Difficulty: Beginner | Prerequisites: Career Exploration and Self-Assessment notes
This material covers Weeks 4 through 8 of ECO 101S: building a professional resume, writing a targeted cover letter, navigating career fairs, and developing a systematic job and internship search strategy. These are the practical application tools that turn your self-assessment (Part 1) into real applications. The resume and cover letter together account for 35% of your course grade, so this section is heavily weighted.
Your resume and cover letter must be targeted to a specific job posting, not generic. Use action verbs, quantify results wherever possible, and tailor every bullet to show you have what the employer asked for. Career fairs and job boards are tools with their own best practices. Learn them, and you will outperform students who spray and pray.
Action verb
The strong, specific verb that begins each resume bullet point. Examples: analysed, developed, managed, increased, designed, implemented. In simple terms, it is the word that tells the employer what you did, not what you were responsible for.
Targeted resume
A resume customised for a specific job posting. You adjust your bullet points, skills section, and sometimes your summary to mirror the language and priorities of that particular role. Think of it as writing for an audience of one: the hiring manager reading that posting.
ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
Software that most mid-to-large employers use to screen resumes before a human sees them. The system scans for keywords that match the job description. In simple terms, if your resume does not contain the right words, a person may never read it.
Cover letter
A one-page letter accompanying your resume that explains why you are interested in this specific role at this specific company and what you would bring to it. Think of it as your chance to tell the story behind your resume bullets.
Peer review
The process of having a classmate or colleague review your resume and cover letter for clarity, errors, and effectiveness. In ECO 101S, peer review is a graded in-class activity in Week 6.
Job posting analysis
The practice of reading a job posting carefully to identify the key skills, qualifications, and language the employer uses, then mapping your own experience to those requirements. This is the foundation of targeting.
Elevator pitch
A 30-to-60-second spoken summary of who you are, what you study, and what you are looking for. Used at career fairs, networking events, and the opening of interviews. In simple terms, it is your verbal value proposition.
Handshake
The career services platform used by UT Austin (and many other universities) for job and internship postings, career fair registration, and appointment scheduling. It is a required tool in this course.
Tags: economics resume, resume format, action verbs resume, quantify resume results, ATS resume, entry-level resume
The resume is the single most important document in your job search. For this course, it must be targeted to a specific job posting.
Format and structure
One page for undergraduates, always
Sections in order: contact information, education, relevant experience, skills, and (optionally) activities or leadership
Use a clean, professional template with consistent formatting. No photos, no graphics, no colour beyond black text
Font: 10 to 12 point, a standard serif or sans-serif (Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, Garamond)
Education section
University name, degree, expected graduation date, GPA (if 3.0 or above)
Relevant coursework: list 4 to 6 courses that relate to the job you are applying for (e.g. Econometrics, Statistics, Financial Economics)
Honours, dean's list, or scholarships if applicable
Experience bullets: the formula
Every bullet follows this structure: Action verb + what you did + how/with what tools + result or impact
Strong example: "Analysed 10,000 rows of customer transaction data using Excel pivot tables, identifying spending patterns that informed a 15% increase in targeted email campaign revenue"
Weak example: "Responsible for data analysis" (no action verb, no specifics, no result)
Action verbs to use
Analysis: analysed, evaluated, assessed, modelled, forecasted, calculated, interpreted
Leadership: led, managed, coordinated, directed, supervised, organised
Communication: presented, authored, drafted, communicated, briefed, reported
Achievement: increased, reduced, improved, generated, launched, delivered
Quantifying results
Always include numbers where possible: percentages, amounts in currency, headcounts, timeframes
If you do not have exact figures, estimate conservatively and use "approximately" or "c."
Numbers catch the eye of both ATS systems and human reviewers
Targeting to a job posting
Read the posting line by line. Highlight the skills and qualifications it mentions.
Mirror that language in your resume. If the posting says "financial modelling," your bullet should say "financial modelling," not "number crunching."
Move your most relevant experience to the top of each section
Tags: cover letter format, cover letter economics, how to write a cover letter, cover letter structure
A cover letter is not a summary of your resume. It is your argument for why you belong in this specific role at this specific company.
Structure (three to four paragraphs)
Opening paragraph: Name the role, say where you found it, and state your headline qualification in one sentence. Hook the reader immediately.
Body paragraph(s): Pick two or three requirements from the job posting and show, with specific examples, that you meet them. Each example should follow a situation-action-result pattern.
Closing paragraph: Restate your interest, mention what you would bring, and invite next steps. Keep it confident but not presumptuous.
Customisation is non-negotiable
Every cover letter must name the company and role. A generic letter signals low effort.
Research the company. Reference something specific: a recent project, a value on their website, a product you have used.
Match your language to the posting. If they say "cross-functional collaboration," use that phrase, not a synonym.
Tone and length
Professional, warm, specific. Avoid cliches ("I am a passionate, driven individual").
One page maximum. Three to four paragraphs. Around 250 to 400 words.
Write in first person. Use the company's name and the hiring manager's name if you can find it.
Common mistakes
Repeating resume bullets word for word (the cover letter should add context, not duplicate)
Writing about what the job will do for you instead of what you will do for the employer
Forgetting to proofread (a typo in a cover letter is disproportionately damaging)
Using the same letter for every application
Tags: career fair tips, career fair preparation, career fair elevator pitch, how to talk to recruiters
Career fairs are high-density networking. You have roughly 60 to 90 seconds with each recruiter, so preparation is everything.
