1. Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Mary Ellen Guffey Copyright © 2008 Chapter 15 The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters

2. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 2 The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters The Job Search The Customized Résumé Optimizing Your Résumé Submitting Your Résumé The Customized Cover Letter Sending Your Cover Letter By E-Mail

3. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 3 The Job Search

4. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 4 Heading and Objective  List your name, address, and phone.  Include a career objective customized for a targeted job. The Customized Résumé

5. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 5 Summary of Qualifications  Provide 3 to 8 bulleted statements.  List your most impressive qualifications: experience, skills, education, awards. The Customized Résumé  Customize the statements to fit the requirements of the targeted job.

6. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 6 Education  Name your degree, date of graduation, and institution.  List your major and GPA. Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Accounting Expected date of completion: May 2010 Overall GPA: 3.4/4.0, Major GPA 3.65/4.0 The Customized Résumé

7. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 7 Work Experience List your jobs. Start with the most recent. Include employer's name and city, dates of employment (month, year), and most significant title. The Customized Résumé Chic-Fil-A, Milledgeville, GA Shift Manager, June 2007 – Present Responsibilities include:  Preparing end-of-shift reports  Balancing all registers  Managing and supervising 17 employees

8. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 8 Work Experience  Use action verbs to describe your experience.  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. The Customized Résumé  Summarize your achievements and skills relevant to the targeted job.

9. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 9 Capabilities and Skills  Highlight your technical skills. Mention word processing, database, spreadsheet, and Internet proficiency.  Organized holiday awards program for 1200 attendees and 140 awardees.  Praised by top management for enthusiastic teamwork and achievement. The Customized Résumé  Emphasize your nontechnical skills. Give evidence of communication, management, and interpersonal skills. Employers want more than empty assurances. Try to quantify your skills.

10. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 10 Awards, Honors, and Activities  Show that you are well-rounded. The Customized Résumé  List awards and extracurricular activities, especially if they demonstrate leadership, teamwork, reliability, loyalty, initiative, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.  Mention community service activities

11. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 11 Final Tips  Omit references unless specifically required. The Customized Résumé  Look for ways to condense your data.  Double-check for parallel phrasing.  Project professionalism and quality.

12. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 12 Final Tips  Avoid personal pronouns. Omit humor. The Customized Résumé  Use quality paper and a quality printer.  Have a friend or colleague critique your résumé.  Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

13. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 13 Poor Résumé RÉSUMÉ OF JENNIE JENKINS 3320 Lafayette Street, #12 San Leandro, CA 94561 (415) 781-5592 OBJECTIVE: An entry-level position where my proven communication, accounting, and administrative skills could be utilized in a path leading to advancement into management eventually. DEGREE from San Francisco State University. Broadcast Communication Arts. Bachelor of arts. 3.2 in major. EXPERIENCE Apprentice KPFA - 94.1 in Berkeley, CA. Duties included scheduling studios. Also recruited staff. Some paperwork. Often given responsibility to act as production manager. 10/06 to present. Pacifica House Position for financial manager. Duties included payroll and benefits for employees of shelter. Was responsible for the books, also for cash trans- actions. Took care of some donations. Expected to help raise funds. I prepared all payroll reports. Also petty cash. Chaotic environment, underfunded.

14. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 14 Spring, 2006 Worked for one spring with Renaissance Rainbow, which is a performing arts troupe operating out of San Francisco. My duties included scheduling interviews with print and broadcast journalists. Was responsible for volunteers and publicity. Other temporary positions Manpower, Inc. San Francisco. Worked at many different places as a temp. 2004-06. Dohring Company. File clerk, receptionist, general duties. Other places. Good Earth Restaurant - server 2003-2005. Personal Self-starter, can finish jobs without supervision. Marital status: singleBirth: 6/15/83 Health: ExcellentHobbies: Knitting, singing, like to read First Baptist Gospel ChoirAwards: Spirit Award, Oakland High School Dean's List, college, 2 semesters

15. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 15 Optimizing Your Résumé for Today's Technologies 1. Print-based presentation résumé 2. Scannable résumé 3. Plain-text résumé You need three résumé versions:

16. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 16 To prepare a scannable résumé:  Convert your print résumé.  Use a popular large font (such as 12- point Times New Roman or Arial).  Remove underlining, italics, open bullets.  Be sure to include keywords mentioned in job description. Optimizing Your Résumé for Today's Technologies

17. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 17 Optimizing Your Résumé for Today's Technologies To prepare a plain-text résumé:  Reformat with shorter lines (no more than 65 characters).  Move all text to the left.  Consider using equals signs (= = =) or tildes (~ ~ ~) to separate items and enhance format.

18. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 18  Save file in plain-text (.txt) or rich text (.rtf) format.  Send to yourself to check layout. Optimizing Your Résumé for Today's Technologies To prepare a plain-text résumé:

19. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 19 Submitting Your Résumé Word Document  Send your presentation résumé by surface mail or as e-mail attachment. Plain-text, ASCII Document  Embed within e-mail or send as attachment. PDF Document  Use Adobe software to convert your presentation résumé. Send as attachment.

20. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 20 Company database  Complete online form with your résumé information. Fax  Send your presentation résumé. If you are faxing or sending a résumé by e-mail, consider following up with a copy of your presentation résumé. Submitting Your Résumé

21. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 21 The Customized Cover Letter Opening  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.

22. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 22 The Customized Cover Letter Opening  Tell how your qualifications fit the job specifications, show knowledge of the reader’s business, or describe how your special talents will be assets to the company.

23. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 23 Body  Demonstrate how your background and training fill the job requirements.  Summarize your principal assets from education, experience, and special skills.  Avoid repeating specific data from your résumé.  Refer to your résumé. The Customized Cover Letter

24. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 24 Closing  Ask for an interview. Consider hooking the request to a statement reviewing your strongest points.  Make it easy to respond. Tell when you can be reached (during office hours). Some recruiters prefer that you call them. The Customized Cover Letter

25. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 25 Sending Your Cover Letter by E-Mail  Be sure to send a cover letter if you e-mail your résumé.  Move your return address from the top to just below your name.  Include your e-mail address and phone numbers.  Remove tabs, bullets, underlining, and italics.

26. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 26 Employment Quiz 1.How many employers can you expect to have had before you reach the age of 38? __ 4__ 8 __ 6__ 10 2. The average job tenure for an American worker between the ages of 18 and 38 is __ 2.6 years__ 6.6 years __ 4.6 years__ 8.6 years 3. Having your job terminated ranks in the top 10 of the most severe crises in life. __ True__ False 4.What résumé format do recruiters generally prefer? __ Chronological (arranged around dates of employment, education) __ Functional (arranged around skills)

27. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 27 Preview Employment Quiz 1.How many employers can you expect to have had before you reach the age of 38? __ 4__ 8 __ 6__ 10 2. The average job tenure for an American worker between the ages of 18 and 38 is __ 2.6 years__ 6.6 years __ 4.6 years__ 8.6 years 3. Having your job terminated ranks in the top 10 of the most severe crises in life. __ True__ False 4.What résumé format do recruiters generally prefer? __ Chronological (arranged around dates of employment, education) __ Functional (arranged around skills)

28. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 28 5.Many experts in the field of recruiting think that the best way for a college graduate to find a job today is by __ Searching the Internet__ Networking __ Sending out hundreds of résumés__ Reading the classified ads 6.The best place to look for a job online is at __ Monster.com__ Company Web sites __ Yahoo HotJobs__ CareerBuilder.com 7.You have heard that “networking” is a good way to find a job. Who should be on your list of people to contact about job leads? __ Potential employers, professional organizations, and friends __ Family members, neighbors, and business associates __ School alumni and former instructors __ Your dentist, doctor, insurance agent, and other service providers __ All of the above

29. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 29 5.Many experts in the field of recruiting think that the best way for a college graduate to find a job today is by __ Searching the Internet__ Networking __ Sending out hundreds of résumés__ Reading the classified ads 6.The best place to look for a job online is at __ Monster.com__ Company Web sites __ Yahoo HotJobs__ CareerBuilder.com 7.You have heard that “networking” is a good way to find a job. Who should be on your list of people to contact about job leads? __ Potential employers, professional organizations, and friends __ Family members, neighbors, and business associates __ School alumni and former instructors __ Your dentist, doctor, insurance agent, and other service providers __ All of the above

30. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 30 8.A savvy job candidate would prepare which of the following résumés? __ A beautiful print-based résumé __ A plain-text résumé __ A scannable résumé__ All three versions 9. The primary purpose of a cover letter is to ask for a job. __True__ False 10.If you are sending your résumé by e-mail, you do not need to send a cover letter ? __True__ False

31. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 31 8.A savvy job candidate would prepare which of the following résumés? __ A beautiful print-based résumé __ A plain-text résumé __ A scannable résumé__ All three versions 9. The primary purpose of a cover letter is to ask for a job. __True__ False 10.If you are sending your résumé by e-mail, you do not need to send a cover letter ? __True__ False

32. End Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Ch. 15, Slide 32