1: 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. This project asks you to work individually, but there will also be chances for you to 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

  • Understand, develop and deploy various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.
  • Select and use appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically address professional situations and audiences.
  • Build 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, or a list. Then, using the resources listed on page 222 of The Thomson Handbook ("Using Print, Campus and Internet Resources"), find two job ads, produce an exact copy of each, then select one that you would apply for. Put the ads in a blog post. Then do some analysis and reflection, 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 your 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 during class. 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 class or available for review at the Online Writing Lab. It's critical that you shape your resume to the specific job or internship you have chosen to apply for (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: Wednesday, February 6, 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 13, prepare a 500-word overview and analysis 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 February 13 by midnight.

Completing Your Project: By February 13, 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.

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.

Job Ad Analysis

Before you decide on a job ad, make sure that it provides you with sufficient information about the ideal candidate for the company or organization. A primary objective of this assignment is to tailor your employment documents to the specific needs of the employer. If your ad does not give you sufficient information about your potential employer’s needs, the objective of the project is defeated before you have even begun. If you are uncertain whether or not your job ad is appropriate, do not hesitate to ask.

For this assignment, you must have a keen awareness of what your potential employer needs in an applicant, and you must create a professional identity that proves you can fulfill and exceed these expectations.

Some answers require a paragraph of 4-6 sentences while others require a short answer or a list. The short answer will be a sentence or two. The list will be a list of keywords or terms. See parentheses after each question to know if you should respond with a paragraph, short answer, or list. Ultimately, these paragraphs will make it easier to draft and complete your job application letter, as well as your resume.

Reflection

1. Why did you choose this job ad? Do you feel that you are qualified for the position? (paragraph)

2. How long has the ad been posted? If it has been posted for a long period of time, are you sure that the position is still available? How? (short answer)

3. Where is the company located? Are you willing to move if it is out of state or in a foreign country? (short answer)

4. Why is living in the area that the company is located appealing to you? (paragraph)

Job Ad Analysis

1. What skills is your prospective employer seeking, from most important to least important? (list)

2. What exceptional skills do you have that prove you to be
invaluable to this company or organization? Remember that your resume is not a record of what you’ve done, but a persuasive document that proves indisputably that you are the best person for the job. (list)

3. As an exercise, list the skills, professional experience, personality traits, etc., the job ad is asking for in the left column, and in the right, write paragraphs that elaborate on and illustrate your skills, experience, etc.

Your prospective employer (list) You (paragraphs)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

History of the Company / Organization

1. Did you know anything about the company before you saw the job ad? (short answer)

2. Does the company have a website? What is the URL? (short answer)

3. What is the mission statement of the company? (paragraph)

4. What are keywords on the website that you can use in your cover letter and interview? (list)

5. Write a few sentences about the history of the company. Remember that it is essential for you to learn as much about the company as possible; you can use such knowledge for your cover letter and interview. (paragraph)

6. Based on your research, what is your personal sense about the company? What do you feel the company values? (paragraph)

7. Does Purdue’s Center for Career Opportunities have a networking system with this company? (short answer)

8. Do you have any personal connections to this company? Do you know anyone who works there? Does anyone in your family or friends of your family work there? (short answer)

Peer Review of Job Application Letters

  1. Using the blogs display, take a look through the job application letters everyone posted to their weblog. (You can see all the drafts by clicking on the keyword "Job Application Letter" at the bottom of one of the posts.) Choose two and post a comment to each that you will be responding to his or her application letter drafts. In choosing two, try to pick ones that have not received any responses or notices that someone is responding.
  2. Then, compose a detailed response for each that carefully addresses all of the questions below and tries also to address the writer's concerns. If you have additional suggestions for response not covered by the questions below, the writer would certainly appreciate the feedback; however, you are still responsible for addressing all of the listed questions.
  3. When finished, post each response as a comment to the weblog posts you are responding to.

In composing your response, you might find it easier to first just to go through and address all the questions on a sheet of paper or in a document file. Your tone should be informal but professional and not overly casual. A friendly voice in feedback is good; many writer's are more comfortable at accepting cricitism of their work when it come from a good-natured, sympathetic responder.

Also, when talking about specific areas of the author's text, be sure to include specific quotation within your feedback. Take advantage of the fact that you can easily copy and paste to point directly to what you are referring to from the draft. (Try using Firefox or Safari's "tabbed browsing" to keep multiple windows easily available during this type of peer review.).

Form and Style

  1. Does the letter include all the necessary components (return address, header, salutation, introductory paragraph, body paragraph(s), and conclusion)? If not, what’s missing?
  2. Does the writer use block format (all text flush with the left margin)?
  3. Does the style of the letter suit the occasion? Is it too informal? Too formal or generic? Explain.
  4. Does the writer take the right tone? (E.g., come off as enthusiastic without gushing? highly qualified without bragging?) Explain.
  5. Are there any spelling or mechanical errors? If so, identify them, either by listing them here or by circling them on a printed draft.

Content/Rhetorical Context

  1. Does the letter speak directly and specifically to the job ad, using keywords to organize the discussion of his or her qualifications? Even if it does, what could be done better?
  2. Does the writer mention specific reasons why he or she has applied for the position? Explain.
  3. Does the writer identify specific skills, using terminology that other experienced people would recognize?
  4. Does the introductory paragraph identify the position applied for, its source, and then the major reason(s) why the writer is well-suited?
  5. Does the conclusion say how the writer can be contacted for further discussion or an interview? Does the letter end on a high note? Explain.
  6. What is the most important revision the writer should make? Explain.

Peer Review of Resumes

  1. Using the blogs display, take a look through the resumes everyone posted to their weblog. Choose two and post a comment to each that you will be responding to his or her resume drafts. In choosing two, try to pick ones that have not received any responses or notices that someone is responding.
  2. Then, compose a detailed response for each that carefully addresses all of the questions below and tries also to address the writer's concerns. If you have additional suggestions for response not covered by the questions below, the writer would certainly appreciate the feedback; however, you are still responsible for addressing all of the listed questions.
  3. When finished, post each response as a comment to the weblog posts you are responding to.

In composing your response, you might find it easier to first just to go through and address all the questions on a sheet of paper or in a document file. Your tone should be informal but professional and not overly casual. A friendly voice in feedback is good; many writer's are more comfortable at accepting cricitism of their work when it come from a good-natured, sympathetic responder.

Also, when talking about specific areas of the author's text, be sure to include specific quotation within your feedback. Take advantage of the fact that you can easily copy and paste to point directly to what you are referring to from the draft. (Try using Firefox or Safari's "tabbed browsing" to keep multiple windows easily available during this type of peer review.).

Questions for Response

  1. What can the writer do to make the resume better tailored to the specific job being applied for?
  2. Is the layout and design pleasing to the eye? Make at least one suggestion for improving it.
  3. Does the resume fit comfortably within the page (as opposed to being squished in or stretched out)? What can the writer do to improve it?
  4. Is it easily readable (no confusing fonts, clearly marked sections)? What improvements can be made?
  5. Does it use typography (including headers and bold and italics) appropriately and effectively?
  6. Is the most important information located on the left side of the page and near the top whenever possible? Identify at least one part that could be better placed.
  7. Does the content of the resume support the objective (if there is one)? Explain.
  8. Is the resume too short? Where can it elaborate? Job skills? Responsibilities? Education?
  9. Is material sequenced in order of importance and relevance?
  10. Do bulleted items begin with action verbs? Are list items ordered in terms of importance?
  11. Does the resume avoid generalities and focus on specific information and professional terminology?
  12. Does the resume pass the Quadrant, Column, Squint, and Distance tests? Explain how the author might make improvements based on your test results.
  13. What other observations can you make about the resume?