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Tips and Templates

Resume Tips

Target each resume and cover letter to the specific employer. What skills are listed in the job description? Those skills, such as “analyze” or “create,” should be worked into your resume as long as they accurately reflect your experience.

Great Bullet Points = Action Verb + Context + Result + Quantify

  • Focus your on your Transferable skills and explain your experience
  • Highlight research projects, case competitions and capstone courses provide valuable skills and experience just as you would a job, using strong action verbs and showing results.

Cover Letters

Cover letters are similar in purpose to resumes: they are designed to inspire interviews and job offers (by way of resume review and interviewing). Each cover letter should address the specific needs of that particular employer.

Letter Templates

Below, you will find a collection of templates tailored to meet various needs, ensuring convenience and efficiency in a multitude of scenarios. Feel free to use these as a starting point and adjust them to suit your specific needs.

Following Up After Meeting with an Employer

Hello [Name of Recruiter],

Thanks again for the opportunity to meet you at the [name/location of career fair] on [date]!


It was great learning about [detail from meeting], and I believe my [relevant, personal experience] would make me a great fit for [Company].

I would love to connect regarding a potential career with [Company] and look forward to hearing from you in the future. Thanks again for your time!

Best,
[Your Name]

Interview Thank You

Take time after you leave an interview to write down a few notes about what was discussed to help write your thank you letter. Send a “Thank You” email 24-48 hours after the interview.

Dear [Interviewer],

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me to discuss the (position title) opportunity with (Company name). It was a pleasure to learn more about the role, especially (an aspect of the role that was intriguing and was discussed), and I am excited to have the chance to join. I do have some other opportunities that I am weighing, though (Company name) is the most interesting to me, and I am hopeful to hear back from you soon.

Thank you again,
[Your Name]

Post Interview Check-In

Dear [Hiring Manager's Name],

I recently interviewed for the position of [Position Title] on [date, time, and location of interview]. It was great to meet with you to discuss the position. Since I have not heard back from your company yet, I am reaching out to see if you have filled the position. If not, do you have an estimated time for the final decision? I'm still very interested in becoming a part of your team.

Please let me know if I can provide additional information. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,
[Your name]

Negotiating an Offer

Dear [Name of Recruiter],

Thank you for the generous internship offer to join [Company], I am very grateful for this opportunity. Though money is far from the only deciding factor in evaluating the offer, as I value the culture and opportunity for learning with [Company], I did have a  rate closer to [amount] as my target for this internship. Is there any room for negotiation in this rate?

I appreciate your consideration, and look forward to working with you!

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

Asking for an Offer Extension

Dear [Name of Recruiter],

Thank you again for the offer to join [Company], I am excited about this opportunity, and where it may lead in the future. Since this is such a big decision, I would like to have the time to discuss this with my family, faculty, and career advisory team here at Miami, so I can commit to this fully with their support and guidance. Is it possible for the acceptance deadline to be extended until (usually 1-2 weeks) to allow me to do this?

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

Declining an Offer

Always be gracious to the employer and thank them for their time. You don’t want to burn any bridges.

Template Examples:

Accepted another offer:

Dear [Name of Hiring Manager],

Thank you very much for offering me the position of [Job Title] with [Company]. I sincerely appreciate the offer and your interest in hiring me. 

After much consideration, I have decided to accept another role that will offer me more opportunities to pursue my interests/grow my skills in [area] and [area].

Again, I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to interview and the offer. I wish you and [Company] all the best in finding someone suitable for this position.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]


Offer when the role/company isn’t the right fit:

Dear [Name of Hiring Manager],

Thank you for your generous offer to join [Company] as [Job Title]. I sincerely appreciate the offer and your interest in hiring me.

After much deliberation, I will not be accepting the job offer, as it is unfortunately not the right fit for my career goals/interests at this time.

Again, I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to interview and the offer. I wish you and [Company] all the best in finding someone suitable for this position.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]


Resources:

 

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Strategies for Managing Interview Stress and Anxiety

Sweaty palms, elevated heart rate, racing thoughts, and the inability to focus are common symptoms of interview stress and anxiety. Novice to experienced interviewers still cope with interview stress and anxiety. Stress affects each person differently and it is most important to know how interview stress impacts you and how to respond through routine practice and preparation proactively.

Interview Practice
  • Practice your responses and Elevator Pitch in front of a mirror. Take notice of your body language, facial expressions, and hand gestures.
  • Schedule a Mock Interview with a career advisor or practice on VMock. Dress for the interview as you would the real thing. Getting familiar with wearing interview attire might help you feel more comfortable.
Preparation 
  • Write down questions you want to ask at the end of the interview and practice asking them out loud in advance.
  • Spend time researching the company to increase your talking points. (can this link to the Connect- Company research section)
  • Map your route to the interview location and allow yourself plenty of travel time.
  • Eat a good breakfast or lunch and consider limiting caffeine the day of your interview to avoid jittery nerves. 
  • Interview Prep Worksheet (Google Doc)
  • Interview for Success Workshop
Mentally Prepare
  • Do something you find relaxing. Take a walk, exercise, meditate, listen to music.
  • Try positive self-talk or visualizations, affirmations, or the SuperMan Pose to boost confidence in your interview. 

