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LESSON Resume Writing and

Job Applications

15
RESUME WRITING AND JOB APPLICATIONS

CONTENTS
15.0 Aims and Objectives
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Career Planning
15.2.1 Steps in Career Planning Process
15.2.2 Advice on Career Planning
15.3 Preparing Resume/CV
15.3.1 Relationship between Resume and Covering Letter
15.3.2 Categories of Information in the CV
15.3.3 Format of a Resume/CV
15.3.4 Length of the CV
15.4 Job Applications
15.4.1 Important Points with Regard to Job Applications
15.4.2 Techniques for Writing Successful Job Applications
15.5 Let us Sum up
15.6 Lesson End Activity
15.7 Keywords
15.8 Questions for Discussion
15.9 Suggested Readings

15.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

After studying this lesson, you will be able to:
 Discuss the steps in career planning
 Prepare your resume
 Write a job application letter

15.1 INTRODUCTION
Written and oral communication related to employment is the first official
communication that one might have to undertake. The job application is the first step
in the career of a person. Time and care must be given to the preparation of job
application. A job application is an offer of service. It must show the prospective
employer that your services are worth employing. It must inform about your
qualifications and persuade him that you are a desirable employee.
254 In case, resumes are solicited directly by the employers, one need not write a job
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application (covering letter), as the bio-data would be sufficient in this case. In some
other cases, the employing firms have their own forms to be filled up by the
candidates. In other cases, when the prospective candidates are applying for jobs on
their own, usually a covering letter, along with the resume, is sent to the company.
Writing a bio-data is the first step. The candidates need to be career-oriented. One
needs to make a careful self-assessment and find out what one is good at, and what
one likes doing and take stock of all that, you have done and can do in life.
The bio-data (also called resume or CV) and the covering letter, which goes with it,
together make-up the job application. The letter makes certain claims about the
applicant’s abilities, traits, and beliefs offers to add value to the prospective
employer’s organization. The bio-data provides the credibility needed to support the
claims by giving details of education (qualifications), experience, personal details and
references.

15.2 CAREER PLANNING

An individual needs to plan his career efficiently. A resume serves as the first step of
your career. A career is the work a person does. Another definition of a career is the
sequence of jobs that an individual has held throughout his or her working life.
“Career Planning” therefore embraces a person’s entire life—the spiritual, social,
educational and vocational. Career Planning is the life-long process a person goes
through to learn about himself (his purpose, personality, interests, skills and talents)
develop a self-concept, learn about careers, and work situations and then make a
career choice based on information gathered while developing coping and social
skills. It also includes the skills
It is the sequence of jobs that an individual has held throughout his or her working
life. For example, during the course of a career, a person may have held several jobs in
the occupation of nursing. One job may have been that of a surgical nurse. Each
surgical nurse in a hospital holds a particular position that consists of several related
duties. These duties might include preparing the operating room for surgery and
monitoring the patient’s vital signs during surgery. The duty of preparing the
operating room for surgery could include several tasks, such as sterilizing surgical
instruments, checking monitoring instruments to ensure that they are working
properly, and obtaining supplies of blood.
The task of career planning is quite a laborious one and it requires systematic planning
of every step and a calculated execution. Take the onus of planning your own career.
One might seek the services of a career development professional to help facilitate his
or her journey through this process. Whether or not you choose to work with a
professional, or work through the process on your own is less important than the
amount of thought and energy you put into choosing a career.

15.2.1 Steps in Career Planning Process

Career planning involves the following steps:
1. Self Assessment: The first and foremost step in career planning is to know and
assess yourself. You need to collect information about yourself while deciding
about a particular career option. You must analyze your values interests, abilities,
aptitudes, desired lifestyle, and personal traits and then study the relationship
between the career opted for and self. Gather information about yourself.
2. Goal Setting: Set your goals according to your academic qualification, work 255
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experience, priorities and expectations in life. Once your goal is identified, then Job Applications
you determine the feasible ways and objectives how to realize it.
3. Academic/Career Options: Narrow your general occupational direction to a
particular one by an informatory decision making process. Analyze the career
option by keeping in mind your present educational qualification and what more
academic degrees you need to acquire for it. Explore the occupations in which you
are interested. Research the industries in which you would like to work.
4. Plan of Action: Recognize those industries and particular companies where you
want to get into. Make the plan a detailed one so that you can determine for how
many years you are going to work in a company in order to achieve maximum
success and then switch to another. Decide where you would like to see yourself
after five years and in which position. Explore alternatives and choose both a short
term and a long term options.
5. Catch Hold of Opportunities: Whenever you get any opportunity to prove
yourself and get into your desired career, try to convert it in every way for suiting
your purpose. A successful professional is also quite opportunistic in his moves,
examining every opening to turn to his favor.

