CHAPTER 14

THE JOB SEARCH, RÉSUMÉS, AND COVER

LETTERS

LECTURE NOTES AND TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

SYNOPSIS
In Chapter 14 students learn to prepare for employment, create a customized résumé along
with a persuasive cover letter, and negotiate today’s increasingly common electronic resources
for job seekers. The chapter takes students through the necessary career communication steps,
from self-assessment and electronic job searching to current résumé conventions. They will be
able to produce application documents that will lead to an interview and potentially to
subsequent advancement.

The chapter presents the two main types of résumés: chronological (traditional) and
functional. It also provides guidelines on how to organize, format, and produce a compelling
résumé. To meet the needs of the digital workplace, students learn to optimize their résumés
for today’s technologies, including techniques for preparing a scannable résumé, an e-mail
résumé, an e-portfolio, and a video résumé.

Finally, students study methods for composing effective cover letters. This chapter contains
some of the most important topics in the business communication course and deserves ample
class time. Even if your school offers employment communication in another course, students
will benefit from reading this chapter and the following chapter on interviewing.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Prepare for employment by identifying your interests, evaluating your assets, recognizing
the changing nature of jobs, and choosing a career path.
 Apply both electronic and traditional techniques in a successful job search.
 Compare and contrast chronological and functional résumés.
 Organize and format the parts of a résumé to produce a persuasive product.
 Identify techniques that prepare a résumé for today’s technologies, including preparing a
scannable résumé, a plain-text résumé, and an e-portfolio.
 Write a persuasive cover letter to accompany your résumé.

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WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
 Revised this important chapter to reflect the latest trends in employment communication
to provide students with the most current job search techniques.
 Inserted a new section discussing safe online job searching strategies to present to
students the most up-to-date information about the risks of Web-based job hunting.
 Created relevant job-search assignments that encourage students to use social networking
sites such as Twitter to seek employment opportunities.
 Concentrated the presentation of résumés in an attractive Résumé Gallery allowing
readers to study various formats at one glance.
 Updated the discussion of job boards and other employment sites to show the most
significant changes and most promising online job-search options.
 Boosted the coverage of e-portfolios and video résumés to address constantly evolving
job search resources.
 Provided 100 percent new critical-thinking and chapter-review questions to aid students’
understanding of the complexities inherent in the job-search process.
 Devised a brand new Editing Challenge addressing problems with capitalization, number
usage, punctuation, spelling, proofreading, and more.
 Added a new Grammar/Mechanics Checkup focusing on number style to give students
the opportunity to apply their knowledge of various grammar and mechanics principles.

LECTURE NOTES

I. Preparing for a Successful Job Search

The job market is highly competitive. In order to stand out from your competition, you
need to know how to locate available positions and how to prepare persuasive résumés
and cover letters. This chapter provides a wealth of information that will help you land
your dream job.

Figure 14.1 – The Employment Search

A. Identifying Your Interests and Goals

 What are you passionate about? Can you turn this passion into a career?
 Do you enjoy working with people, data, or things?
 Would you like to work for someone else or be your own boss?
 How important are salary, benefits, technology support, and job stability?
 How important are working environment, colleagues, and job stimulation?
 Would you rather work for a large or a small company?
 Must you work in a specific city, geographical area, or climate?
 Are you looking for security, travel opportunities, money, power, or prestige?
 How would you describe the perfect job, boss, and coworkers?

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 B. Evaluating Your Qualifications
 What technology skills can you offer?
 What other skills have you acquired in school, on the job, or through activities?
 Do you work well with people? Do you enjoy teamwork?
 Are you a leader, self-starter, or manager?
 Do you speak, write, or understand another language?
 Do you learn quickly? Are you creative?
 Do you communicate well in speech and in writing?
 What are the unique qualifications you can offer that will make you stand out
among other candidates?

