Boston College, Boston, MA May, 2003 Candidate for Masters in business and public relations GPA 3.72 Boston College, Boston, MA May, 2001 Bachelors of business in marketing Articles
Trang 1Chapter 2 5 : Business Writing: Write Angles 3 3 J
The following chronological resume shows a candidate steadily moving up the job ladder
OBJECTIVE
EDUCATION
PUBLISHED
WORK RELEVANT
EXPERIENCE
ACTIVITIES
HONORS
AWARDS
Name
Street Address City, Town, ZIP Code Telephone number
To secure a promotional or editorial position in die publishing industry
Boston College, Boston, MA May, 2003
Candidate for Masters in business and public relations GPA 3.72
Boston College, Boston, MA May, 2001
Bachelors of business in marketing
Articles on comic books published in Comics Weekly, The Comics Scene, and Boston Tab
2000-Comics International, Boston, MA
2001-Promotions assistant
• Wrote press releases
• Conducted research to introduce comics to student population through symposia and articles
Comics Close-Up, Boston, MA 2002-2003
• Developed and produced an innovative weekly radio program on WQBC
• Examined the comics field and literature
• Arranged and conducted interviews with noted comic book artists and writers
Student Senate, elected representative 2002-2003 English and writing tutor 2001-2003 Student Activities Council 2001-2003 Boston College Award of Excellence 2002
Phi Beta Kappa 2002
Skills Resume
A skills resume emphasizes your skills Consider using a skills resume when
• You are no longer a spring chicken and wish to hide your age because of the
common bias against more mature and experienced workers
• Your education and experience are not the usual preparation for the job you want
Trang 2Take My Word for It
A curriculum vitae (CV to those
in the know) is the Goodyear
Blimp of resumes: It contains
every relevant thing you've ever
done Scientists and
academ-ics use CVs instead of resumes to
include all their publications,
con-ferences, and professional
affilia-tions My CV is more than 2 0
pages long
• You lack an impressive education or job history
• Arranging your recent work history in reverse chronological order would create the wrong impression (perhaps because you have been demoted, fired, or hopped from job to job)
A middle-aged candidate with a great deal of experi-ence prepared the following skills resume The for-mat allows her to place the emphasis on her most recent jobs and place far less emphasis on her age
Danger, Will Robinson
Claire includes her job as Assistant Manager, which she held from 1 9 7 3 - 1 9 8 0 The original resume had that section omitted, a very good idea I put it back in to show you the full range of Claire's employment—and to tell you to leave this entry out If you
are middle-aged, I strongly recommend that you list only 10 years' of experience Never
lie, but don't parade your age Once you get your foot in the door at the interview, you can share as much of your job history as necessary, or as you wish
Trang 3Chapter 2 5 : Business Writing: Write Angles 3 3 5
Claire De Lune
315 Elmo Avenue, Riverdale, CA 81711 681-732-9373 (H); 681-865-7166 (W) Claire_DeLune@yahoo.com EDITORIAL Supervising Editor
CURRENT POSITION Big Books (a division of Bigger Books), Oakland, CA
• Oversee publishing process from inception to bound book, producing elementary through high school materials on time and under budget
• Manage editorial development, creative process, and content of test-preparation materials for 30-50 titles per year
• Supervise project teams and senior editors
• Hire authors and evaluate manuscripts
• Prepare and maintain editorial schedules and budgets
• Strategic planning and product development of test-preparation materials
Senior Editor 1998-2001 Big Books (a division of Bigger Books), Oakland, CA
• Research and lay out books
• Supervise editors, junior staff, freelance editors, and proofreaders
• Approve art, photos, page layouts and designs, page proofs, and bluelines
Editor 1996-1997 Big Books (a division of Bigger Books), Oakland, CA
• Edit, copyedit, proofread
• Write test questions and introductory copy addressing teachers
Freelance Editor 1993-1996
• Varied projects, including PR brochures, advertisements, and a cookbook
Assistant Manager 1973-1980 Dewey Cheatem and Howe Law Offices,
Cincinnati, OH
• Accountable for accuracy of legal briefs
• Copywrite, copyedit, and proofread
• Oversee print production and schedules
• Train junior staff
WRITING Freelance Author
• Two study guides for series Whafs the Big Idea? (First Steps, Inc.), Winter, 2001
• Essays, LI Parenting News and Newsday
TEACHING Teacher, First and Fifth Grades; Drama Club Director, Family Math Presenter, 1990-1993
Washington Elementary School, Oakland, CA
Corrective Math Teacher, Grades 3-6; 1990 Washington Elementary School, Oakland, CA
CERTIFICATION New York State Permanent Certification: Elementary Education, N-6/English, 7-9
EDUCATION Master of Arts, English Literature New York University, New York, NY
Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, English and Creative Writing
Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
SKILLS Theatre Arts: Acting, Directing, Playwriting
PLATFORMS: Windows/Mac; Software: MS Word, Excel, QuarkXPress
Trang 4Cover Letters
Like a resume, the purpose of a cover letter (or a "job application letter") is to get an interview Although a resume and a cover letter do overlap in certain areas, there are three crucial differences:
• A cover letter is adapted to the needs of a particular organization; a resume is
usu-ally adapted to a position
• A cover letter shows how your qualifications can help the organization meet its needs; a resume summarizes all your relevant qualifications
