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Business Correspondence. Pt. 1. Recognizing the differences in the features of formal and informal writing. Writing formal and semi-formal letters Writing letters of complaint, excuse, apology etc. Letter Writing . Business letter Your address Recipient's address Name; gender
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Business Correspondence Pt. 1
Recognizing the differences in the features of formal and informal writing. • Writing formal and semi-formal letters • Writing letters of complaint, excuse, apology etc.
Letter Writing • Business letter • Your address • Recipient's address • Name; gender • Salutation (Name; gender) • Subject • Body • Direct • Clear/concise • Close
Letter of Complaint • Business letter template (discussed before) • Outline issue clearly giving specifics of problem, date, personnel involved. • Why is the issue and issue? • Give recommendations for solutions. • Respectfully close. • Remember non-offensive tone.
Curriculum Vitae & Resumes • Summary of your education and work experience; academic experience, publications, skills, interests. • CV is longer and more detailed. • Resume is concise. • Different templates/formats.
CV Basics • Contact Information • Educational Attainment • Work Experience • References NOTE: • Use categories • Include years, educational institutions, organisations.
CV • The Curriculum Vitae is a list of all your achievements until the date you are submitting it, presented in reverse chronological order (i.e. the latest achievements first). • The Curriculum Vitae is ideally two pages in length, though it can sometimes go up to three to five pages • The Curriculum Vitae would include everything that you have done and can be classified as work outside the home - whether paid or unpaid; hence, it is okay if the Curriculum Vitae contains voluntary and honorary positions and work done in such positions • The Curriculum Vitae structure is very systematic and is generally drawn in a specific order • The Curriculum Vitae is normally accompanied by a cover letter, which summarizes what it contains and points out the match of the applicant with the job
CV Format • Your Contact InformationNameAddressTelephoneCell PhoneEmail • Personal InformationDate of BirthPlace of BirthCitizenshipVisa StatusGender • Optional Personal InformationMarital StatusSpouse's NameChildren • Employment HistoryList in chronological order, include position details and datesWork HistoryAcademic PositionsResearch and Training
EducationInclude dates, majors, and details of degrees, training and certification High SchoolUniversityGraduate SchoolPost-Doctoral Training • Professional QualificationsCertifications and AccreditationsComputer Skills • Awards • Publications • Books • Professional Memberships • Interests
Cover Letter • The cover letter must include compelling reasons to select the applicant for an interview. The cover letter must be convincing, and persuade the reader. • Reference the advertisement. • Say why you can make a difference, and what you can do for the company. • Say why you are the best candidate for the job. • Mention reference persons. • Follow-up information.
Tips • Title on the top of the page - your Curriculum Vitae should not be labelled as such. Do not type 'Biodata', 'CV', 'Curriculum vitae' as the title. You should rather put your name and coordinates in that place, so the reader would know whose Curriculum Vitae he/she is reading. • Do not use jargon or colloquial language. The English (or any language, as a matter of fact) should be impeccable and as much as possible simple and without bombastic words and technical terms. • Do not use narrative style; as much as possible use bullet point that are easily scannable so you could convey more with less verbosity
Do not 'inflate' your achievements and/or qualifications or skills. Remember, most of the recruiters would run a background check up before finalizing an offer; you do not want to be embarrassed later on - and loose a good offer. • Do not use any abbreviations in the Curriculum Vitae as these can be very confusing and distracting; always use the expanded form. If you have to use any, explain these through a legend in a footnote Do not type your Curriculum Vitae as a monotonous list of achievements and skills; make the facts come alive and draw an accurate picture of you in the eyes of the recruiter. • Do not forget to put a 4-5 line summary on the top of the Curriculum Vitae; many Curriculum Vitaes have been rejected because the recruiter did not have the time to go through the whole thing to get an idea of how capable the person is Do not forget to update your Curriculum Vitae every time you have achieved something in your professional life
Use an easily readable font - it should not too small - Arial/ Times New Roman/ Tahoma 10/12 point would be a good choice. • Use high quality paper . • The Curriculum Vitae should be laser printed for high clarity and neatness . • Use an easy-to scan format - avoid too much italics, highlighting and underlining . • Attach a brief cover letter explaining why you think you would be the best candidate for the job you are applying for.
www.cvtips.com http://www.cvtips.com/cover-letter/cover-letter-format.html http://www.cvtips.com/cover-letter/cover-letter-samples.html#Cover%20Letter%20for%20advertised%20position,%20hard%20copy
Dreams can become reality • What is your dream job? • Your dream job was advertised on a website or newspaper. Apply for it with a cover letter and CV.