How to Fold a Resume & Cover Letter

Avoid creases if you have to fold your resume.

The sole purpose of a resume is to get you a job interview. Your cover letter tells the hiring manager why you've sent the resume to begin with. Getting your resume into the hands of hiring managers and HR personnel can be done either in person, through the mail or via e-mail. The way you fold your resume when sending it by mail completely depends on the type of envelope you're using: The business envelope will require three folds and the medium envelope two.

Things You'll Need

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Paper clips
• Business envelope, #10
• Medium envelope, 6-inch by 9-inch
• Manila envelope, 9-inch by 12-inch (optional)

Instructions

Business Envelopes

1. Lay out your resume and place your cover letter on top. Paper clip the items together.

2. Grab the bottom of the cover letter and resume and fold up one third the size of the paper. Crease it along the bottom with your fingers.

3. Turn the documents over and grab them from the top. Fold back down over the fold you just made--it will resemble an accordion shape. Put the resume and cover letter into a #10 business sized envelope.

Medium Envelopes

1. Lay out your resume and cover letter, matching up the edges.

2. Grab the documents from the top. Fold the resume and cover letter to meet the bottom edges. Crease the documents in the middle.

3. Put the resume and cover letter into a medium 6-inch-by-9-inch envelope.

Tips & Warnings

• Fold the resume and cover letter with the least amount of creases in them as possible. The more folds you have in your resume and cover letter, the less likely the resume will lay flat in a stack of resumes, potentially causing frustration for the hiring manger or HR personnel. Reducing the amount of folds you place in the resume and cover letter also reduces the likelihood of crease marks being photocopied into the resume when your potential employer makes copies of your documents.

• Don't fold a resume printed on an ink jet printer along a line of text, to avoid smearing it. Do not fold the resume until its completely dry. Some professionals never recommend folding your resume and cover letter, but instead recommend to mail the documents in a large, 9-inch-by-12-inch manila envelope, to preserve a higher level of professionalism.

References

• Professional Resume Example: The Purpose of a Resume
• Resume Nightmare: Don't Fold Your Resume! The Power of Professionalism
• Virginia Tech: Printing and Photocopying Resumes and Vitae
• The Damn Good Resume: Hot Resume Writing Tips
• Job Search Advisor: Tips to Help You Present Your Resume