Build your Brand: Resume, Cover Letter & Story

Your Resume

Your resume is an important branding document designed to sell your background to a targeted reader. It should be tailored strategically to present your accomplishments, skills and experiences as they relate to the position you are seeking.

Yale SOM has a standard resume format which makes it easy for recruiters to find the information they are looking for quickly and is recognized by alumni across industries. This format is required for Yale SOM resume books and when applying in CMS, though your content should be customized as you pursue different career paths.

Your Cover Letter

Your cover letter provides a storyline and valuable context about your experience and interests. Although some employers do not request cover letters, you should embrace the opportunity to submit one whenever possible, because it can persuade an employer in ways a resume alone cannot:

Tells the story a resume can’t
> Articulates why this company, job, career path

Convinces the reader you can excel in the job
> Connects skills & experience to job needs

Distinguishes you from other candidates
> Can express passion for company, how you’ll add value, fit with the culture

Persuades the reader to champion you
> Demonstrates communications skills, amplifies accomplishments, and puts resume in context

Your LinkedIn

Create Visibility
Showcase your work experience, skills, and interests to recruiters, professional contacts, and alumni and students across the Yale and from your undergraduate.

Expand Your Network
Find alumni contacts from across Yale University, Yale SOM, and your undergraduate working in industries, companies, and specific roles of interest. See who knows the people you know and request introductions.

Find Jobs
With over 20M jobs posted on LinkedIn at any given time, knowing how to do job searches on LinkedIn and customize your application to get noticed can significantly expand your potential opportunity. Be mindful of the steps to prepare a good application: applying without preparation diminishes your chance to generate interest from recruiters.

Your Story

Your story is how you communicate your past experiences, goals, and aspirations in a cohesive narrative that explains what decisions you’ve made, why you’ve made them and what you aim for next. It tells the listener who you are professionally and where you’re going.

At Yale SOM, you’ll find yourself telling it from the beginning of your journey at Orientation and throughout your business school experience as you navigate the internship and full-time job searches. You all come from diverse backgrounds with rich, substantive experiences — we’re looking forward to hearing YOUR story!