1. Chapter 16 Employment Communication
David Gadish, Ph.D.

2. The Employment Search

3. Writing a Persuasive Résumé

4. Preparation Research the job market. Analyze your strengths.
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.

5. Heading and Objective
List your name, land address, address, and telephone number.
Include a career objective for a targeted job.

6. Education 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.

7. List of Past Jobs
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. 4/04 to 5/05.
Manager, Fleet Equipment, Kettering, Ohio. 6/05 to present.
Tax Return Preparer, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). March, 2005, to present. Sinclair College, Dayton, Ohio.

8. Summary of Achievements and Skills
Use action verbs to summarize achievements and skills relevant to your targeted job.
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.

9. Evidence of Nontechnical Skills
Give evidence of communication, management, and interpersonal skills. (Employers want more than empty assurances. Try to quantify your skills.)
Organized holiday awards program for 1200 attendees and 140 awardees.
Praised by top management for enthusiastic teamwork and achievement.

10. Special Skills, Achievements, Awards
Highlight computer skills.
All employers seek employees proficient in word processing, spreadsheet, and Internet use.
Show that you are well-rounded.
List awards and extracurricular activities, especially if they demonstrate leadership, teamwork, reliability, loyalty, initiative, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.

11. Other Résumé Tips 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.

12. Other Résumé Tips Have a good proofreader critique your résumé.
Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

13. What Recruiters Consider Most Important
A focus group of expert recruiters individually stressed the importance of these résumé components and characteristics:
“The objective. Plus dates when things happened and accomplishments.”
“Information about skills that apply to the job; less about job history and past duties.”

14. What Recruiters Consider Most Important
A focus group of expert recruiters individually stressed the importance of these résumé components and characteristics:
“Valid information in an easy-to-read, attractive style.”
“The candidate’s address and phone number. Lots of people put them only in the cover letter.”

15. What Recruiters Consider Most Important
A focus group of expert recruiters individually stressed the importance of these résumé components and characteristics:
“Realizing that the employer is looking for ‘red flags’ and making sure there aren’t any. If you have an employment gap, include a clear statement explaining it.”
“Meeting the qualifications for the job.”

16. What Turns Recruiters Off
A focus group of expert recruiters individually stressed these résumé components and characteristics:
“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.”

17. What Turns Recruiters Off
A focus group of expert recruiters individually stressed these résumé components and characteristics:
“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.”

18. What Turns Recruiters Off
A focus group of expert recruiters individually stressed these résumé components and characteristics:
“A photo. I have to remove them because managers must be color and gender blind.”
“Not sending the résumé to the right place.”

19. Poor Résumé “Before” Version43

20. RÉSUMÉ OF JENNIE JENKINS 3320 Lafayette Street, #12
Poor Résumé: “Before” Version
RÉSUMÉ OF
JENNIE JENKINS
3320 Lafayette Street, #12
San Leandro, CA 94561
(415)
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 major.
EXPERIENCE
Apprentice KPFA in Berkeley, CA. Duties included scheduling studios Also recruited staff. Some paperwork. Often given responsibility to act as production manager. 10/05 to present. 44

21. Poor Résumé: “Before” Version
Pacifica House Position for financial manager. Duties included payroll and benefits for employees of shelter. Was responsible for books, also for cash transactions. Took care of some donations. Expected to help raise funds. I prepared all payroll reports. Also petty cash. Chaotic environment, under funded.
Spring, Worked for one spring with Renaissance Rainbow, which is a perfor- mance 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 temp Dorhring Company. File clerk, receptionist, general duties. Other places. Good Earth Restaurant - server – 44

22. Poor Résumé: “Before” Version
Personal Self-starter, can finish jobs without supervision. Marital status: single Birth: 6/15/ Health: Excellent Hobbies: Knitting, singing, like to read First Baptist Gospel Choir Awards: Spirit Award, Oak High School Dean’s List, college, 2 semesters 44

23. Improved Résumé “After” Version43

24. Jennifer Marie Jenkens 3320 Lafayette Street, #12
Improved Résumé: “After” Version
Jennifer Marie Jenkens
3320 Lafayette Street, #12
San Leandro, CA 94561
(415)
Objective: Administrative position involving
• Payroll • Accounting • Employee Benefits • Customer Service
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
• Two years’ experience in responsible administrative and accounting positions
• Disciplined self-starter; able to work without supervision
• Proficient with PCs including Word, Excel, and the Internet
• Can be counted on to follow through on every detail, until a task is completed
• B.A. degree, San Francisco State University
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
10/05 to Apprentice, Radio Production, KPFA , Berkeley, CA
present • As production manager, schedule studios, recruit support staff
• Process scripts, permissions, and logs involved in weekly productions 44

