Chapter 16
Employment Communication

The Employment Search

 

Writing a Persuasive Résumé

Preparation

•Research the job market.

 

 

Heading and Objective

•List your name, land address, e-mail address, and telephone number.

 

 

Education

•Name your degree, date of graduation, and institution.

 

 

List of Past Jobs

•      Start with the most recent jobs. Include employer’s name and city, dates of employment (month, year), and most significant title.

   Salesperson, Kmart, Dayton, Ohio. 4/01 to 5/02.

   Manager, Fleet Equipment, Kettering, Ohio. 6/02 to present.

   Tax Return Preparer, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). March, 2002, to present. Sinclair College, Dayton, Ohio.

Summary of Achievements and Skills

•      Use action verbs to summarize achievements and skills relevant to your targeted job.

   Prepared state and federal tax returns for individuals with incomes under $25,000.

   Conducted interviews with over 50 individuals to elicit data regarding taxes.

   Determined legitimate tax deductions and recorded them accurately.

Evidence of Nontechnical Skills

•      Give evidence of communication, management, and interpersonal skills. (Employers want more than empty assurances. Try to quantify your skills.)

   Organized holiday awards program for 1200 attendees and 140 awardees.

   Praised by top management for enthusiastic teamwork and achievement.

Special Skills, Achievements, Awards

•      Highlight computer skills.

       All employers seek employees proficient in word processing, spreadsheet, and Internet use.

•      Show that you are well-rounded.

       List awards and extracurricular activities, especially if they demonstrate leadership, teamwork, reliability, loyalty, initiative, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.

Other Résumé Tips

•      Omit references (unless specifically required).

•      Look for ways to condense your data.

•      Double-check for parallel phrasing.

•      Project professionalism and quality.

     Avoid personal pronouns. Omit humor. Use 24-pound paper and a quality printer.

•      Have a good proofreader critique your résumé.

•      Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

What Recruiters Consider Most Important

•   “The objective. Plus dates when things happened and accomplishments.”

•   “Information about skills that apply to the job; less about job history and past duties.”

•   “Valid information in an easy-to-read, attractive style.”

•   “The candidate’s address and phone number. Lots of people put them only in the cover letter.”

•   “Realizing that the employer is looking for ‘red flags’ and making sure there aren’t any. If you have an employment gap, include a clear statement explaining it.”

•   “Meeting the qualifications for the job.”

What Turns Recruiters Off

•     “Personal data. That’s a major ‘red flag.’ Also typos, inconsistent punctuation, and huge paragraphs that look like job descriptions.”

•     “Odd-sized résumés from services saying ‘Presenting the candidacy of . . . .’ I don’t even read them anymore. They’re a major rip-off.”

•     “Résumés that show no research; not looking at the employer’s needs.”

•     “Omissions in terms of dates. And misspellings!”

•     Long cover letters and résumés over two pages.”

•     “Excess cosmetics, substituting form for content. A résumé should look nice but not go overboard.”

•     “A photo. I have to remove them because managers must be color and gender blind.”

•     “Not sending the résumé to the right place.”

Preparing a Computer-Friendly Résumé

•      Emphasize keywords.

       Include words (usually nouns) that specifically describe the position you want and the skills required.

•      Avoid unusual typefaces, italics, and underlining.

       Applicant-tracking software has trouble reading anything fancy.

•      Use a familiar font and 10- to 14-point type.

       Software programs may misread uncommon type fonts or any letters that touch.

•      Use smooth white paper, black ink, and quality printing.

•      Be sure your name is alone on the first line on the page.

•      Provide plenty of white space.

•      Avoid double columns.

•      Don’t fold or staple your résumé.

•      Use abbreviations carefully.

       Minimize unfamiliar abbreviations.

       Maximize well-known abbreviations in your field.

•      Include all your addresses and telephone numbers.

•      Be prepared to send your résumé in ASCII.

       Conversion to ASCII removes special formatting.

       Conversion to ASCII makes your résumé immediately readable by all computer programs.

Writing a Persuasive Letter
of Application

•Opening

 

 

•Body