C. Recognizing Employment Trends in Today’s Workplace

 Companies are employing fewer people in permanent positions.
 Small companies employ over half of all private sector employees.
 Don’t plan on a lifelong career with a single company.
 Don’t count on regular pay raises, promotions, and a comfortable retirement
income.
 You will need updated, marketable skills that serve you well as you move from
job to job.
 People who learn quickly and adapt to change will always be in demand.

D. Choosing a Career Path

 Visit your campus career center.
 Search the Web.
 Use your library.
 Take a summer job, internship, or part-time position in your field.
 Interview someone in your chosen field.
 Volunteer with a nonprofit organization.
 Monitor the classified ads.
 Join professional organizations in your field.

Figure 14.2 – Using the Web to Search for a Job

II. Conducting a Successful Job Search

A. Searching for a Job Online

 Use the big job boards (CareerBuilder, Monster, CollegeGrad, CareerJournal)
 Look beyond the big boards to company Web sites, professional organization
sites, local employment sites, niche sites, and social media sites.

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 Safe Online Job Hunting
 Use reputable sites.
 Be selective.
 Use a dedicated e-mail address.
 Limit personal information.
 Post privately.
 Count the days.
 Keep careful records.
 Protect your references.
 Don’t respond to a “blind” job posting.

B. Searching for a Job Using Traditional Techniques

 Check classified ads.
 Check announcements in publications of professional organizations.
 Contact companies directly.
 Sign up for campus interviews.
 Attend career fairs.
 Ask for advice from instructors.
 Develop your own network of contacts.

LET’S DISCUSS: Who is in your network? How can you build your professional
network right now?

Students should be able to come up with a variety of possible network contacts: current
and former employers, teachers, work colleagues, club advisors, and so on. Students can
build their professional networks now by joining campus clubs, becoming student
members of professional organizations, getting to know their professors and attending
campus and community events.

III. Creating a Customized Résumé

Constructing a customized résumé is an important activity in the job search. You will
be expected to have copies of your résumés available to give to employers when
searching for a job and during job interviews. Today’s résumés should be tailored to
match specific positions.

A. Choosing a Résumé Style

 Chronological: Focuses on job history with most recent positions listed first
 Functional: Focuses on skills

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 B. Deciding on Length
 Make your résumé as long as needed to sell your skills to recruiters and hiring
managers.
 One-page résumé—when you have fewer than ten years of experience, are
making a career change, or have had only one or two employers.
 Two-page résumé—when you have more than ten years of experience.
 Three pages or more—when you are a senior-level manager or executive or you
have a lengthy history of major accomplishments.

IV. Organizing Your Information Into Effective Résumé Categories

A. Main Heading
List your name, address, phone, and e-mail address.

B. Career Objective
Include a career objective for a targeted job.
Ideally, name job title, area of specialization, and type of company.

C. Summary of Qualifications
Present your most impressive skills and accomplishments in a concise list.

D. Education
Name your degree, date of graduation, and institution.
List your major and GPA.
Give information about your studies, but don’t inventory all your courses.

E. Work Experience or Employment History

If your work experience is significant and relevant to the position sought, place this
section before education.
Start with the most recent jobs. Include employer’s name and city, dates of
employment (month, year), and most significant title.
Use action verbs to summarize achievements and skills relevant to your targeted job.
Give evidence of communication, management, and interpersonal skills.
Employers want more than empty assurances. Try to quantify your skills.

Figure 14.3 – Action Verbs for Powerful Résumés

Figure 14.4 – Use Action Verbs in Statements That Quantify Achievements

F. Capabilities and Skills

Emphasize your proficiency with the Internet, software programs, office
equipment, and communication technology tools.
Describe skills you have acquired through training and experience.
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 Highlight exceptional aptitudes, such as working well under stress or interacting
with customers.
Highlight those talents that are relevant to your targeted job.

