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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 13 Finding and Obtaining Employment
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Preparing for the Job Search freeimages.co.uk
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Gather Information ‣ Through the library, Internet, or placement center research ‣ Through interviews ‣ Through professional organizations, meetings, e-mail lists, and electronic bulletin boards
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Apply For Work-Study, Internship, or Volunteer Programs ‣ To gain valuable experience related to your field ‣ Through on-campus job, service-learning, non- profit or community-service organizations ‣ To set yourself apart from other candidates applying for the same job
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Begin a Résumé or Personal Data File ‣ To keep track of employment-related names, dates, experiences, and qualifications ‣ To update and record details at least once a year ‣ To see gaps in your training or experience ‣ To help those who might recommend you
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Request References ‣ In two forms: letters of recommendation and verbal references ‣ From professors, supervisors, or other community and business leaders ‣ In person, not via email or over the phone ‣ By giving your reference a list of facts and important details you’d like them to mention
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Compile a Dossier or Portfolio ‣ Containing the basic credentials and materials needed for most job searches and applications ‣ Through a service, like your college’s placement center or a dossier service ‣ To distribute materials in a secure, organized, professional manner
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Begin Your Job Search ‣ By applying directly to employers ‣ By networking ‣ By searching online ‣ By searching newspapers and journal listings ‣ By searching journals and catalogs ‣ By using your college’s placement service ‣ By using a professional placement service
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Creating Employment- Related Documents freeimages.co.uk
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Your ability to communicate effectively in job related documents might determine whether you get interviewed for a job
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Recommendation Request Letters ‣ Are written to each person solicited to write a recommendation ‣ Should begin with the specific request ‣ Should specify whether the recommendation is for a specific job or for a broad job search ‣ Should include as many pertinent details in your request as possible
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. ‣ Should mention if the letter is needed by a certain time ‣ Should provide pertinent contact information such as your phone number and email address ‣ Should propose to meet with the recommender to discuss this recommendation in further detail, if necessary ‣ Should thank the individual for considering your request, but should not assume they will write the letter
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. ‣ Are sent to specific organizations that do not currently have jobs available in your field ‣ Gives companies a chance to learn about potential employees, promote their company, and add you to a list of future prospects ‣ Request an informal interview in the opening line of the letter ‣ Mention your qualifications for a future position in their firm Letters of Inquiry
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. ‣ Suggest your reasons for contacting their particular organization ‣ Offer to bring a copy of your résumé to an informal interview or send it to them beforehand ‣ Provide pertinent contact information such as your phone number and email address ‣ Propose to meet with them at their convenience, and thank the individual for considering your request for an informal interview
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Your Résumé ‣ Contains key information about your experiences and training ‣ Functions as the main tool for getting a job interview ‣ Can be a chronological résumé ‣ Emphasizing degrees, job titles, and dates ‣ Can be a skills résumé ‣ Emphasizing experience and skills
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Résumés May Contain ‣ Contact Information ‣ Career Objective ‣ Education ‣ Experience ‣ Honors and Awards ‣ Activities ‣ References freeimages.co.uk
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Contact Information ‣ Includes the author’s full name followed by that person’s address directly below it ‣ Includes your complete phone number with the area code ‣ Includes your professional email address and homepage
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Career Objective ‣ Might be included for those beginning a career or switching to a new one ‣ Informs readers about your goals during the next 5-10 years ‣ Should be kept short and realistic ‣ Should be specifically written for the job for which you are applying
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Education ‣ Should be listed first if your degree specifically applies to the job you are seeking ‣ Lists the degree you received, the date you graduated (or will graduate), the complete name of the school, and the city and state in which the school is located ‣ Lists all schools from which you have earned degrees in higher education
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Experience ‣ Lists any employment experience since high school, including part-time jobs, summer employment, military training or experience, and work study, internship, or volunteer positions ‣ Includes the job title (in bold text), the name of the employer, the city and state in which the employer is located, and the dates you worked for them
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Honors and Awards ‣ Emphasizes accomplishments in school, work, and service ‣ Include information like ‣ Scholarships and Fellowships ‣ Academic or service awards ‣ Nominations for awards ‣ Publications ‣ Academic honor societies
