1. Employment Communication

2. Employment Communication
Résumé
Cover Letter
Interview
Follow-Up
Etiquette

3. Employment Communication
Résumé
Cover Letter
Interview
Follow-Up
Etiquette

4. Formatting Your Résumé
Simple fonts and design features
Lots of white space
Clear dates in reverse chronological order
Easy-to-scan headings and bullets
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

5. Formatting Your Résumé (cont’d)
Clear descriptions with action verbs
100% accurate
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

6. Selecting Résumé Content
Name, Address, Address, Phone Number
Contact Information
College Name, Major, Degree, Date of Graduation
Education
Companies, Job Titles, Responsibilities/Achievements, Dates of Employment
Work Experience
Extracurricular Activities, Language, Computer Skills, Special Skills
Other Skills and Experience
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

7. Tips for Including Work Experience
Prefer the chronological résumé style
Provide complete information about your work history
Show how your work experience qualifies you for the specific job
Use concrete, achievement-oriented words to describe your experience
Stress specific accomplishments directly related to the job
Include relevant unpaid positions
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

8. Edit for More Concise Bullets
Before
Was responsible for creating, designing, and developing a new web page about sustainability efforts at the company, Coca-Cola
After
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

9. Résumé Supplements Online Résumé Video Résumé
What are the advantages of these supplements to the traditional résumé?
Online Résumé
Video Résumé
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

10. Employment Communication
Résumé
Cover Letter
Interview
Follow-Up
Etiquette

11. The Purpose of a Cover Letter or Email
Express interest in the company and position
Highlight how your background specifically matches job qualifications
Reveal a bit about your personality
Demonstrate your business writing skills
Provide the employer with logistical information
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

12. What to Include in a Cover Letter or Email
Use the standard letter format
Keep the opening short
Explain your interest in the job
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

13. What to Include in a Cover Letter or Email (cont’d)
Expand on relevant experience
Politely ask for an interview
Use a standard closing
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

14. How to Find Networking Contacts
Expand your job search by meeting with people
Your school’s alumni database
Friends and family
The company’s website
Articles about the company
CHRIS RYAN/JUPITER IMAGES
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

15. Employment Communication
Résumé
Cover Letter
Interview
Follow-Up
Etiquette

16. Types of Interview Questions
Standard
Includes general questions
Behavioral
Asks specific questions about your past behavior to predict future performance
Case
Requires you to analyze and solve a problem
Stress
Simulates stressful environments
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

17. Behavioral Interview Questions
Please tell me about the best working relationship you ever had.
Please describe a time when you had to work with someone you didn’t like.
Describe a time when it was particularly difficult for you to gain credibility with someone. What did you do?
Competency = Relationship Building
Describe a problem you’ve had on the job and how you went about solving it.
Give me an example of an assignment you had—either in school or at work—that you found particularly challenging. How did you go about handling it?
Please tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.
Competency = Problem Solving/Decision Making
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

18. “STAR” Behavioral Interview Response
Situation or Task: What brief context is important for the interviewer to understand?
Action: How did you handle the situation? What did you do?
Result: How did the situation turn out? How can you prove that your action was appropriate in the situation?
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

19. Video and Phone Interviews
Eliminate noise and distractions
Prepare a neat, professional-looking workspace
Dress as you would for an in-person interview
Practice with a friend to check lighting, sound...
Consider shorter responses to make it easier for the interviewer to jump in (for phone interviews)
© BERNHARD LANGCUTURA/CORBISRF
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

20. Prepare Your Own Questions
How would you describe a typical day on the job?
What opportunities exist for ongoing training and development?
Why did you choose to work here, and what keeps you here?
What is the first problem the person you hire must attend to?
What makes someone successful in this position?
What are the organization’s plans for the future?
What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for this division/company?
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

21. Choose a well-tailored, clean, conservative outfit for the interview
Dress for Success
Choose a well-tailored, clean, conservative outfit for the interview
Business Attire
YURI ARCURS/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

22. Employment Communication
Résumé
Cover Letter
Interview
Follow-Up
Etiquette

23. Possible Communication Breakdowns
Received no response after a second (or a third!) interview
Received no response after a screening or first interview
Received just a form letter after the initial application
Has this happened to you? What can you do about it?
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

24. Voice Mail Messages During the Selection Process
Consider calling a week or so after you send your résumé
Listen to example
Respond to a request for an interview
Listen to example
How would you respond?
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

25. Following Up After an Interview
Immediately following the interview, critique your performance, your résumé, and your cover letter.
Send a thank-you to the interviewer.
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

26. Employment Communication
Résumé
Cover Letter
Interview
Follow-Up
Etiquette

27. Dining Etiquette Before the Meal During the Meal After the Meal
Confirm dietary restrictions
Make reservations
Order last
Go light on the liquor
Wait for the host to start eating
During the Meal
Stay engaged in conversation
Take small bites
Use outer silverware first
Keep elbows off the table
Leave napkin on the chair
After the Meal
Don’t take leftovers home
Offer to pay
Thank the payer
Tip 15-20%
Send a thank-you note
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

28. Managing Your Online Reputation
Google yourself
Manage your privacy settings
© PETER SCHOLEY/ALAMY
Avoid posting questionable content
Post positive content that shows your strengths
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette

29. Working in an Office Always knock on you coworker’s cubicle
Never shout a comment to the next cubicle
Do not leave valuables unattended
Avoid talking on the phone too loudly
Avoid eavesdropping on conversations
Résumé | Cover Letter | Interview | Follow-Up | Etiquette