G. Awards, Honors, Activities

If you have three or more awards or honors, highlight them by listing them under a
separate heading.
If you don’t, put them with activities or in the education or work experience
section, if appropriate.
Include school, community, volunteer, and professional activities.
List awards and extracurricular activities, especially if they demonstrate leadership,
teamwork, reliability, loyalty, initiative, efficiency, and self-sufficiency.

H. Personal Data
Employers are legally barred from asking personal data, such as birth date, health,
and marital status. Therefore, omit such items from your résumé.
You can include hobbies or interests that might grab the recruiter’s attention or
serve as conversation starters.

I. References
Listing references directly on your résumé takes up valuable space.
Instead, most recruiters prefer that you bring to the interview a list of individuals
willing to discuss your qualifications.
The best references are instructors, your current employer or previous employers,
colleagues or subordinates, and other professional contacts.

Figure 14.5 – Sample Reference List

Figure 14.6 – 14.10 – Résumé Gallery

V. Optimizing Your Résumé for Today’s Technologies

Today’s communication technologies have changed the way we submit résumés to
employers. Many employers now prefer that résumés be submitted via e-mail or
online, and some employers use software to scan résumés. Therefore, job seekers
should know how to prepare résumés formatted in a variety of ways to satisfy
technological requirements.

A. Designing a Print-Based Résumé

 Print-based résumés (presentation résumés) are attractively formatted to
maximize readability.
 Create your own original résumés that fit your unique qualifications.

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  Use a print-based résumé (1) when you are competing for a job that does not
require electronic submission; (2) to present in addition to an electronic
submission; and (3) to bring with you to job interviews.

B. Preparing a Scannable Résumé

 Use 10- to 14-point type.
 Avoid unusual typefaces, underlining, and italics.
 Be sure your name is on the first line.
 List each phone number on its own line.
 Avoid double columns.
 Use smooth white paper and black ink. Print on a quality printer.
 Don’t fold or staple your résumé.

Figure 14.11 – Scannable Résumé

Tips for Maximizing “Hits”

 Focus on specific keywords or keyword phrases.
 Use accurate names.
 Be careful of abbreviations and acronyms.
 Describe interpersonal traits and attitudes.

C. Showcasing Your Qualifications in an E-Portfolio or a Video Resume

Understanding the E-portfolio

 An e-portfolio is a collection of digital files that can be navigated with the help
of menus and hyperlinks much like a personal Web site.
 E-portfolios may also be burned onto CDs and DVDs to be mailed to
prospective employers.
 An e-portfolio may include a copy of your résumé, reference letters, special
achievements, awards, certificates, work samples, a complete list of your
courses, and other information that will tout your accomplishments.

Understanding the Video Résumé

 Video résumés are most appropriate for positions requiring creativity,
salesmanship, and presentation skills in the visual and performing arts,
advertising, and public relations fields.
 Some recruiters are skeptical about digital or video portfolios because they fear
that such applications take more time to view than paper-based résumés do.

VI. Ensuring Integrity and Polishing Your Résumé

Once you’ve designed your résumé, it’s time to apply the finishing touches to make sure it
looks and sounds professional. Above all, your résumé must be honest and ethical.
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 A. Being Honest and Ethical
 Do not inflate your education, grades, or honors.
 Do not enhance job titles.
 Do not puff up accomplishments.
 Do not alter employment dates.
 Do not insert invisible keywords in your electronic résumés because they may
be detected and your résumé tossed out.

B. Polishing Your Résumé

 Condense information into as few headings as possible.
 Consider graphic highlighting to improve readability.
 Experiment with headings and style to achieve a pleasing, easy-to-read
message.
 Eliminate unnecessary information or any basis for discrimination (see full list
in the chapter).

C. Proofreading Your Résumé

Proofread for errors in spelling, grammar, mechanics, content, and format.

D. Submitting Your Résumé

Follow the employer’s instructions for submitting your résumé.

LET’S DISCUSS: Is it an invasion of privacy if employers use information found in social

media sites in their hiring decisions?

A University of Dayton survey revealed that 42 percent of 326 employees said they would
consider factoring a Facebook profile into their hiring decisions. Some of those employers also
said they had rescinded offers because of information and photos they had discovered online.
Stress to students that they must clean up these sites or make them private. Delete messages
from friends that are inappropriate or information that is unflattering. Remind students that
information in the public domain is fair game in the United States and may be damaging in a
hiring situation. Interestingly, the European Union has much stricter privacy protections. The
German government, for example, is considering legislation prohibiting employers from
drawing on information they may find on social media sites.

SUPPLEMENTARY LECTURE

What Turns Recruiters Off When Reading Résumés?

(not in textbook)

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 “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.”

SUPPLEMENTARY LECTURE

What Do Recruiters Consider Most Important When Reading a Résumé?

(not in textbook)

 “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.”

LET’S DISCUSS: How far back in your career history should you go on your résumé?

Yana Parker, the author of Damn Good Résumé Guide, recommends not going back more than
10 or 15 years unless you have impressive, relevant experience earlier than that.

VII. Creating a Customized, Persuasive Cover Letter

Although most job listings don’t specifically mention a cover letter, a

well-written, persuasive cover letter should accompany every résumé you send out.
Without it, your résumé may never be read.

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 A. Gaining Attention in the 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.
 Show that your qualifications fit the job specifications, show your knowledge
of the reader’s business, or show that your special talents will be assets to the
company.

Figure 14.12 – Solicited Cover Letter

Figure 14.13 – Unsolicited Cover Letter

B. Highlighting Your Strengths in the Body

 Demonstrate that your background and training meet the job requirements.
 Summarize your principal assets from education, experience, and special skills.
 Avoid repeating specific data from your résumé.
 Refer to your résumé.

C. Motivating Action in the Closing

 Ask for an interview. Consider hooking the request to a statement reviewing
your strongest points.
 Make it easy to respond. Tell when and where you can be reached (during
office hours). Some recruiters prefer that you call them.

LET’S DISCUSS: Do you think cover letters are old-fashioned?

Adobe Systems, producer of creative and multimedia software—most famously Photoshop,

Dreamweaver, Flash, and Acrobat—doesn’t think so. In fact, in one of its own surveys, Adobe
found that 60 percent of executives the company polled consider the cover letter as important as
the résumé. Not only does the cover letter help applicants highlight crucial unique skills and
work experience, but it also shows how committed they are to working for a specific employer
and how their skills can benefit the company, Adobe states in one of its educational Web
articles for job seekers. The advice by Adobe recruiters to job applicants is not to miss out on an
opportunity to market themselves and to stand out from the competition.

Source: http://www.adobe.com/education/designschools/careers/job-search-mistakes.html

D. Sending Your Application/Cover Letter

 Prepare a professional cover letter if you are sending your résumé by e-mail.
 You may use the same cover letter you would send by snail but shorten it a bit.
 Remove tabs, bullets, underlining, and italics that might be problematic.

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 Figure 14.14 – E-Mail Cover Letter

LET’S DISCUSS: How would you address your cover letter if you’re unable to find
the name of a person to send it to?

Students will probably immediately say things like “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear
Sir or Madam.” Tell them right away that they should avoid using these impersonal
salutations. Instead, one option is to omit the salutation altogether, replacing it with a
descriptive subject line. The objective is to get the letter to the right person, and a clear
subject line will do this more effectively than a vague salutation.

E. Final Tips for Successful Cover Letters

 Avoid starting an excessive number of sentences with “I.” Make activities and
outcomes, not yourself, the subjects of sentences.
 Avoid sounding self-centered, and don’t write unnaturally.
 Print your cover letter on the same quality paper as your résumé.

VIII. COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP: CAREER SKILLS

[Lecture outline; discussion guide follows]

Network Your Way to a Job in the Hidden Job Market

Traditional Networking
Step 1: Develop a list. Make a list of anyone who would be willing to talk with you
about finding a job.
Step 2: Make contacts. Call the people on your list or try to meet with them in person.
Step 3: Follow up on your referrals. Call the people whose names are on your
referral list.

