Create a Resume, CV or Cover Letter
Showcase Your Skills & Experiences
Your resume, CV, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile help you communicate your skills, experiences, and accomplishments to employers, graduate programs, and professional connections. Start with the material you need now.
Get Started
Watch our Resume & Cover Letter Webinar to learn how to highlight your skills and experiences. Then explore the sections below for practical steps, examples, and resources to create or strengthen your materials.
Build and Improve Your Materials with Hiration
Use Hiration to build or improve your resume, strengthen your LinkedIn profile, and practice interviewing.
Select your student status to get started: CURRENT STUDENTS | INCOMING STUDENTS | ALUMNI
Resume
Show employers what you have learned and accomplished through classes, work, projects, research, leadership, and community involvement.
Start with a master resume that captures your education, experience, skills, projects, and accomplishments. Choose the most relevant details for each opportunity.
Resources
Create Your Resume with Hiration: Current Students | Incoming Students | Alumni
Need a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?
A CV provides a more detailed record of academic and research accomplishments and is often used for graduate study, research, and academic roles.
Create Your CV with Hiration: Current Students | Incoming Students | Alumni
Use action verbs and specific examples to show what you did, how you did it, and what resulted. Include results when you can support them. Experiences from coursework, campus jobs, and volunteering count.
Use the STAR approach to help build your bullets:
S/T – Situation or Task: What did you do?
A – Action: How did you do it?
R – Result: What happened because of your work?
Example — Instead of: Created brochures and posters.
Try: Created promotional materials using Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, resulting in 2,000 new advertising packets.
Resources
Read the position description, highlight relevant skills and accomplishments, and check formatting, dates, spelling, and consistency. Save your master resume and tailor a copy for each application.
Resources
Review & Tailor Your Resume with Hiration: Current Students | Incoming Students | Alumni
Cover Letter
Explain why the opportunity interests you and how your experiences connect to the employer’s needs.
Review the position and organization. Select two or three relevant skills, experiences, or accomplishments that show why you are a strong candidate.
Resources
Explain why you are interested in the organization, demonstrate how you can contribute, and close by thanking the employer. Use specific examples rather than repeating your resume.
Use CLD's simple formula:
I Love You → Why are you interested in them?
You Love Me → Why are you a strong fit?
Let's Connect → Thank the employer and invite the next conversation.
Resources
Create Your Cover Letter with Hiration: Current Students | Incoming Students | Alumni
Make your letter specific to the position, verify names and details, and proofread. Keep your own voice.
Resources
Review & Strengthen Your Cover Letter with Hiration: Current Students | Incoming Students | Alumni
LinkedIn Profile
Build a professional online presence that helps people understand your background and interests. Watch How to Build a LinkedIn Profile Webinar before updating your profile. https://youtu.be/bHn8MsGYhXA?si=vHtwaG0gakMQfPav
Add a clear headline, About section, education, experience, skills, and a customized profile URL. Include relevant projects, leadership, research, and volunteer work.
Resources
Use your About section to introduce your interests and direction. Describe accomplishments with specific examples, and keep your information current.
Resources
Review Your LinkedIn Profile with Hiration: Current Students | Incoming Students | Alumni
- Download your LinkedIn profile as a PDF
- Upload the PDF to Hiration
- Review the feedback and recommendations
Return to LinkedIn and make updates as needed
Follow organizations, explore career paths, and connect with classmates, faculty, colleagues, and SF State alumni.
Resources
Need Help?
Meet with a CLD Career Counselor for personalized guidance on creating or reviewing your resume, CV, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile.