Employment Project

During the Employment Project, you will learn strategies for seeking and securing employment or an internship, with particular attention to the documents people normally use to represent themselves and their prospects to potential employers. Though the project will be completed on an individual basis, you will also work with your peers to exchange ideas and feedback in your blogs.

project prompt and summary

Locate a real and specific job or internship for which you are qualified and prepare the application materials for it. If you already have a good job, find one that would be an advance for you, then prepare application materials for that position. Step 1 of the project asks you to learn about and use various web-based resources for job seekers and ultimately to select one real job to pursue. Step 2 asks you to prepare the all-important cover letter (i.e., "Job Application Letter"). Step 3 asks you to prepare a print resume suitable for such a position. In Step 4, you will assess your experience in a "Project Assessment Document." In the process of completing each step, you will work closely with your peers and your instructor to shape your writing so that it represents you and your experience fully and effectively.

project goals

This project emphasizes several important goals that all professional writers should bear in mind and that are consistent with those of the Professional Writing Program at Purdue. In the Employment Project, you will learn to shape your writing for very specific situations and purposes:

Writing in Context

• Writing for a range of defined audiences and stakeholders

Project Management

• Understanding, developing and deploying various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.
• Selecting and using appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically address professional situations and audiences.
• Building professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design
Make rhetorical design decisions about workplace documents, including

• Understanding and adapting to genre conventions and audience expectations
• Understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout
• Drafting, researching, testing, and revising visual designs and information architecture

Teamwork
Learn and apply strategies for successful teamwork and collaboration, such as

• Working online with colleagues

Research
Understand and use various research methods to produce professional documents, including

• Analyzing professional contexts

deliverables

Step 1: Skills Inventory, Job Description and Job Ad Analysis . Start this step by completing the Job Search Activity 12-1 (p. 221) in The Thomson Handbook. In a blog post, respond to each of the questions with a few sentences. Then, using the resources listed on page 222 of The Thomson Handbook ("Using Print, Campus and Internet Resources"), find two job ads, produce exact copies of each, post the ads in a blog post, then select one for which you would apply. Then do some analysis and reflection, and in a separate blog entry respond to the Job Ad Analysis form. Your skills inventory, job announcement, job ad analysis response, and cover note should all be posted by the dates listed on the course calendar.

Step 2: Job Application Letter. The job application letter is critical to your efforts to secure a job, perhaps as critical as the resume itself. For Project 1, your letter should be no longer than one or two pages (one is preferable in most cases), following the suggestions and models discussed in the textbook. You should submit the draft of your application letter to your blog for peer review by midnight on Friday, February 1. Your letter should be attached to a blog post that includes a cover note that follows guidelines for Eliciting Good Response and the PDF version of the letter. (Read these directions for converting your documents to PDF format if you have any questions about the process.) Use the tag "Job Application letter." See the Calendar for Week 3 for additional details. Review the sample in The Thomson Handbook, p 225. Your letter should be context-specific and should contain the required five parts (heading, greeting, opening, persuasion, closing) in the format shown.

Step 3: Print-Based Resume. Your printable resume (one or more pages in length, depending upon the type of job and the depth of your experience) should adapt features drawn from the samples discussed in the textbook or available for review at the Online Writing Lab. It's critical that you shape your resume to the specific job or internship for which you have chosen to apply (that it's suited to the context), so be sure to include only the relevant aspects of your professional experience. As in the Job Application Letter, your writing needs to be error-free, concise, and presented in an easily readable format. Draft due for peer review: Friday, February 8, by midnight. Your resume draft should be posted to your blog as a PDF attachment to a blog message that explains the nature of the attachment and invites peer feedback. Read these directions for converting your documents to PDF format if you have any questions about the process. You should also review the principles, guidelines, and resume samples in The Thomson Handbook (Chapter 12, pages 226-232). Pay special attention to the Project Checklist "Evaluating Your Resume's Content" and "Evaluating Your Resume's Design" on pages 228-229. Ask yourself these questions as you prepare your final draft.