During the Interview

  • Remind yourself that stress in an interview is normal. Practice beforehand and successfully manage your stress in real-time. Having prepared what you want to say about your qualifications and ready for those tough questions, you’ll be equipped to take a deep breath and know that you can manage an unexpected challenge.
  • Take a breath. When you come to a question you are unsure of answering, it's okay to take a moment. Take a breath, take a sip of water, and take a bit to compose yourself. It’s okay to reply with, “Ah, let me think about that for a moment” or “Do you mean…” or “Could you rephrase the question?” 
  • Remember that you are interviewing the organization just as much as they are interviewing you. You have some control over the conversation by asking questions to get to know whether the job is right for you. 
  • Write down the questions you want to ask the employer in a notebook/padfolio. This may help you if you get nervous and forget the important questions you want to ask. You can also take notes as they are speaking to demonstrate your interest in the information they are providing.
If you need additional support with stress or anxiety, Contact Student Counseling Services (SCS), 513-529-4634 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. for more information or to schedule an Initial Consultation appointment with an SCS counselor (telebehavioral health FAQs).

Candid Career Video Resources

Behavioral Interviews

Interviewing 101

Brand Building

Juggling Job Offers

Job Searching 101

Changing Your Mind about a Job Offer

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been a organization for over 60 years. As a means to bring together both career services professionals and college recruiters and employers, NACE provides a magnitude of professional standards for Colleges and Universities. The association provides its career services members with ethical guidelines for how students should navigate the job searching process. Check out our website for featured articles by NACE with some of the latest trending topics.

Can You Change Your Mind About a Job After You’ve Accepted?

by Kayla Villwock

After interviews with several top companies, you accept a job offer from Corporation A to begin a week after graduation. Then, XYZ Startup, a company that just began recruiting new college grads, interviews you and offers you a job to begin a week after graduation.

You want to work for XYZ Startup—but what will you do about the job you’ve accepted at Corporation A?

No big deal? Companies hire and fire people all the time, you think. You’ll just let Corporation A know that you’ve changed your mind.

Before you pick up the phone to renege on your job with Corporation A, consider this:

  • The job you accepted with Corporation A may have been someone else’s “dream job.” By accepting the job, you’ve taken that opportunity out of the job market.
  • Telling Corporation A that you’re not going to show up for work may have an impact on your future career.
  • Backing out on the job you’ve accepted may hurt the future job prospects of other students and alumni at your school.

Reneging on a Job/Internship Acceptance

Renege: to go back on a promise, undertaking, or contract. Reneging is unethical, unprofessional, and jeopardizes the reputation of fellow students and the University. Therefore, the Center for Career Exploration and Success prohibits any student from reneging on an accepted job/internship offer. To renege is to accept a new internship/job offer after already committing to a previous internship/job. 

A student who accepts any offer shall withdraw from the hiring process for any other position. A student who fails to withdraw, continues to solicit another position, or reneges on a previously accepted position may be denied future services from the Career Center and barred from future on-campus recruiting until such time that the Center for Career Exploration & Success, in their discretion, removes such ban. A student that violates this policy shall also be referred to his or her departmental chair(s) for consideration of additional sanctions at the discretion of the department chair(s).

If you are uncertain as to whether you should accept an offer, please seek guidance from a member of the Career Center staff before taking any action.

What Happens to the Job When You Renege?

Many times a renege comes at the tail-end of the college recruitment season—April and May.

  • The position may go unfilled and the budget set aside for that position may be allocated for other purposes. One job lost to the college job market.
  • Final hiring numbers are lower for the employer, which may affect the company’s hiring numbers next year. (Meaning, fewer job opportunities for future new grads.)
  • The now-disappointed (and frustrated) employer may choose to not interview students or new grads again.

Your Choice Today May Ruin Your Choices Tomorrow

Truth: Some employers keep a running list of names of students who renege after they’ve accepted a job offer—a “do not call” list. Even without a list, recruiters will remember you.

If you are offered a job, it’s because you stand out in the crowd of applicants. The recruiter and hiring manager see and hear your name over and over during the interview and hiring process—in e-mails, on your resume, and in discussions with other employees.

Someday, you may want a job at Corporation A. Or, you may run into the same recruiter at a different organization where you want to work. Plus, recruiters talk to each other about students who back out on a job acceptance.

And, even if you seem to have a good reason for reneging on the acceptance such as “personal reasons” or “to travel abroad”,  your profile on LinkedIn will show that you’ve lied when you list the job you take.

You May Lose Alumni Privileges

Universities value their corporate partnerships, and they do not want to risk having companies stop recruiting new grads and alumni. That means, if you renege on a job acceptance, your name may end up on a “no services” list. If your school finds out that you’ve reneged—and they will—you may be denied access to university job boards and alumni career services when you need help finding your next job.

Kayla Villwock is the Intern Program Manager for SAS.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers

Farmer School of Business - Career Development Office

1038E Farmer School of Business
800 East High Street
Oxford, OH 45056