Business Communications

(12 of 13)

MARIA ASUNCION
 Announcement

Hope your long weekend went splendidly!

This week is our last week studying Business

Communications. This coming Monday, Sept. 10, we
will be looking over Office Procedures.

But before then, we will be having a final test this

Thursday. I will give you the whole Thursday morning
to study and prepare.

The test will be open-book but in class, so you cannot

take it home.
 Test on Thursday & Other Info

—  The test will be based on Chapters 8 to 11

—  The chapters will be studying this week: 12 and 13

will not be on the test because we will be working on
creating cover letters and resumes, and practicing
job interviews in class
—  If you would like me to look over any written practice
you’ve completed, this will be the last week that I
look over Business Communications work
 Preparing for Employment (p. 272)

—  Employers today are interested in how a candidate

will add value to their organizations and businesses
—  Successful candidates customize their resumes to
highlight qualifications for each opening/job post
—  Career path are no longer linear
—  Many new hires will not start in a job and steadily
rise through the ranks
—  Jobs are more short-lived and people are constantly
relearning and retraining
 Analyze Yourself (p. 273)
—  First, identify your interests and goals
¡  Do I enjoy working with people, data or things?
¡  How important is it to be my own boss?
¡  How important are salary, benefits, and job stability?
¡  Whattype of working conditions, colleagues, and job
stimulation am I looking for?
¡  Would I rather work for a large or small company?
¡  Must I work in a specific city, geographical area, or climate?
¡  AmI looking for security, travel opportunities, money,
power or prestige?
¡  How would I describe the perfect job, boss and coworkers?
 Analyze Yourself (p. 273)

—  Assess your qualifications (Make sure to show proof)

¡  Whattechnology skills can I offer? (Name specific software
programs and tools)
¡  What other hard skills have I acquired in school, on the job,
or through activities?
¡  Do I work well with people?
¡  Am I a leader, self-starter, or manager?
¡  Do I speak, write, or understand another language?
¡  Do I learn quickly? Am I creative?
¡  Do I communicate well in speech and in writing?
 Analyze Yourself (p. 274)
—  Explore career opportunities
¡  Search the internet (Monster, Government of Canada Job Bank,
Indeed, LinkedIn, Workopolis, Charity Village, etc.)
¡  Use your library (http://noc.esdc.gc.ca/English/home.aspx)
¡  Take a temporary job, internship or part-time position
¡  Volunteer with a nonprofit organization
¡  Interview someone who’s in the field you’re interested in
¡  Monitor job advertisements in company websites yourself
¡  Join professional organizations in your field (Canadian
Marketing Association [CMA] or the Human Resources
Professionals Association [HRPA])
 Searching for Jobs (p. 275-276)

—  Before the 2000s, people looked for work in the local

newspaper’s classified ads, and would have to write
resumes by hand and send them by mail or fax
—  You may still do that, but most people search for a job
online nowadays, and send their resumes online
—  The most popular employment sites (p. 277, Fig 12.3)
¡  Workopolis (www.workopolis.com)

¡  Monster (www.monster.ca)

¡  Charity Village (www.charityvillage.com)

¡  You can also check out the sites of the companies

you’re interested in working in
 Searching for Jobs (p. 278)

—  You can also use LinkedIn and other social

networking sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
—  In fact, a survey taken by 1,843 staffing
professionals, 97% said they used LinkedIn to hire
people
—  Even though there are thousands of job postings
online through the internet, 70% of jobs are still
discovered through networking
 Persuasive Resumes (p. 281)
—  Choose a resume style
¡  Chronological (focus on past employment)
÷  Turn to page 287, Figure 12.8
÷ Most honest and straightforward resume
÷ Most popular and preferred style
÷ Shows experience and career growth more obviously
¡  Functional (focus on skills)
÷  Turn to page 288, Figure 12.9
÷ De-emphasizes negative employment history
÷ Takes attention away from gaps in resume
÷ Hiring managers may be suspicious
÷ Shows skills and accomplishments
 Persuasive Resumes (p. 281)

—  Decide on length

¡  A lot of recruiters look for conciseness

¡  Some prefer two-page resumes

¡  Most prefer one-page resumes

—  The most important thing to think about when it comes to

the length of your resume is to think about the relevant

information you need to show the recruiter(s)
 Headings in Resumes (p. 282)