Step 4: Project Assessment Document: As you near the end of your work on the Employment Project (and no later than February 15), In no more than 500 words prepare an analysis and rationale of your deliverables and the process you used to complete them. Your Project Assessment Document should answer most of the following questions, each of which is tied to the major goals of the assignment:

Writing in Context
How did the particular job you applied for affect how you wrote your letter? Did it change or affect how you presented yourself? How did applying for this position help you understand aspects of your experience you might need to develop more?

Project Management
What was the most challenging document to produce and why? Briefly describe and explain one of the significant revisions you made to this document after your initial draft.

How well did you plan your work on this project? What might you have done differently?

Research
Which research resource proved to be the most beneficial for you? The least? Explain. What did you learn about the particular job field before composing your application letter?

Teamwork
What was one way that peer feedback helped you improve your work? How did responding to the work of others help you improve your own work?

Document Design
What is the most effective aspect of your deliverables in terms of presentation or design? Have you deliberately adapted a standard form in an unusual or creative way? If so, why?

Your Project Assessment Document is due when you turn in your completed Employment Project on Friday, February 15 by midnight.

Completing Your Project: By Friday, February 15, post to your blog a cover note for your final drafts of your cover letter and resume. Your cover note should include links to your Step 1 and Step 4 documents as well. Read these directions for converting your documents to PDF format if you have any questions about the process.

grading

The Employment Project is worth 25% of your course grade. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows: Step 1: Inventory and Job Ad Analysis (20%); Step 2: Job Application Letter (30%); Step 3: Print Resume (30%); Step 4: Project Assessment Document (20%).

grading criteria

When grading your project, your instructor will pay particular attention to see whether you have effectively adapted your documents to the job for which you have applied. Your writing will need to be precise, accurate, and well-suited to the context (the job/field) and to the rhetorical occasion (in terms of tone, style, and content). In this case, a generic, catch-all resume and cover letter will not satisfy the requirements of the project.

revision

You will have opportunities to revise your work throughout the process and will be permitted to revise once again after receiving your grade on the project, subject to these restrictions: 1) Your revision should be substantial (a few fixes alone are not enough to raise a grade); 2) you turn in your completed revision within one week of the date it was returned to you with a grade; 3) you include submission notes that specify precisely what you did to improve your work, including whether or not you made use of the OWL's online or on-site tutoring.

White Paper Project

“White papers provide background for decisions. These reports can be internal and are often profoundly influenced by the particular discipline of their context. They can present investigations of new methods or technologies or report on new sales solutions. To offer an example of the internal white paper, novice engineers are often asked to write a white paper for their division about some aspect of new methods/technologies that they have been taught but the company does not currently use. White papers can also meet the needs of external audiences in responding to the frequently asked questions of customers. Used regularly in information technology, these reports examine a technology problem, investigate potential solutions, and highlight the solutions offered by the company.

White papers differ from recommendation reports and feasibility reports as they do not reach a decision about what action a group should (or should not) take. Instead, they offer backgrounds upon which decisions can be made, thus functioning somewhat like term papers.” (taken from PW Online)

During the White Paper Project, you will learn to identify ethical or technological issues relevant to a professional setting, research and synthesize information, and present that information in an objective fashion which contributes to action. Although this project involves some individual elements, the majority of the project is the result of collaboration.

Project Overview

• In this project, groups of 3-4 members will be asked to do web-based and library research and then to write an informative white paper on methods for addressing (solutions) a contemporary issue--which may be ethical, controversial, or unresolved. For instance, you might examine some issue(s) having to do with the electronic commerce, digital communication and work-flow, and content management systems in business and educational contexts; p2p file sharing and copyright law; safety issues; identity theft; or a host of others.

• Your research will result in a visually sophisticated (well-designed) document of 1700-2000 words that presents findings to an appropriate audience(s) and rhetorical situation(s).

• Ultimately, you will propose THREE solutions to your issue, in an even-handed way. However, this will not be a compare and contrast paper where you campaign for one of the solutions. Rather, you will advocate EQUALLY for all three solutions.
• After producing the final draft of the white paper, you will be asked to evaluate the project and your contribution and that of your group members (more specific information TBA).

White Paper A white paper is an informative and definitive overview of a well-focused topic. White papers typically include an

• "Executive Summary,"
• "Background Information,"
• "Key Issues" or "Key Developments,"
• "Resource List,"
• and a number of other sections, depending on the nature of the subject matter
  • a chronology,
  • remaining challenges,
  • future prospects, etc.

Rhetorical Situation The primary audience for your white paper consists of readers who are concerned in implementing solutions to the problem you are addressing (there are many levels of audience). Though they are experts in their field, their awareness of the issue and their familiarity with the technology and policies needed to address the issue will vary based on particular audiences.

The purpose of the white paper is to identify a problem or need and provide objective information which could lead to a solution if implemented.

Length and Format The length of your white paper will depend somewhat on your choice of topics, but should be within 1500-1700 words. Formatting will vary based on the design employed by each group, but every white paper should be visually sophisticated. This means that you should employ a desktop publishing program to create rhetorically-savvy visual elements that accompany and reinforce your text.

Project Goals This project emphasizes several important goals that all professional writers should bear in mind and that are consistent with those of the Professional Writing Program at Purdue. The White Paper Project emphasizes shaping research, writing, and design to very specific situations and purposes:

Writing in Context Analyze professional cultures, social contexts, and audiences to determine how they shape the various purposes and forms of writing, such as persuasion, organizational communication, and public discourse.

Writing Process Develop and understand various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents that respond effectively and ethically to professional situations and audiences.

Collaboration Learn and apply strategies for successful collaboration, such as working and communicating on-line with colleagues, setting and achieving project goals, and responding constructively to peers' work.

Research Understand and use various research methods to produce professional documents, including analyzing professional contexts, assessing and using information resources, and determining how various media and technologies affect and are affected by users and readers.

Technology Develop strategies for using and adapting various communication technologies to manage projects and produce informative and usable professional documents.

Document Design Learn to argue with visual data, understanding and implementing various principles of format, layout, and design of professional documents that meet multiple user and reader needs.

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Project Deliverables There will be both group and individual deliverables for this project.

Groups will be responsible for the following:
Group Deliverable 1: Proposal You will have the opportunity to review individual proposals here on the course website, in the form of blogs, and to discuss possibilities and form groups. Each group will turn in one hardcopy of a 300 word topic proposal, in the form of a memo. This memo will include information about the topic under consideration, the potential solutions to be examined, and possible resources. Follow the guidelines for memo writing discussed in class and outlined at Purdue's Owl.

Remember that you are selling an idea -- this is a persuasive, not descriptive, document. This means presenting the problem or issue as worthy of consideration, and the solutions as relevant, while demonstrating the feasibility of the project within the parameters of the assignment and the time and resources available to you. See the assignment calendar for details and due dates.

Group Deliverable 2: Detailed Outline
Your group should submit a detailed outline of the White Paper's content and organization. It should contain specific references to the sources you will use, along with references to any data or visual elements you might be considering. See the Purdue OWL section on outlining, as well as the Thomson Handbook p. 61-63.

Group Deliverable 3: White Paper First Drafts
Your group will post your first draft as a pdf file for review and commentary by another group. Remember that a draft is a complete version.

Group Deliverable 4: Peer Reviews
Your group will, in turn, be responsible for editing and annotating another group's draft. Use the White Paper Peer Evaluation document to focus your feedback. You will e-mail a copy to the other group, as well as to your instructor.