15.2.2 Advice on Career Planning

 Try not to waste too much time and wait too long between career planning
sessions.
 Don't ever judge and analyze yourself, like your likes and dislikes, abilities, etc.
by listening to what people around you say. Be your best judge.
 Be open to constructive criticisms.
The major focus of Career Planning should be on matching personal goals and
opportunities that are realistically available. A ‘Career path’ is a flexible line of
movement through which an employee may move during employment with an
organization. One can think of career planning as building bridges from one’s current
job/career to next job/career. Without the bridge, one may easily stumble or lose
direction, but with the bridge there is safety and direction.

15.3 PREPARING RESUME/CV

A resume is known by several names like CV (curriculum-vitae) personal profile,
bio-data, personal data sheet, qualification sheet, and summary. In practice, it is a
written statement of your personal history-biographical details, educational
qualifications, work-experience, achievements, and other strong points, that make you
suitable for getting selected for a job.
A resume is usually attached to an application letter. It is, therefore, read only after the
application letter, but it is something you should prepare first.
Bio-data or resume is the most important document in the job seeking process. It is the
first introduction of the candidate to the employer, and explains the candidate’s
background. It should be interesting and prepared well. In short, a CV/resume is a self
introduction to promote yourself. To be able to sell yourself successfully, you need to
know how to prepare a good resume.
The bio-data gives credibility to the claims made in the covering letter. Write it with
focus on the prospective employer’s needs. It is not the story of your past
achievements or a list of what you have learnt and done. Your past is the source
256 material for the bio-data and it must tell what you can do and will do for the
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employer’s benefit.
As a normal practice, people keep their resumes written in advance. They, then, just
mail a copy of their CV along with the application letter. This is perhaps not the best
practice to apply for a job. The secret of writing a good resume lies in its ability to
project you as the most suitable candidate for a particular job. It is advisable to modify
the bio-data for every new job; it should emphasize the details, so as to support the
claims you make in the covering letter for the job.
Therefore, the first thing you should know about writing a CV is that, it should be
written specifically in terms of the job’s requirements. The basic question you should
consider while preparing your CV/resume is what qualification experience or
achievement should you highlight for a particular position. For example, if you have
the experience of working as an HR executive and a marketing manager, and if you
want to apply for a position in the HR division, you will highlight your HR
experience. The marketing experience will be shown as an additional experience.
The following questions will help you to focus on the employer’s needs before writing
your bio-data.
1. What does the employer (the employing organization) want?
2. How will the work that I can do, relate to the employer’s objective?
3. What does the employer expect from an employee in this position?
4. What benefit can I offer in addition to what the employer would find desirable?
5. What qualities and traits would describe a person that the employer would find
desirable?
When you have answered these questions, you will be able to organize the details of
your bio-data. A bio-data is organized under separate headings. Tabulation permits the
orderly presentation of the varied items of information which have to be included in
the bio-data.
The whole idea underlines the arrangement of the CV, and emphasizes your strengths.
In a long resume the details regarding each point, increases significantly. Though,
basic points remain the same.

15.3.1 Relationship between Resume and Covering Letter

The resume and application letter perform two separate functions.
The resume briefly communicates all relevant and important biographical information
about an applicant and the letter interprets the information.
For example, as an applicant, you summarize all relevant information about yourself
in the resume. Then, you select the most important facts from the resume and use
those facts in the letter to show how you are most suited to do what the employer
wants to be done.
The resume and application letter cannot be combined into a single document. You
cannot leave out the resume and just write a long and detailed application letter giving
personal details. Your prospective employer will find it, time consuming to locate the
particular information desired for consideration of your case in a long letter.
A resume presents information in a numbered sequence. It also makes use of tables to
highlight details of educational qualifications, work experience, and so on. The reader
finds it easy to relate to details placed in a matrix form. For instance, you do not write
complete sentences to mention your name, age, date of birth, parent’s name, and
nationality, and so on. You do not write: “My name is ABC” or my age 24 years”. 257
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Instead you just format the information in a simple, clear and attractive way. Job Applications

Example
1. Name A.B.C.
2. Age 24 years
3. Nationality Indian
And so on.

