Chapter 15
The Job Search, Résumés,
and Cover Letters
Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Mary Ellen Guffey
Copyright © 2008
The Job Search, Résumés,
and Cover Letters
The Job Search
The Customized
Résumé
Optimizing Your
Résumé
Submitting Your
Résumé
The Customized
Cover Letter
Sending Your
Cover Letter
By E-Mail
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 2
The Job Search
Preparing
 Identify your interests.
 Evaluate your
qualifications.
 Recognize the changing
nature of jobs.
 Choose a career path.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 3
The Job Search
Searching Electronically
 Visit big job boards.
CareerBuilder, Monster,Yahoo HotJobs, etc.
 Look beyond the big
boards.
Corporate Web sites,
professional associations,
niche sites
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 4
The Job Search
Searching Traditionally
 Check classified ads.
 See announcements of
professional organizations.
 Contact companies directly.
 Visit career center, attend career fairs,
ask advice of instructors.
 Develop your own network.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 5
The Job Search
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 6
The Customized Résumé
Heading and Objective
 List your name,
address, and phone.
 Include a career
objective customized
for a targeted job.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 7
The Customized Résumé
Summary of Qualifications
 Provide 3 to 8 bulleted
statements.
 List your most impressive qualifications:
experience, skills, education, awards.
 Customize the statements to fit the
requirements of the targeted job.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 8
The Customized Résumé
Education
 Name your degree, date of graduation,
and institution.
 List your major and GPA.
Give information about your studies,
but don’t inventory all your courses.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 9
The Customized Résumé
Work Experience
List your jobs. Start with the most recent.
Include employer's name and city, dates of
employment (month, year), and most
significant title.
Salesperson, Kmart, Dayton, Ohio. April 2007 to May 2008.
Manager, Fleet Equipment, Kettering, Ohio. June 2008 to present.
Tax Preparer,Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA).
March 2008 to present. Sinclair College, Dayton, Ohio.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 10
The Customized Résumé
Work Experience
 Use action verbs to describe your
experience.
 Summarize your achievements and skills
relevant to the targeted job.
Prepared state and federal tax returns for individuals with
incomes under $25,000. Conducted interviews with over 50
individuals to elicit data regarding taxes. Determined
legitimate tax deductions and recorded them accurately.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 11
The Customized Résumé
Capabilities and Skills
 Highlight your technical skills. Mention word
processing, database, spreadsheet, and Internet
proficiency.
 Emphasize your nontechnical skills. Give
evidence of communication, management, and
interpersonal skills. Employers want more than
empty assurances. Try to quantify your skills.
Organized holiday awards program for 1200 attendees and
140 awardees. Praised by top management for enthusiastic
teamwork and achievement.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 12
The Customized Résumé
Awards, Honors, and Activities
 Show that you are well-rounded.
 List awards and extracurricular
activities, especially if they
demonstrate leadership,
teamwork, reliability, loyalty,
initiative, efficiency, and selfsufficiency.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 13
The Customized Résumé
Final Tips
 Omit references unless specifically
required.
 Look for ways to condense your data.
 Double-check for parallel phrasing.
 Project professionalism and quality.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 14
The Customized Résumé
Final Tips
 Avoid personal pronouns. Omit humor.
 Use quality paper and a quality printer.
 Have a friend or colleague critique your
résumé.
 Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 15
RÉSUMÉ OF
JENNIE JENKINS
3320 Lafayette Street, #12
San Leandro, CA 94561
(415) 781-5592
OBJECTIVE: An entry-level position where my proven communication,
accounting, and administrative skills could be utilized in a path leading to
advancement into management eventually.
DEGREE from San Francisco State University. Broadcast Communication Arts.
Bachelor of arts. 3.2 in major.
EXPERIENCE
Apprentice KPFA - 94.1 in Berkeley, CA. Duties included scheduling studios. Also
recruited staff. Some paperwork. Often given responsibility to act as
production manager. 10/06 to present.