—  Main heading
¡  Your name (middle name should be in initials)
¡  Complete address
¡  Phone number
¡  Email address
—  When you’re expecting a call, make sure your voicemail
message is professional
—  Only pick up a phone call from a recruiter when you’re in a
quiet environment, where you can focus
—  Have an email address that’s professional (use your name
in the email address; don’t use nicknames)
 Headings in Resumes (p. 282-283)
—  Career objective
¡  A well-written objective customizes for the job opening

¡  It should be written from the employer’s perspective

¡  Focus on how you can contribute to the organization

Ineffective: To obtain a meaningful and rewarding position that

enables me to learn more about the graphic design field and
allows for advancement.

Effective: Position with advertising firm designing websites,

publications, logos, and promotional displays for clients, where
creativity, software knowledge, and proven communications
skills can be used to build client and expand operations
 More Examples of Objectives

—  From Page 288, Figure 12.9

Objective: Position in sales, marketing, or e-marketing
in which my marketing, communication, and
technology skills can help an organization achieve its
goals

—  From Page 289, Figure 12.10

Objective: Senior Financial Management Position
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)

—  Summary of Qualifications

¡  Includes 3 to 8 bulleted statements that prove you

are the ideal candidate for the position
¡  Examples:

Page 287, Figure 12.8

Page 288, Figure 12.9
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)
—  Education
¡  Include name and locations of schools (if these schools
are not well-known in the region where your potential job
is placed)
¡  Dates of attendance (usually month-year to month-year;
e.g., September 2017 – April 2018 OR year to year; e.g.,
2017-2018)
¡  Major fields of study and certifications, degrees and/or
diplomas received
¡  You don’t necessarily have to say which high school you
attended
¡  And when relevant, add in additional certifications
earned, seminars attended, workshops completed and
honours earned
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)

—  Education (continued)
¡  If
your education is incomplete or unfinished,
include such statements as “BBA degree expected
May 2018”

¡  Example: page 288, Figure 12.9

¡  Keepin mind that putting your GPA isn’t always
necessary
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)

—  Education (personal example)

ACADEMIC CAREER
—  Received OSSD, International Baccalaureate and
French Diplomas from St. John Paul II CSS
—  Obtained Honours Degree University of Toronto in
English and Psychology
—  Studying towards Master of Education Degree from
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)

—  Work experience and employment history

¡  For each position, include:
÷ Employer’sname, city/town and province (or just
company name)
÷ Dates of employment (month and year, or just year)
÷ Most important job title
÷ Significant
duties, activities, accomplishments and
promotions
¡  Makesure to describe your achievements during your
employment of each position specifically
 Work Experience Verbs (p. 284)

—  Turn to Page 284, Figure 12.5

—  We’ll be reading which kinds of verbs to use when
you’re writing about your relevant work experience

—  Turn to Page 285, Figure 12.6

—  We’ll be looking at action verbs that emphasize
achievements during employment
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)

—  Capabilities and skills

¡  Emphasize the skills and aptitudes that prove you are
qualified for a specific position
¡  Examples:

Ineffective: Have payroll experience.

Effective: Proficient in preparing federal, provincial, and local
payroll tax returns as well as franchise and personal property
tax returns
Ineffective: Trained in computer graphics.
Effective: Certified in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and
Web design through an intensive 350-hour class.
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)

—  Awards, honours and activities

¡  Include awards, scholarships (financial or other),
fellowships, dean’s list, sports or other team affiliations,
etc. if relevant
¡  Forexample: Recipient of King Scholarship by
Macdonald College to outstanding graduates who
combine academic excellence and extracurricular
activities
¡  Anotherexample: Collected dues, kept financial records,
and paid bills while serving as treasurer of 35-member
business management club
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)

—  Personal data
¡  Make sure to omit/remove personal data
¡  In a resume, do not include:
÷ Birthdate

÷ Marital status
÷ National origin
¡  You can however sometimes add hobbies if you feel they
are related to your desired company’s image
 Headings in Resumes (p. 283)

—  References (p. 286, Figure 12.7)