15.3.2 Categories of Information in the CV

The information in a Resume is classified under four headings:
1. Personal Details
2. Education
3. Experience
4. References

Personal Details/Data
This section gives the following information:
 Name: Name is written in the order of first name, middle name, and surname.
Keep to this order unless the company’s application form requires the surname
first.
 Address: House Number, Street Number and Name, Area, City, State along with
pin code number.
 Telephone Number: Number along with STD Code.
 E-mail ID: In recent times, everyone prefers to keep in touch through emails.
 Date of Birth: Date of birth must give date, month (spelt in full), year in full, as
in: 8thAugust, 2006.
 Height and Weight: May not be required for every kind of job, but in some jobs
like that of Airlines, Military, etc., this may be an important requirement. Height
and weight should be given in ‘cms.’ and ‘kgs.’
 Marital Status: Married/Single/Divorced/Separated.
 Mother Tongue: Hindi/English/any other language.
 Other Languages Known: The item “other language known” can be made
interesting and informative by indicating the extent of skill in each, e.g.,
Gujarati – can speak; Marathi – can read and speak.
 Interests and Hobbies: Should be such that are relevant to the job or give a
positive picture about the personality of the applicant and highlight abilities and
traits developed through hobbies.
 Participation in Sports: And such other details.
 Applicants for Overseas: Jobs should include nationality, passport number and
foreign language known.
 Personality Traits/Strengths: The major characteristics in the personality of the
applicant and his strengths, which make him suitable for the job, should be
highlighted. Such traits like consistency, patience, etc., are likeable by one and all.
258  Career Objective: This should be a highly focused statement related to the goals
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of one’s career, commensurate to the goal of the organization.
Honesty should be maintained while giving details about oneself.

Education
This section gives a complete record of academic qualifications and achievements. All
details of institutions attended, degrees/diplomas obtained, scores/grades obtained,
name of examining body, special subjects, etc., should be kept in mind. Include those
details which are relevant to the job you are applying for. Select the details so as to
support the claims you make in the covering letter.
For example, include names of institutions attended, if you wish to stress the quality
of education and training received at reputed institutions.
The order of the details depends upon their importance and relevance to the claims
made in the covering letter. Give names of institutions first if you intend to stress the
point in the letter. If you intend to capitalize on specialization in a highly valued field,
state the subjects first. If you have an excellent academic record, you would prefer to
give the grades/scores first.
We often feel confused when we have to mention our educational qualifications.
Should we begin from the school and end with the graduate, post-graduate
qualifications? The chronological order may not be very impressive. The highest
qualification is the most important qualification. It should be therefore emphasized by
placing it first. And then go downwards unto the school level qualification.
If you have been securing positions and distinctions at various levels, you should
create a separate column for mentioning them along with columns for other related
details of degrees, such as year, university, college and subjects.
Further information to be included in this section can be given under three headings:
1. Awards, Prizes and Scholarship: With details, mention the achievement or
performance for which it was won, the year in which it was won and the number
of competitors, and name of the organization that awarded it.
2. Participation in Co-curricular Activities: Like study circles, workshops,
seminars, or project work, points out your intellectual interests and development.
Skills which cannot be developed in the classroom are developed in these
activities. Give details of dates, organizers, subjects, etc.
3. Participation in Sports and Cultural Activities: In school and college reveals
your range of interests. It also supports a claim that you have team work skills,
inter personal skills and organizational skills.
Inclusion of items and the details of the items depend on their relevance to what
you say in the covering letter. The information must be narrated so as to support
any claims of ability and traits that you make in the letter.
4. Projects: Done as part of any course or those undertaken independently, add a
great deal to your bio-data. Give details of the project, such as its full title, the
company for which it was done, coverage, conclusions, and how it was received.
Young graduates applying for their first job should emphasize their project work,
because it comes nearest to actual experience of work.

Experience
It is very important to choose from your total experience that which best meets the job
requirements. We just indicate nature of experience gained from each position. When
you write about experience, mention the present position first as also previous posts in 259
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reverse order. Job Applications
Include the following details in this section:
 Company’s name.
 Position held (job title).
 The period of the time for which the job was done (dates of joining and of
leaving).
 Give a brief description of duties or nature of work or tasks done on the job; this
should demonstrate qualities and traits claimed in the letter.
 Highlight any special achievements (like record of reaching targets before time).
In work experience, you should include your total experience, part-time as well as
full-time, if your experience is not very long. But, in case you have been working for
long, you should not include part-time work experience.

