Resume and Cover Letter Guide

Resume and

Cover Letter

Guide

Thank you to our employer sponsors

CONTENTS

What Is a Resume? ...................................................................................3

Resume Rubric ...........................................................................................4

Bullet Points................................................................................................5

Descriptive Verbs for Writing Bullet Points .......................................6

Resume Examples ....................................................................................7

Job vs. Graduate School? .......................................................................10

What Is a Cover Letter? ........................................................................... 11

Cover Letter Examples ............................................................................ 12

References ..................................................................................................14

Professional Proﬁles .................................................................................15

Helpful tip

Look for this symbol throughout

the guide to point you to additional

resources and helpful quick tips.

Visit the Career Center

Career advisors are here to help, both virtually and in person. Make an appointment

via Handshake, Creighton University’s online Career Management system, anytime.

Appointments are also free for life to all Creighton alumni!

To access Handshake, scan the QR code.

A resume is a one-to-two page document that demonstrates your value to a future organization.

This document can include a lot of dierent information, but the purpose of all resumes is the

same—to get an interview, not necessarily the job! A resume is simply an introduction to you—

and just needs to get a reader’s attention enough to want to look further at your experiences

and qualiﬁcations.

Top 5 Resume Do’s:

• Consistency is key! The biggest rule to follow on

resumes is consistency—keep your formatting

consistent throughout the document to make it easy

to read. List all items in reverse chronological order.

• Be descriptive, but concise: Details are helpful

to paint a picture of your experience, but be brief

(again, it’s just an introduction)!

• Use a legible font and text size: Use a font size

between 10–12 and keep fonts easy to read.

Margins should be between 1 inch and .5 inch.

• Include education, experiences and skills:

Sections can be customized, but students should

start with these three basic sections.

• Make it yours! Remember, this is you on paper,

so make sure it looks and sounds like you, and not

someone else!

What Is a Resume?

Did you know?

Recruiters spend only an average of

7.4 seconds looking at a resume the ﬁrst time!

–prnewswire.com

Top 5 Resume Don’ts:

• Internet templates: Templates are a great place to

start, but many internet templates do not oer ﬂexibility

or customization. They can also signal a lazy approach

to creating a resume, as they are overused. The Career

Center provides easy-to-use Word templates to help

you get started. Scan the QR code below to ﬁnd

these templates.

• Grammatical errors and typos: This is a ﬁrst impression,

so be sure to ask others (like the Career Center) to

proofread your document.

• Disorganization: When a document is not easy to read,

recruiters won’t try to ﬁgure it out, they’ll just trash it.

Keep your document organized.

• Objective or references: Do not include an objective

or summary statement or references on a resume—

these are outdated practices.

• More than one page: Again, keep it concise. This

document is meant to get you the interview—and in

that interview, you can expand.

Helpful tip

For speciﬁc resume examples by major,

and Word templates, check out our

website here:

Formatting vs. Branding—What Can I Customize?

As mentioned above, consistency in formatting is key to all

successful resumes. This means that sections should follow

the same organization and design. For example, if a document

bolds a company name and italicizes a position, then every

entry (across all sections) should follow this same formatting:

Branding, on the other hand, is much more customizable. You

may choose to align your headings on the right-hand side or in

the center, or to use a font other than Times New Roman. As

long as the document is organized and legible, you can make the

document feel true to you by adding these branded elements.

Company name, Omaha NE

Intern

• bullet point

While resumes can be customized in many ways, there are general guidelines

that all industries abide by. Here’s a simple rubric to follow—you can also

download a Word document from our website using this QR code:

Resume Rubric

First Name Last Name

Contact info: email, phone number, optional mail address, LinkedIn URL

Education:

Name of School, Possible College, City, State Grad date

Degree earned (or will earn) (i.e., Bachelor of ...) GPA

Majors/Minors

Experience:

Name of Company/ Organization, City, State Month year–Present

Position

• Bullet point describing the skill or learning outcome gained

• Most entries use between 1–7 bullet points

• Use present tense verbs for current involvements and past tense for

experiences that have concluded

• Do not use “I,” “we,” or “my”—resumes are not written in ﬁrst person

Name of Company/ Organization, City, State Month year–Month year

Position

• Do not use punctuation at the end of each bullet

• Avoid phrases like, “responsible for” and “duties include”

Additional Sections

(activities, service, research, publications, awards, honors etc .)

Remember to spell out all acronyms (i.e., Creighton Students Union, not CSU)

Provide descriptions and/or bullet points when necessary

(i.e., Cortina Community—a service-focused residence community)

Skills:

Category: level of proﬁciency (exposure to, intermediate, advanced, etc.) skill

Category: level and skill, level and skill, level and skill

Education can also

include education abroad

experiences. This section

should include only

institutions where you

earned a degree.

