July 12 Agenda

1. July 12 Agenda • Resume Workshopping and Interview Reporting

2. Resume Workshopping • Interview Reporting Tips • Review of Sample Reports • Interview Report Composing

3. resume workshop • Download Resume workshop Form from Workshop Tab. • Review 2 resumes and complete. On the final page of the workshop form, write a 1-2 paragraph recommendation plan for revision. • Discuss revision plans with author.

4. Interview Reports • Example Report Types and Websites • Elements: Purpose Statements, Intro, Background Segment, Major findings • Visual Impact: Not your average term paper

5. Interview reports: what they should do • Explain why the research and subject are important to readers • Explain what the researcher wants to find out • Explain the methods--procedures for collecting and analyzing the data, and explain how attempt was made for accuracy and precision • Explain your results, the evidence for those results, and how you obtained them • Explain how you interpreted your results • Explain why the results are significant • Explain what readers should do with those results in ways that provide a sense of closure

6. Guide to writing interview reports • Introduction: announces topic, persuades reader that the topic is important, provides background context on subject, briefly identifies main conclusions and recommendations • Objectives of Research: precisely describes what you want to find out • Method: tells how you collected with precision and persuades that your methods are sound • Results: presents clear and specific results, and includes evidence to persuade readers that those results are valid • Discussion: interprets those results in ways that clarify the significance to readers • Conclusions: Clearly states conclusions and explains significance of subject.

7. Uses of evidence to support results • Primary Sources: Direct quotes from the person you interviewed • Secondary Sources: external documents (white paper reports, statistics, trade articles, scholarly articles, etc.) that support, refute, or draw similar conclusions to your results

8. Writing process strategies • Before Data Collection: Draft most of introduction (save results), purpose, background info and methods sections • During Data Collection: Analyze results, interpret, look for themes in responses, determine the most important information for readers based on what interviewee says. • After Data Collection: Write results, verify that you stay on target with the purpose of the report. Identify and analyze evidence that supports these findings. • After Data Analysis: Once you’ve identified the results, write and interpret the significance of the findings. Consult and reference appropriate evidence. • After Data Analysis: Write the conclusion and the rest of the intro that identifies your main results. Include recommendations for future research.

9. REvision: Higher Order Concerns • Do you clearly explain the importance of your subject and research in a persuasive manner? • Do you lay out your method for conducting the research? Is it reliable? How do you account for bias? • Do you clearly identify all of your results? How do you know that they are reliable? How do you know that your evidence is reliable? • Do you interpret your results carefully? Do you consider opposing viewpoints? • Do you draw careful conclusions and make sound recommendations? How do you justify these conclusions and recommendations?

10. Revision: Lower order concerns • Spelling: Are all words spelled correctly? Do you use the correct spelling for the appropriate homophone? Do you spell out abbreviations (abbr.) the first time and then abbreviate subsequent times? Are all names spelled correctly? • Punctuation: Do you use a comma to separate dependent clauses, a semicolon for shorter and/or related independent clauses, and a period for independent clauses? • Dummy Subjects: Are attempts made to avoid dummy subjects (there, it’s, it, etc.)? When used, is it clear to which object they refer? (More on Thursday) • Concise sentences: Are your sentences clear and concise? Do you eliminate unnecessary words • Parallel Structure and Consistence: Do your sentences display appropriate, correct, and clear parallel structure? Do the headings do the same?Are proper names, words, and spelling consistent throughout the document?

11. Revision: design considerations • Typography: Does typography create contrast between headings, subheadings, and segments? Do you rely on two fonts, with a sans serif font for the heading? • Font and Margins: Is your font readable? Are you using a 10, 11, or 12 point font? Are your margins moderate (.75 or 1 inch)? • Space: Is spacing used to separate segments, headings, or subheadings? Is spacing used appropriately to make paragraphs and segments less dense? Is your document single-spaced? • Design: Does the design resemble a professional report or a school paper? Are graphics, charts, or tables used and placed strategically and appropriately? Do graphics, charts, or tables include appropriate subheadings? • Distribution: Is the report distributed in a professional manner?

12. Finding Sample RePorts • Conduct a search for a report that pertains to your professional interview topic. • Find a good example of the report’s reader-centered approach. • Discuss why the report is a good example and how it exemplifies a reader-centered approach

13. Interview Report Composing • Review sample reports, including those offered in textbook (pp. 594-606). • Determine which report template best fits your subject and purpose. • Design the template. • Plug in appropriate content and begin composing. • Check in and discuss process.

14. Next time • Anderson Ch. 15 • A Draft of your Interview Report. Bring 3 copies • Final Draft of your resume with job description and cover memo