Strategies in the Job-Search Process Chapter Nine Business Communication Raymond V. Lesikar Marie E. Flatley Kathryn Rentz.

Strategies in the Job-Search Process

Chapter Nine

Business Communication

Raymond V. LesikarMarie E. FlatleyKathryn Rentz

STEPS IN THE JOB SEARCH PROCESS

Build a network of contacts

Identify appropriate jobs

Find your employer

Prepare the application documents

Continue job search activities

9-2 Copyright © McGraw Hill Irwin, 2015

Building a Network of Contacts

Begin the job search by building a network of contacts

Broaden your circle of friends Know your professors Meet executives Make contacts through internships Work with community organizations


Identifying Appropriate Jobs

Look at both internal and external factors Internal factors are used to analyze yourself

• Education, personal qualities, work experience, special qualities like languages, communications skills etc

External factors are current and projected job market, economic needs, location preferences, and family needs

Combine internal and external factors


Identifying Appropriate Jobs

External factors are related to:• Where is the job you are seeking available?

• Are you willing to move?

• Does the location meet your lifestyle needs?


Finding Your Employer

Search potential employers by using the following sources:

Career Centers (School career centers) Network of Personal Contacts Classified Advertisements Online Sources Employment Agencies Personal Search Agents Web Page Profiles Prospecting techniques (direct contact)


Pursue job openings by personal visit, online, mail, email, or fax

You are most likely to use resume, cover message, and reference sheet in job search

Prepare them as you would prepare a sales mailing

Study the product (you) and the work

Then decide on whether to send a message alone or with a resume

PREPARING THE APPLICATION DOCUMENTS


Decide whether to use a print or a digital format

Use traditional print in face-to-face interviews Use digital format when sending application by

e-mail or posting it via the Web

Decide on the length of resume Make your résumé as long as needed to sell

your skills to employers

Arrange the parts of your resume fitting the specific job you are applying for

CONSTRUCTING THE RESUME


WHAT IS A RESUME?

A resume is a personal summary of your professional history and qualifications

It includes information about your career goals, education, work experience, activities, honors, and any special skills you might have

Three types of resume are:• Traditional Résumé

• Scannable Résumé

• Plain-Text Résumé for E-Mailing


Creating Successful Résumés

Your résumé should convey the seven qualities employers seek in a candidate:

Thinks in terms of results

Gets things done

Is well rounded

Shows signs of progress

Has standards of excellence

Is flexible

Possesses strong communication skills


Common Résumé Problems

» Too short or long

» Use personal pronoun

» Misspellings

» Grammatical errors

» Hard to read

» Wordy/not condensing

» Phrasing not parallel


»Too slick

» Too amateurish

» Poorly reproduced

» Boastful

» Dishonest

» Gimmicky

Humorous

TRADITIONAL PRINT RESUME

Select background facts about yourself

Logically arrange the facts into groups

Construct the headings and subheadings

Include contact and objective information

Organize and present the facts for best eye-appeal, making it balanced

Write impersonally and consistently

Make the form attractive

Polish the resume


Select the Background Facts

Begin by reviewing the background facts such as qualifications and skills about yourself that will help the reader evaluate you

Collect information relevant to the job

Include all the information covered in the cover letter


Arrange the Facts into Groups

Sort the facts by conventional groups, job functions, time, or a combination

Most conventional three-part grouping is Education, Experience, and Skills or Personal Qualities

You can consider groups such as Achievements and Qualifications


Construct the Headings and Sub-headings


Usually, the name will be used as the main heading

The most common is topic head consisting of words that describe what follows

The next level of headings might be objective, education, experience, and skills

Talking head can also be used Use words that tell the nature of what follows

Include Contact Information

Anticipate changes in contact information

Avoid using a nickname to identify yourself

Consider including your URL address or fax number if you have one

RICK NASON 1401-1094 Wellington StreetHalifax, NS, Canada, B3H 2Z9

[email protected](902) 405-9312

Display your address, phone number, and email address prominently at the top of your resume


Include a Statement of Objective

Include a statement of career objective only for a targeted job

Some disagree on the value of using objective

Write as complete sentences or as descriptive phrases with minimal punctuation

Statement should cover the job you seek, the skills, strengths, and experiences you have


Include a Statement of Objective

Avoid over generalized statements:

A position allowing me to utilize my knowledge and expertise in different areas.