Never Write ‘No Experience’

As a fresh graduate, you may have little opportunity to acquire professional work
experience. But every graduate student gains some experience by organizing
functions, running clubs, associations, societies, or managing events, undertaking
visits to industries and so on. Young applicants, in the early stages of their career can
include voluntary work done for clubs, associations or charitable organizations,
vacation jobs or any other informal experience. All such exposures form a fresh
graduate’s “experience.” You must demonstrate that the experience has added to your
ability to be useful to the prospective employer.
Students who have earned while they learned, should mention the total amount, they
could thus manage to get for their education in their resume as their experience.

References
References are supplied for verification of facts, which one has presented on the
resume, or for additional information. A prospective employer would like to verify the
claims made in the letter. Besides, an objective assessment of your personality can be
obtained from persons who have observed you in different roles.
Usually references fall into three main categories:
 Educational References: Like a teacher who can respond to questions like
scholarly achievements.
 Professional References: Like an employer who can speak about the professional
competence of the candidate.
 Character Reference: Like a friend of the family, with a high social/professional
status who can tell about the intelligence, diligence and honesty of the candidate.
The three references know you from different angles: academic aptitude, working
habits and efficiency, personal character and family background.
The name, title, complete business address, email address and telephone number of the
references must be given; it is preferable to indicate their social relationship to
yourself. You must take permission from the references to give their names. They
might appreciate having a copy of the bio-data and some details of the job(s) applied
for.
260 What references say about the applicant will have a great impact on his evaluation.
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Some potential employers may not even contact the references, as they expect that the
persons mentioned as references will anyways support the applicant. It is customary,
nowadays, to state that references will be supplied on request. This means that the
candidate will produce letters of reference if the prospective employer asks for them.
Check Your Progress 1
Fill in the blanks:
1. The very first step in career planning is to assess …………………..
2. ……………… is a flexible path through which an employee may move
during his employment.
3. ……………… be a highly focused statement related to the goals of one’s
career, commensurate to the goal of the organization.
4. Names of friends of high reputation are given for ……………. reference.

15.3.3 Format of a Resume/CV

The conventional method is to begin with personal details and end with references.
But a more practical method followed these days is to begin with the category which
needs to be emphasized most. Suppose, you have little work experience but a good
education profile then you should begin with education which is your strong point that
needs to be emphasized. Personal details will then appear as the last category, to be
placed before references. This presentation of information meets the employer’s
requirements. Your employer will be more interested in your qualifications and
experience than in your biographical details. The category of references includes
names of at least two persons with their full contact addresses. They are expected to
honestly speak about you and your work as your teacher, or previous employer. They
should not be your relatives. Sometimes, under references one writes, “References to
be given on request.”
Suppose you have a strong work experience. Then, you should begin your resume
with work experience. And afterwards, bring in your educational qualifications.

Sequence of the CV
1. Heading: The heading should include name, address, date of birth (if age limit is
mentioned), and telephone number.
2. Objective: Mention a particular position that suits your educational qualifications
and experience. State clearly your objective in practical terms. Do not write vague
things as “I am anxious to join a challenging position in a renowned organization
where I can prove my ability.”
3. Education: Both Educational and Professional Education is to be included in
this. Begin with your most recent degree. You can however leave out school
certificates. You must include any short terms training done, or special certificate
programmes, related course work attended in addition to course work, special
projects and academic accolades here. List your specializations or major, with
grade point average.
4. Work Experience: Mention in reverse chronological order, your job experience as
a trainee or in any other form. Give the details as follows –job title, company’s
name, place, and duration of work. Briefly describe your role, responsibility, and
what you have done for each job. It is important to remember that description of
responsibilities becomes forceful by using action words, such as designed,
 prepared, developed, coordinated, supervised, and directed. Remember that your 261
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employer is not interested in reading just a record of your responsibilities. The Job Applications
employer wants to know how you performed in different positions. Write each job
detail separately in clear bold heading. Headings given in upper and lower case
are easier to read than if everything is in Capital letters.
5. Awards, Achievements and Honours: Mention all scholarships, prizes and
awards won in college. A fresher can list school awards to show that he/she has
been a meritorious student. You can include your professional prizes. Those who
are more experienced need to mention their achievements in the previous jobs,
like some successful projects handled, any targets achieved in a record time, any
special technique developed and so on.
6. Activities and Skills: Under this section, mention your college activities or other
activities/hobbies you have indulged in, which you think have helped you acquire
specific skills. Write about your hobbies if any as playing guitar, or tennis/
cricket/or any other games/indoor/outdoor. Special skills like computer skills and
languages known can be covered under this heading.
7. Personal Information: Any other personal information, besides that included in
the heading should be included here. Strengths and personality traits may be
mentioned here.
8. References: Under references, mention three names of those persons who know
you personally and can verify facts about you. Or else, you can just mention–
available on request.
Table 15.1: Example of Effectively Revised Objectives