Experience can

encompass all areas of

experiential learning—

classes, internships, part-

time jobs, leadership,

service and more. The

point of this section is to

showcase your skills in

each experience, so choose

experiences that best

speak to the opportunity.

Additional Sections can

be anything that best

describes YOU—some

students use several

sections, and some use

just one. These sections

will grow as you do

at Creighton!

Skills should include hard

skills or skills that could be

tested (think software,

certiﬁcations, etc.) Soft skills

(i.e., teamwork, organization,

etc.) should be detailed in

bullet points of

Experiences.

Helpful tip

Your Career Advisors are here to help you with every step of the resume

process—from blank document to writing descriptive bullet points. Make an

appointment via Handshake or stop by one of our Resume Labs for assistance.

Bullet Points

Bullet points are utilized to provide descriptions. They can be used

for your responsibilities, accomplishments, activities, projects and skills.

Bullet Points

Helpful tip

Each experience does

not necessarily need

the same number of

bullet points.

Bullet points follow a simple formula:

Bullet point basics: Helpful transition words:

• Start with a strong action verb

• Do not place periods

at the end of your bullet points

• Do not include pronouns

• Use correct and consistent

verb tense

• for

• through

• using

• with

• utilizing

• to

• as part of

• in order to

• so that

• because of

• due to

• ensure

WHAT HOW

WHY

Did you do? Did you do it? Did you do it?

Ex. Captured action pictures

at Creighton sporting events

Ex. Utilizing digital

and ﬁlm cameras

Ex. For the use in

marketing materials

Basic bullet points

VS.

Descriptive bullet points

Basic bullet points are a great way to start , and like your experiences, bullet points will evolve over time.

The missing “why” from each basic bullet point is underlined in the descriptive bullet point.

• Assist children with homework

only includes the what and how,

not the why

• Tutor three children, ranging in age from 5–8 years

old, in math to ensure proper comprehension and

completion of homework assignments

(Uses an active verb and numbers to provide detail)

• Enter customer data into computer

again, missing stronger

description and why

• Update client contact information utilizing Microsoft

Excel to maintain accurate records

(Identiﬁes speciﬁc tool utilized)

• Marketed the new fall season

sportswear products

only includes the what—

missing how and why

• Managed Facebook and Twitter accounts to

create a campaign for the sportswear clothing

line, resulting in a 20% increase in online sales

from the previous year

(Showcases impact through percentage)

ANALYZE

Administer

Allocate

Appraise

Audit

Balance

Budget

Calculate

Compute

Design

Develop

Discover

Forecast

Hypothesize

Identify

Interpret

Investigate

Manage

Plan

Project

Recommend

Report

Research

Scan

Solve

Study

Suggest

Summarize

Test

Translate

Verify

COMMUNICATE

Address

Arbitrate

Arrange

Author

Collaborate

Convince

Correspond

Create

Deﬁne

Develop

Direct

Draft

Edit

Enlist

Formulate

Help

Inﬂuence

Interpret

Lead

Lecture

Mediate

Moderate

Motivate

Negotiate

Obtain

Persuade

Promote

Publicize

Read

Reconcile

Recruit

Sell

Speak

Translate

Write

HELP AND TEACH

Adapt

Administer

Advise

Advocate

Assess

Assist

Attend

Care

Coach

Communicate

Consult

Coordinate

Counsel

Delegate

Demonstrate

Develop

Diagnose

Direct

Educate

Enable

Encourage

Enlist

Evaluate

Explain

Facilitate

Guide

Inform

Initiate

Instruct

Lead

Lecture

Listen

Mentor

Motivate

Perceive

Persuade

Present

Recruit

Refer

Rehabilitate

Reinforce

Relate

Represent

Select

Speak

Support

Train

Tutor

Understand

RESEARCH

Calculate

Clarify

Collect

Compose

Critique

Decide

Design

Devise

Diagnose

Discover

Evaluate

Examine

Extract

Extrapolate

Forecast

Gather

Hypothesize

Identify

Inspect

Interpret

Interview

Investigate

Organize

Perceive

Plan

Review

Solve

Summarize

Survey

Synthesize

Systematize

Write

ORGANIZE

Approve

Arrange

Catalog

Classify

Collect

Compile

Count

Dispatch

Duplicate

Edit

Execute

Generate

Implement

List

Measure

Monitor

Operate

Prepare

Process

Purchase

Record

Retrieve

Screen

Specify

Tabulate

Transcribe

Transpose

Validate

COORDINATE

Control

Decide

Deliberate

Develop

Direct

Execute

Formulate

Implement

Manage

Orchestrate

Organize

Plan

Regulate

Schedule

ACCOMPLISH

Achieve

Complete

Establish

Expand

Improve

Increase

Pioneer

Reconcile

Reduce

(losses)