Avoid statements that focus only on what a company can do for you:

A position where I gain experience in working on biological problems.

Make the statement as specific as possible:

A position which allows me to apply my background in engineering and high performance computing to biological problems.

An entry-level position where my proven communication, accounting, and administrative skills could be utilized in a path leading to advancement into management eventually.


Organize and Present the Facts

List the facts under headings

Cover work experience with details

Cover education with institutions, dates, degrees, and areas of study

When appropriate, show achievements

Use action verbs to strengthen the appeal

Cont.


Avoid information on race, sex, religion, marital status, pregnancy status, citizenship status, age, etc.

Include information on activities and interests that tell about one’s personal qualities

Consider listing references although some don’t favor using it

Get permission for using referee’s name

Use a separate sheet for references Cont.



Select references that cover your background

Use accurate mailing and email addresses

Use the same grammatical form for all equal-level headings

Choose fonts carefully

Use right paper



Organize for Strength

Choose an organizational strategy that best presents your unique skills and strengths.

Use whatever combination of organizational styles you think best.

Highlight your individual qualifications.

The most common resume styles are: Chronological Functional Skills Imaginative Achievement


If your work experience is significant and relevant to the position sought, place experience section before education.

Choose aChoose aRésuméRésumé

StyleStyle


StyleStyle

CHRONOLOGICALCHRONOLOGICAL

Focuses on job historywith most recent

positions listed first

Focuses on job historywith most recent

positions listed first

Organize for Strength: Chronological Style

• Apply this style when job experiences closely parallel the positions for which you are applying, or you have no unemployment time between jobs.


Organizie for Strength: Chronological Style

Work Experience:

1997-Present U.S. Postal Service, Indianapolis. Worked as a Station Manager, delivering mail, overseeing retail sales, planning delivery to new routes

1994-1997 All Right Parking, Inc., Indianapolis. Worked as a Manager, handling customer relations, overseeing accounts, supervising twenty-five employees

1992-1994 Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis. Worked as a District Sales Manager recruiting and

training new employees, managing crews of twenty-five carriers within nine counties, designing routes


Adobe Acrobat Document


StyleStyle


StyleStyle FUNCTIONALFUNCTIONAL

Focuses on skillsFocuses on skills


Organize for Strength: Functional Style


Organize experience by type of function performed.

Highlight experiences that directly relate to the job you are seeking.

Ignore experiences that do not relate to the job for which you are applying.

Place things in order of importance rather than chronological order.


Organizie for Strength: Functional Style

Experience:Research Assistant (August 1998-August 1999)—Purdue U.Assisted Professor Robert Thompson in:

* updating statistical tables and charts* answering research questions via the Internet,

library, and by establishing resources to provide the needed information

President, Sociology Club (January-May 2000)* Raised over $2,000 for club expenses and

scholarships* Organized 10 activities for over 200 students* Designed and maintained club website


Organize for Strength: Functional Style

Emphasize what you can do rather than where you have worked.

Try to match your skills to the position for which you are applying.

This style is ideal if you have gained valuable skills from a variety of unrelated experiences.


Organize for Strength: Skills Style

Skills:

Communication Skills

*Counseled teens in an anti-drug initiative at Jefferson High School

*Received Employee of the Month Award for my work creating a positive environment at Wal-Mart while working as a cashier

*Presented a semester-long project on choosing a major to a group of prospective students

Training Skills

*Trained new employees in cashier procedures at Wal-Mart *Served as assistant coach for a Jefferson High School basketball team


Organize for Strength: Skills Style

It demonstrates a combination of layout, graphics, text integration, and audience selection.