Vague Objectives Effective Objectives

To seek a management position in the
tourism industry.
A sales position in a reputed and
growing publishing organization which
uses my education.
A challenging career in the field of
event management which offers growth
and advancement opportunities.
To obtain a junior level management
position in a tourism company which
gainfully uses my summer training and
internship experience.
Text books sales requiring an academic
background in marketing.
A position as an event manager for cultural
and social programmes that incorporates my
fluency over both and English and Hindi.

15.3.4 Length of the CV

The CV of a fresh graduate should be neither too brief nor too long. One page is
enough for it. Experienced candidates have more details under each category of
information. Their CV can be on 2 to 3 pages. Very senior and highly experienced
candidates may have lot of information to be given under each of the categories.
After several years of service, people do not list college activities. Instead, they
emphasize their membership of professional bodies and related professional activities.
Their resumes may run into several pages, may be 15 to 20 pages. There is no
prescribed length for the most senior candidates. The length is based on the need of
each candidate concerned. The resumes of experienced persons may have more
categories of information such as:
 Major qualifications
 Major achievements
 Activities and memberships
262 Persons of long experience use the strategy of beginning with a summary of
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qualifications, in place of a job objective.
Resume should be concise. It is a personal statement about your education and work
life. It is also a sales tool.

Example of a Graduate’s Resume:

SHUBANGI KAPOOR
21/A, NEW PATPARGANJ * NEW DELHI -110003
PHONE (011) 24620980/ 24692993, 9810455654
E-MAIL : shubhan@yahoo.com
JOB OBJECTIVE
To work as management trainee in an industry where my education in
management, with a major in marketing, may be developed. My ultimate
goal is to be a senior executive in marketing.
PERSONAL PROFILE
 Date of Birth: 7th August 1981
 Marital Status: Single
SPECIALIZATION
 Marketing and Sales
 Human Resource Management
EDUCATION
 Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Amity Business
School, India-2004
 Bachelor of Arts-Sociology Honors, Lady Shri Ram College (LSR),
New Delhi-2002
 Senior Secondary (XII) CBSE-Humanities, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya,
New Delhi-1999
 Higher Secondary (X) CBSE, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi-1997
SCHOLARSHIPS/AWARDS
 Shri Ram Swaroop Ahuja Award for Outstanding performance in
Sports-1998.
 Shri Jaswant S Pandaya Award for Outstanding Performance in
Athletics-1996.
INTERESTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
 President of National Sports Organization 2001-02 at Lady Shri Ram
 Award Certificate of merit for Contribution to Sports.
 Held Merit Positions in Basketball, Volleyball, Badminton, Table
Tennis and Judo.
 Won 9 medals including 7 GOLDS.
 Master of Ceremony for the following events organized by Amity
Business School.
 Alumni Meet
 Mentor Meet
Contd…
 263
 Corporate Meet Resume Writing and
Job Applications
 Acumen 2003, Organized by Business Today
PERSONAL OBJECTIVE
My desire is to create a truly competitive arena wherever I work. I want to
bring my enthusiasm and sense of confidence to the organization and to the
people I work with. My involvement in various areas of activities at college
has taught me crucial lessons on leadership and teamwork.
STRENGTHS
 Team Player
 Self Confident & Goal oriented
 Fast learner with an ability to excel.
WORK EXPERIENCE
 Worked as a trainee in Enterprise Nexus, an Ad Agency in their
Research and Planning Department.
 Conducted research for General Motors undertaken by Enterprise
Nexus
REFERENCES
 Available on request

15.4 JOB APPLICATIONS

A letter of application is to be accompanied with a resume. The letter for the job may
be solicited or unsolicited, general or specific, inherently or overtly persuasive. The
application for the job must be persuasive enough to develop a strong desire for the
potential employer to move towards action. The message must attract the employer.

