Job Documents Basics

Overview  Choosing a Job Ad  Cover Letter  LinkedIn Profile  Résumé  Portfolio (optional)

Choosing A Job Ad  When you select a job ad, remember you don’t need to have each and every skill listed. 80% will often get you an interview.  Make sure that you have some version of your job ad available for your peer reviewer. They will need to it assume the role of an HR person at that company.  Identify key words and skills you can use in your cover letter.  Go to the company’s website and learn a little more about them to use in conjunction with the ad in your letter. It will impress.

Cover Letters are Important Because:  Explain your experiences in a story-like format that works with the information provided in your résumé  Allow you to go in-depth about important experiences/skills and relate them to job requirements  Show the employer that you are individualizing (tailoring) this job application  Provide a sample of your written communication skills

Prepare before the Cover Letter  Read the job advertisement carefully  Research the corporate website, read and try to understand their mission statement (sometimes an organization's mission may not be overtly stated)  Call "insiders" (people that work with the company)  Refer to your university's career center if you are at college

The letter heading provides your contact information, the date you are writing, and the address of the company to which you are applying. For your contact information, you will want to include the following: Your name The address where you can be reached (if you live at college, will it be more accessible to include the local address or your permanent address?) Phone number Fax number (if applicable) address

Then, you will skip a line and write the full date (month, day, year). Follow this by skipping a space and writing the contact information for the person to whom you are writing: Name of the specific person Title of that person (if available) Address of the company Note: The reason you write your phone/fax number and address is to make it easy for the company to contact you. You do not need to put this information down for the company itself.

Résumé  There are a lot of pieces of good advice on crafting résumés. I recommend: 1/ and your book as good starting places. 1/  Make the document easy to read by using clear headings.  Keep it active by avoiding passive voice.  Tailor it to a specific job that you really desire by looking at key words in their ads and mission statements and finding ways to incorporate them into the résumé, too.

LinkedIn Profile  LinkedIn Profiles are being heavily used to recruit.  Use a professional photo.  Craft a catchy headline.  Leverage keywords so that you are found in searches.  Always ad the industry(s) you want to work in.  You will want to write a professional bio highlighting accomplishments and skills you are particularly good at and wish to apply to a job. Media like video and images are good to include to really demonstrate those.  Join professional groups. They help with networking, too.  TIP: Don’t accept LinkedIn requests from people you’ve not had personal contact with – they should be known to you professionally or through school or close family and friends.

Online Portfolios  This is optional for your project.  If you’ve already got a LinkedIn profile, this is a recommended option.

Online Job Portfolios are Important Because:  They give you a space to show off your range of work more thoroughly.  They demonstrate ability with technology.  They allow potential employers to have a better idea if you will be a “fit” for them before the interview stage.  Keep it simple and professional for a good ethos.

Online Portfolio Basics  Create a professional looking cover page that includes a statement of professional interests and ambitions.  Your choice of whether or not to include a photo is personal. (May depend if it is password protected or not.)  Make an easy to read navigation that includes links to related work, your résumé, and current (limited) contact information.

Items to include  Pages  Short form résumé with a downloadable PDF of the full version  Page that lists and links out to projects (like the VA Parks project, work from internships, classwork, work for charities and not-for-profits related to your job skills, etc.)  Contact information page with limited information such as if you are on LinkedIn or another professional site, preferred address