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The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters

C H A P T E R . The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters. 13. Learning Objectives.

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The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters

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  1. C H A P T E R The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters 13

  2. Learning Objectives • Prepare for employment by identifying your interests, evaluating your qualifications, choosing a career path, and searching the job market. • Compare and contrast chronological, functional, and combination résumés. • Organize, format, and produce a persuasive résumé.

  3. Learning Objectives • Recognize strategies for making your résumé computer friendly. • Write a persuasive cover letter to introduce your résumé.

  4. KNOW THE PROCESS KNOW YOURSELF KNOW THE MARKET The Employment Search

  5. KNOW YOURSELF The Employment Search • Identify your interests and goals. • Evaluate your qualifications. • Choose a career path and job objective.

  6. KNOW THE MARKET The Employment Search • Search the open job market. • Search the hidden job market.

  7. KNOW THE PROCESS The Employment Search • Design a persuasive résumé and cover letter. • Interview companies. • Accept the best offer. or • Reevaluate your progress

  8. Identifying Your Interests • Do you enjoy working with people, data, or things? • How important is it to be your own boss? • How important are salary, benefits, and job stability? • How important are working environment, colleagues, and job stimulation?

  9. Identifying Your Interests • Would you rather work for a large or small company? • Do you need to work in a specific city, geographical area, or climate? • Are you looking for security, travel opportunities, money, power, or prestige? • What do you consider to be the perfect job, boss, and co-workers?

  10. Evaluating Your Qualifications • What skills have you acquired in school, on the job, or through other activities? How can you demonstrate these skills? • Do you work well with people? What evidence can you offer from extra- curricular activities, clubs, and jobs?

  11. Evaluating Your Qualifications • Are you a leader, self-starter, or manager? What examples can you suggest? • Are you creative? How can you demonstrate these characteristics? • Do you learn quickly?

  12. Evaluating Your Qualifications • Do you communicate well in speech and in writing? How can you verify these talents? • Do you speak, write, or understand another language? • Do you have up-to-date computer skills? What evidence can you offer?

  13. Choosing a Career Path • Visit your school career or counselling centre. • Search the Internet. • Use your library. • Take a summer job, internship, or part-time position in your field.

  14. Choosing a Career Path • Interview someone in your chosen field. • Monitor the classified ads. • Join professional organizations in your field.

  15. Searching the Job Market • Study classified ads in local and national newspapers. • Learn to network. • Check on-line job listings.

  16. Searching the Job Market • Contact companies in which you are interested, even if you know of no current opening. • Sign up for school interviews with visiting company representatives. • Ask for advice from your instructors.

  17. Writing a Persuasive Résumé • Sells you and your assets. • Its goal: Winning you an interview. • Three résumé formats: Chronological Functional Combination

  18. Arranging the Parts Main Heading • Name • Address • Telephone number • Number for messages • E-mail address

  19. Arranging the Parts Career Objective • Include a targeted career objective when applying for a specific position. • Include a general objective if applying in one field but for no specific job. • Omit the objective if résumé will be submitted in unrelated areas.

  20. Arranging the Parts Education • Names and locations of post-secondary schools • Dates of attendance • Major fields of study • Degrees received • Grade-point average

  21. Arranging the Parts Work Experience • Employer’s name, city, and province • Dates of employment, including month and year • Most important job title • Significant duties, activities, accomplishment, and promotions

  22. Action Verbs Describe Your Skills and Achievements analyzed designed improved prepared arranged directed interviewed produced assembled distributed logged reduced collected expanded maintained reviewed conducted generated operated trained

  23. Action Verbs Describe Your Skills and Achievements Developed organizational and research skills by identifying weaknesses in internship program and recommending five alternate programs. Analyzed weekly accounts payable report and calculated depreciation on 12 capital asset accounts with a valuation of over $900,000. Experienced in using Lotus, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word for Windows.

  24. Arranging the Parts Capabilities and Skills • Describe proficiencies acquired through training and experience. • Emphasize computer, communication, and interpersonal skills. • Include nouns such as those used in a job description for the job you want.

  25. Arranging the Parts Include Non-Technical Skills • Give evidence of communication, management, and interpersonal skills. • Employers want more than empty assurances. • Try to quantify your skills.

  26. Arranging the Parts Awards, Honours, and Activities • Include awards, scholarships (financial or other), and fellowships. • Mention honours, recognition, commendations, and certificates.

