Job Application

Materials

SEN 406: Technical Report Writing

Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin. All Rights Reserved. 9-1

 Chapter Contents
n The Basic Format of a Letter
n Analyzing the Situation
n Planning the Résumé
n Writing the Résumé
n Planning a Letter of Application
n Ethics and Résumés
n Writing a Letter of Applications
n Globalization and Job Applications
n Interviewing
n Writing Follow-Up Letters
n Focus on Electronic Résumés

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 The Basic Formats of Letters

n Block Format and Modified Block Formats

Block format is the basic letter format: that.

n place all the letter's elements against the left margin;

n single space the paragraphs and double space between them;
n do not indent the first word of each paragraph.

Modified block format is the same as full block, with two exceptions:

n the date line and the closing signature are placed on the right side of
the page, five spaces to the right of the center line.

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 Elements of Letters

n Internal Elements
Heading- the heading is your address.

Dates- dates can have one of two forms:

§ February 24, 2013;
§ 24 February 2013.February.
¨ Spell out the month.
¨ Do not use ordinal indicators, such as 1st or 24th.

Inside address- the inside address is the same as the address that appears on
the envelope.

Salutation- the salutation always agrees with the first line of he inside address.

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 Elements of Letters: Cont.
Body- single space the body and try to balance it on the page.

Complimentary Closing and signature- close business letters with “Sincerely

yours” (add the company name if policy require it).
- Capitalize only the first word of the closing.
- Allow three lines for the handwritten signature.

Optional lines- add an enclosure line if the envelop contains additional material.
Use “Enclosure: “ or “enc:” and place the name of the enclosure (resume) after the
colon.
Enclosure: resume

Succeeding pages - For succeeding pages of a letter, place the name of the
addressee, the page number, and the date in a heading.

Susan Wardell -2- February 24, 2015

.
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 Analyzing the
Situation
n Understand Your Goals
Your goals are to get an interview and to provide topics for discussion at that
interview.

If you present your strengths and experiences convincingly in the letter and
résumé,

§ perspective employers will ask to interview you.

n Understand Your Audience

The reader’s time- employees read letters and résumés quickly.

a manager might have only 30 seconds to 3 minutes on each

application,
sorting them into “yes” or “no” piles.

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Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved.
 Analyzing the
Situation: Cont.
Skills expectations- managers want to know how the applicant will satisfy the
company’s need.

They look for evidence of

nspecial aptitudes;
nskills,

ncontributions
to jobs;
nachievements at the workplace (Harcourt and Krizar).

Professional expectations- Managers read to see if you

n write clearly;
n handle details;
n act professionally.

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 Analyzing the
Situation: Cont.
n Assess Your Field

Find out what workers and professional actually do in your field, so you can

§ assess your strengths;

§ decide how you may fill an employer’s needs.

§ Answer the following questions:

1. What are the basic activities in this field?

2. What skills do I need to perform them?
3. What are the basic working conditions, salary ranges, and long
term out-looks for the areas in which I am interested?

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-8

 Analyzing the
Situation: Cont.
n Assess Your Strength

To analyze you strengths,

n review your wok experience;

n review your college courses;
n review your extracurricular activities.
n list every strength;
n seek qualifications that distinguish you from your competitors.

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 Analyzing the
Situation: Cont.
n Asses the Needs of Employers

To promote your strengths,

study the needs of your potential employers;

n review their websites;

n review their Facebook and Twitter sites;
n know details describing the company;
n know the location of the company;
n know the career opportunities- training-
development programs- benefit plans.

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-10

 Planning the
Résumé

n Information to Include in a Résumé

Most employers expect the following information to appear on a résumé:

§ personal information;
§ educational information;
§ work history;
§ achievements.

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 Planning the
Résumé: Cont.

n Résumé Organization

The chronological resume has the following sections:

Personal data- the personal data consist of

§ name,
§ address,
§ phone number.

Career objective- the career objective states the type of position you are
seeking or what you can bring to the company.

Summary- the summary (an optional section) emphasizes essential points

for your reader (Parker)..
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Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved.
 Planning the
Résumé: Cont.
Education- the education section includes ;pertinent information about
your degree.

Work experience- the work experience section includes the positions you
have held that are relevant to your field of interest. (e.g on next slide)

Order of entries on the page- in the chronological résumé, the top of any
section is the most visible position, so put the most important information
there.
- Place your name, address, and career objective at the top of the page.

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 Common Arrangement of Items
under “Work experience”
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Sales/Marketing Director, Information Services Group, LLC, Milwaukee, WI

2010–2012
Established client database that led to strong relationships with key accounts.
Extensive coordination over all advertising including: writing, proofreading, detail
organization, layouts, designs, and productions.
Personally responsible for several major accounts, doubling sales revenues for
fiscal year 2011.
Developed new accounts due to excellent prospecting and follow-through
abilities.

Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin. All Rights Reserved. 17-14

 Writing the Résumé

The résumé must be easy to read:

Employees are looking for essential information and they must be able to find it
during the first reading:

n Usually, limit the résumé resume to one page;

n Indicate the main division at the far left margins;
n: Boldface important words ;
n Use bulleted list;
n Single space entries and double-space above and below;
n Control the margins and type size; Make the left margin 1 inch wide
n Use 10- or 12-point type;
n Treat items in each section consistently.
n Print resumes on good quality paper.

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-15

 Planning a Letter of
Application
n Analyze the Employers Needs
To discover an employer's needs, analyze the ad or analyze the typical needs
of this kind of position.

n Match Your Capabilities to the Employers Needs

The whole point of the letter is to show employers that you will satisfy their
needs.

For example, if they say they need 1+ years of C++,

§ tell them you have it.

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Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved.
 Ethics and Résumés
In writing a résumé, you want to engender confidence in your abilities, and
avoid either underselling or overselling your experience. . . .

What you say about your experience should be defensible and logical. . . .

The résumé that honestly and straight forwardly presents the candidate's
experience with a positive spin tone has the best chance of being read and
landing you an the interview (Truesdell). . . .

Résumé padding . . . Inventing experiences, educational degrees, and

accomplishments shouldn’t be done due the damage it can cause the writer
down the road . . . .

Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin. All Rights Reserved. 17-17

 Writing a Letter of
Application

n Apply in the Introduction

The introductory application should be short.

§ Inform the reader that you are applying for a specific position;
§ If the position was advertised, mention where you saw the ad;
§ If someone recommended that you write to the company,
mention that person’s name;
§ you may present a brief preview that summarizes your
qualifications.

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 Example: How to apply in the
Introduction
n I am interested in applying for the patient services manager position
recently advertised in your Web homepage. I will complete a bachelor’s
degree in Dietetics in May 2014 from the University of Glasgow. The skills I
have developed from my academic background support my strong interest
in working with your leading food and facility management services. I feel
that my career goals and strong beliefs in assisting others to achieve a
higher quality of life makes me an excellent candidate for this position.

Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin. All Rights Reserved. 17-19

 Writing a Letter
of Application
n Convince in the Body
The explanatory body is the letter.

Explain, in terms that relate to the reader,

§ why you are qualified for the job.

n Request an Interview
In the final section,

§ ask for an interview an explain how you can be reached;

§ .thank the reader for his or her time and consideration.

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-20

 Writing a Letter
of Application: Cont.
n Select a Format

To make a professional impression,

follow these guidelines:

§ type the letter on 8.5-by-11 - inch paper;

§ use white, good quality paper;
§ use black ink;
§ use block or modified block format;
§ sign your name in black or blue ink;
§ proof read the letter carefully.

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-21

 Globalization and Job Applications

Applying for a job overseas may open the way for an exiting professional and
personal adventure. Knowing how to reformat your résumé to fit the needs of
your potential employers will make the process faster and easier. . . .

. . . Different countries, employers, and cultures use different styles of

information and different level of details. . . .

If you are unsure about which format to use, ask. . . .

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-22

 Interviewing
n Prepare Well

To prepare well, investigate the company and analyze how you can contribute
to it (Spinks and Wells).

After you have analyzed the company, assess what you have to
offer:

Consider these questions,

§ What contributions can your make to the company?

§ How do your specific skills and strengths fit into its
activities or philosophy?
§ How can you further your career goals with this
company?

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-23

 Interviewing: Cont.

n Use Social Tact

To use social tact means to behave professional and in an appropriate manner:

§ shake hands firmly;

§ dress professionally;
§ arrive on time;
§ use proper grammar and enunciation;
§ watch your body language;
§ find out and see the interviewers’ names.

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 Interviewing: Cont.

n Perform Well

n To perform well in the interview means to answer the questions directly and
clearly.

§ Be your self;.
§ Answer the question asked;
§ BE honest;
§ If you don’t understand the question,
ask the interviewer to repeat or clarify it;
§ In your answer, include facts about your
experience to share how you will it into the company.

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-25

 Interviewing: Cont.

n Ask questions

¨ You have the right to ask questions at the interview.

n If no one has explain the following items, ask about them:

§ methods of on-the-job training;

§ your job responsibilities;
§ types of support available;
§ possibility of promotion;
§ policies about relocating;
§ salary and fringe benefits.

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-26

 Interviewing: Cont.

n Understand Offer

Usually a company will offer the position—with salary and starting date—either
at end of the interview or within a few days.

You have the right to request a reasonable time to consider the offer.

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-27

 Writing Follow-Up Letters

To distinguish yourself from the completion, after the interview, write a follow-
up letter:

Thank the interviewers and confirm your interest in the job.

Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-28

 Focus on Electronic Résumés
Electronic Résumés have changed the job search. In many businesses before
a human reads the resume, technology intervenes to do much of the initial
sorting, as a result, “keyword strategies” are very important.

Include keywords of your field in the Application and resume!

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 Questions???
Use the discussion forum on Canvas!!!

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Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved.
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Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved. 17-32

 Works Cited
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Copyright © 2014 Wadsworth. All Rights Reserved.
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