The most important business correspondence you write may be the résumé and letter you use to apply for a job. In any economic climate—but especially in a weak one with reduced job prospects—your materials should be carefully developed and crafted. They need to reflect as many applicable skills and experiences as possible, including your summer, campus, part-time, or full-time employment as you attend college. First, prepare for job prospects by developing opportunities systematically, well before graduation:

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Remain flexible, too. Instead of looking only for the single job title you want, consider what other experiences might build your skills on your way to that job. For example, if you are in a public health program and want to join a major city health department, by all means gain expertise so you can pursue that job despite the city’s recent budget cutbacks. But also consider rural or statewide positions, hospital outreach, companies with employee health programs, or the growing field of senior care. Take advantage of serendipity—the surprise that offers a new or unexpected option.

Finally, as opportunities arise, apply your college writing experience to the workplace in order to draft and revise effectively. Direct, persuasive, correct prose can help you stand out from the crowd.

Résumés

In a résumé, you present yourself as someone qualified to excel at a job and be an asset to the organization. Job seekers often have copies of a single résumé on hand, but you may want to customize yours for each application if you can easily print attractive copies. Either way, keep it to one page unless you have extensive relevant work experience.

A résumé is highly formatted but allows many decisions about style, organization, and appearance. A typical résumé consists of a heading and labeled sections that detail experience and qualifications. Highlight labels with underlining, boldface, or larger type. Within a section, use brief, pointed phrases and clauses, not complete sentences. Use action verbs (supervised, ordered, maintained) and active voice whenever possible. Arrange information to please the eye; use the best paper and clearest printer you can. (See Figure 17.1.)

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For electronic applications, you may need a résumé in several forms: a text file for attaching to an e-mail, an electronically readable version for a company to scan into its database, or a Web version for posting on your site or a job site. Format these versions carefully so that recipients can easily read what you supply. Turn to your campus career center for résumé samples and advice about alternate formats.

Heading. The heading is generally centered (or otherwise pleasingly aligned) on the page with separate lines for your name; street address; city, state, and zip code; phone number; and e-mail address.

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Employment Objective. This optional section allows personnel officers to see at a glance your priorities and goals. Try to sound confident and eager but not pompous or presumptuous.

Education. This section is almost always included, often first. Specify each postsecondary school you’ve attended, your major, your date of graduation (or expected graduation), and your grade point average (if it reflects well on you). You can also add any awards, honors, or relevant course work.

Experience. In this key section, list each job, most recent first. You can include full- and part-time jobs. For each, name the organization, your position, your responsibilities, and the dates you held the job. Describe any involvement in unusual projects or responsibility for major developments. Highlight details that show relevant work experience and leadership ability. Minimize information unrelated to the job you’re seeking.

Skills. List any special skills (data processing, technical drawing, multiple languages) that aren’t obvious from your education and work experience.

Activities. You can specify either professional interests and activities (Member of Birmingham Bricklayers Association) or personal pursuits (skiing, hiking, needlepoint) showing that you are dedicated and well-rounded.

References. If a job advertisement requests references, provide them. Always contact your references in advance to make sure they are willing to give you a good recommendation. For each person, list the name, his or her organization and position, and the organization’s address and phone number. If references have not been requested, you can simply note “Available on request.”

As you prepare your résumé, and possibly your professional Web site, also consider your electronic trail and workplace etiquette. A future employer may well assume that anything you write at work is company correspondence, without personal rights to privacy, and that anywhere you go online at work will represent or be subsidized by the company. That same employer is unlikely to be amused by your confessional Facebook page or your party photos. Though you might consider social media materials personal, they may seem very public to an employer who checks your background and your credibility. Your electronic presence should correspond with the reliable-future-employee presence you wish to project.

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Application Letters

When writing a letter applying for a job, follow all the guidelines for other business letters. As you compete against others, your letter and résumé are all the employer has to judge you on. Your immediate objective is to obtain an interview, so read any advertisement critically.

Your letter should spark your readers’ interest, convince them you’re qualified, and motivate them to interview you. If possible, address your letter to the person who screens applicants and sets up interviews; you may need to call the organization to find out this person’s name. In the first paragraph, identify the job, indicate how you heard about it, and summarize your qualifications. In the second paragraph, expand on your qualifications, highlighting key information on your résumé. Add details if necessary to show that you’re a better candidate than others. In the third paragraph, restate your interest in the job, ask for an interview, and let your prospective employer know how to reach you. (See Figure 17.2.) If you get an interview, follow up with a thank-you note. The note may reemphasize your qualifications and strong interest in the position.

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