Unlocking the secrets of great job search documents

The purpose of a job letter

• Is to create the desire to interview you
• Is to test your ability to communicate effectively
• Is to judge your professionalism

An effective job letter

• opens by clearly identifying what job you want,
• where you heard about the opening,
• and what your key qualifications are.

All these things go in the top paragraph of the pyramid.

The body of the job letter

• focuses on what you can do for this employer
• uses key words and phrases from the ad and/or from company propaganda
• uses the future tense
• uses a "you" focus

Make graceful reference to your resumé in this section of the letter.

The closing of a job letter

• requests an interview politely but not apologetically
• puts the onus on the writer to contact the reader
• sets a clear time frame for getting in touch

Think "pyramid"—this is the foundation for future contact with the employer.

Letter no-nos

• Sounding too cocky or too diffident: you want to project confidence but not sound like a you-know-what
• Mistakes: you want to project your competence and the quality of your work
• Lies: many companies use fact checkers, credit bureaus, etc. to check your claims.
• Cheap appearance

Remember:

A good letter gets your resumé looked at. A reviewer may only spend fifteen or twenty seconds on the letter, so first impressions count. If your letter’s bad, the resumé will be presumed to be bad, too.

Now, what about the resumé?

The most important contents are

• The first 50 words (maybe the first 100)
• The contact information (the most often omitted!)
• The first few lines of qualifications a reviewer reads

Which means that you should

• Take advantage of technology and layout
• Start with your best qualifications
• Only use an objective for a very specific opening or when the audience prefers it
• Be ready to customize a resumé for each opening you apply for

Know what’s legal to include

So do you add

• Fraternity/sorority membership? Yes if it shows leadership or skill-building or if you are looking for a people-contact job.
• Religious activities? Yes if they show leadership or skill-building or are relevant to the job.
• Political/ethnic/social activities? Yes if they show leadership or skill-building.

Always THINK AUDIENCE!

Resources

• Bailey text
• Prentice-Hall Guide
• Career Services
• Student Advisory offices
• Advisor/faculty
• Current employers
• Books, Internet
• BUT ALWAYS CUSTOMIZE!

Now, let’s analyze and practice. Click on

http://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj/ writ465.htm and go to In-Class Exercises