¡  Ask3 of your instructors, current employer(s) or
previous employers/colleagues or other professional
contacts to answer questions about your qualifications for
employment
¡  Prepare
a list of references (with the full names, phone
numbers and job titles/relation to you)
¡  Have this list of references ready for your job interview
¡  At
the bottom of your resume, you can write
“References available upon request” if you want
 An Effective Resume (p. 289-292)

—  Make sure to be honest, and to proofread your work

—  To get your resume selected through online
applications, maximize keyword hits, but including
specific language used in the job posting(s)
—  You can also add a link to your video resume (if
you’d like to make one, but this is only a new trend)
—  What’s more popular nowadays is infographic
resume (page 292, Figure 12.11)
—  Word documents have templates for infographic
resumes, if you’d like to practice making one
 Submitting Your Resume (p. 293)

—  So what happens after you prepare your resume?

—  Are you all familiar on how to export Word
documents or other online documents into PDFs?
—  Most recruiters prefer PDFs; if you send them Word
documents or Google Docs as your resumes, the
formatting might change
—  But PDFs do not change the formatting no matter
what the device (so it’s a safe choice)
—  You may also need to submit through the company’s
database (e.g., most banks)
—  Fax is still used sometimes, but not that commonly
 Cover Letters (p. 293)

—  Your cover letter should be placed before your

resume, but it does not include as much information
as your resume
—  Cover letters introduce resumes, relate the
applicant’s strengths to the recruiter’s benefits, and
help obtain an interview
—  For the opening, make sure you grab the recruiter’s
attention
—  Use their name, if you know it, to address them
 Cover Letters (p. 294)

—  If the job is solicited (posted)

¡  State the name of an employee in the company, if referred
Example: At the suggestions of Ms. Claudette Guertin of your
Human Resources Department, I submit my qualifications for
the position of personnel assistant.
¡  Refer to the source of your information precisely

Example: Your listing on Workopolis for a junior accountant

greatly appeals to me. With my accounting training and
computer experience, I believe I could serve the City of
Richmond well.
¡  Refer to the job title and describe how your qualifications
fit the requirements (page 295, Figure 12.12)
 Cover Letters (p. 294)
—  If the job is unsolicited (not posted)
¡  Demonstrate interest in and knowledge of the reader’s
business
Example: Since the Canadian Automobile is organizing a new IT
team for its recently established group insurance division, I’d
like to offer my services as a well-trained Business Intelligence
graduate.
¡  Show how your special talents and background will benefit
the company
Example: Your rapidly expanding publications division could
use my services an an editorial assistant. My experience offers
exceptional language skills, an honours degree, and 2 years’ in
producing a school literary publication (p. 296, Figure 12.13)
 Cover Letters (p. 296-298)

—  Build interest in the body: spotlight recruiter

benefits by matching your personal strengths to the
recruiter’s needs
Example: (other examples at the top of page 297)
Successfully transcribing over 100 letters and memos
in my college transcription class gave me experience in
converting the spoken word into written word, an
exacting communication skills demanded of legal
assistants.
 Cover Letters (p. 296-298)

—  At the start or end, make sure to be direct the

recruiter to your resume
Examples:

Please refer to the attached resume for additional

information regarding my education and experience.

As you will notice from my resume, I am graduating in

June with a bachelor’s degree in business
administration.
 Cover Letters (p. 296-298)

—  Motivate action in closing

—  You should end your cover letter by asking for an
interview
Example: (other examples on bottom of page 297)

I hope this brief description of my qualifications and

the additional information on my resume indicate to
you my genuine desire to put my skills in accounting to
work for you. Please call me at 416-488-2291 before
10AM or after 3PM to arrange an interview.
 Cover Letters (p. 296-298)

—  Make sure to avoid using “I” too many times in your

cover letters
—  Using “I” in the beginning of too many sentences
sounds like you’re being dominant
—  Using “I” in the middle of the sentence is better
—  For example: While working for company A, I was…
—  Lastly, we’ll be taking a look at how to send a brief
email, with your cover letter and resume attached
—  Turn to page 298, Figure 12.14
 Cover Letter & Resume

Practice writing a cover letter and resume

by following the chronological style.

If you already have your own cover letter

and resume prepared, you may edit it so it follows
some of the suggestions from the textbook.

Send it to [email protected] when

completed, so I may help you proofread, edit and
evaluate the effectiveness of these vital documents.