Make sure a company is open to this type of resume before submitting it.

Best style when your are looking for a job that demands creativity, such as graphic design or landscape architecture

Good to use color graphics on an imaginative resume, but the cost of duplicating will be increased.


Organize for Strength: Imaginative Style

Rick Nason7431 Davenport Drive

Dallas, TX 75226(512) 598-9693 (512) 598-0017

Objective: Administrative Assistant Position

Education: Bachelor of Science in Office Administration

Northern State University, 1991GPA 3.0/4.0

Special Skills:Keyboarding at 90 wpm, WordPerfect,

Word,Ami Pro, Excel and 1-2-3, Paradox and

Access

Relevant Courses:Business Communication Office

ProceduresDocument Imaging Management



Experience:

Secretary 1996-1998

Boatner King Insurance Company, DallasPersonal secretary to Mr. Carlos Boatner,

President

Data-entry Clerk 1993-1996

Thatcher Manufacturing Company, Dallas

File Clerk 1992-1993

J. C. Douglas Wholesale Company, Dry Creek

References:

Will gladly provide personal and professional references on request.



This approach presents a picture of you as a competent worker

It puts hard number and precise facts behind skills and traits you have

Successfully managed the Austin store for two years in a period of low unemployment with these results:

Reduced employee turnover 55%

Increased profits 37% Grew sales volume 12%


Organize for Strength: Achievement Style

Organize for Strength: Including Summary

Summary heading includes key points from three conventional information groups: education, experience, and personal qualities

This emphasizes the applicant’s most impressive background facts pertaining to the work sought

Experienced: 3 years of practical work as analyst in designing and developing financial databases for the banking industry

Highly trained: B.S. degree with honors in MIS


Summary of Qualifications

An MBA Major in Finance with expertise in the following areas:

Working as CEO at Grameen Phone Communicating with customers in project

environments Working as Associate Consultant with BRAC

Organize for Strength: Including Summary


An important section for recent graduates seeking internships or jobs.

Beginning with the highest level of educational achievement and include information such as university attended, degrees earned, major, minors, grade point average, date of program completion, and so forth.

Organize for Strength: Education


Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaGraduation October 2007MBA Major in Finance GPA: 3.98/4.3

Do not include GPA on the resume; but if it isn’t included, employers may assume that it is lower than it really is.

Always state the grade point scale your school is using.

Organize for Strength: Education


List relevant courses that:

Help you stand out from the crowd

Have provided you with specific skills or knowledge

Consider including this information in the education section of the resume.

Spanish (4 semesters)Computer ScienceBusiness WritingBusiness LawEthics

Only include courses taken in addition to your major or minor.

Refer to the course by name rather than by number.

Organize for Strength: Relevant Courses


Include positions you have held which are related to the job (paid and volunteer positions) you are seeking

Be creative with this section by describing your experiences in the most relevant way possible

Organize for Strength: Employment Experience


Hospitality Intern

(May 2008-Nov 2008)Mountain Jacks, New York

Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food

Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees

Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant

Include information such as company name and location, job title, dates, and duties performed.

Make this section easy to read by using spacing and bullets.

Use action phrases to highlight the duties you have performed.

Organize for Strength: Employment Experience


Organize for Strength: Activities and Honors

Include relevant activities and honors that you could discuss with your prospective employer or that have given you valuable experience or skills


Organize for Strength: Specialized Skills

Include skills that make you unique, such as computer skills, foreign language skills, or military service

Be specific in describing your special skills; name computer programs you know, how long you studied a foreign language, or your dates of military service


Write Impersonally and Consistently

List the information without use of personal pronouns (I, we, you)

Use the same grammatical form for all equal-level headings and for the parts listed under each heading


Make the Form Attractive

Make the resume attractive

Design it as a graphic designer would and use balance and space for eye appeal

Choose fonts carefully


References

Omit references (unless specifically required)

Better state that references are available upon request

Choose professional references rather than character references


Reference SheetDr. AnsonHeavilon Hall, Room 226Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette, IN

47907(765) 494-3723 -Dr. Anson is my current academic advisor in theCreative Writing andScience Fiction Program

Include the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your references

Always ask permission before you include any information on your reference sheet

Consider giving your references a copy of your resume so they will be prepared to talk to employers


Polish Your Résumé

Avoid including anything that could become a basis for discrimination: photograph, age, marital status, national origin, race, etc.