Resolve

(problems)

Restore

Spearhead

Transform

CREATE

Act

Conceptualize

Create

Customize

Design

Develop

Direct

Fashion

Illustrate

Initiate

Integrate

Introduce

Invent

Market

Perform

Revitalize

Shape

MANUFACTURE

Assemble

Build

Calculate

Compute

Control

Design

Devise

Engineer

Fabricate

Handle

Maintain

Operate

Overhaul

Plot

Program

Remodel

Repair

Ship

Solve

Troubleshoot

Upgrade

MANAGE

Administer

Advise

Assign

Attain

Authorize

Balance

Budget

Chair

Compile

Consolidate

Contract

Control

Coordinate

Delegate

Demonstrate

Develop

Direct

Distribute

Evaluate

Execute

Expedite

Hire

Institute

Organize

Oversee

Prioritize

Produce

Propose

Purchase

Recommend

Review

Schedule

Streamline

Strengthen

Supervise

Train

Update

Descriptive verbs

Descriptive Verbs for Writing Bullet Points

for writing bullet points.

Use a variety of verbs to demonstrate a diversity of skills.

The more speciﬁc your word choice, the better a reader

understands your skills and accomplishments.

Helpful tips

Struggling to write

bullet points?

Drop by a Career

Center Resume

Lab (check website

for schedule.)

Charlie Creighton

Papillion, NE 68046 | 402-280-2722

charliecreight[email protected]du

www.linkedin.com/in/charliecreighton

EDUCATION

Creighton University, Omaha, NE May 20XX

Bachelor of Science in Psychology

Minor in Communication Studies

GPA: 3.75

Papillion-La Vista Senior High, Papillion, NE May 20XX

High School Diploma

GPA: 3.85

EXPERIENCE

Creighton University Admissions, Omaha, NE August 20XX – Present

Tour Guide

• Lead prospective student recruitment tours and events to more than 500 guests

• Promote Twitter, Tik Tok, and Facebook accounts, which resulted in an increase of followers

• Developed and maintained relationships with visiting guests by providing detailed university

information and sharing personal examples

• Assisted with five special event tours, which included VIP university guests

Ming’ Restaurant, Papillion, NE November 20XX – July 20XX

Team Member

• Operated cash register in a quick and timely manner for customers to keep the restaurant

efficient

• Managed and counted over $1,000 daily in the cash register

• Maintained clean work areas and restrooms to ensure maximum satisfaction and convenience

• Commended by customers for the ability to resolve their questions quickly

Camp Kesem, Lincoln, NE May 20XX – July 20XX

Camp Counselor

• Supervised campers, ages 7-12 years old, for five days at a time at an overnight camp

• Led group activities for campers, which introduced teamwork, critical thinking, and fun

• Counseled children with behavior issues on the importance of respect, kindness, and

understanding

ACTIVITIES AND SERVICE

• National Honor Society

• 4-H Club

• State Track 100m Dash, 1

Place

• Speech & Debate and Mock Trail

• Creighton Freshman Leadership Program

SKILLS

Microsoft Office, Mac OS, Adobe Creative Cloud

Proficient in Spanish

Helpful tips

Feeling overwhelmed here? You’re not alone! Reach out to your

Career Advisors! We are here to help you with every step of this process!

Resume Examples

The following pages provide a general resume example that builds from a student’s ﬁrst

year at Creighton to beyond graduation. Remember that more examples that are speciﬁc

to college, majors and pre-professional paths may be found on the Career Center website.

How to use

this section:

Most students’ ﬁrst

college-level resume has

the same content as their

high school or college

admissions resume. The

major dierence is the

organization and formatting.

Remember that your

resume will grow as your

experiences do, so don’t

be shy to use high school

involvement,part-time

jobs and even courses at

Creighton as experiences

as a younger applicant.

Similarly, your activities,

service and other

additional sections may

include high school

involvements. Note that the

number of service hours is

not included on a college

professional resume.

Freshman Example

Resume Examples

Charlie Creighton

Papillion, NE 68046 | 402-280-2722 | charliecreighton@creighton.edu | www.linkedin.com/in/charliecreighton

EDUCATION

Creighton University – Omaha, NE May 20XX

Bachelor of Science in Psychology GPA: 3.82

Minor in Communication Studies

University of Queensland – Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Fall 20XX

Study Abroad Program

EXPERIENCE

LinkedIn – Omaha, NE May 20XX – Present

Digital Marketing Intern

• Develop editorial calendar to improve rollout of more frequent and higher-quality content to website and social

media platforms

• Calculate best practices for maximum engagement through email campaigns using Campaigner

• Assist in content creation for over 50 email campaigns to increase quality and quantity of sales and engagement

• Organize and maintain all digital multimedia content using Flickr, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox

• Maintain all research documents for the department, including online, mobile, web, and app analytics

• Serve as an email liaison between four diverse, cross-functional teams to create revenue-generating advertising

Creighton University Admissions – Omaha, NE August 20XX – Present

Tour Guide

• Lead prospective student recruitment tours and events for more than 1,000 guests per year

• Promote Twitter, Tik Tok, and Facebook accounts, which resulted in an increase of followers

• Selected to lead more than 25 VIP and special event tours for university president meetings

Behaven Kids – Omaha, NE January 20XX – August 20XX

Child Behavioral Intern

• Partnered with Child Behavioral Specialists and therapists to provide treatment for children with behavioral

health issues

• Safely transitioned a child from the classroom to time-out room when child displayed aggressive behaviors or

attempted to escape from time-out

• Communicate with children’s guardians with a summary of the behavior and treatments for the day

• Praised children exhibiting positive behaviors by using a token economy to reinforce desired behaviors

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Identifying Colors and Words, Research Assistant to Dr. Maya Khanna, Ph.D.

• Conducted semantic priming task to determine the correlation between Color Word Associates and response

times

• Created study time slots and administered semantic priming to participants

• Proficient in univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics using chi-square, t-test, ANOVA, and factorial

ANOVA

SERVICE

Boys & Girls Club of Omaha – Omaha, NE January 20XX – Present

Completely Kids – Omaha, NE February 20XX – March 20XX

Creighton University Daycare – Omaha, NE February 20XX – August 20XX

SKILLS

Languages: Proficient in Spanish, conversational in German

Technical Skills: Microsoft Office, Mac OS, SPSS, Tableau, Adobe Creative Cloud, Campaigner

Certifications: CPR Certified

Resume Examples

Notice that the style has

changed to accommodate

space needs (smaller

margins, longer bullet points,

personal branding, etc.)

On this version, high

school information was

removed. This is optional,

but often done for space and

relevancy. Similarly, most high

school involvement has now

been removed. This often

happens during sophomore

year—when Creighton and

community involvement may

replace previous involvement.

Bullet points have been

expanded with more detail

and focus on skills rather

than duties.

Involvement sections

have been expanded and

separated. Here, research

experience was added as a

more relevant section than

activities and service.

As skills grow, categories

may help distinguish and

organize the skills section, as

seen here.

Sophomore/Junior Example

Helpful tip

Looking for a college-speciﬁc or pre-professional example? Scan here to see additional samples:

Senior/Recent Graduate Example

Charlie Creighton 402-280-2722 | [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/charliecreighton

EDUCATION

Creighton University – Omaha, NE May 20XX

Bachelor of Science in Psychology; Minors in Communication Studies and Business Administration GPA: 3.82

University of Queensland – Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Fall 20XX

Study Abroad Program

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Camp Kesem – Lincoln, NE May 20XX – Present

Development Coordinator

• Assist with grant proposals and reports to secure $15K+ annually in funding from foundation and nonprofit partners

• Create and implement donor communication and stewardship plans, including fundraising appeal letters, monthly

e-newsletters, thank you letters, donor spotlights, etc.

• Maintain partnerships with local chapter community contacts, including local peer organizations, corporations,

foundations, K-12 and higher-education institutions, health care institutions, and local board members

• Empower a team of 60 college students to collaborate and put together a summer camp for kids 6-18 years old,

whose parents have been affected by cancer

• Moved programming to an online format during a pandemic, which resulted in active participation from kids and

their families

Behaven Kids – Omaha, NE January 20XX – August 20XX

Child Behavioral Intern

• Modeled basic play skills and social interactions, which increased communication and children’s ability to

socialize

• Informed caretakers of child’s progress through daily progress reports using accurate data collection

• Partnered with Child Behavioral Specialists to provide treatment for children with behavioral health issues

Identifying Colors and Words, Creighton University February 20XX – May 20XX

Research Assistant to Dr. Maya Khanna, Ph.D.

• Conducted semantic priming task to determine the correlation between Color Word Associates and response times

• Created time slots and administered semantic priming to participants for an organized data collection process

• Proficient in univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics using chi-square, t-test, ANOVA, and factorial

ANOVA

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

LinkedIn – Omaha, NE May 20XX – May 20XX

Digital Marketing Intern

• Developed editorial calendar to improve the rollout of over 80 email campaigns to increase quality and quantity of

sales and engagement

• Serve as a liaison between four diverse, cross-functional teams to create revenue-generating advertising

campaigns

Creighton University Admissions – Omaha, NE August 20XX – Present

Tour Guide

SERVICE

Boys & Girls Club of Omaha – Omaha, NE January 20XX – Present

Completely Kids – Omaha, NE February 20XX – March 20XX

Habitat for Humanity – Omaha, NE February 20XX – August 20XX

SKILLS

Languages: Proficient in Spanish, conversational in German

Technical Skills: Microsoft Office, Mac OS, SPSS, Tableau, Adobe Creative Cloud, Campaigner

Certifications: CPR Certified

While style does not need

to change with every iteration

of your document, this

example reﬂects a need for

more space. For example,

to condense the heading

to one line, location and

LinkedIn were edited.