• A cover letter uses complete sentences and paragraphs; a resume uses short phrases
Tailor each cover letter to the specific company or organization If you can substitute another inside address and salutation and send out the letter without any further changes, it isn't specific enough Here's what to include:
• The major requirements for the job
• Facts and examples that show how you can do the job
• Details that show your knowledge of the company
• Qualities that employers seek: the ability to read
H Wll R W an<^ w r^t e w e^ ' t r n nk critically, speak effectively,
you decide to do
Some people find it difficult to write effective cover letters because they don't want to toot their own horns My advice? Toot away Good work rarely speaks for itself—it usually needs a microphone to be heard Studies have shown that successful executives spend about half their time on their job and the other half on self-promotion and office politics
Five final points:
1 Take the time to know the company or organization you are contacting
2 Know what you have to offer Analyze your strengths and weaknesses
3 Be prepared to show the employer that you can do the job—and do it well
4 Target your letter to an individual rather than a position
5 Spend the time to get it right You have a snowball's chance in Hades of getting
an interview if your letter contains errors
some name dropping in your
cover letter, only drop the names
of those people who will speak
well of you Be sure to get prior
permission from the person to
mention his or her name
and get along with others
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Here's the cover letter that accompanied the first resume:
May 5, 2003
Mr Big Executive, Vice President
Major American Comic Book Company
1325 Important Street
New York, NY 10019
Dear Mr Big Executive:
If you are interested in someone to join your editorial or promotions team who has a pas-sion for comic books, formal training in comic book production, an understanding of the industry, and a variety of related experiences, then please take a moment to review the enclosed resume and writing samples
As my resume indicates, I received my undergraduate degree in marketing from Boston College, and will be completing my graduate studies in business and public relations next month My emphasis is on public relations writing, marketing, promotional strategies, and research methods My current grade-point average is 3.72
The pleasure that comics brought me when I was a child has never left It has, however, matured from simply an affection for the product to a respect for the process This evo-lution has been cultivated in both my undergraduate and graduate studies, extracurricular activities, and work experience I would like to point out some of my accomplishments that help illustrate this point
As an undergraduate, I developed and produced Comics Close-Up, an innovative weekly radio
program that aired on WQBC in the greater Boston area The program examined the comics field and literature and featured interviews with noted comic book artists and
writers Also, I have had several articles published in Comics Weekly, The Comics Scene, and Boston Tab Recently, I received the Boston College Award of Excellence from the
Commu-nications Department for a research prospectus on the development of computerized comic book production Furthermore, as part of my graduate internship, I worked for sev-eral months at Comics International as a promotions assistant
In short, my education, coupled with other vital experiences, has prepared me for a role
in the promotions field, particularly in the field of comics I would welcome an opportu-nity to discuss helping Major American Comic Book Company meet its promotional or editorial objectives I will contact you soon to answer any questions you may have, and perhaps arrange an appointment Thank you in advance for your time and attention Sincerely,
# P yjSeeAe*
J P JobSeeker
Trang 6Remember to use correct forms of address on your letter (Mr., Ms., Dr., and so on)
and nonsexist language
Bread-and-Butter Notes
Remember how your Mom used to force you to write thank you letters to Aunt Shirley and Uncle Irving for those ugly, itchy sweaters? "Aw, Ma," you whined, "Aunt Shirley and Uncle Irving won't care I bet they don't even read those stupid letters." Think again It's not only your relatives who are impressed by your good manners; it's prospective employers as well You should always write a business thank you letter when you've:
• Had a phone conversation with someone at the company about an actual job opening or any matter relating to employment
• Been granted an informational interview
• Had an actual job interview
• Been offered a job and declined it
In today's tight job market, many employers expect applicants to be more aggressive Following up after an interview can give you the winning edge In this situation, a thank you letter really functions as a follow-up The letter should remind the interviewer:
• Who you are
• What position you want
• Your outstanding qualifications
• What he or she liked in you
• What new information you learned about the company during the interview
Also use the letter as a chance to counter any negative impressions that might have come up during the interview Be very sure that the letter is well-written and com-pletely free of errors
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Here's a model thank you note:
Inside address
Date
Dear Mr Harris:
I am writing this letter to thank you again for the opportunity to work at Acme as an intern The description of the internship that you gave me leads me to believe that I will enjoy working there immensely I hope to do so during the months of June and July
of this year
