You’re changing your career trajectory, maybe heading out of academia entirely. In addition to a detailed roadmap, you’re going to need a suite of custom career documents that clearly demonstrate your skills and expertise. These two tools are critical and mandatory if you want to open doors beyond teaching roles.

But what, exactly, are “career documents”? How many are there? Do you need all of them? Let’s unravel.

The most important document is, of course, your resume. Perhaps you know it as a CV, or curriculum vita. In non-academic settings, a resume — a more tailored and streamlined version of a CV — is preferable.

Not to exceed two pages, a great resume lays out your professional journey in a way that emphasizes your positive influence at your past positions. It’s best to quantify those accomplishments. Consider funding won and successfully managed, quantified improvements, projects managed and their outcomes, etc.

Then there’s the cover letter. You don’t need a novel-length missive; a half-page statement briefly outlining your interest and qualifications is more than enough. Remember, don’t include anything in your cover letter that is not in your resume, as not all cover letters are going to be read.

What about a thank-you note, or follow-up letter? Always a good idea, this is another important piece of the job search puzzle. In it, thank the interviewer for their time, make reference to a moment from the interview, and reiterate why you’re the best choice for the role.

With the follow-up letter, we have three documents that are important parts of your job search arsenal. But the need for related content doesn’t end there! Don’t forget about your LinkedIn profile and what it says. While you can largely adapt the content from your resume and letters to populate your LinkedIn profile, you’ll want to make sure you flesh out all the sections LinkedIn offers to maximize your search visibility.