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Activities ‣ Lets employers know what activities you have participated in on a regular basis ‣ Include activities that showcase skills and ability to work with others, like ‣ Membership in professional organizations ‣ Volunteer work
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. References ‣ Are listed on your résumé, usually including three references and their contact information ‣ Includes the referees’ full names and titles if they have them ‣ Includes their full mailing addresses, work phone numbers, and email addresses
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Design Elements ‣ Should make the information clear, accessible, and easy to locate ‣ Should arrange information to emphasize strengths ‣ Should fit the overall “image” of the company to which you’re applying ‣ Should be consistent throughout ‣ Should make use of white space, bullets, indentations, italics, and bold type for clarity
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Online Résumé ‣ Gives a “high-tech” impression of you and your information ‣ Should include an email link ‣ Should use keywords so it is friendly for search engines ‣ Should omit your mailing address, phone number, page numbers, and headers
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. ‣ Should use internal links to allow readers to easily navigate from one part of the résumé ‣ Should include hyperlinked URLS ‣ Should include links to downloadable, print-based versions of your résumé ‣ May include a front page containing links to various sections of your résumé ‣ May include a few simple and professional graphics or perhaps a photo of yourself ‣ May include a short quote about you from one of your referees
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Scannable Résumés ‣ Facilitate scanning directly into a database of potential and current employees ‣ Are categorized according to specialization, geographic region, keywords, and other classifications ‣ Should use a standard typeface that will not jumble together when scanned
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. ‣ Should not contain underlining, italics, or boldface text ‣ Should use specific keywords and terms common in your profession ‣ Should not contain indented text or columns ‣ Should use a ragged right margin ‣ Should be free of any graphics ‣ Should list each phone number on a separate line ‣ Should be saved as plain text or ASCII
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Ethics and Résumés ‣ How you represent yourself in your résumé is not only a matter of rhetorical choice, but of ethical choice as well ‣ Exaggerating or fabricating résumé information is a serious ethical and professional breach ‣ It is in your own best interest to represent your experience and training accurately
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Cover Letters ‣ Address the specific job for which you are applying ‣ Emphasize the most important qualities that make you attractive to the employer ‣ Highlight qualifications and experiences that set you apart from other candidates
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Cover Letters Contain ‣ An introductory paragraph that identifies the particular job for which you are applying ‣ Body paragraphs that provide further details about your qualifications for the position ‣ A concluding paragraph the refers to the résumé and any other documents included in the application
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Preparing for Interviews ‣ Be sure you can be easily contacted ‣ Gather information about the company and the interviewers ‣ Anticipate questions you will be asked and write out specific answers ‣ Practice with a mock interview ‣ Gather documents that might help during the interview
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. When Participating in Interviews ‣ Portray yourself as a confident, energetic, and intelligent person in everything you do ‣ Enter with a confident smile, make eye contact, and repeat everyone’s names as you say hello ‣ Try to interact with the interviewers rather than simply answering the questions as they are delivered
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. ‣ Ask questions of your own during the interview, but do so only after you respond to their questions ‣ Be specific with your responses, but not effusive ‣ Remain calm and cool, even if asked questions that seem unfair, confusing, or unanswerable ‣ Ask two or three questions that demonstrate your ability to do the job well and your genuine interest in working for the company ‣ Thank them for considering you for the position
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. ‣ Send a follow-up response to the individual who led the interview within 24 hours ‣ Reinforce positives from the interview ‣ Make you appear highly interested in the job and motivated to get it ‣ Encourages the interviewer to remember you when making the hiring decision Follow Up Letters
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Negotiating and Accepting Job Offers ‣ Focus on the positive ‣ Ask for 24 hours to decide ‣ Be patient if the negotiations take some time ‣ Be firm but flexible when negotiating for salary or benefits ‣ Call other companies that might be interested ‣ Look at the big pictures when deciding between two offers ‣ Don’t haggle over minor details
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Job Acceptance Letter ‣ Begins by stating your acceptance of the job in the first sentence ‣ Expresses your appreciation for and enthusiasm about the job ‣ May briefly describe the terms of your employment ‣ Is usually limited to one page
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Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Job Rejection Letter ‣ Should be brief and clear, declining the offer in the first paragraph ‣ Provides one or two sentences explaining why you are declining the offer, if appropriate ‣ Avoids saying anything negative ‣ Concludes by thanking the employer for the offer
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