Upon a Career with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology

Page 111 Applied Sociology: Concepts, Constructs and Careers

The links on the “Information on Careers” section of the course website. (http://people.uncw.edu/pricej/teaching/jobs.htm)

e. Approximately 1 out of every 245 resumes receives an interview.

5. Applying for Jobs

a. If there is an application form you must complete, do so and also attach your resume.

b. If you are instructed to submit your application to a Human Resources department, also try to send a copy of all your application materials to the department which holds the position, specifically to the person making the hiring decision if possible.

c. Remember that you will likely stay in your first position one year. So don’t shy away from applying for “entry level” positions. They will open your networks and a host of additional opportunities.

6. Interviewing


a. The interview is 2 way: You need to interview them. They want to interview you. You want to discover whether you would enjoy working there. Identify what is important to you in a work setting, a position, etc.. Be sure to talk to other employees while you are there.

b. By the time they have asked you to interview, they have already determined that you have the skills and experience required for the position (from your resume, cover letter, references, etc..). So the interviewers primarily want to learn about your personality and interpersonal style. Will you work well with others? Would you be committed to the organization?

c. Prepare for the interview:

Find out as much as you can about the position, the company, the people interviewing you, etc…

Make a list of questions to ask them. For example, you want to determine what the primary duties of the position are, who you would be working with, who would supervise you, how you would be evaluated, whether you will have opportunities to develop new skills, whether they have flexible work hours is etc.. See the list of questions for you to ask in Embarking Upon a Career with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology.

Identify what questions they are likely to ask you and prepare a response. See Embarking Upon a Career with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology.

Make copies of your resume and cover letter to bring with you, in case you meet someone who does not have them.

See Checklist for Job Hunting (go to the link for Job Opportunities on the left hand side of the screen and then go to the link at the top of the screen entitled "Checklist for Job Hunting". There are 3 pages.) (http://www.appliedsoc.org/)

d. Whether to ask about salary is debatable. You should ask about benefits (health insurance, sick/personal days, educational leave, child care, retirement, 401k, disability insurance, etc..), because these are primarily set regardless of who takes the position. Salary, though, may vary slightly with the level of skills, experience and training. If they tell you the salary range, great. If not, you should consider waiting until you receive a job offer which will specify the salary they are offering. Then you might negotiate the salary with a counter offer.

e. If food or beverage is consumed during the interview, don’t drink.

f. Don’t smoke before or during your interview.

g. Write a thank you letter after your interview.

7. If you don’t receive an offer:

a. You will receive more rejections than job offers. Just keep applying!

b. It may be because they already “targeted” someone for the position, before they advertised.

c. Try to find out why they didn’t offer you the position. Contact the person(s) who interviewed you and ask why you were not selected. You may also want to contact the Human Resource department, though they may not know the exact reason. See page 55 Embarking Upon a Career with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology.

d. After you identify why you did not receive an offer, try to gain those characteristics. If you need to learn new skills, do so. If you need to change your presentation of self during the interview, do so. If you need more experience, try volunteering or interning.

8. Get organized. Keep files of job ads, job titles, skills, resumes, cover letters, informational interviews, contacts, etc.. You should think of yourself as always being on the job market, even after you gain employment. Through the course of doing your job, you will be expanding your network and gaining new skills. This will likely lead to other jobs.