Here, “relevant” has been

added to the experience

title. This change can help

readers understand your

expertise in a speciﬁc area.

Bullet points have been

further expanded with more

detail and focus on skills rather

than duties, with more bullet

points written for most recent/

relevant experiences.

An additional experience

section has been added

to show a strong work

history without requiring

lengthy detail.

The biggest takeaway from

this document? The content

has been modiﬁed for a

speciﬁc purpose—job,

program, position, etc.

Helpful tip

Lost on how to modify your resume for a

speciﬁc purpose? Check out the next page

and visit the Career Center.

There is no one way to do a resume. Feel free to borrow

elements from this example throughout your career.

But do keep consistent formatting a priority.

Remember:

Job vs. Graduate School?

How are they different?

The dierences between a job-focused resume and a graduate program-focused

resume come down to the types of experiences included and the tailored bullets.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Camp Kesem – Lincoln, NE May 20XX – Present

Development Coordinator

• Assist with grant proposals and reports to secure $15K+ annually in funding from foundation and nonprofit partners

• Create and implement donor communication and stewardship plans, including fundraising appeal letters, monthly

e-newsletters, thank you letters, donor spotlights, etc.

• Maintain partnerships with local chapter community contacts, including local peer organizations, corporations,

foundations, K-12 and higher-education institutions, health care institutions, and local board members

• Empower a team of 60 college students to collaborate and put together a summer camp for kids 6-18 years old,

whose parents have been affected by cancer

• Moved programming to an online format during a pandemic, which resulted in active participation from kids and

their families

Behaven Kids – Omaha, NE January 20XX – August 20XX

Child Behavioral Intern

• Modeled basic play skills and social interactions, which increased communication and children’s ability to

socialize

• Informed caretakers of child’s progress through daily progress reports using accurate data collection

• Partnered with Child Behavioral Specialists to provide treatment for children with behavioral health issues

Identifying Colors and Words, Creighton University February 20XX – May 20XX

Research Assistant to Dr. Maya Khanna, Ph.D.

• Conducted semantic priming task to determine the correlation between Color Word Associates and response times

• Created time slots and administered semantic priming to participants for an organized data collection process

• Proficient in univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics using chi-square, t-test, ANOVA, and factorial

ANOVA

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

LinkedIn – Omaha, NE May 20XX – May 20XX

Digital Marketing Intern

• Developed editorial calendar to improve the rollout of over 80 email campaigns to increase quality and quantity of

sales and engagement

• Serve as a liaison between four diverse, cross-functional teams to create revenue-generating advertising

campaigns

Creighton University Admissions – Omaha, NE August 20XX – Present

Tour Guide

When you compare the original

document’s experience sections to

those of the more tailored versions,

you see a more speciﬁc emphasis on

skills (which should be based on the

job description for the position) in

the job example, compared to more

academic and research experiences

in the graduate program example.

Ex: Research-based Psychology

Ex: Social Services Coordinator

Graduate School Example Ex: Research-based Psychology

Job description Ex: Social Services Coordinator

Job vs. Graduate School?

RESEARCH AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Department of Psychological Science, Creighton University February 20XX – May 20XX

Teaching Assistant

• Assessed student examinations, quizzes, and weekly discussion boards pertaining to introductory psychological

topics, such as scientific methods, the history of psychology, memory and learning, and psychological theories

• Corresponded daily via Canvas to students while answering questions, clarifying assignments, and updating courses

• Prepared PowerPoint presentations, lesson plans, and assignments for two sections of Introduction to Psychology

course to over 100 students a semester

Identifying Colors and Words, Creighton University February 20XX – May 20XX

Research Assistant to Dr. Maya Khanna, Ph.D.

