Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 1 Job Searches, Résumés, and Cover Letters

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 2 Learning Objectives Develop a job search strategy. Analyze both résumés and cover letters to verify that they reflect the six Cs of effective messages and acceptable message formats. Format résumés and cover letters to accommodate traditional and digital delivery. Prepare effective résumés and cover letters using the CBO approach and the AIDA strategy.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 3 Conduct a Job Search Analyze your personal characteristics. Determine and evaluate your job-related skills and abilities. Research employment opportunities. Section 1: The Job Search Opportunities for finding a job that satisfies both personal and professional needs increase by implementing a job search strategy.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 4 Employment Opportunities Networking Employers Career-Related Experiences College Career Centers Print and Online Publications Employment Agencies The Internet Employer Information

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 5 Section 2: The Résumé The Résumé Tell who you are. Communicate the kind of job you want. Show that you can do the job. Distinguish yourself from other candidates. Use your résumé to highlight your ability to solve problems and adapt to change.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 6 Plan and Draft a Résumé Design your résumé to: Attract the employer’s attention. Create interest in your skills. Build desire for your abilities. Encourage action. The purpose of a résumé and cover letter is to obtain an interview. Make every word count!

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 7 Plan and Draft a Résumé (continued) Identify the objective. Visualize the audience. Gather supporting information. Highlight transferable skills. Emphasize desirable traits. Organize the information.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 8 Format Guidelines Do not use personal pronouns (I, me, you, and my). Omit the articles (a, an, and the) whenever possible. Write in descriptive phrases punctuated like sentences. Use strong action verbs. Use keywords to explain accomplishments. Maintain parallel structure. Format consistently.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 9 Organize a Résumé Heading: name, address, phone, address Job objective: desired position and benefit to employer Summary of qualifications: experiences and skills that make you stand out Work experience: accomplishments in reverse chronological order

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 10 Organize a Résumé (continued) Education: acquired knowledge and skills in reverse chronological order Achievements, honors, activities: foreign language, scholarships, certifications, volunteer work References: people other than personal friends who can comment positively on your abilities

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 11 Short-Term or Unrelated Work Experience Emphasize transferable skills. De-emphasize dates. Minimize job details. Combine similar experiences. Short-term and unrelated work experiences may produce desirable skills and attitudes that are applicable to other jobs and careers.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 12 Employment Gaps Refer to years of experience rather than dates. Supply present company names with old names in parentheses. Use current professional jargon to describe jobs. Focus on abilities rather than on timelines. Draw attention away from gaps in employment.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 13 Information to Exclude Age Gender Race National origin Religion Marital Status Personal information does not belong on a résumé.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 14 Résumés for the Internet E-résumés E-portfolios More and more companies expect job hunters to utilize the Internet to submit résumés, cover letters, and applications. Faxing Online Posting

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 15 ASCII Plain Text Formatting Tips Keep line length short. Begin lines at the left. End lines with a hard return. Use a 10- to 14-point nondecorative, fixed-width font. Group under uppercase descriptive headings. Provide white space before and after headings.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 16 ASCII Plain Text Formatting Tips (continued) Do not use unusual fonts, underlining, italics, shading, boxes, or columns. Do not use special characters. Use ASCII-friendly keyboard characters to add visual appeal. Use uppercase letters for headings.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 17 Online Posting Respond to job listings at web sites rather than generically posting your résumé. Remove your name and personal contact information. Create a separate address to use during your job search. Replace your current employer’s name with a description of the type of business. Investigate each site for its privacy guidelines. Make your résumé cybersafe.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 18 Complete the Résumé Incorporate the six Cs of effective messages. Proofread for typos, grammar, and content. Check for completeness and ensure that your qualifications match the job specifications. Review your résumé using the Checklist for Preparing a Résumé. No matter how you transmit your résumé, the résumé must be perfect.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 19 The Cover Letter Apply the CBO approach and the AIDA strategy. Explain how your qualifications benefit an employer. Set yourself apart from other applicants. The cover letter is a persuasive message—a sales letter about you. Section 3: The Persuasive Cover Letter

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 20 Compose a Cover Letter Incorporate the persuasive strategy AIDA. Attract attention. Open with one or two top qualifications. Mention the specific position and the source of the information. Create interest and build desire. Research the potential employer. Determine your central selling point. Appeal to the employer’s sense of logic. Present your qualifications in the order that best enhances your salability. Ask for action. Courteously and assertively ask for an interview. Tell the employer how and when to contact you.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 21 E-cover Letters Follow the ASCII format tips. Apply the persuasive strategy AIDA. Include the word résumé and the position sought. Get to the point quickly. Keep paragraphs short. Use keywords throughout the message. End with a complimentary close and signature block. Proofread! Conduct a trial run by ing to a friend.

Effective Communication for Colleges, 11 th ed., Brantley & Miller 2008©Chapter 8 – Slide 22 Complete the Cover Letter Prepare a customized one-page, error-free cover letter in acceptable business letter format. Print on quality stationery that matches the résumé. Sign your name legibly and neatly.