15.4.1 Important Points with Regard to Job Applications

 Good quality paper is used.
 Return address is properly positioned.
 The salutation is to be made formally.
 Subject and attention lines are used if appropriate.
 Complimentary close is included.
 Enclosure note is used to acknowledge the attachments like resume and any other
enclosure.
 The mention about the resume is to be made in the body of the letter as well.
 Letterhead should not be used.
 Address is written in clear handwriting or typed so that it may reach the place
without any problem.
 The application should be written in own handwriting as far as possible.
 The letter is folded and packed properly, along with all requisite documents like
resume and proper size of envelope.
264  Each letter is written uniquely and personally to appropriate persons at the firm
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where one wishes to work.
 APCA (Abbreviations, Punctuation, Comprehension and Action) is carefully
planned and put to proper use.
 Tone, vocabulary, transition and coherence should be appropriate.

15.4.2 Techniques for Writing Successful Job Applications

 Be positive and confident, but not presumptuous or arrogant.
 Talk of key credentials to fulfill job requirements.
 Show interest in working for the organization.
 Show knowledge about the company.
 Show knowledge about the job requirements.
 Prove that one’s capabilities and experience fulfill key requirements.
 Be straightforward but polite and respectful in seeking to attend the interview.
 Compliment the organization’s reputation, but avoid unnecessary flattery.
 Write correct qualification and other details, exactly as is mentioned in the
resume.
 Avoid any negative remarks about yourself, others and the company.
 Use the letter opening to capture the attention and build interest of the reader.
 Prove through the letter that you have the strengths and capabilities to excel in the
job. Point towards your key accomplishments.
 Use the letter ending to request for the interview and stimulate action.
Effort should be made to limit the letter to one page even after including all these
points. The applicant must develop the theme. The key points should be listed and tied
together in a concise and polite form. The key to develop a successful letter is to retain
a basic honesty running through the message.
Check Your Progress 2
State whether the following statements are true or false:
1. Career objectives should be stated in practical terms.
2. Headings should always be given in uppercase.
3. It is better to write a covering letter on one’s own letterhead.
4. It is advisable to write one covering letter and send the same to multiple
organizations.

15.5 LET US SUM UP

An individual needs to plan his career efficiently. A resume serves as the first step of
your career. A career is the sequence of jobs that an individual has held throughout his
or her working life.
The bio-data (also called resume or CV) and the covering letter, which goes with it, 265
Resume Writing and
together makeup the job application. The Resume or CV is a written statement of your Job Applications
personal history-biographical details, educational qualifications, work-experience,
achievements, and other strong points that make you suitable for getting selected for a
job.
Personal Details, Education, Experience and References are the categories of
information in a CV. The format of a CV contains a Heading, Objective, Personal
details like date of birth, Education: academic and professional, Awards and
achievements, Work Experience, Activities and skills, hobbies, personality traits and
references.
A job application is an offer of service; it must show the prospective employer that
your services are worth employing.

15.6 LESSON END ACTIVITY

You are a fresh MBA graduate and want to apply for the post of management trainee
at a local bank. Write a covering letter and prepare a resume for the same.

15.7 KEYWORDS
Career: It is the sequence of jobs that an individual has held throughout his or her
working life.
Career Planning: It is the life-long process a person goes through to learn about
himself, develop a self-concept, learn about careers, and work situations and then
make a career choice based on information gathered while developing coping and
social skills.
Curriculum Vitae: It is a written description of your work experience, educational
background, and skills.
Covering Letter: A letter sent along with other documents to provide additional
information.
References: People, who can verify the facts that one has presented on the resume, or
who can be contacted for getting additional information about the candidate.

15.8 QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What do you mean by career? Discuss the steps in career planning.
2. What do you mean by Curriculum-Vitae? What things you should keep in mind
while writing your CV?
3. What are the key elements of a CV?
4. “Your resume reflects your personality”. Do you agree with the statement? Justify
your answer
5. What kind of information should one put in his/her CV? Why should a candidate
write ‘no experience’ in his/her CV?
6. Explain the desirable contents of a CV in the sequence as they are written.
266 Check Your Progress: Model Answers
Corporate Communication

CYP 1
1. Yourself
2. Career path
3. Career objectives
4. Character

CYP 2
1. True
2. False
3. False
4. False

15.9 SUGGESTED READINGS

Sehgal M.K., Khetarpal, Vandana, Business Communication, Excel Books.
Urmila Rai and S.M. Rai, Business Communication, Himalaya Publishing House.
P.D. Chaturvedi, Mukesh Chaturvedi, Business Communication: Concepts, Cases and
Applications, Pearson Education.
Bowman, Joel and Branchaw, Business Communication: From Process to Product,
Dryden Press.
Courtland Bovee and John Thill, Business Communication Today, Random House,
New York.