Dear Mr. Jobbound:

"Should I include any High School information on my resume?" - Jenny S., University of North Dakota

Mr. JobBound:

If you're a senior in college, you shouldn't have any High School information on your resume, unless it's particularly relevant to the job you're applying for - for instance, a finance internship for someone looking to get into investment banking. But the fact that you were Vice President of the National Honor Society as a junior in High School is no longer relevant. Juniors can have a little High School information, sophomores a little more and freshmen obviously quite a bit. Think of your resume as a four year snapshot.

Dear Mr. Jobbound:

"What's the best way to send a thank you note - hand written, typed and mailed, or emailed?" - Chris G. Wesleyan University

Mr. JobBound:

Any form can work, but since hiring decisions can often be made quite quickly, I recommend email. Now, if you have a chance to drop off a hand written, or typed note/card, that's great. But typically a well-written email thank you is the most impactful.

It's important that the thank you note is personal. You want to mention something from the interview that you talked about, so the reader doesn't think they are just getting a form letter. Since the thank you note is often the last impression they'll have, you want to make it great.

Dear Mr. JobBound:

"What do you think about cover letters? Do people even read them?" - David, University of Texas

Mr. JobBound:

Excellent question David. Cover letters are one of the trickier parts of the job search. A short answer is no - your cover letter probably isn't going to be read. The reason why is simple. Virtually every person writes the exact same cover letter:

Paragraph 1 - How I heard about the job and why I'm interested in the job
Paragraph 2 - Everything I've ever done that makes me perfect for the job
Paragraph 3 - Continuation of Paragraph 2
Paragraph 4 - Why I should be hired and how I'll follow up with you

You try reading 400 of those! We already know that Recruiting Directors spend about 15 seconds looking at your resume. It's not reasonable to think that they will spend the time to read a four-paragraph, single-spaced, block type cover letter - especially when every cover letter sounds the same. That being said, you still need a cover letter. It shows the company that you've taken the time to actually think about this job and why you're applying for it.

If you want a Recruiting Director to read your cover letter, make it short, witty, and attention getting. Think of it as a teaser ad for your resume. Not something that in and of itself will get you the job, but something that intrigues the reader to take a good hard look at your resume. Try to make it six sentences long. Start off with something clever. Put in something personal. Like a resume, you have just a few seconds to get their attention. It's not the easiest thing to do, but done well it can be the difference between getting an interview or not.

Dear Mr. JobBound:

"Should I have an objective on my resume or not? I seem to get a lot of conflicting advice." - Lisa, University of Minnesota

Mr. JobBound:

The answer is very clear: it depends. Overall objectives can be wasted space. An objective like, "to obtain a position that utilizes my strong analytical, teamwork and leadership skills" is quite frankly bogus. Of course according to you, you are analytical, and a team player with good leadership skills. But let's be honest, anyone can write that if they want.

If you are applying for a specific job, then no, you don't need an objective. Recruiting Directors assume your objective is to get that job. Often objectives are just big typos. People put "to obtain a financial analyst position at a major accounting firm" on resumes they send to ad agencies. Oops, that goes right into the garbage. The only time you need an objective is when you are applying to a large company that does not have a specific job opening. In that case, it's helpful for the Recruiting Director to know which department to forward your resume to. For situations like these, the objective should be simply, "to obtain a position in the finance department of Pepsi." Short and sweet.

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