ECS 3390University of Texas at Dallas1 Activity: Resume and Cover Letter Writing Click on the audio symbol below to begin.

ECS 3390 University of Texas at Dallas 2 Resume and Cover Letter Writing Summary In Chapter 19 of Finkelstein’s Pocket Book of Technical Writing you learned that in order to get hired, it is important to let a potential employer know that you:  Want to work for that particular employer  Want a specific position or a specific type of position  Have the background to do the job  Have the required writing and oral communication skills  Possess the necessary personal traits Assignment Apply what you’ve learned from Chapter 19 in creating a cover letter and resume. Your grade will be based upon how well you apply the principles in this chapter. On the slides that follow, you will find two fictitious internship postings. Customize your cover letter and resume for the posting that aligns with your major. Address your letters for each of the fictitious firms to: Chris Ryan, Director of Recruiting. Submission and Deadline Submit your completed assignment in WebCT by the date and time specified in the syllabus.

ECS 3390 University of Texas at Dallas 3 Resume and Cover Letter Writing Posting for Engineering Majors Engineering Intern Comet Energy Company, 1234 Dallas North Tollway, Dallas, TX Position Description Provide assistance with engineering projects and activities related to electric distribution systems. Intern will be exposed to a variety of projects and activities that occur within the utility business. The intern will have the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills learned in engineering courses and demonstrate abilities in the work place. Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Job Functions) Perform various tasks to support the substation supervisory and substation engineer Conduct quality reviews of operating systems Perform project management under the direction of others Carry out miscellaneous clerical duties Do any additional responsibilities as requested or assigned Applicant Requirements College student, sophomore or higher standing, currently enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in electrical engineering. Software skills needed to be used in extracting information from various sources, conducting analysis and assisting workforce to achieve goals Effective project management skills Effective verbal and written communication skills Effective analytical and problem-solving skills Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and projects concurrently Start/End of Internship May 2010-August 2010 (Computer Science majors, continue to slide 4, Engineering majors, continue to slide 5.)

ECS 3390 University of Texas at Dallas 4 Resume and Cover Letter Writing Posting for Computer Science Majors Computer Science Intern Big D Software Corporation, 1234 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, TX Position Description Provide assistance with computer software-related projects and activities related to the development of software systems. Intern will be exposed to a variety of projects and activities. The intern will have the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills learned in computer science courses and demonstrate abilities in the work place. Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Job Functions) Perform various tasks to support the software development supervisor Conduct quality reviews of software development products Perform project management under the direction of others Carry out miscellaneous clerical duties Do additional responsibilities as requested or assigned Applicant Requirements College student, sophomore or higher standing, currently enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in computer science. Software skills needed to be used in extracting information from various sources, conducting analysis and assisting workforce to achieve goals Effective project management skills Effective verbal and written communication skills Effective analytical and problem-solving skills Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and projects concurrently Start/End of Internship May 2010-August 2010 (Continue to slide 5.)

ECS 3390 University of Texas at Dallas 5 Resume and Cover Letter Writing Additional Resources Finkelstein provides a sample cover letter on page 353 and a sample resume on page 354. Additionally, the web sites below are just a few of the many sites that provide cover letter and resume writing guidance and examples. Although your resume and cover letter should be your original work and should be tailored to the position and company for which you are applying, you can draw upon these examples for design purposes: In addition to each of the resources noted above, I have provided an example resume from Monster.com which can be found in slides 6 and 7 of this activity. References About.com Job Searching Web site, Finkelstein, L. (2008). Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists. New York: McGraw-Hill. JobStar Resume Guide Web site, Resume Resource Web site, Sample Resume for Entry-Level IT Worker, Monster.com Web site, letters/resume-samples/sample-resume-entry-level-it/article.aspx. letters/resume-samples/sample-resume-entry-level-it/article.aspx

ECS 3390 University of Texas at Dallas 6 Resume and Cover Letter Writing Resume Example MICHAEL ALEXANDER 14 Hart Way Sometown, MA Home: (555) __________________________________________________________ TARGETING ENTRY-LEVEL HELP-DESK POSITIONS Upcoming XYZ University graduate offering a strong academic background in IT combined with excellent internship experience as a help-desk analyst. Consistently recognized for technical troubleshooting skills used to rapidly and cost-effectively resolve challenging technical issues. Quickly learn and master new technology; equally successful in both team and self-directed settings; and proficient in a range of computer systems, languages, tools and testing methodologies. __________________________________________________________ EDUCATION XYZ UNIVERSITY, Sometown, MA B.S. in Computer Information Systems (expected 12/09) GPA: 3.7/4.0 Concurrent Employment with College Studies: Student Help-Desk Technician (2007 to Present): Provide networking/desktop support and perform mainframe and account maintenance tasks. Earned commendations for teamwork, flexibility and work excellence in providing IT support to students and faculty. Sales Representative, ABC Retail Co. and DEF Store (2005 to 2008): Leveraged strengths in persuasive communications and consultative sales to earn a reputation as a top sales performer for both retailers (including multiple top 10 rankings out of a 100- member sales force). The sample resume at right (from Monster.com) is for an entry-level information technology candidate. Please continue to the next page (slide 7) for the second page of the resume.

ECS 3390 University of Texas at Dallas 7 Resume and Cover Letter Writing Resume Example (continued) __________________________________________________________ TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY Certifications: CompTIA A+, HDI Help-Desk Certified Systems: CICS/ISPF/Mainframe, Unix, Windows 9X/NT/2000/XP/2K3, Novell NetWare, Mac OS Databases: Oracle, ADB2, Relational Databases Languages: Visual Basic, SQL, HTML, ASP, CSS, C++, CGI, Perl, Java Software: MS Project, MS Visio, MS Office, Lotus Notes __________________________________________________________ IT EXPERIENCE ABC COMPANY, Sometown, MA Help Desk Analyst / Intern, 2007 to 2008 Handled technical troubleshooting within an enterprise environment, including system crashes, slow-downs and data recoveries. Engaged and tracked Priority 1 issues, with responsibility for the timely documentation, escalation (if appropriate), resolution and closure of trouble tickets. Selected Contributions: Researched and developed knowledge-base articles for Lotus Notes issues, resulting in an increase in first-call resolutions of 20 additional calls per week that saved company $57K annually. Exceeded issue-resolution targets and achieved exemplary customer satisfaction scores, consistently scoring between 95% and 100% on all calls (outperforming average of 90%). Handled 30+ technical/mission-critical calls daily and consistently met high service standards. Available for Relocation and Travel At right is the second and final page of a resume example (from Monster.com) for an entry- level information technology position.