Pacifica House
Position for financial manager. Duties included payroll and benefits for
employees of shelter. Was responsible for the books, also for cash transactions. Took care of some donations. Expected to help raise funds. I
prepared all payroll reports. Also petty cash. Chaotic environment,
underfunded.
Poor Résumé
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 16
Spring, 2006 Worked for one spring with Renaissance Rainbow, which is
a performing arts troupe operating out of San Francisco. My duties
included scheduling interviews with print and broadcast journalists.
Was responsible for volunteers and publicity.
Other temporary positions
Manpower, Inc. San Francisco. Worked at many different places as a
temp. 2004-06. Dohring Company. File clerk, receptionist, general
duties. Other places. Good Earth Restaurant - server 2003-2005.
Personal
Self-starter, can finish jobs without supervision.
Marital status: single
Birth: 6/15/83
Health: Excellent
Hobbies: Knitting, singing, like to read
First Baptist Gospel Choir
Awards: Spirit Award, Oakland High
School
Dean's List, college, 2 semesters
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 17
Improved Résumé
Jennifer Marie Jenkins
3320 Lafayette Street, #12
San Leandro, CA 94561
(415) 781-5592
Objective: Administrative position involving
 Payroll  Accounting  Employee Benefits  Customer Service
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS





Two years' experience in responsible administrative and accounting positions
Disciplined self-starter; able to work without supervision
Proficient with PCs including Word, Excel, and Internet
Can be counted on to follow through on every detail, until a task is successfully completed
B.A. degree, San Francisco State University
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
10/06 to
present
Apprentice, Radio Production, KPFA - 94.1, Berkeley, CA
• As production manager, schedule studios, recruit support staff
• Process scripts, permissions, and logs involved in weekly productions
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 18
Improved Résumé
2004-07
Financial manager, The Pacifica House (shelter), San Francisco, CA
• Used computer to manage payroll and employee benefits for a staff of 26
• Completed all projects on time, despite chronically chaotic environment
• Managed agency's cash flow, involving funder reimbursements, in-kind donations,
and fund-raising
• Processed all accounts payable and receivable, monthly, and quarterly statistical
reports for local, state, and federal funding agencies; oversaw petty cash
• Designed a flow chart to track success of a $25,000 fund-raising project
Spring
2004
Publicity coordinator, Renaissance Rainbow
(performance arts troupe), San Francisco, CA
• Scheduled all media interviews and supervised volunteers
• Coordinated publicity mailings for African-American Performance Arts Festival
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 19
Improved Résumé
2002-04
Temp positions, Manpower Temporary Services, San Francisco, CA
• Developed customer service skills as telephone interviewer for Dohring Company
• Maintained files, routed incoming telephone calls, input employee progress journals,
prepared interoffice memos, recorded accounts payable checks, keyboarded
accounts payable correspondence, learned e-mail systems in various assignments
EDUCATION
B.A. in Broadcast Communication Arts, San Francisco State University , 2005
GPA in major: 3.2 (A = 4)
Dean's list, 2 semesters
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 20
Optimizing Your Résumé for Today's
Technologies
You need three résumé versions:
1. Print-based presentation
résumé
2. Scannable résumé
3. Plain-text résumé
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 21
Optimizing Your Résumé for Today's
Technologies
To prepare a scannable résumé:
 Convert your print résumé.
 Use a popular large font (such as 12-
point Times New Roman or Arial).
 Remove underlining, italics, open bullets.
 Be sure to include keywords mentioned
in job description.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 22
Optimizing Your Résumé for Today's
Technologies
To prepare a plain-text résumé:
 Reformat with shorter lines (no more
than 65 characters).
 Move all text to the left.
 Consider using equals signs (= = =) or
tildes (~ ~ ~) to separate items and
enhance format.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 23
Optimizing Your Résumé for Today's
Technologies
To prepare a plain-text résumé:
 Save file in plain-text (.txt) or rich
text (.rtf) format.