  27. Arranging the Parts References • Generally, do not list references. • Bring list of references to the interview. • Include complete addresses with postal codes and telephone numbers with area codes.

  28. Arranging the Parts Testimonials - Optional • Consider including brief testimonials to humanize your résumé, such as Commended by supervisor for being a team player. • Some candidates group testimonials in Complimentary Quotations section.

  29. Developing Parallelism Ineffective: Worked from disks of component engineers. Had to format and sometimes rekey. Responsible for engineering specifications, worked with equations, reports. I handled all the work from our staff of four engineers. Used e-mail, switched from WordPerfect to Word for Windows. Took care of telephones, made appointments, and travel arrangements for all four engineers.

  30. Developing Parallelism Effective: - Acted as support staff for four component engineers. - Keyboarded and formatted engineering specifications, equations, and reports. - Answered telephones, made appointments, and arranged travel for entire staff. - Skilled in WordPerfect, Word for Windows, and e-mail.

  31. Résumé Checklist • Does it have a telephone number that can be called in the day? • Does it include an employment objective (for targeted positions)? • Is your education arranged logically and in parallel form? • Is it easy to read?

  32. Résumé Checklist • Does your work experience start with the most recent employment first? Does it use action verbs in parallel form to describe your duties, activities, and accomplishments? • Do you include a section that describes special skills, characteristics, and achievements? • Is it free of typographical errors, misspelled words, and capitalization and punctuation irregularities?

  33. Résumé Checklist • Does your résumé fit on one page? • Does it project professionalism and quality? Does it avoid personal pronouns and humour? Did you use 24-pound bond paper and a quality printer. • Does it look neat and well balanced? Does it have adequate white space so that it looks uncrowded? • Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

  34. Preparing for Résumé Scanning • Avoid small print and unusual typefaces. • Avoid graphics and vertical lines. • Use smooth white paper, black ink, and quality printing. • Be sure that your name is the first line on the page. • Provide white space. • Emphasize key words.

  35. Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter • Opening • Body • Closing

  36. 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.

  37. Body • Demonstrate how your background and training fill the job requirements. • Summarize your principal assets from education, experience, and special skills. • Avoid repeating specific data from your résumé. • Refer to your résumé.

  38. Closing • Ask for an interview. Consider connecting 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.

  39. Try Your Skill Analyze this résumé and discuss how you would improve it.

  40. Try Your Skill PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVE: I desire a challenging position with a nonprofit youth agency that could eventually move me to a position as an executive with a small agency. EDUCATION: B. A. Degree: University of Manitoba - GPA 3.1 Major: Youth Agency Administration, 1999 Other Training: 3-week course with the National Executive Institute I, 1998. Training for Boy Scout Executives. 1-week course with the National Executive Institute II, 1999. Training for Boy Scout Executives. Woodbadge, 1997. Advanced Leadership Training Program. one-week course. Techniques, Tools, and Tips for New Field Executives, 1997. Training for Girl Scout Executives, 1-week course.

  41. Try Your Skill CAREER PROFILE • Boy Scouts of Canada, Brandon Area Council, January 1, 1995, to September, 1996. Associate District Executive. Responsible for fundraising and managing all volunteer groups. Was also responsible for getting new members. Also handled public relations. Promoted after two years to Senior District Executive for the District. • Portage La Prairie Girl Scout Council, September, 1997 to present. Senior Field Executive. Management of four service units. Accountability for membership growth. Raised funds. Made community aware of programs, supervised volunteers. Promoted to position of Senior Field Executive with supervisory volunteers. promoted to position of Senior Field Executive with supervisory responsibilities of other field staff after 21 months. STRENGTHS • Strong communication skills, both oral and written. I’m able to produce results and motivate others. I can organize, plan and implement complex projects. I’m also flexible, dedicated, reliable, and ambitious.

  42. Try Your Skill Analyze this cover letter and discuss how you would improve it.

  43. Try Your Skill Dear Sir: Please consider this letter an application for the position advertised in today’s newspaper. Although I have had only part-time experience in a law office, I feel that I could fill the position of administrative assistant in your organization. In addition to my office experience, I have completed courses in office administration and business administration that have prepared me to work effectively in any kind of office situation. I’ve also been active in church and campus activities. If you think I may be qualified for this position, please contact me as soon as possible.

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