cover letter and resume

EMPLOYMENT MATERIALS ASSIGNMENT

This assignment requires you to prepare the materials associated with seeking employment:  a resume and a job application or ‘cover’ letter.  You must research and find an open position that you have an interest in applying for, and then prepare the materials necessary to apply for it.

Note:  the key to this assignment is writing documents that persuasively and effectively apply for the position you have attached.  Try to address the specific requirements for the position described in the ad, including use of keywords—let the job ad be your guide.

 

These three things must be turned in to complete the assignment, in “hard copy” (paper) versions:

1. Job Ad: The first step is find an open position.  This can also be an internship, paid or not, but not an application for admission to an educational institution (eg.a graduate program).  Research available openings that are of interest to you in either the print media (eg. the Los Angeles Times classified ads) or electronic media.  You may also use a posted position from your current workplace or from a company or organization website.  The job ad must be attached to your submission:  Print out a copy of the entire posting, including all job requirements, if it is an electronic posting, or attach a copy of the print ad (note that if it is a small ad, a blow-up is appreciated).   As should always be the case in applying for a job, your resume and cover letter must be customized specifically for this particular position.

2. Job Application (or “Cover”) Letter: Write a business letter applying for this position, using the models of solicited application letters from the slides and Ch. 7 of the text as your guide  Of course, this letter must be in proper business letter format.  The letter must address the specific requirements of the position described in the job ad you submit.

Note that you need not follow the format of the text example.  If you do, and you have relevant job experience, lead with “Experience” first, and then “Education.”  Regardless, if you have job experience relevant to the position you’re applying for, you should always lead with that.

3. Resume: You may submit either a skills (aka “functional” per the text) or chronological resume that applies for the position you have attached.  Do not submit a ‘scannable’ resume, as I want to see all your formatting choices.  You may use the models from the text, or other standard formats (such as the many templates you can find easily on the web);  the Career Development Center on campus also has models you can use (and provides other services that may be useful as well.)  Formatting is really your creation;  content-wise, you want to include the items normally common to all resumes (and which you can find on the class slides, in the text or on other models, such as from the CDC).  If you are using an old resume, please be sure to update it.  Again, the key is to customize your resume to the particular requirements of the job you are applying for.