Today’s Topics

Handshake Cover LettersResumes

Handshake is an online recruiting platform

that provides UA Little Rock students

access to employment opportunities

locally, regionally, and nationally.

• Students customize their

profiles by adding

resume, career interests,

work experience, etc.

• Students can apply to

jobs posted by employers

with the click of a button.

All students have a profile on

Handshake connected to their University

1. You should have an email link from the Career

Center. If you don’t, visit ualr.joinhandshake.com

2. Once you’re on your school’s page, click the Sign

up for an Account link in the lower left hand corner

to get started

Some student information will already be in

a Handshake profile.

• Name

• School Level (Freshman, Senior, etc.)

• Major

• College

• Degree seeking (Bachelor’s, Master’s,

etc.)

Students decide whether or not to make their profile public

or private.

• Public Profile = Most information in profile can be

seen by any employer on Handshake and by Career

Center.

• Note: Some profile components such as GPA, have

their own privacy settings.

• Private Profile = Profile only seen by student and

Career Center.

• Students can switch privacy status at any time.

Handshake takes

information from your

profile and that a

student has entered to

recommend jobs.

Students can select

favorites and follow

employers to see them

more frequently.

Resume

Introduction

The first step to getting a job, any job, is creating a

resume

What does a Resume do?

● Serves as an advertisement for yourself as a

potential employee

● Outlines your experience, education, and skills

● Is part of a potential employer’s first impression of

you

How has technology impacted the resume process?

• Digital resume submissions make it easier for an employer to cast a wide net

for finding the perfect job candidates.

• Nearly 40% of employers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to help

sort through resumes quickly through digital scanning, word searches, and

comparing the information to what’s desired for the job. The ATS then gives

the submitted resumes and applications a score.

• Nearly 75% of applications processed by an ATS are never seen by a real

person.

How to make you resume ATS friendly

● Optimize your resume!

○ Utilize keywords from the job description

○ Clearly label your resume sections

○ Avoid custom fonts

○ Submit your resume in the requested file type (pdf, doc, docx)

Name and Contact Information

Professional Summary/Objective*

Education

Relevant Coursework*

Employment History

Volunteering*

EX

AM

PL

E R

ES

UM

E

*These sections are not

required but may be

beneficial on an individual

basis

Additional Resume Section Options

• Summary of Qualifications

• Language Proficiency

• Presentations

• In-house Seminars

• Achievements

• Internships

• Military Experience

• Qualifications

• Career Profile

• Community Service

• Relevant Coursework

• Continuing Education

• Advanced Career Training

• Specialization

• Special Projects

• Career-related skills

• Familiar Computer Applications

• Technical Training

• Licenses and Certification

• Accomplishments

• Skills Summary

• Volunteer Work

• Memberships

NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Name: at the top, stands out, larger than anything else

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE*

● Professional summaries are not required, but they are a good space for utilizing

keywords and can help explain your focus within your career and/or education.

● A Cover Letter does this as well, but with more space.

WORK HISTORY

Section Heading

Company Name- City, State

Position

Title and

Description

of duties

Accomplishments are highlighted and begin with a strong action verb

EDUCATION

Section Heading

Relevant Coursework

VOLUNTEERING/EXTRACURRICULAR

Section Heading

Locations of volunteering. Can

include total hours volunteered.

Formatting

• Format must be pleasing to the eye

• Continuity, use consistent formula (fonts, headings, etc.)

• Focus on strengths and accomplishments

• A good resume has balance – Professional and easy-to-read

– Visual hierarchy

• If your Resume is two pages, label the second page with your

name/contact information

• Clear sections with visual hierarchy

• Bullet points

• Readable font size

• Plenty of white space

• Whole page utilized

• Italics and bold not used excessively

• No big blocks of text- easy to read

Tips

Good Resume

Consistent formatting

Compelling verbiage

Easy to read

Tweaked for each job application

to target qualifications

No spelling errors!

Bad Resume

Sections misaligned, too many

fonts, etc.

Exaggerations or lies

Difficult to quickly find essential

information

Not utilizing key words from the

job description

Cover Letter

A Cover Letter Is…

• An introduction of yourself to an organization

• A demonstration of your interest in the company, or a specific

vacancy

• Something that motivates the reader to interview you

• Only one page

Exam

ple

Co

ver

Lett

er

Name and Contact Information

Address of recipient

Greeting to recipient

State the position that you’re applying for

Why you’re a good potential hire for the

position and what you can contribute to

the company

Restate contact information and include an

expression of thanks for the consideration or

their time

A farewell

Utilizing Keywords from the Job Description• #2425557 Human Resources Analyst

• Facilitates and operates the hiring and recruitment system to recruit, select, and retain the best

employees and ensure compliance with fair hiring practices.

• Assists in the facilitation of new employee orientations

• Processes requests from and provides correspondence to employees.

Qualifications

• General knowledge of human resources programs; ability to research, collect and organize data;

• Skilled in the use of standard office equipment including a personal computer and knowledge of

applicable software packages;

• ability to work as a functional, efficient and effective team member.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree with coursework in human resources, business, public administration, or related

field

• Must obtain Professional in Human Resources (PHR) or Society of Human Resources Management

Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certification within two years of hire.• Valid Driver's License

• #2425557 Human Resources Analyst

• Facilitates and operates the hiring and recruitment system to recruit, select, and retain the best

employees and ensure compliance with fair hiring practices.

• Assists in the facilitation of new employee orientations

• Processes requests from and provides correspondence to employees.

Qualifications

• General knowledge of human resources programs; ability to research, collect and organize data;

• Skilled in the use of standard office equipment including a personal computer and knowledge of

applicable software packages;

• ability to work as a functional, efficient and effective team member.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree with coursework in human resources, business, public administration, or

related field

• Must obtain Professional in Human Resources (PHR) or Society of Human Resources

Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certification within two years of hire.• Valid Driver's License

Utilizing Keywords from the Job Description

Exam

ple

Co

ver

Lett

ere

r

ualr.edu/careers | (501) 569-3584