ch13 instructor

© 2010 Thomson South-WesternInstructor Only Version

CHAPTER 13CHAPTER 13

The Job The Job Search, Search,

Résumés, and Résumés, and Cover LettersCover Letters

Chapter 13, Slide 2Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e

Test Your Job SavvyTest Your Job Savvy

6

8

10

12 or more

1. Workers between the ages of 18 and 38 can expect to have how many different employers?

This quiz is intended to pique your interest and dispel some myths about job searching.



greater emphasis on hard skills greater emphasis on soft skills switch from job objective to a summary at the

top use of a computer template to prepare one

version for all jobs

2. The biggest change in résumé formats over the last decade has been



True False

3. Having your job terminated ranks in the top 10 of the most severe crises in life.



Chronological (arranged around dates of employment, education)

Functional (arranged around skills)

4. What résumé format do recruiters generally prefer?



searching the Internet

sending out hundreds of résumés

5. Many experts in the field of recruiting think that the best way for a college graduate to find a job today is by

networking reading the

classified ads



Monster.com

Yahoo! Hot Jobs

Company Web sites

CareerBuilder.com

6. The best place to look for a job online is at



Potential employers, professional organizations, and friends

Family members, neighbors, and business associates

School alumni and former instructors Your dentist, your doctor, your insurance agent,

and others All of the choices

7. You’ve heard that “networking” is a good way to find a job. Who should be on your list of people to contact about job leads?


An embedded résumé All three

versions


A traditional print-based résumé

A scannable résumé

8. A savvy job candidate would prepare which of the following résumés?


The primary purpose of a cover letter is to request an interview.


True False

9. The primary purpose of a cover letter is to ask for a job.


KISS strategy NASA strategy


AIDA strategy STAR strategy

10. During a job interview, you are asked to “tell a time when you . . . .? What strategy should you use to answer such behavioral questions?


Identifyyour

interests

Evaluateyour

qualifications

Searchfor a job

electronically

Learn aboutcareers and

choose apath

Recognizethe

changingnature of jobs

Searchfor a job

traditionally

Preparing for EmploymentPreparing for Employment

START HERE


Identify your interests. Do you enjoy working with people, data

or things? Do you need to be your own boss? How important are salary, benefits,

location, and so forth?


© ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / DEAN SANDERSON


Evaluate your qualifications. What technology, language, and people

skills can you offer? How can you demonstrate your skills?

Recognize the changing nature of jobs. Fewer people in permanent positions More flexible workplace, including

telecommuting Lifelong learning needed to continually

update skills



Learn about careers and choose a path. Visit your campus career center, search

the Web, use your library. Take a summer or part-time job in your

field. Volunteer with a nonprofit organization. Interview someone in your field. Join professional organizations.



Search for a job electronically. Check the big boards: Monster,

CareerBuilder, College Recruiter, Yahoo Hot Jobs.

Use the big boards for information; realize that few people actually find jobs on them.

Look beyond the big boards to corporate Web sites, professional association sites, as well as local employment, niche, and social sites (such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Facebook).


Chapter 1, Slide 17Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 13, Slide 17Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e


Search for a job traditionally.

Check classified ads. Check alumni and professional

association listings. Contact companies directly. Sign up for campus interviews;

attend job fairs. Ask for advice from instructors. NETWORK, NETWORK,

NETWORK!


Writing a Customized RésuméWriting a Customized Résumé

Preparation Research the job market.

Use newspapers, the Web, and other resources to learn about jobs, qualifications, and employers.

Analyze your strengths.What will sell you for the job you want?

Study other résumés as models.Experiment with formatting.


What isthe goal of

a customizedrésumé?


Writing a Customized RésuméWriting a Customized Résumé

Decideon

length

Choose arésuméstyle

Arrangethe

parts


Choose aChoose aRésuméRésumé

StyleStyle


StyleStyle

CHRONOLOGICALCHRONOLOGICAL

Focuses on job historywith most recent

positions listed first

Focuses on job historywith most recent

positions listed first

Choosing a Résumé Style Choosing a Résumé Style



StyleStyle


StyleStyle FUNCTIONALFUNCTIONAL

Focuses on skillsFocuses on skills

Choosing a Résumé Style Choosing a Résumé Style


DecideDecideonon

LengthLength

DecideDecideonon

LengthLength

Make your résumé aslong as needed to sell your skills to recruitersand hiring managers.

