Career Exploration

Personalized career suggestions in just minutes.

You’re more likely to be happy and successful in your work when your job matches your interest areas. Take this easy, 5

-minute quiz to get matched with careers based on your likes and dislikes.

Resume

Producing a good resume is a basic requirement for a successful job search. A resume is critical in helping employers understand your experience and educational background and what you have to offer as a potential employee. Berkeley Career Engagement is here to assist you with this important task. For college students, we recommend a simple, one-page format.

Creating Your Resume Tips

A well-crafted resume can set you apart from other candidates. Strong resumes do more than summarize your educational background and work history; they emphasize the results of your efforts and draw clear parallels between your skills and experience and an employer’s needs. Here are steps to accomplish this:

Choose a Simple Format with a 10-12 point font size and between .5-inch to one-inch margins all around. Include bold, italics, and underlining for emphasis and to guide the reader.
Resume Sections should include your contact information (name, email address, phone number, and LinkedIn URL), educational background, work and volunteer experience, projects, and skills.
Analyze the Position Description to tailor your resume to each job and to understand the required and preferred qualifications, skills, and abilities.
Generate a List of Accomplishments to include in each section. Your resume should uniquely reflect you. Be sure to focus on the outcomes of your efforts and quantify your results if possible.
Identify Relevant Skill Areas that focus on transferable skills and achievements that are desirable for the position/field/industry. Make sure each accomplishment highlights a skill the employer is seeking, often listed in the position’s responsibilities and qualifications.
Write Descriptive Phrases using strong action verbs and concise phrases to describe experiences that demonstrate your relevant skills. The accomplishments on your resume should ultimately be targeted to address an employer’s needs.

Cover Letter

A well-written cover letter should always accompany your resume or application. Its purpose is to introduce yourself, expand on the experience in your resume as it relates to the job description, and explain why you are interested in that specific company/organization.

Cover Letter Tips

A good cover letter should:

Open with a compelling paragraph that tells a story and catches the reader’s attention.
Connect your experiences and qualifications with the desired qualifications of the employer.
Include specific information about why you want to work for the employer and industry.
Exemplify clear and concise writing skills with NO grammar/spelling errors.
Demonstrate your knowledge of the position AND the company.