Refining your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile is a process of improving and optimizing these key job search documents and online presence. This can significantly help students in their career development and job search efforts.

Refining your Resume, Cover letter and Linkedin Profile can help you:

• Increased visibility to employers: A well-designed resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile make you more noticeable and appealing to recruiters and hiring managers.
• Better fit with job roles: By customizing these documents for specific industries or positions, you can effectively highlight your suitability for potential employers.
• Build a professional brand: Enhancing these documents/profile can help you establish a strong and consistent professional brand. This is particularly important for students with limited work experience.

Information

Update and refine resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile for specific industries and job roles/positions

Research the target industry and position:

• • Study job descriptions for your desired roles
  • Identify key skills, qualifications, and experiences employers are seeking.

Refine your resume: ( Create/Refine resume

• Review and update all information for accuracy and relevance
• Tailor the summary or objective to the target industry/role
• Reorganize sections to prioritize most relevant experiences
• Add new skills, achievements, or experiences
• Remove outdated or irrelevant information such as old job positions from more than 10-15 years ago (unless highly relevant to your current career path), obsolete technical skills or software versions (like Windows 95 or WordPerfect), and graduation dates for degrees obtained more than 10 years.
• Use industry-specific keywords throughout

Refine your cover letter: (Create/Refine Cover letter)

• Address the hiring manager by name if possible
• Reference the specific job title and company in the opening paragraph
• Highlight 2-3 key experiences or skills that directly relate to the job requirements
• Update your contact information if needed
• Refresh your opening paragraph to reflect current career goals
• Add any new relevant experiences or skills
• Tailor each letter to the specific job and company
• Update your closing to reflect your current availability.

Refine LinkedIn Profile: ( Create/update Linked Profile)

• Update your profile picture and banner image
• Refine your headline to reflect your career aspirations
• Rewrite your summary to highlight current skills and goals
• Add new job experiences, volunteer work, or projects
• Update your skills section with newly acquired abilities
• Request new recommendations from recent contacts
• Join new groups relevant to your target industry

SUPPORT/FEEDBACK

1. MEC Career Management Center –   Career Management Contact Information    website:   https://www.mec.cuny.edu/student-success/career-management/resources/
2. For those in AGRO 103 course ( Career Readiness Course), you can get feedback from your Professor.
3. SEEK Academic Support Center (ASC) system. Click here to complete the survey.
4. Contact your advisors for assistance:

Dr. Rebecca Cenatus – rcenatus@mec.cuny.edu
Ms. Takisha Randall – Trandall@mec.cuny.edu
Dr. Jewel James – jjames@mec.cuny.edu