Writing an attractive resume, cover letter, or portfolio can feel challenging—especially when there’s no single “right” answer or perfect formula. Every applicant’s story is different, and your materials should reflect your own strengths and experiences.
This guide is not a one-size-fits-all template, but a helpful reference to support you as you create documents that best represent you. Feel free to adapt these tips to fit your goals and situation.
1. Make the Most of University Career Resources
A strong resume starts with a solid structure. Using reliable templates designed by universities can help you present your experiences more clearly and professionally. Many well-known schools, such as Harvard University, offer high-quality resources that are widely used by job seekers—feel free to explore these websites and download what works for you.
To make the process even easier, we’ve adapted several of these templates into SUNY Korea–specific resume formats. Please check the attached files, including the student employee resume sample from Stony Brook University.
SUNY Korea students can access career resources through their respective home campuses:
If you are studying at your home campus in the U.S., feel free to visit the Career Center in person for more support.
2. Use AI Wisely
AI literacy—the ability to use AI tools effectively—is becoming essential in today’s job market. Tools like ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms can support your writing, research, brainstorming, and job preparation.
Here are four helpful AI tools to boost your job readiness:
ChatGPT (OpenAI): Great for drafting personal statements, refining cover letters, and practicing interview questions.
Gemini: Useful for generating ideas, organizing information, and creating content.
Perplexity AI: A fact-based search assistant for researching industries, companies, and trends with quick, reliable summaries.
Grammarly: Helps polish your English resume, correct grammar, and strengthen your writing.
*Important: Don’t rely on AI to do the work for you. What matters is how you use these tools. Avoid simply copying and pasting AI-generated text—use AI to gather insights, then rewrite and personalize the content in your own words. Your resume and statements should reflect your authentic voice.
3. Utilize Career-Related Materials and Online Tools
There are many free, high-quality resources available online that can help you improve your resume, cover letter, and overall career preparation. These platforms provide practical tips, sample documents, and real advice from professionals across different fields. Use them to gain insights—and apply what fits your goals.
Here are some recommended platforms:
Handshake Blog: Student-friendly guides on resumes, cover letters, interview prep, and career exploration.
Forage: Virtual job simulations created by real companies. Great for understanding industry tasks and gaining experience you can highlight on your resume or discuss in a cover letter.
MyWorldAbroad: A resource for global career development, offering tips on international internships, cross-cultural experience, and writing materials for global opportunities.
4. Be Detail-Oriented
Your resume is a brief, informative summary of your abilities, education, and experiences that are most relevant to the position you’re applying for. It should highlight your strongest skills and show what distinguishes you from other candidates.
Tailor your resume to the role you’re targeting. Not every experience must be directly related, but the skills, accomplishments, and impact you emphasize should match what the employer values.
Your resume language should be:
Specific, not general: Clearly describe what you did and how you did it.
Active, not passive: Use strong action verbs to show ownership.
Strength-focused: Emphasize your abilities and achievements.
Clear and direct: Avoid vague or exaggerated statements.
Fact-based: Include numbers where possible to show measurable impact.
Easy to scan: Keep formatting consistent and bullet points concise.
Tips: Details matter. Small elements such as consistent fonts, clear section headers, and aligned dates help your resume look polished and professional.
* An action verbs list from Stony Brook University is attached for your reference.
5. Understand the Purpose of a Resume and Write Strong Bullet Points
A resume is not a complete record of your life. Its purpose is to communicate your strengths quickly, demonstrate your fit for a specific role, and highlight achievements that reflect your professionalism. Ultimately, a resume should motivate an employer to invite you for an interview. That’s why tailoring your resume for each application is essential—not optional.
One of the most effective ways to strengthen your resume is by writing clear, impact-driven bullet points. Each bullet point should answer three key questions:
What did you do?
How did you do it?
What was the result or impact?
Using a structured approach, such as the STAR or PAR method, can help you stay focused:
Situation / Problem: What was the context?
Action: What did you do?
Result: What changed because of your actions?
Example:
Weak: Helped with event planning
Strong: Coordinated logistics for a 200-student career fair by managing vendor communication and registration, improving event check-in efficiency by 30%.
6. Showcase Transferable Skills
Even if you feel you lack “direct” experience, you have likely developed valuable skills through your academic work, extracurricular activities, and personal experiences. Employers understand that early-career candidates build competencies in many ways—not only through formal employment.
Transferable skills can be gained from:
Part-time jobs
Volunteer work
Student organizations or clubs
Coursework or academic projects
Internships
Leadership roles
These experiences help you develop transferable skills—abilities that can be applied across different roles and industries. Employers often care less about where you gained a skill and more about how you used it.
When writing your resume, focus on providing concrete examples that show how you applied these skills, especially in ways that demonstrate responsibility, initiative, and impact.
7. Avoid Common Resume Mistakes
These are some of the most common issues that weaken resumes, especially for early-career applicants. Review this checklist carefully before submitting your document.
Using one resume for all applications: Failing to tailor your resume makes it difficult for employers to see your fit for a specific role.
Too much text or long paragraphs: Dense blocks of text are hard to read. Use concise bullet points and clear section headings.
Inconsistent formatting: Mismatched fonts, spacing, date styles, or bullet points can make your resume look unpolished. Keep formatting consistent throughout.
Generic or vague language: Phrases like “responsible for” or “helped with” don’t show what you actually accomplished. Use specific, action-oriented statements.
Listing tasks instead of achievements: Focus on what you contributed, improved, or achieved—not just your responsibilities.
Including unnecessary personal information: Details such as age, photo, full address, marital status, or national ID number are not required and may distract from your qualifications.
Typos or grammatical errors: Even small mistakes can signal carelessness. Always proofread carefully and use tools like Grammarly to check accuracy.
Final Tip: If your resume doesn’t clearly show impact, skills, and fit within a few seconds, revise it before submitting.