• Conducted semantic priming task to determine the correlation between Color Word Associates and response times

• Created time slots and administered semantic priming to participants for an organized data collection process

• Assisted professors by using Excel, Access, and ArcMAP to process a raw spreadsheet of over 250,000 records to

create a usable, aggregated data set for their research project

• Proficient in univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics using chi-square, t-test, ANOVA, and factorial

ANOVA

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Camp Kesem – Lincoln, NE May 20XX – Present

Development Coordinator

• Empower a team of 60 college students to collaborate and organize a summer camp for kids 6-18 years old, whose

parents have been affected by cancer

• Moved small-group programming to an online format during a pandemic, which resulted in active participation

from kids and their families

Behaven Kids – Omaha, NE January 20XX – August 20XX

Child Behavioral Intern

• Partnered with Child Behavioral Specialists to provide treatment for children with behavioral health issues

• Modeled basic play skills and social interactions, which increased communication and children’s ability to socialize

• Informed caretakers of child’s progress through daily progress reports using accurate data collection

LinkedIn – Omaha, NE May 20XX – May 20XX

Digital Marketing Intern

• Developed editorial calendar to improve rollout of over 80 email campaigns to increase quality and quantity of sales

and engagement, while also serving on four diverse, cross-functional teams

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Camp Kesem – Lincoln, NE May 20XX – Present

Development Coordinator

• Assist in grant proposals and reports to secure $15K+ annual in funding from foundation and nonprofit partners

• Create and implement donor communication and balanced budgets, including fundraising appeal letters, monthly

e-newsletters, thank you letters, donor spotlights, etc.

• Build and maintain strategic relationships and partnerships with local chapter community contacts, including a

network of local peer organizations, corporations, foundations, K-12 and higher-education institutions, health care

institutions, and local board members

• Mentor a team of 60 college students to collaborate and develop a successful, free summer camp for kids 6-18 years

old, whose parents have been affected by cancer

• Oversee programming for children, which promotes a safe and enjoyable environment for over 500 children weekly

Behaven Kids – Omaha, NE January 20XX – August 20XX

Child Behavioral Intern

• Promoted emotional health and physical well-being, by increasing independence, and facilitated participation

through behavior modeling, psychoeducation, and intervention

• Exemplified basic play skills and social interactions, which raised childrens’ ability to socialize and communicate

• Informed caretakers of child’s progress through daily progress reports by maintaining accurate documentation

• Partnered with Child Behavioral Specialists to develop treatment plans for children with behavioral health issues

using case files, best practices, and crisis counseling

Identifying Colors and Words, Creighton University February 20XX – May 20XX

Research Assistant to Dr. Maya Khanna, Ph.D.

• Created a flexible schedule for volunteers and administered semantic priming for study participants to ensure

proper compliance with data collection and standards

• Conducted semantic priming task to determine the correlation between Color Word Associates and response times

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

LinkedIn – Omaha, NE May 20XX – May 20XX

Digital Marketing Intern

• Developed editorial calendar to improve rollout of over 80 email campaigns to increase quality and quantity of

sales and engagement

• Coordinate meetings between four diverse, cross-functional teams to assist in the creation of revenue-generating

advertising campaigns

Creighton University Admissions – Omaha, NE August 20XX – Present

Tour Guide

What Is a Cover Letter?

The purpose of a cover letter is to provide more detail on why you are the best

candidate and what you have to oer the organization. It is not a reiteration of

your resume, instead, it narratively emphasizes your most relevant experiences

and connects it to the position description.

Rather than the ol’ standby,

“To Whom It May Concern,”

always try to address the

speciﬁc person you are writing

to. This title may vary based

on the position or organization

you’re applying to. Can’t ﬁnd

a contact? Reach out to the

Career Center for assistance.

Even though you have this

information in your header,

it is customary to include

your contact information in

the conclusion. Think of it like

an in-person interaction—

if you plan to talk again,

you usually end with

exchanging information

(and a solid handshake)!

First Last Name

Contact info: email, phone number, optional mail address, LinkedIn URL

Date

Recipient’s Name (if known), Title

Organization Name

Organization Address

City, State Zip

Dear First Last Name (or Hiring Manager),

Section 1: Introduce who you are, what position you are applying for, why you

are interested, how you heard about the job (could be a personal connection or

a job board other than just their website) and provide a brief preview of why you

are a good candidate.

Section 2: Emphasize why you are interested in the position and how you

meet their qualiﬁcations. Focus on your experiences in academics, previous

jobs, volunteer opportunities or extracurricular experiences. Give two or

three examples of your accomplishments or abilities to make your case stronger.

You can integrate key words or phrases from the job description into your

examples. If possible, quantify by giving speciﬁc numbers or percentages.

Be speciﬁc and brief, focusing on the match between what the employer is

looking for and what you have to oer.

Section 3: Reiterate your interest in the position and organization and the

key points about why you are a good candidate. Mention a fact about the

organization or why you admire their work. Thank the employer for their

consideration and identify how you can be contacted. Include a ﬁnal well wish

—something like “best of luck with your search” or “looking forward to hearing

from you soon.”

Sincerely,

You Signatur (optiona)

Your Name (printed)

CONTENT

The key to a good cover letter is keeping your content focused on the job description. Review the job

description, and for each job requirement and responsibility, reﬂect on a time you did something similar.

Remember, this is not a formal essay, but rather, a formal letter written in a professional tone.

