Build Your Resume, Cover Letter, & Portfolio

NACE has provided their top skills based on collected survey data. The top skills listed included problem-solving, ability to work in a team, communication, work ethic, flexibility, technical skills and analytics skills, iniative and detailed oriented skills.

• You can always contact our talented team of Career Advisors to view and provide feedback on your professional documents!
• Email cocecareer@snhu.edu or call 888.672.1458.

• Review our “Reframing The Narrative Guide”. This workbook helps career changers and job seekers identify and showcase transferable skills from any role.
• Focus on broadly applicable and transferable skills. Understand that much of what we do is relevant.
  • For example, customer service while working for Target is very much like customer service at EY, Wayfair, or Fidelity. True, the task might be different, but the principle is very much the same.
• Customer service, communication, teamwork, training, time management all are relevant skills that you should highlight in your bulleted descriptions relevant to your future career!
• Check out this article: How To Showcase Relevant Experiences

• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are used by recruiters and employers to track a candidate’s job application throughout the recruiting and hiring process, making it easy for businesses of any size to filter, manage, and analyze potential candidates.
• Learn how to ensure your resume is successfully received and processed by employers.

• There are a handful of helpful and free resume templates and resume builders out there! You can even browse and search for resume relevant to your major, and/or the specific opportunity you are applying for:
  • SNHU SkillsFirst
    • Check out the SkillsFirst videos posted under “Career Videos” to learn how to customize your resume and cover letter.
  • Indeed
    • Cover Letter Samples
  • Resume Builder
  • Live Career
  • Resume.IO

• Chronological Resumes:
  • When you use a chronological resume, you start at the top, then work your way down and backward. After your name, contact information, and optional summary, you list your work history, starting with your current or most recent job. For each job, you list where you worked, the dates you worked, your title, and all of your job duties.
  • Working your way backward, you cover your employment history until you’re out of jobs (or space).
• Functional Resumes:
  • The key highlight of a functional resume vs a chronological resume is that functional resumes are skills-based. Instead of starting with your current job and moving backward, a functional resume focuses on your skills and abilities, instead of your job history.
  • This formatting style is most helpful for those applying for jobs or internships with little to no experience.
  • Generally, a functional resume starts with your name and then a summary of your achievements and accomplishments, similar to the summary statement on any resume.
• Each format style has its own unique pros and cons. You should carefully consider each when crafting your resume.
• Consider creating a Hybrid Resume:
  • A hybrid resume includes an achievements section, but also provides a bit of information under each position, which helps gives context to your resume.
  • In this hybrid format, you are emphasizing your skills without de-emphasizing your work history.