#probablybicoid

I struggled with my class for the longest time. I gave them every opportunity to succeed and I still had students failing my class because they refused to do the work. I blamed myself for their grades. I got anxious before every test because I wanted them to do well. I tried my hardest to get the kids interested in their work and blamed myself for being a bad teacher when they failed. This nearly destroyed me in my first semester teaching. I learned and adjusted my class but it still washard for me to accept that sometimes there is only so much one person can do. By the end of the semester I learned a very valuable lesson.

Cover letters are the easiest thing to write. Really, they are. Just look at your resume, look at what you want to emphasize to the future employer, and write. However, there are still some general guidelines that took me a few frustrating hours to figure out. So here are a couple tips on the set up of a cover letter.

1.      Format like a business letter: This means short, everything is justified to the left, no indents, short paragraphs. Keep your writing to the point. If they can find something in your resume, just reference it and move on. You should fit everything on one page.

2.      Top left corner: Include your address (you can omit your name to save space), beneath include the date spelled out (I bold it to give a good division), address of the company you are applying to.

3.      Now address your audience (aka the hiring manager). If you know the manager’s name use that. You might have to do some sleuthing to figure it out, but it is better if you use their name. Not only will the person reading it feel special but they know you either dedicated some time to he corporation’s page or are at least attentive to detail. If you have no clue who is going to be reading that’s no problem either. I am always too nervous to put a name down as I think I might be addressing the wrong person. It’s okay to put either the company name or even better just put “Dear hiring manager,”. I also always bold this line to also break it up from the addresses. Don’t ask me why.

4.      Now for the juicy stuff. Remember this is general rules and do not need to be followed. Writing is an art, not a format. However, this is what I figured out how to do it. Write a first tiny paragraph (no longer than 2-3 sentences) that include the job you are applying for, where you heard of the position, and then a short closer on why you think you are a good fit. Mine tend a long the lines of

      “Please accept the enclosed resume for the position as XXX at Company’s XXX Laboratories. The position was advertised on XXX and I feel that I have the necessary experience to be a valuable member of your team.” Boom done. Be short, to the point, but don’t be rude about it. Please is always a good word. Onto the next paragraph.

5.      Next is qualifications. You can take 1-2 paragraphs to write this. I always start off with “According to career requirements” if they explicitly state that something is required to get the job like a certification or something. If not, start off with writing about your experiences. If it is school state your degree, school, and date achieved (month year only). Maybe relevant course work or research. But while you are doing this make sure to write not only what you did but why this experience makes you a good fit. They should not have to question why they are reading it. Ensure that your cover letter is not just a rewrite of your resume. Make it stick out, emphasize what you want them to know about you.

6.      Use buzz words. This sounds cheap but its not. When you read the advertisement for the position they will list qualifications that they need or skills that you want. Can you do those? Then state you can do those! They are looking for those things in particular why not hand it to them right then and there? They shouldn’t have to dig around for your skill sets.

7.      Finally, the closer. Reemphasize why you are a good fit for XX position at XXX company. Thank them for their consideration and inquire about a follow up interview. Leave a phone number or some way for them to contact you. This paragraph should only be 2-3 sentences. It’s short. It’s the end.

8.      Write a closing phrase. Most people write “Sincerely,” I don’t. I don’t know why but sincerely always seemed like a more personal thing to me? I simply put ‘Very Respectfully,” or “Respectfully,”. You are still giving your regards and being polite but it isn’t bridging that grey area between business and friend. Again, I also bold the closing phrase to separate it from the rest of the letter.

9.      SIGN and type your name. Having a nice signature is a real eye catcher and really completes the letter. You can make a signature by going onto paint or One Note and drawing out your signature then just screen shot it an insert the picture. Then beneath the signature just type out your name. The end. It looks great.

Save your cover letter! Once you have a good cover letter, you can reuse the general format for other applications. Just ensure to edit the information so it is relevant. Not all the skills you have are relevant from one job to the next. It varies! But the general outline might as well stay the same.

I made my own closet out of a strong tension rod that I posted between one of my dressers and the wall. It is not tall to really facilitate whole length dresses but I don’t have to worry about those. Yes. With the exception of my lab coat and uniform, that is all my clothes. I never had the space to have much and now I do!

I  needed to organize my shoes without a closet and so I placed them in the drawers of my dresser. With my lack of clothes, this one dresser was nearly empty. Here, my shoes are organized and always paired. I don’t have to worry about them. Taller shoes like boots were placed underneath my bed. 

I also do a lot of writing and have a lot of papers to organize. I saw online that this one person organized their papers by posting folders to their walls. It really kept things organized for me! I got two folders that not only organize my mail or important to do papers but also help decorate the walls and fill up space. Looks good!

I also built that cube shelf so that I could have some place to hide my bags. The bottom drawer is a couple purses (totes), the middle drawer is some sweatshirts that couldn’t fit in my small dresser, and then on the top is a small crate of my writing things. That box includes all of my utensils, ink bottles, and thank you cards. I used to have them crammed into a small chest but this way I can easily see and organize my writing stuff.

I am on a job hunt and had to craft my resume. I had a tentative resume in my back pocket for the last few years but since graduating college it needed to flush it out a bit to include all of my academic work. It’s a struggle trying to find things that are important for a resume but it is also hard trying to organize it. This is some things I figured out when crafting mine.

1.      Short and sweet: the hiring manager is not looking to read a book. A resume is an overview of your skills and experiences. The interview is for the long explanations. Try to keep a resume to 1 to 2 pages. Honestly, one page is enough space for most people. Can’t fit everything? Decrease font size, decrease spaces between paragraphs. Condense any possible way. I got what I thought was a 3 page resume down to a perfect 1 page. It will fit.

2.      Keep it relevant: Unless you won a major award or conducted revolutionary research at age 14, high school experiences aren’t usually that important once you graduated college (with exceptions of course). Keep your high school on there with the year you graduated just in case your employer might be an alumnus as that link might help. However, most other random volunteer work is too old. They are mostly interested in what you did within the last 5 years.

3.      Order by date: in each category try your best to arrange them chronologically. Most recent to oldest. This might be difficult if you had multiple jobs at the same time. Organize these how you feel are best.

4.      This sounds silly. Put your name and contact information on it. When you save your resume to your computer name the file something simple like Name Resume Date so that it would be easy for the hiring manager to find it and file it.

5.      Sections should include

 Skills- just write stuff that you can do. Microsoft skills/ organization/ writing/ etc. The basics

Education: Include school, location, dates attended, degree/certification, and other relevant information like honours, minors, etc.

If your job requires you to state your relevant coursework it might fit better in a section right below education. Try to separate by course subject

If you conducted research or had any publications, but this in a section below your education.

Work Experience: List your relevant work experience, again organize in chronological order. Include company name, location, and dates work. Also include general job description beneath. Again, just give an overview of what you did.

 Volunteer/Leadership experience: write a short line on what you did and the date(s) that you did them

 Awards: here, include any relevant or significant awards. 

6.      You do not need to include your references. You should have them available upon request, but you do not need to include them directly into your resume. Keep a separate file for your references. Have at least three contacts for your list of references.

7.      This is just personal, but try not to use a premade template. You did a lot more than you think and you need all the room you can to fit it on the page. Don’t let the page control who you are, control the page. Keep it simple.

Look I finally am moved in and have a desk. I was working on my paper and outline last night. Am struggling a bit juggling so many articles but I will persevere!!!

Oedipus is also loving his larger tank. When I study he just glares at me for food as he sits on his flowers.