STRUCTURE

Helpful tips

Cover Letter Examples

Cover letters are best executed when they speak to the skills an employer is looking for.

The underlined points in the job description correlate to a speciﬁc example in the letter.

Helpful tips

By using the job description as your

“road map” for the cover letter, you

are speaking to readers in their own

language. Utilizing their own keywords

and preferred skills in your documents

helps readers to see you as a ﬁt for

their organization.

And, unlike the resume, this document

is written in ﬁrst person. This gives

you the opportunity to showcase your

voice through your letter.

Feeling a little writer’s block when

it comes to cover letters? You’re not

alone! Reach out to the Career Center

for resources and advising!

September 10, 20XX

Ms. Jennifer Tyler, Director of Events and Outreach

Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha

620 S. 38th Avenue

Omaha, NE 68105

Dear Ms. Tyler:

I am writing to express my interest in the Media Intern position with Ronald McDonald House

Charities in Omaha, posted on Handshake. I am a junior at Creighton University pursuing a

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Marketing and am looking

forward to continuing to work in marketing for a nonproﬁt organization. I believe my experience

working at a nonproﬁt, in addition to my coordination skills and creativity, make me a great ﬁt

for this position.

For the past year, I have worked as a Communications & Event Management Intern with

the Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands, managing the marketing of the program.

I strengthened my creative skills by creating a successful marketing campaign, which included

print, web, and social media. In particular, the social media portion of the campaign resulted in a

57% increase in web trac to the organization’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. I also managed

databases of donors, volunteers, and media. In this role, I developed program coordination and

budget management skills, in addition to learning about the unique advantages and challenges

of working for a nonproﬁt organization. My extracurricular activities have also provided me

with opportunities to utilize my creativity and planning skills. As Vice President of Service for

Student Activities at Creighton University, I collaborate with a team of ﬁve board members to

provide events that support our community. Over the past year, I have planned the marketing

and execution of ﬁve events, including working with community partners and supervising a

committee of 10 students.

I have a passion for working at nonproﬁts and would be excited to contribute to the fundraising

eort for Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha, an organization that raises over 80% of its

budget from donors. As a member of the Ronald McDonald House team, I would contribute my

hands-on experience in the nonproﬁt ﬁeld and my skills in marketing and program coordination

to help better people’s lives. Thank you for your time and consideration. I can

be reached by email at marcusjordan@creighton.edu or phone at 402.111.1111. I look forward

to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Marcus Jordan

3245 Shirley Street • Omaha, NE 68106 • marcusjordan@creighton.edu • 402.111.1111

Example

Job Description:

• Assist Director of Events

and Outreach with

marketing and promotion

of events and programs;

website development

and social media; and

creation of print materials

for volunteer programs

at nonproﬁt

• Improve social media

presence to promote

events, programs, news,

donations, volunteers, etc.

• Create and maintain

media database

• Promote fundraising

events on Omaha-area

community calendars

• Write and design

electronic newsletter,

press releases, and

distribute local media

calendars

• Develop marketing

materials related to

special events; save the

dates, ﬂiers, invitations

• Identify and pitch feature

stories to local media

Example A

February 21, 20XX

BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska

1919 Aksarben Drive

P.O. Box 3248

Omaha, NE 68180

Dear Hiring Manager,

As a junior at Creighton University pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a major in Health

Administration and Policy and a minor in Applied Information Technology, I strive to pair my

educational interests with my passion for service to others. I am excited to apply for the IS Intern

position with BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska after learning more about it from Alex Aegis at

Creighton’s Spring Career Fair. I am impressed with BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska’s role as a

leader in providing health care coverage to over 700,000 people; this resonated with me as I,

one day, aspire to join an organization that provides peace of mind to individuals in the form of

patient-focused health care. I believe I would be a valuable asset for BlueCross BlueShield of

Nebraska with my solid familiarity with analytical data platforms and passion for compassionate,

holistic health care.

Over the past two semesters, I had the opportunity to develop skills in database management,

business intelligence analytics platform structuring, and web design. Through courses such

as Database Design, Systems Analysis and Design, and BIA-Seminar in Decision Making,

I have acquired hands-on experience coding in SQL, analyzing data in Excel, and visualizing big

statistical data in Tableau. From closely collaborating with clients to analyzing existing gaps in

technology and providing a data-driven decision-making power, I assisted in producing solid

outcomes, such as an interactive web interface and new applications. By shadowing the CFO

of Nebraska Orthopedic Hospital, I gained a keen insight into organizational structure, health

care ﬁnance, and the daily operation of the clinic. Witnessing the board meeting and Finance

Committee discussions ﬁrst-hand, I learned about the unique beneﬁts and challenges of working

for a health care organization in a leadership role. This experience inspired me and rearmed my

passion for health care.

My interest for compassionate and holistic health care is grounded in serving those who need

health care the most. For the past year, I have volunteered with local organizations, as well as

participated in a service trip to Lincoln, Nebraska. Active volunteering has helped me to live

out my passion for meeting the needs of vulnerable communities; now I am aspiring to bring

this passion, along with the aforementioned skills, to serve your clients and add value to your

organizational mission of leading the way in supporting patient-focused care.

As a member of the BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska team, I would be proud to support your

organization’s mission of leading the way in supporting patient-focused care with drive and

passion. Thank you for providing valuable opportunities like this to Creighton University students.

I can be reached at 555.555.555 or by email at billybluejay@creighton.edu. I look forward to

hearing from you soon, and best of luck with your search.

Sincerely,

Bil Blueja

Billy Bluejay

111 N. 74th Street • Omaha, NE 68124

555.555.555 • billybluejay@creighton.edu

Example B

Helpful tips

It may be tempting to reuse a

cover letter you’ve previously

written, but each letter should

be speciﬁc to each position.

By starting fresh, you also

avoid the risk of sending

a letter with the wrong

company/reader addressed.

Including a signature on

your cover letter creates a

professional look and adds

a personal touch. There are

two simple ways to include

a signature:

• Print your cover letter,

sign the copy, and scan

the signed copy for upload

and submission

• Use a mobile app, such as

Genius Scan, to create an

electronic signature JPEG

ﬁle to be inserted into the

digital copy

References

Helpful tip

Not sure how or when to ask for a

reference or reference letter? Reach out

to your Career Advisor for assistance!

References

Most references (people to speak on our behalf from previous experiences) are requested on

application forms and should not be listed in your resume or cover letter. There are a few occasions,

however, where a paper document of references may be necessary or requested. References can

be checked in several ways: some Human Resources departments will call or email the reference

directly, others will send an online form or rubric and others will request a reference letter. Letters are

common in graduate program applications.

Who should you ask?

Choosing a reference writer can

be confusing, so feel free to ask

the organization you’re applying

to if they have a preference.

They may want to hear from

supervisors or someone you have

worked with in the last year.

Regardless of the opportunity,

readers prefer to speak to

references who have ﬁrsthand

experience with your work. This

may mean that your reference’s

title isn’t as prestigious as you

may like. But ﬁrsthand knowledge

of your skills will take you much

further than vague comments

from someone with a fancy title.

Finally, be sure to ask for a

positive reference—the only thing

worse than a vague reference is a

bad one!

And when?

You should always ask a contact

to provide a reference BEFORE

submitting their name to an

application. You can ask for

references in advance (sort of

like having them on “standby”),

but still be sure to ask when

submitting forms.

References:

First Name Last Name

Title

Organization

Physical Address

Phone number

Relationship (i.e., supervisor, coach, professor, etc.)

Ex: Dr. Cocoa Creighton

Professor of Psychology

Creighton University

2500 California Plaza

Omaha, NE 68178

402.280.0000

ccrei[email protected]

Relationship: Research Supervisor

Ex: Mr. Bob Bluejay

General Manager

Old Chicago

Omaha, NE 68116

402.000.0000

bbluejay@oldchicago.com

Relationship: Summer Job Supervisor

First Last Name

Contact info: email, phone number, optional mail address, LinkedIn URL

Professional Proﬁles

Professional Profiles

Professional proﬁles are a place to showcase your skills and experiences online, which is why many

students think of them as an online version of a resume. LinkedIn and Handshake are the “bread

and butter” proﬁles for Creighton students. These platforms are also used to network with industry

professionals, peers and alumni. These sites additionally include job boards for full-time and

internship opportunities. And—once your resume is looking sharp—it’s an easy next step to translate

this information to these proﬁles.

Helpful tip

Check out our Networking

resources here for more

information about creating

professional proﬁles online.

Handshake and LinkedIn use similar sections with only minor

dierences. Handshake even has a feature to transfer information

to your proﬁle after uploading a resume, as seen here.

Having a LinkedIn proﬁle can be very helpful

in your search for opportunities, as many

recruiters use LinkedIn to not only promote

jobs, but also search for candidates.

Images provided by Handshake and LinkedIn Help Centers.

Mike and Josie Harper Center, Suite 1088

2500 California Plaza | Omaha, Nebraska 68178

Oce: 402.280.2722

careercenter@creighton.edu | creighton.edu/careercenter

Oce Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. CST

Drop-in Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–4:30 p.m. CST

(when classes are in session)

The John P. Fahey Career Center, as part of the

Creighton EDGE, is committed to assisting students

and alumni in exploring purpose and opportunities,

developing career-related skills, and implementing goals

that reﬂect their unique roles in the world of work and

their commitment to a life of service to others.