Online Networking
Career networking groups. Familiarize yourself with the options available for
building your own professional network. Build a profile on LinkedIn.
Discussion groups and mailing lists. You can choose from groups and lists in a
variety of fields, including business and computer technology.
Blogs. A quick Web search will result in hundreds of career-related blogs and blogs in
your field of study
Twitter. Set up a Twitter account so you can start marketing yourself, follow
employers, and get updates from recruiters.

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Facebook. Monster.com has launched a new application, BeKnown, from within
Facebook that draws on information posted by Facebook users but helps job seekers to
separate their personal information from their professional profile.

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COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP DISCUSSION GUIDE
Network Your Way to a Job in the Hidden Job Market
Students are encouraged to conduct at least one referral interview and report on it to the class.
They are also asked to join one professional discussion group or mailing list and to find a blog
related to their career or major. Because networking is critical to employment, be sure to give
advice to students on how to network. Relate your own experiences in finding jobs. Discuss
the opportunities available when people join professional groups in their fields of interest.
Encourage students to join online groups of professionals such as LinkedIn to further expand
their network of acquaintances.

CRITICAL THINKING DISCUSSION GUIDE

1. In regard to hiring, conventional wisdom holds that it’s all about whom you know.
How can job candidates find an insider to refer them for a job opening?

Big companies are increasingly turning to their own employees to find candidates for job
openings. For example, in a recent year at Prudential, employee referrals resulted in 48
percent of all new-hires. [See Orgel, M. (February 10, 2010). Job seekers aided by
employee referral programs. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from
http://online.wsj .com] Job candidates can increase their opportunities by joining social
networking sites, using online alumni databases, and joining professional organizations.

2. Why is searching for a job both exhilarating and intimidating? How can you
overcome feelings of intimidation?

Searching for a job is exhilarating because of all the wonderful possibilities. You feel
excited and invigorated because a new world may be opening up to you—new friends,
new rewards, new challenges, new avenues for success. However, you can also feel
intimidated because of fear of intense competition, poor performance, or rejection. You
may feel that you will be misunderstood or that you simply are not good enough. Job
searching is indeed intimidating, but knowing what to expect and preparing 110 percent
can improve your confidence immensely.

5. Ethical Issue: Job candidate Karen is an older job seeker who is worried that her age
will hurt her during her job search. While preparing her résumé, she has decided to
omit the year she graduated from college and to leave off several positions she held
earlier in her career so that she will appear younger to recruiters. Is what she is
doing unethical?

Although gaps in employment history can generally thwart a job applicant’s prospects,
most recruiters want to see the complete work experience of the last ten years, not a
lifetime’s worth of positions held. Increasingly, workers are forced to “job hop” because

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 companies lay off employees, whole industries disappear, and jobs are outsourced
overseas. Applicants will not list every short-term job they held.

Most experts advise older workers to omit revealing features that could tip off the hiring
manager about the candidate’s age before they meet for the actual interview. Listing
relevant positions held and focusing on the last ten years or so will boost the older job
seeker’s chances, and omitting telltale information is not unethical. This doesn’t mean,
however, that job seekers may cover up significant gaps in their employment history,
which would clearly be unethical.

ACTIVITIES AND CASES

14.1 Revising Heather’s Résumé. The résumé of Heather L. Martinez suffers from the
following weaknesses:
a. Fails to provide a professional e-mail address.
b. Reveals sloppy formatting with headings that are poorly spaced and lack parallel form.
c. Presents information in wordy, dense paragraphs reducing readability.
d. Fails to organize experience chronologically and with easily recognizable job titles, dates
of employment, and accomplishments.
e. Includes high school reference, which should be omitted.
f. Does not emphasize computer skills.
g. Looks unprofessional and slapdash.

Revision: Solution revision available as a transparency master later in this manual.