Before the fair
Research which companies are attending and select your top 5 to 8
Review their job postings on Handshake and note the roles you are interested in
Prepare your elevator pitch: who you are, what you study, what you are looking for, and one specific thing about the company that interests you
Print 15 to 20 copies of your resume on quality paper
Dress professionally (business professional or business casual, depending on the industry)
At the fair
Visit your lower-priority companies first to warm up
Make eye contact, offer a firm handshake, and deliver your pitch
Ask thoughtful questions: "What does a typical first year look like for an analyst?" is better than "Do you have any openings?"
Collect business cards or LinkedIn details
Take brief notes on each conversation immediately after walking away
After the fair
Send a personalised follow-up email within 24 hours to every recruiter you spoke with
Reference something specific from your conversation
Connect on LinkedIn with a short note
Apply to the roles discussed, referencing your conversation in the application
Real-world application: Career fairs are practice for professional networking generally. The skills you build here (concise self-presentation, asking good questions, following up) are the same skills you will use throughout your career.
Tags: job search strategy, internship search, Handshake, job boards, job search timeline, economics internships
Searching effectively means knowing where to look, when to look, and how to evaluate what you find.
Where to search
Handshake (UT Austin's primary platform, required for this course)
LinkedIn Jobs
Company career pages directly (many roles are posted there before they hit aggregators)
Industry-specific boards (e.g. eFinancialCareers for finance, USAJobs for federal government)
Your professors and career services advisors, who often hear about opportunities informally
Timing
Finance and consulting internships recruit early, often in the autumn for the following summer
Tech internships tend to recruit on a rolling basis from autumn through spring
Government and non-profit roles often recruit later, in the spring
Set a weekly schedule: dedicate specific hours to searching and applying rather than doing it sporadically
Evaluating job postings
Read the full posting, not just the title. The "qualifications" section tells you what to mirror in your application.
Distinguish between "required" and "preferred" qualifications. If you meet most of the required ones, apply.
Look for signals about company culture: team size, growth stage, values statements.
Check Glassdoor or similar sites for salary ranges and employee reviews, but treat anonymous reviews with appropriate scepticism.
Application tracking
Keep a spreadsheet with columns for: company, role, date applied, status, follow-up date, contact name, notes
This prevents you from losing track of where you stand and ensures timely follow-up
Students often think a strong GPA alone is enough to get interviews. It is not. Employers screen for relevant experience, targeted skills, and evidence of initiative, not just grades.
Students often think one resume works for every application. It does not. Each application should be targeted to the specific posting, with adjusted language, reordered bullets, and a tailored skills section.
Students often think cover letters are optional because some postings do not explicitly require them. In practice, submitting a strong cover letter when others skip it gives you an advantage.
Students often think career fairs are only for seniors. They are not. Attending as a first- or second-year student builds familiarity with the process and can lead to early internship opportunities.
⚠️ The Final Resume and Cover Letter is 35% of your course grade. It must be targeted to a specific job posting. A generic resume will score poorly.
⚠️ Peer review (Week 6) is a graded in-class activity with no late submissions accepted. Missing that class means missing those points entirely.
⚠️ The Career Game Plan (35% of grade) requires you to describe your job search strategy, so the search-strategy concepts in this section feed directly into the final project.
⚠️ Action verbs and quantified results are the difference between a mediocre resume bullet and a strong one. Expect this to be a focus of peer review and instructor feedback.
True or False: A resume for an entry-level economics role should be two pages long. (False. One page for undergraduates, always.)
Fill in the blank: Every resume bullet should begin with a strong ____ ____. (Action verb.)
True or False: If a job posting does not require a cover letter, you should skip it. (False. A good cover letter gives you an advantage over applicants who skip it.)
Fill in the blank: ATS stands for ____ ____ ____. (Applicant Tracking System.)
True or False: At a career fair, you should visit your top-choice companies first. (False. Visit lower-priority companies first to practise and warm up.)
Q: Rewrite this weak resume bullet into a strong one: "Was responsible for helping with social media."
A: "Managed three social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn) for a student organisation with 500 followers, increasing engagement by 25% over one semester through a weekly content calendar and targeted posting schedule."
Q: What are the three parts of an effective resume bullet?
A: Action verb, specific description of what you did (including tools or methods), and a quantified result or impact.
Q: Describe the structure of an effective cover letter.
A: Three to four paragraphs. Opening: name the role and your headline qualification. Body (one to two paragraphs): match two or three of the posting's requirements with specific examples from your experience. Closing: restate interest, mention what you would contribute, and invite next steps.
Q: Why is it important to mirror the language of a job posting in your resume?
A: Because ATS software screens for keywords from the posting, and because hiring managers quickly scan for evidence that you meet their stated requirements. Using their exact language makes it easy for both the software and the human to see the match.
Q: You are preparing for a career fair tomorrow. List four things you should do tonight.
A: Research which companies are attending and select your targets, review their open roles on Handshake, prepare and practise your elevator pitch, and print clean copies of your resume.
This material builds directly on the self-assessment from Part 1. The transferable skills and CliftonStrengths themes you identified there become the content of your resume bullets and cover letter paragraphs.
It also connects forward to the networking and interview-prep modules (Part 3). A well-written resume gives you stories to tell in interviews, and the job posting analysis you do here is the same analysis you need to prepare for behavioural interview questions.
The career game plan, which is the final project, asks you to pull all of this together: your target industries, your search strategy, your application materials, and your networking plan.
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