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ENC 4260: HTML / MOO Theory and Practice

Résumés and Applications

Because good jobs are highly competitive, your letter of application and résumé must stand out over the competition. Consider these documents two of the most important you will ever write—because they are.

Job Listings

Depending on your needs, you should consider a nationwide search and target every job that your skills qualify you for. Look at these web sites to get your search started, and also find out your own local sources for job, like the university’s career placement, job fairs, and classifieds.

Network. Talk to people already in the field. Listen to what they have to say. If you spend any time in the business world, you soon learn that who you know will get you ahead. Now we can lament this fact as the product of an unfair, imperfect world; however, if you cannot talk to people and ask the right questions, then you will not get a good job. Now you never be obsequious, but courteosy and enthusiasm are qualities that can help. Look at the situation form a potential employer’s point of view: would you want to work with someone that can’t carry on a conversation?

Letter of Application

This document should be prefect. In order to get a job, first you must get an interview. If you have been networking, you might have already met a potential future employer and displayed your sparkling personality. However, if you have a penchant toward reticence, then your letter and résumé will be your introduction to that company.

You should write your letter in a block or modified-block style, and it should contain the following:

  • Heading and Date
  • Inside Address
  • Traditional salutation—avoid sexist language; use a person’s name; end with a colon (:)
  • Introduction—state immediately and explicitly your reasons for writing, mentioning the fact that you are applying for a particular job.
  • Body—be specific and precise, supporting claims with evidence, using active voice, and expressing confidence. Do not be arrogant or obsequious. Write in plain English.
  • Traditional closing—“sincerely” works well; avoid overstating
  • Signature

As a general rule, application letters should not exceed a page. Make sure that you cater each letter to a specific job and company—if it sounds like a form letter, your chances of meeting file thirteen increase. Use a second-person address, rather than the more formal “one.”

Remember: this letter is one of the most important documents you will ever write. Make sure you revise until it is perfect in every way.

Résumés

Your résumé should include these basic categories:

  • Name and Address
  • Explicit and Succinct Statement of Desired Job and Career Objectives
  • Education
  • Work Experience
  • Personal Data
  • Interests, Honors, Activities, and Skills
  • References

You résumé should be easy to read and conservative. It should look good on the page, incorporating white space, bold headers, and italicized descriptors for easy navigation. Entries should be made in reverse chronological order and with consistent punctuation.

When sending your résumé as attachment, do not name it “resume.doc”! Since businesses must process dozens of applications and résumés a day, name your résumé using your last name—something like: “smith_re.doc”; remember not to exceed eight letters in your title and do not use spaces.

Web Site

If possible, construct your own professional web site. This site should highlight your design skills, creativity, and competance as a technical writer. Consider presenting:

  • A prose introduction
  • Your résumé
  • Writing samples
  • References

Dossier

A dossier contains your credentials and other personal materials, like your college transcripts, letters of recommendation, and references. Your university’s job placement office will keep your dossier on file, but you should keep your own copy as well. When potential employers request a dossier, you should send them a copy letting them know that an official one is on the way. While the dossier service is an integral one, the university can take up to a week to mail it, so providing an unofficial one can only help you by meeting the company’s deadlines.



© 1999 by Gerald R. Lucas
Made with Macintosh
26 October 1999
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