14.2 Revising Heather’s Cover Letter. The cover letter of Heather L. Martinez suffers from
the following weaknesses:
a. Fails to use the receiver’s name in the salutation.
b. Neglects to identify the position title and specifically where the announcement appeared.
c. Fails to back up assertions with evidence of qualifications.
d. Offers little to show how the writer’s qualifications fill the internship requirements.
e. Fails to promote the writer’s experience and special skills.
f. Overworks the pronoun I; begins nearly every sentence begins with I.
g. Fails to refer to her résumé, and does not request an interview.
h. Does not make it easy for the reader to respond.

Revision: Solution revision available as transparency master.

14.3 Evaluating Your Qualifications. Be sure to have students prepare these worksheets.
They may resist, but with your encouragement and insistence, they will do a good job. You
may wish to divide students into groups of three or four to discuss the results. Collect their
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sheets and give some kind of credit for completing the work. This exercise should be one part
of their total employment communication score.

14.4 Searching the Job Market. This activity prepares students to write a customized résumé
instead of a generic one. A résumé written for a specified job is much easier to write and
evaluate than a generic one. Naturally, you will encourage your students to select
advertisements describing jobs for which they could reasonably qualify now or when they
graduate.

14.5 Writing Your Résumé. This activity will allow students to prepare a persuasive,
customized résumé and a list of references. When students submit these documents to you,
they should attach the job listing so that you can ensure that the résumé is targeted. These
documents can then be used by students as models as they begin a job search. Also consider
having students exchange résumés so that they can give each other feedback and get résumé
preparation ideas from others.

14.6 Preparing Your Cover Letter. For this activity students will prepare a cover letter to
accompany the résumé they prepared for Activity 13.9. The cover letter should be specifically
targeted toward the company and position. Students can also learn much from reading the
cover letters of others in the class; therefore, consider having students exchange cover letters.

114.7 Using Social Media in the Job Search. Social media sites are changing the job search
process. This exciting activity will allow students to learn how both employers and employees
use these sites. Encourage students to share their findings with their classmates.

14.8 E-Portfolios: Job Hunting in the Twenty-First Century. Answers will vary. Students
will see highly polished, professional-looking digital portfolios on the one hand and attempts
bordering on amateurish work on the other. They will turn up a host of different designs and
color schemes—as varied as the Web itself. Most e-portfolios resemble multilevel Web sites
or blogs. As for instructions, resources abound. The CET site at USC is rich in interesting
links and references. This group project could be expanded to include the preparation of
students’ e-mail portfolios if your college or university provides the appropriate server space.

VIDEO RESOURCES

Video Library 1: The Job Search

This video can be found on the Premium Website.

WORKPLACE IN FOCUS

Page 395
Career-advice books are powerful resources for job seekers. HK Careers.Com generally
provides career tips and tips on improving job search techniques, writing resume, and updating
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interview skills. Choosing the right career is a challenging task that requires knowing
yourself, knowing the job market, and knowing the employment process. The search begins
with a self-examination in which job hunters identify their abilities, interests, goals, and
qualifications. Once an individual has assessed his or her professional abilities and aligned
them with specific jobs that require those talents, the person is ready to create a résumé and
prepare for interviews.

Page 418

The advancement of social media has revolutionized the way people communicate. The
wireless technologies connect people and spread news much faster and wider than we ever
imagined. The lines between personal and professional personas have merged into an
indistinguishable haze of likes, links, and posts, making transparency an everyday issue.
In this digital era, to make the best hiring decision, employers not only look at the resume
submitted by the applicant, but also surf social media to review the candidate’s personal social
networking sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn to learn more about the background of the
applicants and employees.

While social media can be a powerful means and valuable tool to job hunters, it may also
bring unexpected risks. It is advisable that one should always check your own social media
sites and clean up digital dirt periodically. Leaving the trail of the digital dirt may back fire if
you do not take proper care.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
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