Resume Project
2
The Resume Project
As our book discusses, for many people, the first non-academic test of their writing skills is the process of applying for a career position. Once you apply for a job, you are then in competition with many others, so the challenge becomes making yourself the best candidate through your written words alone – note that in this early stage of the hiring process, your application materials are ALL that represent you. The appearance and content of the resume and letter are what you will use to ‘sell’ yourself effectively to get to the next stage of the process, which is usually a first level interview.
With that in mind, the objectives of this project will help you understand and practice:
· how to go about finding job openings for which you are qualified
· how to prepare paper job application documents professionally
Follow the steps below to complete this assignment successfully:
1. First, read through all the assignment materials carefully, to ensure that you understand what is expected.
2. Next, following the suggestions below, locate an ad for a position that fits both your skills and credentials. Our textbook offers several potential sources to assist with this process. Be sure you copy the ad or the link to submit with your materials.
Note that for this project to be realistic, it is important to keep the following in mind when searching for a position:
· Assume that this is a position that you could actually apply for – either with your current skills and experience, or with those you will acquire in the near future. (It is permissible to apply for an internship or part time work, too.) It is realistic and permissible to discuss a graduation and degree that is a few months in the future, for example.
· You may use any of the readily available job opening sites or options to find your ad: Monster.com, CareerBuilder, Indeed, etc. However, you MUST provide either a scan of the ad copy or an active link to the ad.
· It is NOT permissible to apply for a position you are not qualified for or that does not match your credentials. This is the quickest way for your job application materials to be sidelined – on close analysis, it can easily be seen that you are not a close match for the ad. Also, it is helpful to recall that any attempt to falsify or ‘enhance’ one’s credentials is highly unethical and possibly illegal in many states.
· It is NOT permissible to apply for a position offered by a temporary agency like Manpower, etc.
3. Then review the Writer’s Guides for resumes (page 36) and covers letters (page 46) and be certain you can mark off all of the bullet points confidently.
4. Next, once you have completed the above steps, begin to write your resume, using techniques outlined in our text. You may use any of the many formats that are available for writing resumes; however, the format and sequencing of the information should suit your situation.
5. Next, draft your cover letter, using techniques outlined in the chapter. Recall that an effective letter should be persuasive in nature, and enhance or elaborate on the ‘snapshot’ information in the resume. You may use any of the many formats that are available for writing business letters, but the format must meet the requirements of a cover letter-type document.
Evaluation: This project is worth 100 points.
Evaluation will be based on the following criteria:
1. Audience: Has the appropriate audience been considered for the document and/or has consideration been given to the scenario described in the assignment?
2. Format: Have the documents been formatted according to assignment requirements and standard business practices?
3. Document elements: Do the documents include all necessary elements, per the assignment and the particular type of document?
4. Language: Do the documents use acceptable business language/style? Are the documents free from errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation?
5. Job Advertisement: Has the writer included the advertisement?
6. Completeness: All three documents are included in the project: The job ad, the resume, and the cover letter.