Group Deliverable 5: White Paper Final Draft
Each group will be required to submit copies of their white paper by posting it to the course blog in PDF format. Also, please e-mail one copy to your instructor.

Individuals within groups will be responsible for the following deliverables:

Individual Deliverable 1: Drupal Group Forum
Each individual will post a potential project topic on the appropriate Drupal Forum (professionally written with a subject heading that includes the words: Topic Proposal: ____ ). Every student will then respond to at least two other posts to ensure that they have negotiated a topic and a group.

Individual Deliverable 2: Drupal Research & Work(b)log
Each individual will be required to keep a blog which a) records their research and b) details their contributions to the project. Each student will be expected to have four research posts with annotations. Worklogs will be updated weekly until the project concludes.

For the Individual Deliverable 2: Drupal Research and Work(b)log, you will be required to do the following:

* A) Post Four Resources (sources) that you found, along with *annotations (more below) to each source in the appropriate forum titled "Your Topic: Name Research Work(b)log".
* B) In a separate posting, post a forum of your contributions to the White Paper Project to this point (what have YOU, individually, done to get the project to where it is at this point). Be specific, detailed, and honest. Label these Your Topic: Name Work(b)log

C) Continue to update part 'B' as the project progresses--with an appropriate title; these will be updated WEEKLY (at the least) until the project is totally finished.

Individual Deliverable 3: Project Assessment/Peer Collaboration Evaluation
An important component of your project is successful collaboration. Each member will reflect on their participation in the project and on the experience of working in a group. Use the Collaborative Project Evaluation document to shape your responses.

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Grading

The White Paper Project breakdowns as follows:

Group Deliverable 1: Proposal: 10%
Group Deliberable 2: White Paper Detailed Outline: 10%
Group Deliverable 3: White Paper First Draft/Peer Review: 10%
Group Deliverable 4: White Paper Final Draft 50%

Individual Deliverable 1: Discussion Board / Topic Negotiation: 5%
Individual Deliverable 2: Research & WorkBlog: 10%
Individual Deliverable 3: Assessment: 5%

Grading Criteria When I assign a grade to your project, I will pay particular attention to see whether your white paper is informative and accurate and whether or not you avoid as much as possible arguing a particular position. You should strive for a balance of perspectives and accurate coverage of a focused topic. The point is not to advocate for a position or "pamphleteer," but to establish a foundation of knowledge about the subject that future students and researches will find useful. I will also weigh your feedback on the Collaborative Project Evaluation form (Word format) in assigning a grade for your participation in the project. Remember: when evaluating yourself and your group members, how complete and thorough you are in that evaluation is as important as what you say and will have a significant impact on your grade for this component of the project.

Info About White Papers:

Learn to Write a White Paper: http://www.klariti.com/white-papers/index.shtml
How to Design a White Paper: http://www.klariti.com/white-papers/How-to-design-White-Papers.shtml
How to Write a White Paper by Michael Knowles: http://www.mwknowles.com/free_articles/white_paper/white_paper.html
How to Write a White Paper – A White Paper on White Papers: http://www.stelzner.com/copy-HowTo-whitepapers.php

OTHER ARTICLES(that support the persuasive nature of the white paper)
The Steak Behind the Sizzle: Effective Marketing Using White Papers: http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/productmarketing/topics/04/0403em.asp
Creating White Papers that Drive Sales:http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/productmarketing/topics/04/0403gf.asp

Communications Solutions Project

During the Communications Solutions Project, you will employ some of the strategies you've learned and refined in completeing the previous projects to solve a problem or fill a need for an organization through creating effective communications. This project also gives you the opportunity to network within one of your several communities and, with your final deliverables, make a contribution. Though you will be completing this project individually, you will also work with your classmates to exchange ideas and feedback in your blogs.