Do not send a photograph. Don't include your social security number. Don't include high school information,

references, or full addresses of schools or employers.

Don't put the word "résumé" at the top.


Examine These Résumés

Discuss ways toDiscuss ways toimprove this poor résumé.improve this poor résumé.

Click icon to viewClick icon to viewan improved version.an improved version.




Scannable Resume

A hard copy resume that can be scanned using OCR technology and read by computer

A resume that a person scans into a computer as an image

This makes it very easy for the employer to look through all resumes on file quickly and easily when there is a need to fill a vacant position, using simple search criteria.


Preparing a Scannable Résumé

Use 10- to 14-point type.

Avoid unusual typefaces, underlining, italics, and double columns.

Be sure your name is on the first line.

List each phone number on its own line.

Use smooth white paper, black ink, and quality printing. Provide white space.

Avoid double columns.

Use smooth white paper, black ink, and quality printing. Provide white space.


Maximizing “Hits” for a Scannable Résumé

Focus on specific keywords.

Incorporate words from the job ad.

Use typical headings (Objective, Education, Skills, etc.)

Use accurate names; watch abbreviations.

Describe interpersonal traits and attitudes.

Use more than one page if necessary.

Click icon to view

scannable résumé



A Plain Text Résumé for E-Mailing

Follow the tips for scannable résumés.

Reformat with shorter lines (such as 4-inch).

Think about using keyboard characters to enhance format (=== or ~~~).

Move all text to the left.

Save your résumé in plain text (.txt) or rich text format (.rtf).

Test your résumé before sending it.

Click icon to viewplain text résumé Adobe Acrobat

Document


Submitting Your Résumé

Word document

Plain-text, ASCII document

PDF document

Company database

Fax

Employers may ask you to submit your résumé in one of these ways:


A focus groupA focus groupof nine expert of nine expert

recruiters gave theserecruiters gave theseindividual responses:individual responses:

What Turns Recruiters Off When Reading Résumés?


“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.”



“The objective. Plus dates when things happened and accomplishments.”

“Information about skills that apply to the job; less about job history and past duties.”

“The candidate’s address and phone number. Lots of people put them only in the cover letter!”

What Do Recruiters Consider Most Important in a Résumé?


What Do Recruiters Consider Most Important in a Résumé?

“Valid information in an easy-to-read, attractive style.”

“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.”


Body Closing

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.

Opening

Writing a Customized, Persuasive Cover Letter


Opening Closing

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.

Body



Opening Body

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.

Closing



Model Cover Letters

Click icon to viewsolicited cover letter.

Click icon to viewunsolicited cover letter.

Click icon to viewe-mail cover letter.





Handling the Interview

Research the employer to impress

Make a good appearance through dress and grooming

Anticipate questions and plan to answer Standard, tough, illegal, critical thinking and behavioral

questions

Make a good impression by being at ease (calm, confident)

Help bring out the questions that show your qualifications


Preparing your answers helps you choose a strategy

Question: What are your weaknesses?Possible Strategies:

Present a weakness that’s really a hidden strength

Cite a corrected weakness

Recall a lesson learned

Reveal a lapsed skill

Use an unrelated skill

Cite an objective

Try humor

Repeat your qualifications


Writing Other Job Search Letters

Thank-you letter

Follow-up letter

Job acceptance letter

Job refusal letter

Job resignation letter


Strategies in the Job-Search Process Chapter Nine Business Communication Raymond V. Lesikar Marie E. Flatley Kathryn Rentz.

Documents

copyright mcgraw hill

job search processbuild

job openings

specific job

job searchprepare

personal qualities

projected job market

personal summary