Writing Resumes and Cover Letters

It’s never too early to prepare your resume and cover letter. Effective resumes and cover letters (also referred to as letters of inquiry and letters of application) are essential tools for nearly every student, no matter what your career goals are. During your study at Cornell, you will have many occasions to use these documents to market yourself. Summer and permanent opportunities are obvious times, but events such as career fairs, guest lectures, HEC, and field trips provide opportunities for you to network and present your resume.

Resources

The Cornell Career Services (CCS) Career Guide and the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration supplemental Resume and Cover Letter guides provide excellent information about constructing resumes and cover letters, including samples from Cornell students we’ve worked with in the past. There are additional resources in the CCS career library and the Nestlé Library to help you create these documents.

CCS has also established a letter-builder tool through Optimal LetterBuilder. This letter builder combines expert advice and high-quality samples to help you create focused, targeted letters for almost every opportunity.

Review and Feedback

Once you have a draft (or if you need assistance getting started), come in to our office for a resume or cover letter review. A career advisor will provide feedback and make suggestions on content and presentation style to help you create the strongest documents possible.