Employment Communication

Need and Importance

 Need for self assessment
• Heart and head should suit the type of job in
order to be successful.
• One should not feel trapped and unhappy if
situations do not favor them.
• Self assessment and self reflection benefit
successful entrepreneurs.
• You should not become a servant of your
business rather than business serving your
needs.
 Importance of self-assessment
• When you are on the threshold of taking a
decision about future, consider the question
by asking yourself “Who am I”?
• The inward journey helps you in the process
of self-evaluation, giving clarity to your
thoughts and help in defining your interests,
preferred work values and your educational
aspirations and helps you in defining your
work personality.
 Questions normally asked for self-
assessment
• What gets you excited, gives you energy and motivates
you to excel?
• What do you like to do with your time?
• How do you measure success in your personal life?
• What do you consider success in your business/career?
• What are your specific goals for your personal life?
• What do you want to be doing in one year? five years,
after retirement?
• What should be the income of yours for the standard
of life you normally lead?
 For an entrepreneur
• What are the major reasons to start a business?
• How many hours are you willing to put into?
• How would describe your tolerance for
uncertainty and risks?
• Do you trust others?
• How much financial risk are you willing to take?
• How do you react to failure?
• How long can you survive without a paycheck?
• How much money you have to start a business?
 Career decisions: Self assessment
Tool to assess yourself:
• Values: the things which are important to you,
like achievements, status, autonomy
• Interests: what you enjoy doing, i.e., playing
cricket, hanging out with friends.
• Personality: a person’s individual traits,
motivational drives, needs and attitude.
• Skills: the activities you are good at, such as
writing, computer programming, teaching.
 Value inventories:
• Your values are the most important things to
consider choosing an occupation. If values are
not taken into account, there are chances you
will dislike your work and therefore not succeed.
• There are two types of values: INTRINSIC &
EXTRINSIC.
• Intrinsic relates to work and what it contributes
to society.
• Extrinsic include external features like, earning
potential.
 Contd…
• If a high salary important to you?
• Is it important for your work to involve
interacting with people?
• Is it important for your work to make a
contribution to the society?
• Is having a prestigious job important to you?
 Interest inventories
• There are six types of interests: realistic, investigative,
artistic, social, enterprising, conventional.

In general, interests could be like:

• Working with people, individuals or groups(mentoring,
negotiating, instructing, supervising, taking instructions)
• Working with things(working with precision, operating, controlling)
• Working with data (synthesizing, coordinating, analyzing, compiling,
computing, comparing)
• Working with ideas( creating, designing, innovating, developing,
self-expressing)
 Personality inventories
• People are divided into eight personality
types:
Extroverts, introverts, thinking, feeling, sensing,
intuitive, judging and perceptive.