Make your résumé aslong as needed to sell your skills to recruitersand hiring managers.

Deciding on LengthDeciding on Length


Main HeadingMain Heading

Career Objective

Career Objective

Summary of Qualifications


WorkExperience

WorkExperience

SpecialSkills

SpecialSkills

AchievementsAwards

Activities

AchievementsAwards

ActivitiesEducationEducation

Arranging the PartsArranging the Parts

ArrangeArrangethethe

PartsParts

ArrangeArrangethethe

PartsParts


Include a career objective only for a targeted job.

Ideally, name job title, area of specialization, and type of company.

List your name, address, phone, and e-mail address.

Heading and Objective



Name your degree, date of graduation, and institution.

List your major and GPA. Give information about your studies, but

don’t inventory all your courses.

Present your most impressive skills and accomplishments in a concise list.



Education


If your work experience is significant and relevant to the position sought, place this section before education.

Describeyour

experience

List yourprevious

jobs

Includenon-

technicalskills


Work Experience


Start with the most recent jobs. Include employer’s name and city, dates of employment (month, year), and most significant title.

Salesperson, Kmart, Dayton, Ohio. 4/08 to 5/09

Manager, Fleet Equipment, Kettering, Ohio. 6/09 to present

Tax Preparer, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. March, 2009 to present. Sinclair College, Dayton, Ohio

List yourprevious

jobs.

Arranging the Parts of a RésuméArranging the Parts of a Résumé


Prepared state and federal tax returns for individuals with incomes under $25,000.

Conducted interviews with over 50 individuals to elicit data regarding taxes.

Determined legitimate tax deductions and recorded them accurately.

Use action verbs to summarize achievements and skills relevant to your targeted job.

Describeyour

experience

Arranging the Parts: Arranging the Parts: Work ExperienceWork Experience


Includenon-

technicalskills

Organized holiday awards program for 1200 attendees and 140 awardees.

Praised by top management for enthusiastic teamwork and excellent communication skills.

Give evidence of communication, management, and interpersonal skills. Employers want more than empty assurances. Try to quantify your skills.

Arranging the Parts: Arranging the Parts: Work ExperienceWork Experience


Highlight your technical skills.All employers seek employees proficient with the Internet, software programs, office equipment, and communication technology tools.


Special Skills, Achievements, Awards

Show that you are well-rounded.List awards and extracurricular activities, especially if they demonstrate leadership, teamwork, reliability, loyalty, initiative, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.


Listing references directly on your résumé takes up valuable space.

Instead, most recruiters prefer that you bring to the interview a list of individuals willing to discuss your qualifications.

The best references are instructors, your current employer or previous employers, colleagues or subordinates, and other professional contacts.

References



Sample Reference List Sample Reference List


Omit references (unless specifically required). Look for ways to condense your data. Double-check for parallel phrasing. Project professionalism and quality. Avoid personal pronouns. Omit humor. Use 24-pound paper and a quality printer for your

print copy. Know how to send your résumé by e-mail. Have a friend or colleague critique your résumé.


Additional Tips

Proofread!


Examine These RésumésExamine These Résumés

Discuss ways toimprove this poor résumé.

Click icon to viewan improved version.

Adobe Acrobat Document



Textbook Résumé ModelsTextbook Résumé Models(click accompanying icon to view)(click accompanying icon to view)

Chronological Résumé Models Recent college graduate with

related experience (Figure 13.7)

Current college student with limited experience (Figure 13.6)

Current university student with limited related experience (Figure 13.8)





Textbook Résumé ModelsTextbook Résumé Models(click accompanying icon to view)(click accompanying icon to view)

Chronological Résumé Model University graduate with

substantial experience (Figure 13.9)

Functional Résumé Model Recent university graduate with

unrelated part-time experience (Figure 13.10)




Preparing aScannableRésumé

Maximizing“Hits”

Preparing aPlain Text

Résumé forE-Mailing

Optimizing Your Résumé for Optimizing Your Résumé for Today’s Technologies Today’s Technologies


Preparing a Scannable RésuméPreparing a Scannable Résumé

Use 10- to 14-point type. Avoid unusual typefaces, underlining, italics, and

double columns. Be sure your name is on the first line. List each phone number on its own line. Use smooth white paper, black ink, and quality

printing. Provide white space. Avoid double columns. Use smooth white paper, black ink, and quality

printing. Provide white space.


