Unit 1: Employment Messages: “Getting the Job”

Scenario

This unit is designed to help you develop the skills you will need when you enter the workforce.  For your feeder assignments, you will produce two of the most critical pieces of business writing: the resume and the cover letter.  No matter what field you eventually pursue, you’ll need these documents to get your foot in the door.  Since hiring companies often do an online search of their potential employees, you will also learn how to establish a professional online presence.  Last but not least, you will prepare for and participate in a mock interview foryour selected job/internship as your unit project.

 

Genre Purpose Audience Writer’s Role Rhetorical Situation
Unit Project:Job Interview 

Feeders:Resume

Cover Letter

Online Profile

 To obtain a job or internship at a company Human Resources representative and/or members of the department you will be working in. Job applicant You are an undergraduate student seeking a summer job or internship.  You must convince the interviewer(s) that your experiences, skills, and interests are the right fit for the job and the company.

 

Step 1: Select a Job or Internship

Identify a job or internship that you think would be helpful to you as you explore your career options.  Job postings are available through Careerolina (careers.unc.edu); sites such as idealist.org, indeed.com, snagajob.com, simplyhired.com, internships-USA.com, internmatch.com; or individual company, organization, or government agency websites.  Please post a copy of the job description to Sakai/Dropbox.

Step 2: Feeder Assignment #1: Create a professional resume

FOR FINAL COPY OF RESUME, POST YOUR RESUME (IN WORD OR PDF) AND A COPY OF YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION TO SAKAI/DROPBOX.  ONLY TURN IN 2B (JOB SPECIFIC RESUME) FOR THE FINAL COPY.

2a.   Create a master copy of your resume.  This is a document for your own personal use that records all your experiences, skills, and accomplishments, no matter how diverse they may be.  This is a resume that should never be sent to a future employer.

2b.   Create a job-specific, professional resume tailored to the job you are applying for.  You will need to pay close attention to the details of the job description and choose relevant experiences, skills, and accomplishments to include in your resume.  Your resume should also take into account the company’s general culture and values, which will tell you what kind of employees they tend to appreciate.

Your resume must:

  • Be confined to 1-2 pages. (1 pages for job-specific resume)
  • Include your current contact information.
  • Highlight experiences and skills relevant to the job or internship you are applying for.
  • Follow clear organization that highlights your strengths.
  • Be free of surface errors (in the “real world,” typos get your resume “filed” in the trash).
  • Be clear and easy to read: no weird fonts or graphics, and no formatting errors.

MBA resume, Student sample resume 2 , Student Resume sample 1, KF Resume Template

Step 3: Feeder Assignment #2: Create a cover letter

The cover letter is a short space to make a big first impression.  It is a story of you – but not just any story: it is a story of why you’re interested in the company and how the company will benefit from employing you.  Audience awareness is critical here.  Your cover letter must convince the recruiter that you are a fabulous candidate, and that it will be worth his or her while to interview you.  Your cover letter must:

  • Be addressed to the appropriate individual (by name, if possible).
  • Indicate why you’re writing in the first place, the position you’re applying for, and how you found out about it.
  • Demonstrate your awareness of the job requirements and the company’s needs by highlighting relevant experiences and qualifications.
  • Follow the “6Cs” of business communication (clear, concise, courteous, correct, consistent, and complete).
  • Be free of surface errors. Spelling and grammar mistakes will immediately eliminate you from consideration.
  • Be kept to 1 page and formatted in APA style.

Unit 1 Feeder Grading Rubrics

Unit Project: The Interview

APPLICATION PACKAGE DUE

We will place your resumes in an online format using Adobe Spark or another digital medium, so you impress your interviewer with your mastery of digital composition.

Congratulations!  You’ve written an impressive resume and cover letter, and and you’ve landed an interview!  The interview may be your only chance to make a good personal impression on your potential employer, so it is important that you conduct yourself well and communicate effectively.

You will be interviewed by a member of the Carolina Women in Business.  You will be scored on all aspects of the interview process, including professional email etiquette when contacting your assigned interviewer, interview skills that we will practice in class, and thank-you email writing.  A successful interviewee will:

  • Respond quickly and in a professional manner when corresponding with the interviewer.
  • Arrive to the interview promptly (arriving early never hurts!)
  • Wear appropriate business attire. (Yes, you need to dress the part.)
  • Maintain proper body language during the interview (i.e. have a firm handshake, show interest, no hands in pockets, demonstrate that you are listening, etc.)
  • Demonstrate that you have done some research on the company and the position being offered.
  • Have given some thought to commonly asked interview questions.
  • Follow up with a prompt email thank-you note.

Interview Assessment Rubric