Unit One: Job Package

Situation

Find an ad for a co-op job/internship or for a job you will be qualified for after you graduate.  A recent search of monster.com for all locations, using “engineering” as a the Job Category Search and “entry level” as the Keyword Search found 356 possibilities for jobs; I trust you will be able to find one ad you can plausibly respond to.

If you are writing a letter and resume for future use, provide a future date for you graduation and other items.  I will assume that some of the information might be fictional.   If you are using a current date, I will assume that all of the information is accurate.

Audience and Purpose

Your first audience will either be a scanner or an incredibly busy and impatient Human Resource person, unless you are applying to work for a very small company.  You will need to write and design your materials appropriate to the thing or person you think will have first contact with your documents.

In all three cases, the purpose is to make a positive first impression that will lead to a phone call and/or interview.  A positive first-impression for the scanner will be a document that is clear and scanner-friendly with appropriate keywords; a positive first-impression for a HR person will likely be the result of a professional appearance and immediately visible relevant experience.  Small companies are both harder to characterize, but easier to figure out if you contact them ahead of time.

Deliverables

The Job Package is due February 7, 2003.  On that date, you will submit the following:

1.     Job ad for which you are qualified or will be qualified upon graduation — worth participation credit.

2. Print Resume (draft due for peer review September 5) — worth 75 points. A resume (scannable or traditional) appropriate to the position you are applying for.  The resume should include all the information that might be relevant to the position, and it should be professionally, effectively, and appropriately designed.
3. Cover Letter (draft due for peer review September 14) — worth 75 points. A cover letter should be addressed to the appropriate person, and it should emphasize what you can do for the organization, not just simply list your skills and experiences.  (See further details on the course website).
4. Web Resume URL (draft due for peer review September 21) or scannable resume — worth 50 points.  This resume will deliver the same content, but in a format appropriate for viewing on the Web or for scanning into a database of prospective employees. 
5. Project Assessment Memo ("PAM")  — worth exercise credit (but can influence grades for the other employment documents).  The PAM for this unit is a memo addressed to me containing (at least) the following:

6.  Drafts, discussion notes, any other preliminary work that will help me more accurately evaluate your documents.  Be sure to keep a file of all the work you do for this unit. 

Evaluation of documents

Your cover letter and resumes will be evaluated based on your ability to:

• provide the relevant information—avoid both excess information and underdeveloped material.
• make that information easy to read and understand (accessible)—these documents will also need to be error free
• make the documents usable: appropriate overviews and transitions for easy reading, contact information clear and effective, good integration of cover letter and resume. 

A grading rubric (available on the web) will provide you with more details; grade definitions can also be found there. 

Goals for this unit

• To improve your ability to use online resources to research job openings and employers.

• To create (or revise) employment documents (print resume, web resume, and cover letter) that are visually effective, taking advantage of principles of visual design to make information efficiently available to a variety of readers.

• To design employment documents that present and prioritize your most important qualifications.

• To tailor a cover letter to a specific job opening, developing effective style and tone while following business writing conventions and full block format.

• To plan and manage a short-term writing project in terms of drafting, designing, revising, and editing documents

• To provide colleagues with useful feedback on their work.