PROJECT 3: Employment Communications |
A very high percentage of students complete this
networking-related project. |
OVERVIEW: |
To obtain a desired position
or to advance with a company you must be able to write effective letters. A
cover letter is essential to create interest in your resume but it does not
end there. You are evaluated by the competency of your correspondence with
recruiters, networking contacts, and companies interested in hiring you. This
project will enable you to create a career correspondence portfolio consisting of two error-free
letters to be used during your job search and also containing your recruiter
resume expanded into a Networking
Recommender Resume. Your Networking Resume will be used quite often as
you network your way to success. The project will include your Networking
Recommender Resume and two letters: a cover letter and a thank you letter. |
PROJECT
INSTRUCTIONS: |
Read Chapter 13 in
the textbook. Chapters listed with the project refer to the pages in Career
Planning Strategies: Hire Me! (5th Edition). Do all three parts of
this project. All projects MUST include
one cover letter, one thank you letter, and your Networking Recommender
Resume. Each letter must be
in a typical business format and be free of grammatical and spelling errors.
See Chapter 13 in the textbook. You may use the
sample letters in the textbook as a guide but you must do original work. If you have accepted
employment, you may substitute a letter to someone requesting an
informational interview. Review the Communications
PowerPoint lecture before starting these projects as well as the material
in Chapter 13 of the textbook. Part I: Cover Letter A cover letter over a
resume highlights your strong suits and allows you to mention any additional information
that is not clear on your resume. It also allows you to tie your
qualifications and abilities directly to the requirements of the job. It is
critical that your cover letter be error-free. A. Review the formats and examples from Chapter 13 in
the textbook and experiment with different styles for your cover letter. Try
to get advice on which style might be most appropriate for your mailings.
Make a list of your best action verbs, accomplishments, statements, and
personal qualities. B. Prepare a one-page
cover letter following the suggestions from Chapter 13 of the text. C. Your letter should either ask for a job interview
or an informational interview. If
you choose to make this letter a request for an informational interview,
please read the chapter on “Networking” in your textbook. D. The cover letter: 1.
Address
the cover letter to a person that is realistic for your situation. 2.
Write an introductory paragraph to your letter
that attracts the attention of the employer and explain how you can be a benefit
to their company. 3.
Write at least
two but no more than four paragraphs for the body of your letter that stresses your accomplishments without
merely rehashing the content of your resume. Highlight your more personal
qualities that would make you an attractive candidate. 4.
Write the closing paragraph of your letter. Be
sure that it is positive and concise. Request specific, not vague, actions by
the reader. E. Include the entire, completed letter as Part I of
your project. Part II: Thank You Letter A. Review Chapter 20 on the Thank You letter. B. Write a thank you letter to a recruiter or an
executive with whom you have had a job interview or an informational
interview. If you have not yet interviewed, select a hypothetical recruiter
and company. Be sure to use the typical business letter style (Figure 20.3),
even if you plan to send this letter via email. Be sure to give the details
of when you interviewed and list an additional item of information that you
think will advance your cause with the recruiter. Use a brief example to
support your point. If you are writing about an informational interview, ask
another question based on a topic covered in the interview. Check your letter
for spelling and grammatical errors before submitting. C. Include the entire, completed letter as Part II of
your project. Part III: Networking Recommender Resume A. Review the three chapters in the textbook about
resumes and, in particular, review the information on the Recommender Resume. B. View the PowerPoint presentation called Networking
Resume Preparation and write notes from examples that relate to your
unique situation. C. Expand your Project 1 resume into a 2- to 3-page
resume suitable for networking purposes. D. Include entire networking resume as Part III of
your project. This Networking Recommender Resume, Cover
Letter, and Thank You Letter
project is related to the following upcoming projects: Ø
P13:
Networking Ø
P14: The
Independent Job Search Strategy Ø
P17: Networking
Database Creation Deliverables: You should turn in to your Career Counselor (via Oncourse email
attachment and paper copy): Ø
One-page Cover Letter Ø
One-page Thank You Letter Ø
One- to
three-page Networking Recommender
Resume. |