Resumes, cover letters and references

Resumes, cover letters, and references are designed to demonstrate how you, your experiences, strengths, and skills fit the needs of a particular opportunity. Explore the information below to learn the best practices when tackling these documents.

Resume Building Tools

Resume Builder Tool by Lightcast

Create an effective resume with guided skill suggestions.

Big Interview

This online tool will help you develop a resume and practice interviewing skills. It includes how-to videos and a resume creator tool. Just log on with your WSU Access ID.

Resume Examples & Templates

Resume Education

General resume information

Your resume is often the first impression an employer has of you. For this reason, you must write this document in a clear, concise, and informative manner that accurately portrays your education, work history, and involvement.

Five tips as you begin working on your resume

  1. Find a job posting BEFORE you try and write your resume. The posting tells you what to talk about.
  2. One page is typically appropriate for undergraduates, and two pages are acceptable for graduate or engineering students with many projects.
  3. Use font size 10-12 for text. Margins can be from .5 - 1" if they are all the same (top, bottom, left, right).
  4. Be sure your format is conservative, consistent, and easy to read, and avoid using too many elements (bold, underline, italics, capitalization).
  5. Your resume should be formatted for an applicant tracking system.
  6. Use bullet points for descriptions and utilize action verbs to begin each bullet point. Be sure to incorporate skills, keywords, and competency phrases from the job posting if you have those skills/competencies.

Resume Resources

Power Phrases & Key Words for Resumes

Writing your Resume to Pass Applicant Tracking Systems

Cover letters

With the exception of career fairs, every time you submit a resume, you should include a tailored cover letter. This document allows you to explain your qualifications for the position and demonstrate your unique abilities that will add value to the organization. The cover letter will also give the employer a sample of your writing.

Your References

Most employers and job applications will ask for 3-5 references. References are the contact information of people in your network who can vouch for how well you work.

Three reference guidelines

  1. Always ask your references if it is ok to list them on your documents before giving their information to an employer.
  2. Inquire about which addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers your references want you to list.
  3. Send your resume, cover letter, and job description to your references so that when a potential employer contacts them, it will be easier for the references to speak about you.