MP 1 Job Market Materials Assignment Specifications

Major Assignment #1: Job Market Materials Packet

Due: Sunday, February 23 at 11:00pm

Point Value: 250 points

For this assignment you will prepare documents related to the job search process including a résumé, cover letter, and other essential documents. My hope is that you will be able to use (with alteration) these documents upon graduation to find the job you desire.

For this assignment you will prepare:

· A résumé;

· An application letter;

· A recommendation request email;

· A follow-up email;

· And a cover memo addressed to me that details your work on this project, including how you adapted your application materials to best fit the job opening you’ve targeted and a justification of those choices.

I will post examples of well-written materials. Feel free to contact me with any questions via email.

About the Résumé

Please be sure to prioritize what information is best suited for inclusion in your résumé. A résumé should not simply be a list of everything you have done. Rather, it should include the information that best makes a case for why an employer should grant you an interview.

If you choose to use a résumé template, you should endeavor to alter that template as necessary so your résumé reflects attention to basic design principles. You should also try to limit your résumé to one page in length, unless your career field typically expects a longer document.

About the Application Letter

Your application letter should follow the proper conventions and format for a block or modified-block letter, and it should be no more than two pages long. At the very least, you should consider having a paragraph in your letter for each of the following items:

· your introduction;

· your education and training (including specific courses and projects if they are relevant);

· your work experience (including specific details and relevant discussion);

· your other relevant qualifications, activities, skills, and interests;

and your conclusion.

About the Recommendation Request Email

An effective recommendation request makes a compelling case for why the recommender should recommend you. It provides useful information for the recommender to consider, such as what you’ve applied for and why, and it makes clear to the recommender your accomplishments and qualifications. The better you prepare your recommender, the better your letter of recommendation will likely be.

About the Interview Follow-up Message

For this document, you will pretend that you have had an interview with an employer, and you are sending a thank you message afterwards. Follow-up messages, whether they be sent as emails, letters, or hand-written cards, are simple courtesies, yes, but they are also strategic opportunities. They provide an occasion for you to follow-up on something you said in the interview, for you to clarify a particular point or issue, and for you to express your continued interest in the position, among other things.

About the Cover Memo

This memo is addressed to me, your professor, as a rationale for the decisions you made in tailoring your job market documents to the job call. It should be approximately 1-2 pages and cover the following issues:

· the purpose of the memo

· a description of the job to which you are applying (including its specifications)

· an analysis of the audience (a description of the overall organization to which you are applying, such as their vision/mission statement, core values, and brief history)

· a rhetorical analysis (a description of what you highlighted in your materials to meet this organization’s job call).

Evaluative Criteria

Your assignment will be graded on the following criteria:

· Content-wise, the résumé is well-organized and represents well your accomplishments and qualifications.

· The résumé’s design reflects attention to basic design principles and the contexts of its use. It must follow the proper formatting and style for each genre/document.

· The application letter makes a compelling case for your candidacy for the position, especially considering the company that is your audience for the document.

· All materials are well-written, free of mistakes in spelling, grammar, and mechanics, and conform to appropriate business writing conventions.

· The cover memo adequately details the work you did preparing your materials and justifies the decisions you made in targeting your chosen job opening.

Project Submission

Submit your materials as a single PDF to the D2L folder (Assessments > Assignments > Major Assignment #1 Job Market Materials). By submitting it as a PDF you do not need to worry about formatting changes between computers and word processing programs.

Due: Sunday, February 23 by 11:00pm