SP HTM Resume & Cover Letter Guide - Writing a Resume, Action Verbs, CV, and Cover Letter

Sep 13, 2026

SP HTM Resume & Cover Letter Guide provides structured guidance for crafting effective resumes, curriculum vitae, and cover letters. It explains the purpose of a strong resume, recommends reverse-chronological organization, and lists what to include such as contact details, education, experience, activities and leadership, and skills. It also offers quick formatting tips, methods for writing impactful bullet points using action verbs and the PAR method, and outlines key elements for CVs and cover letters, including sample references to support applicants.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResumes

FormatPDF

Pages35

Reading Time12 min

AccessFree to download

Writing a resume

What's the purpose?

What should be included?

Quick tips

Writing better bullet points

Action verbs

Writing a curriculum vitae

What's the purpose?

What should be included?

Writing a cover letter

References

Sample resumes and CVs

Sample cover letters

SP HTM RESUME & COVER LETTER GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 WRITING A RESUME 2 ACTION VERBS 3 WRITING A CURRICULUM VITAE 4 WRITING A COVER LETTER 5 REFERENCES 6 SAMPLE RESUMES AND CVS 7 SAMPLE COVER LETTERS Resumes What's the purpose? A well written resume can be a window of opportunity for an interview , as it is typically the first glance an employer has of your qualifications. Resumes should be in reverse chronological order , jobs and experiences organized with the most recent first. What should be included? Contact Information Name (Should be at the top of the document and your largest font) Tulane or Personal email address and cell phone number Address (Include address if you are applying in the same city) Education University and Location Degree , Date Majors , Minors Study Abroad Programs For undergraduate students , high school can be removed For graduate students , you can begin to condense undergraduate extracurricular activities under this section Experience Name of organization , location , job title , dates Use strong action verbs for each bullet point Describe the context of the situation and talk about the skills you developed along with tasks completed Activities and Leadership Organization , Role , Date , Description Skills Computer , technical , language skills. Do not list soft skills. Quick Tips A resume should be 1-2 pages. If you commit to a second page, the second page should be nearly full. Choose an easy to read, professional font between 10.5-12 size. Use plain and consistent formatting without color. Use Microsoft Word. Do not use Google Docs, Canva, InDesign or anyother graphics. Do not include references or“references available upon request” in your resume. These will be formally requested later. Include your undergraduate and/or graduate GPA if above 3.5. Utilize strong action verbs to begin your bullet points. Try not to repeat verbs. Be consistent. Maintain the same styles and formatting throughout your document. Email as a PDF whenever you can. No edits or formatting discrepancies will be seen this way. Writing Better Bullet Points In order to effectively describe your experiences through bullet point descriptions , use strong action verbs , be succinct , provide specific examples , quantify accomplishments , and include industry specific buzzwords whenever possible. Need some support? Utilize the PAR method: P: Describe the project or task. A: What activity did you do? R: What were the tangible and quantifiable results? Example City of New Orleans Intern Helped file city files on residents Reviewed documents with supervisors Versus City of New Orleans, Office of Emergency Preparedness Data Intern, May 2020-August 2020 Independently organized 500+ files on 10 years of resident claim reports Reviewed information document requests with local internal auditors Compiled report , including infographics , presented to department leadership Action Verbs Development Adapted Developed Effected Formulated Gathered Planned Reorganized Translated Ingenuity Conceived Constructed Created Defined Designed Determined Devised Established Formed Founded Generated Initiated Invented Originated Predicted Produced Proposed Writing Skills Drafted Integrated Summarized Wrote Research Skills Analyzed Asses Calculated Clarified Collected Compared Compiled Conducted Detected Determined Diagnosed Evaluated Examined Experimented Explored Extracted Formulated Gathered Identified Inspected Interpreted Interviewed Investigated Located Measured Organized Researched Searched Solved Summarized Surveyed Systematized Tested Verified Administrative Administered Controlled Contributed Coordinated Facilitated Instructed Managed Moderated Prepared Present Provided Recruited Scheduled Supervised Trained Utilized

FAQs

What is the purpose of a well-written resume?

A well-written resume creates an interview opportunity because it is typically the first view an employer has of your qualifications.

What should a resume include and how should it be organized?

A resume should include contact information, education, experience, activities and leadership, and skills, organized in reverse chronological order with the most recent items first.

How can you write stronger resume bullet points?

Use strong action verbs, be succinct, provide specific examples, quantify accomplishments, and apply the PAR method: describe the project/task, your activity, and the tangible, quantifiable results.

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Aria Callaghan