Resume and Cover Letter
Resume and Cover Letter Overview
A great resume and cover letter should communicate your client’s skills and employment goals to the employer. We offer traditional resumes, skills-based resumes, visual resumes, and video resumes. Keep all resumes in your client’s folder!
Meet with your client in order to fill out the resume and cover letter!
You can always reach out to the client’s team or family members to fill in gaps if the client doesn’t know or if they aren’t the best source of information for this step.
Important Information: We work on resumes and cover letters in the EDS – Plan Service.
We must make sure that they have a resume + cover letter before we enroll them in VRS. Even if the team says they have it, double-check for proof!
Tips for participants with no work experience
Brainstorm about past volunteer work.
Brainstorm family members or friends that they’ve helped or done favors for. If those favors relate to the job they’re applying for, they can be put on their resume.
Brainstorm some chores that they do around their home. If they relate to the job, you can make them an experience on your resume!
Add more detail to the education or training section. Put the certifications they were awarded and the classes, workshops, and seminars they attended that relate to the job or industry they are applying for.
Make a list of all the skills that they have that relate to the company or job they are applying for. Add more information about each skill and how they’ve applied it in the past. Avoid adding skills that don’t have to do with the position you’re applying for.
Gather references! Ask family, friends, teachers, service workers, or other important people in your life to vouch for you.
Tips for participants with gaps in their resume
Talk about what skills or strengths they gained in that gap period on their cover letter.
Put non-traditional work experiences they did during that gap on their resume as experience! Examples are places that you volunteer at or caregiver roles!
Leave out the months on their resume and just put the year.
Talk about the employment gaps in their cover letter. Give the great reasoning behind the gap, but make sure not to give too much personal detail and keep it professional.
Resume and Cover Letter Resources:
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Traditional Resume Template
This is a template for a traditional resume.
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Skills-Based Resume Template
This is a template for a skills-based resume. This can be great for individuals with minimal work experience.
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Visual Skills-Based Resume Template
This is a template for a visual skills-based resume. This can be great for individuals with minimal work experience.
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Cover Letter Template
This is a template for a cover letter.
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Resume Help: Experience Section
This activity can help an individual create the experience section to the resume.
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Indeed: Resume Templates
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Indeed: Resume Examples
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Indeed: Cover Letter Examples
Resources for Individuals with Criminal History
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Criminal Background Cover Letters
This resource has several templates for explaining a prior conviction to employers.
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P.A.A.R Statement Template
This is a template for answering questions about an individual’s criminal history.
Put the Employer at Ease”
Accept Responsibility”
Action/ State Accomplishments
Raise and Reassure Employer Confidence
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Explaining a Felony Conviction
This is a resource to help individuals explain a felony conviction.
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Federal Bonding Program
Attached is a handout explaining the federal bonding program.
This is a no-cost program protecting businesses from theft or larceny of employees for the first six months of employment.
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How to Gather Evidence of Rehabilitation
This is a resource that gives ideas on how to gather evidence of rehabilitation.
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Letters of Explanation
Inside is an explanation of Letters of Explanation and examples of Letters of Explanation for prior convictions.
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Letters of Explanation Handout
This is a hand-out going over letters of explanation.
Resume tips to share with your participant
Cover letter tips to share with your participant
The E1MN Framework
The Employment First Minnesota Framework (E1MN) is designed to help make sure that Great Work helps our participants explore employment, plan for employment, find a job, and keep a job that is a perfect fit for them! Click below to learn more about each phase:
