Quick tips

• Start each bullet with an action verb, and say what you did and what came of it.
• Use numbers where you can: people reached, events organized, money raised, hours committed.
• Tailor your resume to each posting by echoing the keywords and skills it asks for.
• Count the experience you have: coursework, projects, clubs, volunteering, and part-time jobs all show skills.
• Keep the format simple and consistent, proofread twice, and ask someone else to read it.

Free guides

• Full Resume How-To GuideLoeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning, Amherst College

Quick tips

• Keep it to one page, with three parts: why this organization, what you bring, and what you hope to contribute.
• Name the organization’s mission or a specific project, so it’s clear the letter is written for them.
• Pick one or two experiences and tell them as short stories, instead of repeating your resume.
• Address it to a person when you can, and keep the tone professional but natural.

Free guides and examples

• Cover Letter GuideGordon Career Center, Wesleyan University
• Cover Letter ExamplesCenter for Career Readiness, University of Arizona

Quick tips

• Research the organization and the role, and be ready to explain why you want both.
• Prepare four or five stories from school, work, or volunteering that you can adapt to different questions.
• Be ready to walk through a project from start to finish, including your process, your decisions, and how you handled feedback.
• Practice answers out loud, ideally with a friend, mentor, or your school’s career center.
• Prepare two or three questions to ask them, and send a short thank-you note within a day.

From our Storytelling Hub: a designer working for a defense and space company told us he looks beyond the portfolio to candidates who can explain the purpose, process, and reasoning behind their work. Read the story.

Free guides

• Career Toolkit: InterviewingCareer Advising & Professional Development, MIT
• Using the STAR Method for Your Next Behavioral InterviewGuariniGRAD, Dartmouth (developed by MIT CAPD)

Quick tips

• Federal applications are often more detailed than a typical resume, so read each announcement carefully and include what it asks for.
• Apply early. Hiring can take weeks or months, and many national security roles also involve a background investigation.
• Be honest and thorough on every form. Accuracy matters a great deal in security-related hiring.
• Look at internships, student programs, and fellowships as a first step. Many agencies have their own.

Official guidance

• How to add a resume to your USAJOBS profileUSAJOBS Help Center, U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Many young professionals feel like the youngest or least experienced person in the room. Feeling that way doesn’t mean you’re unqualified.

Ideas that help

• Keep a running list of your wins, feedback, and skills, and read it before big moments.
• Remember that most people are still learning. As one professional in our Storytelling Hub told us, even experienced professionals are figuring things out as they go. Read the story.
• Ask questions. It shows engagement, not weakness.
• Treat feedback as information about the work, not a verdict on you.
• Talk to a mentor, a peer, or someone a few steps ahead of you. They’ve almost certainly felt it too.

Further reading

• Taking the Imposter out of Imposter SyndromePenn Career Services, University of Pennsylvania
• Dealing with Imposter SyndromeCounselling Service, University of Oxford

Most colleges and universities offer free resume reviews, mock interviews, and career coaching. If you’re a student, start with your own school’s career center.

• Nevada Career StudioUniversity of Nevada, Reno. Drop-in coaching, document reviews, and interview practice tools
• Career Services & Workforce DevelopmentUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas. Coaching, document reviews, and interview practice tools for both alumni and current students.

Know a helpful guide or program we should add? Email us.