(an introvert will never do well in a job which

requires public speaking)
 Skills assessment
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Decision-making skills
• Problem-solving and conflict resolution skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Organizational skills
• Human services skills
• Artistic or creative expression
• Information management skills
• Financial management skills
• Administrative, managerial/leadership skills
• Good at research, mathematics, science
• Mechanical / technical skills
 Possible reasons for
RESUME REJECTION
• No name listed
• Missing ph or email address
• Educational category missing dates, no major
degree listed
• Employment accomplishments statements
should be no longer than 4 lines if stated in
paragraph format, no dates of employment
are listed, no employer names are listed
and /or resume does not include
accomplishment statement.
• Resume should not exceed 3 pages in length.
• Font should be in 10 – 12 point.
• Fonts should be traditional, do not use italics,
script or more than one font on your resume.
• Check spelling and grammar.
• If you have an objective statement, consider
including some of your skills. The resume
should show the employer what you have to
offer them, NOT what you want to get from
them.
• Avoid using personal pronouns- such as I, me
and my.
• Your name should stand out-consider putting
it in a larger font size.
• Under educational information-list your CGPA
only if it is 3.0 and above.
• Under educational information-put the type
AND the major(e.g. Bachelor of Arts in
Psychology)
• Write out the name of the degree you have
received(Bachelor in Science, Master in Arts)
• Avoid abbreviations- the employer may not
know what you are referring to)
• Your high school information is not necessary.
• Information should be in chronological order-
most recent information should be first.
• Do not repeat information.
• Use bulleted points for your experience and
accomplishments. This makes it easier to read.
• Under work experience-you should include the
position/job title, the month and the year. You
should reflect result-oriented
accomplishments( e.g. increased sales by 20%)
• You should NOT list your supervisor’s name and
the company’s complete address.
• It is not necessary to include your birth date,
marital status or a picture.
• You should list your awards/honors(if work
related) under a separate category.
• It is recommended having a one-page resume-
unless you have significant “relevant” work
that warrants a longer resume.
• Don’t mention the names of your parents,
spouse, relatives and their occupations as
nobody takes interest in knowing it.
• Don’t mention the details about your
reference, in your resume, if you are able to
get through the interview, your prospective
employer will ask you to give references.
 Personal SWOT- Strengths
• Work experience
• Education, including value added features
• Strong technical knowledge
• Communication skills-speaking effectively,
writing concisely, listening attentively
• Managing time
• Attending to details
• Meeting goals
• Making decisions
• Good contacts/ successful networking
 Weakness
• Lack of work experience
• Low GPA, wrong major
• Lack of goals, lack of self-knowledge, lack of
specific job knowledge.
• Weak technical knowledge
• Weak skills (leadership, interpersonal,
communication, teamwork)
• Weak job-hunting skills
• Negative personal characteristics(e.g. poor work
ethics, lack of discipline, lack of motivation,
indecisiveness, shyness, too emotional.
 Opportunities
• Enhancing your education
• Greater self-knowledge, more specific job
goals.
• Advancing in your field
• Opportunities for professional development in
your field.
• Career path you have chosen provides unique
opportunities.
• Geography
• Strong network
 Threats
• Downsizing, obsolescence
• Competition from your cohort or classmates.
• Competitors with superior skills, experience,
knowledge.
• Competitors with better job-hunting skills than
you.
• Competitors who went to school with better
reputations.
• Obstacles in your way( lack of training)
 Contd…
• Limited professional development in your
field, so it is hard to stay marketable.
• Companies are not hiring people with your
major/ degree.
• Limited advancement in your field, (cut-throat
competition)
 Preparing your Resume
Since there is no “right” or “proper” design for
resume content exists, following are a few
guidelines:
• Length- 1, 2 or 3 pages
• Size and style- 10 and 14, professional style, Times, New
Century, Optima, Palatino, Futura, Universal,Courier
• Margins- 1” on all the sides
• Sentence structure- “to the point”, brief and informative. Use
past tense for past activities, and present for current activities.
• Word choice-active words, action verbs.
• Paper selection & printing-use bond paper and laser printer.
 Reverse Chronological Resume
• The contents are presented in the reverse
chronological order.
• The reverse chronological résumé works to
build credibility through experience gained,
while illustrating career growth over time and
filling all gaps in a career trajectory.
• A chorological resume is not recommended in
the event that the job seeker has gaps in their
career summary.
 Functional Résumé
• A functional résumé lists work experience and
skills sorted by skill area or job function.
• Functional résumé is used to assert a focus to
skills that are specific to the type of position
being sought.
• It emphasizes specific professional capabilities
and utilizes experience summaries as its
primary means of communicating professional
competency.
• It allows the reader to quickly identify skills.
 Combination résumé
• The combination résumé balances the
functional and chronological approaches.

• A résumé organized this way typically leads

with a functional list of job skills, followed by a
chronological list of employers.

• The combination résumé has a tendency to

repeat itself and is therefore less widely
utilized than the other two forms.
 Cover letter format
• Salutation
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name,

• Body of Cover Letter

The body of your cover letter lets the
employer know what position you are
applying for, why the employer should select
you for an interview, and how you will follow-
up.
• First Paragraph
The first paragraph of your letter should
include information on why you are
writing. Mention the position you are
applying for and where you found the
job listing. Include the name of a mutual
contact, if you have one.
• Middle Paragraph
The next section of your cover letter
should describe what you have to offer
the employer. Mention specifically how
your qualifications match the job you are
applying for. Remember, you are
interpreting your resume, not repeating
it.
• Final Paragraph
Conclude your cover letter by thanking the
employer for considering you for the position.
Include information on how you will follow-
up.
• Complimentary Close
• Respectfully yours,
• Signature
• Handwritten Signature (for a mailed letter)
• Typed Signature
 Email cover letter
• Subject line-list the job you are applying for.
• Salutation
• First paragraph-
• Second paragraph
• Third paragraph-
• Complimentary close- best regards
 Sample – Solicited-first paragraph
• Your advertisement in May 5 issue of The Times of
India, caught my attention because with an MBA in
Marketing Management and four years of
experience in promotional activities, I can serve
your esteemed organization well.
• I am writing in response to your advertisement in
the opportunities section of your company’s
website, for Marketing Managers at Kolkata. With
more than 4 years of experience, I would be able to
contribute to the growth and development of your
organization.
Sample- unsolicited-first paragraph
• Are you looking for dynamic, high caliber
professionals to be part of your expansion and
growth with optimal utilization of resources?
• Is your well-diversified infrastructure
industrial conglomerate on the look out for
professionals with relevant experience with a
high degree of commitment to lead your
company’s growth plans?
 Sample-solicited-last paragraph
• The details of my education, training, skills
and experiences are outlined in the enclosed
resume. I look forward to having an
opportunity to talk with you, at your
convenience to explain how my experience
can be relevant to your organization.
 Sample- Unsolicited- last paragraph
• My enclosed resume provides additional
information regarding my education, training,
experience, skills, achievements and
references. I would appreciate meeting with
you to discuss how my experience could
contribute to the growth and expansion of
your esteemed organization.
 Persuasive approach-1
• Developing market strategies and addressing
key issues, analyzing market competition,
conducting market research to identify
opportunities, threats and developing
marketing plans for new products and
executing their launch are some of my duties
in my present organization.
 Persuasive approach-2
• With a sound understanding of business and
management principles in selling premium
products and excellent analytical skills and
ability to assess and interpret key marketing
trends and patterns, I would be able to serve
your company well.
• Strong in consulting and communication skills
with the ability to interact with clients at all
levels, demonstrated through strong
influencing and negotiating skills.
 Fresher’s CV
• Without an objective, cv appears unfocussed.
• CV is a tool to market you as a brand,
therefore enlist your best features that
benefits you.
• Remember, a CV is sent for getting you an
interview and not a job.
• CVs are scanned and not read in detail initially,
so use bulleted points so that it makes the
eyes easy to read.
• Use action words and power words to add life
and zing to your CV.
• When you are stating facts, number them.
• Arrange information chronologically
• Use the key words from the advertisement in
your CV and match with what your employer
is looking for. The purpose is to showcase that
your relevant skills and qualifications suit that
particular post.
• Use technical jargons that is specific to the
industry. Use words that can show your
competencies.
• Highlight positives
• Highlight skills which you have picked up from
different fields which could benefit you to
multi-task.
• Limit the length to not more than two pages.
• Ask someone to review it before sending.
 Job acceptance letter
• Dear Sir,
I am pleased to accept your offer of an Assistant
Manager (HRD). I can assure that I would
bring all my skills, experience and qualification
to work for your organization.
As desired, I will be able to join you on 25 June
2010.
Thank you for showing your confidence in me. I
look forward to working with you.
• POSITION SOUGHT:
• CAREER OBJECTIVE:
• EDUCATION
• EXPERIENCE/TRAINING/PROJECTS:
• SPECIAL SKILLS:
• ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS
• ACHIEVEMENTS:
 CAREER OBJECTIVE
• To contribute to the growth of a leading
project management company by working in a
challenging position where I will have
opportunities to utilize my experience and
skills.
• To work as a Management Trainee in a fast
growing company where I will have
opportunities to use my experience and skills
and contribute to the growth of the
organization.
 Special skills and abilities
• List your skills that have direct relevance to the
job applied for.
• Examples:
• Competent in speaking French
• Technical writing
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills
• Good problem- solving skills
• Computer programming
 Activities and interests
• (list activities which show that you are
dynamic and energetic person who can take
and accept challenges)
• Examples:
• Member, Lion’s club
• Member, National Social Service
• Cricket, football
• Classical music, fiction, movies.