Maximizing “Hits”Maximizing “Hits”

Focus on specific keywords. Incorporate words from the job ad. Use typical headings (Objective, Education,

Skills, etc.) Use accurate names; watch abbreviations. Describe interpersonal traits and attitudes. Use more than one page if necessary.

Click icon to viewscannable résumé Adobe Acrobat

Document


Preparing a Plain TextPreparing a Plain TextRésumé for E-MailingRésumé for E-Mailing

Follow the tips for scannable résumés. Reformat with shorter lines (such as 4-inch). Think about using keyboard characters to

enhance format (=== or ~~~). Move all text to the left. Save your résumé in plain text (.txt) or rich

text format (.rtf). Test your résumé before sending it.

Click icon to viewplain text résumé Adobe Acrobat

Document


Being Honest and EthicalBeing Honest and Ethical

Do not inflate your education, grades, or honors.

Do not enhance job titles.

Do not puff up accomplishments.

Do not alter employment dates.

Do be honest, ethical, and careful.


Polishing Your RésuméPolishing Your Résumé

Avoid including anything that could become a basis for discrimination: photograph, age, marital status, national origin, race, etc.

Do not send a photograph.

Don't include your social security number.

Don't include high school information, references, or full addresses of schools or employers.

Don't put the word "résumé" at the top.


Submitting Your Résumé Submitting Your Résumé

Word document Plain-text, ASCII document PDF document Company database Fax

Employers may ask you to submit your résumé in one of these ways:


A focus groupof nine expert

recruiters gave theseindividual responses:

What Turns Recruiters Off What Turns Recruiters Off When Reading Résumés?When Reading Résumés?


“Personal data. That’s a major ‘red flag.’ Also typos, inconsistent punctuation, and huge paragraphs that look like job descriptions.”

“Odd-sized résumés from services saying ‘Presenting the candidacy of . . .’ I don't even read them anymore. They’re a major rip-off.”

“Résumés that show no research; not looking at the employer’s needs.”

“Omissions in terms of dates. And misspellings!”



“Long cover letters and résumés over two pages.”

“Excess cosmetics, substituting form for content. A résumé should look nice but not go overboard.”

“A photo. I have to remove them because managers must be color and gender blind.”

“Not sending the résumé to the right place.”



“The objective. Plus dates when things happened and accomplishments.”

“Information about skills that apply to the job; less about job history and past duties.”

“The candidate’s address and phone number. Lots of people put them only in the cover letter!”

What Do Recruiters Consider What Do Recruiters Consider Most Important in a Résumé?Most Important in a Résumé?


What Do Recruiters Consider What Do Recruiters Consider Most Important in a Résumé?Most Important in a Résumé?

“Valid information in an easy-to-read, attractive style.”

“Meeting the qualifications for the job.” “The presentation and the objective.” “A clear objective, backed up with

qualifying experience and continuity in the work history.”


Body Closing

Address the letter to an individual by name. For advertised jobs, name the source; include job

title, date, and publication. If someone referred you, name that person. Show that your qualifications fit the job

specifications, show your knowledge of the reader’s business, or show that your special talents will be assets to the company.

Opening

Writing a Customized, Persuasive Writing a Customized, Persuasive Cover LetterCover Letter


Opening Closing

Demonstrate that your background and training meet the job requirements.

Summarize your principal assets from education, experience, and special skills.

Avoid repeating specific data from your résumé.

Refer to your résumé.

Body




Opening Body

Ask for an interview. Consider hooking the request to a statement reviewing your strongest points.

Make it easy to respond. Tell when and where you can be reached (during office hours). Some recruiters prefer that you call them.

Closing


Model Cover LettersModel Cover Letters

Click icon to viewsolicited cover letter.

Click icon to viewunsolicited cover letter.

Click icon to viewe-mail cover letter.




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