I'd like to specifically thank you for the advice and counsel that you gave me concerning
my job search I found your advice very helpful and I wanted you to know how much I appreciate it
I look forward to working with you
Sincerely,
J P JobSeeker
Good News, Bad News
Myth #1: Good news messages are easy to write
Myth #2 : Bad news messages are hard to
write
Stop! Both are wrong—both are right How
easy a message is to write (and deliver)
depends on how well you know the situation
as well as the message you have to deliver It's
also crucial to know what information each
type of message must contain Even good
news can be hard to deliver when you have a
lot of facts to include Let's do some special
deliveries now
Danger, Will Robinson
A true pitfall of deliver-ing good news is the potential for going overboard Congratulating someone on a job well done shouldn't mislead the person into thinking he or she has practically clinched that promotion, which might not be the case
Trang 8Good News
Compared to some of the situations we face every day at work, delivering good news seems to be the least of our worries But even such a seemingly pleasant task as giving welcome news has its sand traps To avoid getting bogged down, try these guidelines First, recognize that good news letters provide information, downplay the downside, and build a good image of the writer They cement a good relationship between the writer and reader and reduce the need to send any further correspondence so you can finally get to the bottom of the pile of paper on your desk They do this by following these five steps:
1 Start with the good news
2 Summarize the main points
3 Provide details and any needed background information
4 Present any negative elements—as positively as you can
5 End on a positive note
The next page shows a model letter
Bad News
You should live and be well, but into each life a little trouble always comes And when
it does, you'll probably have to be the one to write the letter about it
Bad news letters deliver the lousy news and help readers accept it They also build a good image of the writer and his or her organization To be effective, bad news letters leave readers feeling that the decision was reasonable and that even if they were in the writer's position, they would make the same decision Bad news letters accomplish this by using the following pattern:
1 Give reasons for the action
2 Don't overly stress the negative
3 End with a positive statement
Trang 9Chapter 2 5 : Business Writing: Write Angles 1 k \
Rte 453 and Cowplop Road Gassy Point, Idaho 67819
WHATSAMATTER U
May 1,2003
Solid Community College
Kneejerk, Nevada 98761
Dear Professor Schmendrick:
We are pleased to offer you a term appointment as an Assistant Professor of
Self-Actualization, effective August 31, 2003 You will be teaching two classes in Barefoot
Aluminum Foil Dancing, one class in Underwater Fire Prevention, and one class in
Advanced Quantum Physics In addition, you will mentor six undergraduate students in
the "I'm Okay, You're Okay" department
Whatsamatter U is a select liberal arts college on the cutting edge of the 21st century We
pride ourselves on our wide and eclectic course offerings, focus on self-awareness, and
high tuition costs This year we are especially excited about our new major, "Fen Shu and
You," which already has three enrollees
Your salary will be $20,000, and you will be considered for a tenure-track position at the
end of your five-year probationary period This is the standard procedure at our
University
Please send your written acceptance as soon as possible and let me know if you need any
software or supplies On August 31, please report to the personnel office, located on the
second floor of Cheez Whiz Hall Please stop by my office at noon, and I'll take you out
to lunch at the Dew Drop Inn
Welcome to Whatsamatter U!
Sincerely,
Seymour Glass, Dean
Trang 10Danger, Will Robinson
If you have to present
some negative news, give the
facts a positive spin, but don't be
dishonest You'll lose credibility
and may even expose yourself
and the company to litigation
Remember that the person you reject for a job or promotion today might be someone you want to keep
on friendly terms with for the future; letting people down graciously not only keeps the door open for future relations, it wins your company a good reputa-tion as a people company If it's a client you're deliv-ering bad news to, the reasons for kindness are even greater Study the following model letter:
April 4, 2003
Dear Fellow Resident:
Over the past four years, Faulty Towers has enjoyed excellent service at a cost lower than the prevailing rates in this part of Icy Falls Through careful planning, the condominium board has been able to maintain services in spite of changing economic conditions
We are happy to report that we can continue to provide excellent service but we are no longer able to avoid a fee increase Accordingly, at the January meeting your directors authorized a 5 percent increase in condominium fees for the 2003-2004 fiscal year
The directors know that any increase in fees is unwelcome The fee increase was man-dated by the following conditions:
1 a 6 percent increase in county taxes;
2 a 7 percent increase in utility costs; and
3 a new labor contract with the maintenance staff that calls for a 9 percent wage increase over 2 years
You will note that the 5 percent increase is below the average of increases in comparable condominiums in the Icy Falls area Faulty Towers still costs less per month than compa-rable buildings
We will continue to work hard to provide outstanding service at a competitive price Sincerely,
\tcA> (tU<lê&l>
Rick Taylor
President, Condominium Board of Directors