project prompt and summary

For this project, you will identify a problem, gap, or need in your workplace or another organization of which you are a member, then create the piece(s) of communication that will solve the problem, bridge the gap, and/or meet the need you’ve identified. In Step 1, you will select an organization and identify the problem or need to be addressed. For Step 2, network within the organization to collect ideas and suggestions. For Step 3, you will write a project plan memo wherein you will describe the organization, outline the problem or need, identify the best form of communication to effectively solve the problem or meet the need, considering both audience and purpose, as well as medium(s), design, content, tone,etc. In Step 4, you will create the communication(s) you've chosen as the most effective solution. In the process of completing each step, you will work closely with your classmates through blog posts, comments, and replies, gathering and offering advice and suggestions.

project goals

This project emphasizes several important goals that all professional writers should bear in mind and that are consistent with those of the Professional Writing Program at Purdue. In the Communications Solutions Project, you will exercise and refine your ability to shape your writing for very specific situations and purposes:

Writing in Context

• Writing for a range of defined audiences and stakeholders

Project Management

• Understanding, developing, and employing various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing communications in various media.
• Selecting and using appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically address professional situations and audiences.
• Building professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design
Make rhetorical design decisions about workplace documents, including

• Understanding and adapting to genre conventions and audience expectations
• Understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout
• Drafting, researching, testing, and revising visual designs and information architecture

Teamwork
Apply strategies for successful teamwork and collaboration, such as

• Working online with colleagues

Research
Understand and use various research methods to produce professional documents, including

• Analyzing organizational contexts
• Analyzing audience and purpose
  

deliverables

Step 1: Select an organization. Organizations you might consider: your workplace, clubs you belong to, community organizations with whom you have ties, small businesses, not for profits, etc. Most important is that you have the ability to implement the solution(s) you create, either personally or via your connection with the decision maker(s) in the organization.

Step 2: Identify the problem or need. For example, one student in a previous class identified a need for the IT people at the financial institution she worked for to communicate the particulars about the migration of all operations from one computer platform to another and how the migration would impact each group, specifically, from clients to tellers to office personnel. Another student identified a need in the development and leasing agency, for which she worked, for materials to advertise and promote new apartments they had built in unique, older, sometimes unusual, buildings. Additionally, determine whether or not the organization has specific kinds of communications in mind to solve the problem or meet the need ~ a brochure, sales letter, flyers, web page, newsletter, a combination of these or others, etc.

Research examples of the kind of document(s)/communication(s) you’ve decided to or been asked to create to solve the problem or fulfill the need. Study the examples you’ve found to determine what works and what doesn’t; consider design and format, effective visual argument, as well as content and tone.

Step 3:Project plan memo. Write a one to two page memo to me identifying the organization and the problem or need for which you will be creating the communication(s). Discuss the kind(s) of communication you’ve chosen or been asked to create, the content, the most effective visual design, overall tone, and so on. Identify, as well, your audience for the final product, and your desired outcome (and I don't mean the grade you hope to get ). Keep in mind the format for memos (heading, headers and sub-headers, and highlighted lists where appropriate).

Step 4: The Communications Solution: Create the communication(s) that will solve the problem. Remember, if there is more than one document, each needs to look like part of the “set” ~ which is to say, design elements, including font, highlighting, logo, and so on, need to be consistent from “document” to “document” (be they paper/print or electronic or some other medium)

grading

The Communications Solutions Project is worth 25% of your course grade. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows: Project Plan Memo (30%); The Communications Solutions Deliverable(s)(70%).

grading criteria

Grades for this project will be based on content, tone, format/design, audience awareness, and effectiveness in accomplishing the purpose for which the communications were created. Your writing will need to be precise, accurate, and well-suited to the organizational context and to the rhetorical occasion.

revision

You will have opportunities to consult with your client organization, your instructor, and your classmates throughout the project. Furthermore, the ultimate "test" of the quality of your work will be whether or not the organization can use it to solve the problem or meet the need for which it was created. That being the case, and this being the final project of the semester, revisions after the final draft has been turned in and graded will not normally be allowed.