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Resumes and Cover Letters for
Recent College Graduates
Mihyun Hong and Jenepher Schulte
INTRODUCTION
A well made cover letter and resume is the difference between landing an interview and not.
The conventions of resume and cover letter writing for those seeking entry into the workforce
with their newly received diplomas are highly defined as a result of many people working in
the same environment and having the same purpose. This is a highly strategic genre, with
explicit purpose and strong dynamics of power and competition shaping the text. Having a
sound understanding of how the genre works is key to using your cover letter and resume to
its maximum potential.
Read our guide and write that winning resume you need to land your dream job. By first
exploring the social context and purpose of the genre, then how that translates into the
features of the genre, and finally expanding that basis of understanding to alternate modes
and functions of resumes and cover letters, you will gain a comprehensive grasp of the genre,
and in turn a better resume and cover letter of your own. When it is your first line tool for
starting your future, every difference matters.
SOCIAL CONTEXT OF THE GENRE
An understanding of the forces shaping the standards of resumes and cover letters allows you
to use them most effectively. Cover letters and resumes have a very specific sociorhetorical
environment and vary little in convention. When written by a recent recipient of an
undergraduate degree, the extent of variation is minimal. The level of conformity is dictated
by the social situation in which the text is employed, and in the case of this genre, these
factors cause conformity in format, content, structure, and writing style.
By identifying the writer, reader, purpose, and mode of use, the social situation is described.
The social situation of resumes and cover letters shapes the text because there are strong
dynamics of power and competition. Hirers are looking to choose the most qualified applicant
out of the pool of resumes. Applicants know that hirers, who can consist of one reader up to
any series of HR screeners, committees, and bosses, will be first scanning the gathered
resumes for minimal requirements. The resume must stand through the 20-second scan;
otherwise it lands in the recycle bin and immediately fails the purpose of the writer. Once past
the initial screening, the resume must stand out against the backdrop of many other resumes.
Ultimately it is the content of the resume, the qualifications of education and experience,
which decides whether an interview is granted. But formatting and content strategies can
highlight the important qualifications that the writer wants to stress, possibly influencing the