Chapter 13 Composing Cover Letters and Resumes Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives Explain why you should put yourself in the reader’s shoes when developing your job search tools. Describe the role of a cover letter. Identify the purpose of the four paragraphs in a cover letter. Debate the importance of the final, action-taking paragraph of a cover letter. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives List examples of action verbs. Discuss the purpose of the resume. Itemize the basic parts of a resume. Differentiate between the required parts of a resume and the optional ones. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives Distinguish between the three traditional resume formats. Differentiate between plain-text resumes and scannable resumes. List the guidelines for making sure your documents get read. Outline the reasons for completing a job application completely. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Cover Letters and Resumes Do I like the way these documents look? Do they grab my attention? How do they sound? Can I easily read and understand them? Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 141

Cover Letters and Resumes Have I included all information and omitted all unnecessary details? Will they achieve my goal of getting an interview? Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 142

Cover Letters Solicited Unsolicited Electronic 143 Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 143

Cover Letters Purpose Gets attention. States your interest. Paragraph 1 2 3 4 Purpose Gets attention. States your interest. Builds desire. States your intended action. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 144

What Is a Resume? A Summary A Marketing Tool Who you are What you have done What skills you possess A Marketing Tool Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Electronic Resume Formats E-mailed Resumes Online Resumes Personal Websites Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Resumes Three Basic Sections: Heading Experience Education 145 Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 145

Position applied for: Director of Publicity Resume Headings Example 1 EDWIN R. COULTER 225 Normany Village Shreveport, Louisiana 71104 (381) 865-7544 Position applied for: Director of Publicity Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 146

Resume Headings Example 2 Qualifications of JANET LEE FELDER Old Lyme Road Northbrook, VT 05663 (820) 264-5911 for the position of SYSTEMS ANALYST Brighton Industries, Inc. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 147

Resume — Experience Information to Include: Name and locations of past employers Job title Responsibilities Accomplishments Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 148

Taking Another Look Employment gaps are much more common and acceptable. Lateral job moves now signal flexibility. Extensive time with one employer suggests a loyal and tenacious survivor. Wall Street Journal Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Resume — Education Information to Include: College education — degrees and major Anticipated date of graduation GPA if above 3.0 Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 149

Resume — Optional Items Personal Information Job Objective Activities, Military Experience, Professional Organizations References Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 150

Number of Pages for Resume New Graduate — 1 Page Work Experience — 1 to 2 Pages Executive — 2 to 3 Pages Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Two Versions of Your Resume One for the Computer to Read Scannable format and detailed information One for People to Read Traditional layout with summarized information Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Functional Resume Format Functional or Topical Headings Information about Experience in Each Paragraph Major Areas of Accomplishments Highlighted Job Titles and Work History Secondary Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 152

Targeted Resume Format Important Features Opening job target attracts attention. Capabilities section illustrates work you can do. Achievements section highlights related work activities. Background information includes work experience and education. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved. 153

Two Important Words Hits Key Words A hit is when one of your skills match the computer search. Key Words A key word is typically a noun such as job titles, departments, companies, organizations, skills, or degrees. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

A Scannable Resume Allows a computer to read your resume. Provides you an opportunity to get “hits.” Is categorized into job possibilities by key words. Is ranked by the computer. Is stored in the computer for future use. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Scannable Resume Focus on: Format Content Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Tips for Maximizing Hits Use key words to define your skills, experience, education, and professional affiliations. Describe your experience with concrete words. Be concise and truthful. Use more than one page if necessary. Use jargon/acronyms specific to your industry. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Tips for Maximizing Hits Increase your list of key words by including specifics. Use common headings such as: Objective, Experience, Employment, and Work History. Describe your interpersonal traits and attitude if space allows. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Tips for Maximizing Hits Place your name at the top of the page on its own line. Use standard address format below your name. List each telephone number on its own line. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Tips for Maximizing Hits Do not condense spacing between letters. Use boldface and/or capital letters for section headings. Avoid fancy treatments (italics, underline, shadows, and reverses). Avoid vertical and horizontal lines, graphics, and boxes. Avoid two-column format or resumes that look like newspapers or newsletters. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Tips for Maximizing Scanability Use 8 1/2 by 11 inch white/light-colored paper and print on only one side. Use a laser printer for best quality type. Do not fold or staple. Use standard typefaces. Use a font size of 10 to 14 point. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Job Application Provides similar information as a resume. Used to screen potential job candidates. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

No Magic Bullets An effective resume takes time to prepare. Remember, spelling and grammar do count. Balance content and transmission mode. Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.