Did you know that most employers spend less than 10 seconds looking at a resume before making a decision?
Unfortunately, if you don’t catch their attention at this time, you’ll be searching for other roles.
If you want to land your dream job, you need to produce a stunning resume and cover letter.
Continue reading to learn about the key differences between a cover letter vs resume!
Purpose
When it comes to preparing a cover letter vs a resume, you need to understand their purposes.
Cover letters are the first document that employers will see. The purpose of this letter is to share a little bit of information about you and your interest in the role. You should also summarize what makes you an excellent candidate.
Resumes are meant to display your work and education experience. They are essentially a formatted marketing piece that convinces a company that you are worth hiring. This document is relevant since cover letters shouldn’t summarize duties at previous jobs.
Point of View
If you are comparing a resume vs a cover letter, you need to consider the point of view.
Resumes are typically written from a third-person perspective. This means that they use terms like, “herself, its, they, and themselves.” The subject (you) is being talked about in a resume.
When you are writing a cover letter, you want to write in the first person. Terms such as “I” and “we” get used to expressing interest in an opportunity. A common mistake people make is blending different POVs or using the wrong perspective for the wrong document.
Elaboration of Experience
One of the largest differences between these documents is the elaboration of experience.
You can quickly summarize your experience in a sentence or two on your cover letter. Beyond a short paragraph, you are giving too many details for the first impression. If the employer is intrigued, they will take a further look at your resume.
On your resume, you should include short summaries of responsibilities and roles that you’ve had. Although each job shouldn’t have a page summary, they should have enough to read to gauge if you’d be a good fit.
Format
Professional cover letter services can save you time and energy if you are struggling.
Getting help from writing services can make your resume look more professional. If you can’t find the right format, resume writing services can help. They know the latest trends that employers are searching for and will help you land your dream job!
While formatting your documents, keep a standard font at size 12. You should avoid funky fonts since they can look unprofessional and be difficult to read.
Can You Compare a Cover Letter vs Resume?
When you can identify the differences between a cover letter vs resume, your odds of getting accepted increase.
To catch the attention of the hiring department you need to know when to elaborate and when to keep things short and sweet. Both documents are used to market you as an investment for a company, so don’t be afraid to get help from writing services.
Make sure you read our blog for more information about getting a job and writing a solid resume!