Chapter 15

Employment Communication

The Employment Search

KNOW THEKNOW THEPROCESSPROCESS

KNOWKNOWYOURSELFYOURSELF

KNOW THEKNOW THEMARKETMARKET

The Employment Search

KNOWKNOWYOURSELFYOURSELF

Identify your interests and goals.

Evaluate your qualifications.

Choose a career path and job objective.

The Employment Search

KNOW THEKNOW THEMARKETMARKET

Search the open job market.

Search the hidden job market.

The Employment Search

KNOW THEKNOW THEPROCESSPROCESS

Design a persuasive résumé and cover letter.

Interview companies. Accept the best offer.

or Reevaluate your

progress.

Writing a Persuasive Résumé

Preparation Heading and Objective Education Work Experience

Preparation

Research the job market. Learn about jobs, qualifications, and

employers. Analyze your strengths.

What will sell you for the job you want? Study other résumés as models.

Experiment with formatting.

Heading and Objective

List your name, address, phone. Include a career objective for a

targeted job.

Education

Name your degree/diploma, date of graduation, and institution.

List your major and GPA/average. Give information about your studies, but

don't inventory all your courses.

Work Experience

List your jobs. Describe your experience. Include nontechnical skills.

List your jobs.

Start with the most recent. Include: Employer's name and city Dates of employment (month, year) Most significant title

Describe your experience.

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

Include nontechnical skills.

Give evidence of communication, management, and interpersonal skills. Employers want more than empty

assurances. Try to quantify your skills.

Special Skills, Achievements, and Awards

Highlight computer skills. All employers seek employees proficient

with word processing, databases, and spreadsheets.

Show that you are well-rounded. List awards and extracurricular activities,

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

Final Tips

Consider omitting references. Look for ways to condense your data. Double-check for parallel phrasing. Project professionalism and quality.

Avoid personal pronouns and humour. Use 24-pound bond paper and a quality printer.

Have a friend read and critique your resume.

Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

Writing a Persuasive Letter of Application

Opening Body Closing

Opening Address the letter to an individual by name. For advertised jobs, name the source; include

job title, date, and publication. If someone referred you, name that person. Tell how your qualifications fit the job

specifications, show knowledge of the reader's business, or describe how your special talents will be assets to the company.

Body – 3 Paragraphs

Demonstrate how your background and training fill the job requirements.

Summarize your principal assets from education, experience, and special skills.

Avoid repeating specific data from your résumé.

Refer to your résumé.

Closing

Ask for an interview. Consider hooking the request to a statement reviewing your strongest points.

Make it easy to respond. Tell when you can be reached (during office hours). Some recruiters prefer that you call them.

Check – count the number of times you used “I”. Is it less than 4 times?

What Turns Recruiters Off When Reading a Résumé?

A focus group of nine recruiters gave these responses:

"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 any more. 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 colour and gender blind."

"Not sending the résumé to the right place."

What Do Recruiters Consider Most Important in a Résumé?

Responses from Recruiters:

"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." "The presentation and the objective." "A clear objective, backed up with

qualifying experience and continuity in the work history."

Responses from Recruiters: