English 421 08-01 4:30-5:20 MWF

Employment Project: Assignment Description
During the Employment Project, you will learn strategies for seeking and securing employment, with particular attention to the rhetoric of the documents people normally use to represent themselves to potential employers. The goal of the project is to learn how to represent yourself, which is very different from simply constructing a list of your accomplishments, both honestly and effectively. 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.

Project Summary
I am asking you to both locate a real and specific job or internship for which you are qualified (or very soon will be qualified) and prepare the application materials for the position. If you already have a good job, you need to 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 a print resume suitable for such a position.
• Step 3 asks you to prepare the cover letter.
• Step 4, you will assess your experience in a Project Assessment Document. The final step, Step 5, requires you to workshop and revise your resume drafts. Remember the Project Assessment and Revision Sheets because many students often forget this deliverable!!! In the process of completing each step, you will work closely with your peers and me to shape your writing so that it represents you and your experience fully and effectively.

Although I will comment on your drafts of each of these documents, you will not receive a grade for them until you submit the final portfolio.

Deliverables

1. Job Ad Analysis. Provide an exact copy of the job announcement, a one-paragraph description of the position in your own words, and a two-paragraph discussion of why you have chosen this position and why you believe you are qualified for it. Not counting the actual job announcement, this document should be approximately 300-500 words in length.
2. Print Resume. Your print 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 is critical that you shape your resume to the specific job you have chosen to apply for, 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. Part of this step is generating references which are appropriate for the position, which will be presented professionally whether they are part of your resume or not.
3. Job Application Letter. The job application letter, or cover letter, is critical to your efforts to secure a job, perhaps as critical as your resume itself. For this project, 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.
4. Project Assessment Document. As you near the end of your work on the Employment Project, prepare a word overview and analysis essay 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:
5. Revision and Drafts. This deliverable requires you to a) complete all drafts on time and prepared for class and b) provide quality feedback on your revision sheets. The structure of the workshop is as follows: The writer(s) will sign up for a workshop day and then turn in a draft at least 48 hours before their workshop day (i.e. If you workshop on a Monday, your paper needs to be emailed Friday).Your Project Assessment Document is due when you turn in your completed Employment Portfolio.

   All four final deliverables should be fully revised and submitted by the beginning of class.

The full project needs to be submitted in this format (it will not be accepted in any other form):

• Paper clip together your final drafts of Steps 1–4 (this means that you need to save subsequent drafts as different files as you revise)
• Staple together the pages of your Project Assessment Document and place it the folder or envelope
• Place all of these materials in a manilla envelope or folder

Grading
The Employment Project is worth 20% of your course grade. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows:

• Step 1: Job Analysis—One Job Only (10 points)
• Step 2: Job Application Letter (30 points)
• Step 3: Print Resume (30 points)
• Step 4: Project Assessment Document (10 points)
• Step 5: Drafts and Revision (20 points)
• Total (100 points) = 20% of Overall Course Grade

Grading criteria
When I assign a grade to your project, I will pay particular attention to see whether you have effectively adapted your documents to the job for which you have applied. Your writing needs to be precise, accurate, and well-suited to the context (the job/field) and to the rhetorical situation (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. The project will lose one full letter grade for each day it is late.