25. • Managed agency’s cash flow, involving funder reimbursements, in-kind
Improved Résumé: “After” Version
2004 to Financial Manager, The Pacifica House (shelter), San Francisco, CA
2005 • Used computer to manage payroll and employee benefits for a staff of 26
• Completed all projects on time, despite chronically chaotic environment
• Managed agency’s cash flow, involving funder reimbursements, in-kind
donations, and fund-raising
• Processed all accounts payable and receivable, monthly, and quarterly
statistical reports for local, state, and federal funding agencies. Oversaw
petty cash
• Designed a flow sheet to track success of a $25,000 fund-raising project
Spring Publicity coordinator, Renaissance Rainbow (performance arts troupe),
2003 San Francisco, CA
• Scheduled all media interviews, supervised volunteers
• Coordinated publicity mailings for African-American Performance Arts
Festival

26. 2001 to Temp positions, Manpower Temporary Services, San Francisco, CA
Improved Résumé: “After” Version
2001 to Temp positions, Manpower Temporary Services, San Francisco, CA
2003 • Developed customer service skills as telephone interviewer for Dohring
Company
• Maintained files, routed incoming telephone calls, input employee
progress journals, prepared interoffice memos, recorded accounts payable
checks, keyboarded accounts payable correspondence, learned
systems in various assignments
EDUCATION
B.A. in Broadcast Communication, San Francisco State University, 2004
GPA in major: 3.2
Dean’s list, 2 semesters

27. Preparing a Computer-Friendly Résumé
Emphasize keywords.
Include words (usually nouns) that specifically describe the position you want and the skills required.
Avoid unusual typefaces, italics, and underlining.
Applicant-tracking software has trouble reading anything fancy.

28. Preparing a Computer-Friendly Résumé
Use a familiar font and 10- to 14-point type.
Software programs may misread uncommon type fonts or any letters that touch.
Use smooth white paper, black ink, and quality printing.
Be sure your name is alone on the first line on the page.

29. Preparing a Computer-Friendly Résumé
Provide plenty of white space.
Avoid double columns.
Don’t fold or staple your résumé.
Use abbreviations carefully.
Minimize unfamiliar abbreviations.
Maximize well-known abbreviations in your field.

30. Preparing an Inline Résumé
An inline résumé is embedded within an message.
Consider reformatting with 4-inch lines.
Move all text to the left. (no centered lines, no tabs)

31. Preparing an Inline Résumé
Consider using keyboard characters (such as === or ~~~) to separate topics.
Save the file in plain text (.txt) or rich text format (.rtf).
Send it to yourself to check its appearance.

32. Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter

33. Writing a Persuasive 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.
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.

34. Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter
Body
Demonstrate how your background and training fit the job requirements.
Summarize your principal assets from education, experience, and special skills.
Avoid repeating specific data from your résumé.
Refer to your résumé.

35. Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter
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.

36. Sending Your Cover Letter by E-mail
Be sure to send a cover letter if you your resume.
Move your return address from the top to just below your name.
Include your address and phone numbers.
Remove tabs, bullets, underlining, and italics.

37. Employment Interviewing

38. Employment Interviewing
Before the Interview
Investigate the organization.
Learn about the position.
Plan to sell yourself.
Prepare answers to possible questions.
Prepare success stories.
Dress appropriately.
Arrive early.

39. Employment Interviewing
During the Interview
Establish the relationship.
Act confident but be natural.
Don’t criticize.
Stay focused on your strengths.
Find out about the job early in the interview.
Prepare for salary questions.

40. Employment Interviewing
During the Interview * Use the STAR method to answer behavioral questions, such as, “Tell me about a time when you….”
S – What was the situation?
T – What was the task?
A – What action was taken?
R – What was the result?

41. Employment Interviewing
During the Interview
Be ready for inappropriate questions.
Ask your own questions.
Conclude positively.

42. Employment Interviewing
After the interview
Make notes on the interview.
Write a thank-you letter.

43. End