 Send to yourself to check layout.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 24
Submitting Your Résumé
Word Document
 Send your presentation résumé by
surface mail or as e-mail attachment.
Plain-text, ASCII Document
 Embed within e-mail or send as
attachment.
PDF Document
 Use Adobe software to convert your
presentation résumé. Send as attachment.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 25
Submitting Your Résumé
Company database
 Complete online form with your
résumé information.
Fax
 Send your presentation résumé.
If you are faxing or sending a résumé by
e-mail, consider following up with a copy
of your presentation résumé.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 26
The Customized Cover Letter
Opening
 Address the letter to an individual by
name.
 For advertised jobs, name the source;
include job title, date, and publication.
 If someone referred you, name that
person.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 27
The Customized Cover Letter
Opening
 Tell how your qualifications fit the job
specifications, show knowledge of the
reader’s business, or describe how your
special talents will be assets to the
company.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 28
The Customized Cover Letter
Body
 Demonstrate how your background
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
© Rubberball Productions / Getty Images
and training fill the job
requirements.
 Summarize your principal assets
from education, experience, and
special skills.
 Avoid repeating specific data from
your résumé.
 Refer to your résumé.
Ch. 15, Slide 29
The Customized Cover Letter
Closing
 Ask for an interview. Consider
hooking the request to a statement
reviewing your strongest points.
 Make it easy to respond. Tell when
you can be reached (during office
hours). Some recruiters prefer that
you call them.
© Photodisc / Getty Images
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 30
Sending Your Cover Letter by E-Mail
 Be sure to send a cover letter if you
e-mail your résumé.
 Move your return address from the
top to just below your name.
 Include your e-mail address and phone
numbers.
 Remove tabs, bullets, underlining, and
italics.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 31
1.
How many employers can you expect to have had before you reach the
age of 38?
__ 4
__ 8
__ 6
__ 10
2.
The average job tenure for an American worker between the ages of 18
and 38 is
__ 2.6 years
__ 6.6 years
__ 4.6 years
__ 8.6 years
3.
Having your job terminated ranks in the top 10 of the most severe crises
in life.
__ True
__ False
4.
What résumé format do recruiters generally prefer?
__ Chronological (arranged around dates of employment, education)
__ Functional (arranged around skills)
Employment Quiz
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 32
1.
How many employers can you expect to have had before you reach the
age of 38?
__ 4
__ 8
__ 6
__ 10
2.
The average job tenure for an American worker between the ages of 18
and 38 is
__ 2.6 years
__ 6.6 years
__ 4.6 years
__ 8.6 years
3.
Having your job terminated ranks in the top 10 of the most severe crises
in life.
__ True
__ False
4.
What résumé format do recruiters generally prefer?
__ Chronological (arranged around dates of employment, education)
__ Functional (arranged around skills)
Preview Employment Quiz
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 33
5.
Many experts in the field of recruiting think that the best way for a college
graduate to find a job today is by
__ Searching the Internet
__ Networking
__ Sending out hundreds of résumés __ Reading the classified ads
6.
The best place to look for a job online is at
__ Monster.com
__ Company Web sites
__ Yahoo HotJobs
__ CareerBuilder.com
7.
You have heard that “networking” is a good way to find a job. Who should be
on your list of people to contact about job leads?
__ Potential employers, professional organizations, and friends
__ Family members, neighbors, and business associates
__ School alumni and former instructors
__ Your dentist, doctor, insurance agent, and other service providers
__ All of the above
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 34
5.
Many experts in the field of recruiting think that the best way for a college
graduate to find a job today is by
__ Searching the Internet
__ Networking
__ Sending out hundreds of résumés __ Reading the classified ads
6.
The best place to look for a job online is at
__ Monster.com
__ Company Web sites
__ Yahoo HotJobs
__ CareerBuilder.com
7.
You have heard that “networking” is a good way to find a job. Who should be
on your list of people to contact about job leads?
__ Potential employers, professional organizations, and friends
__ Family members, neighbors, and business associates
__ School alumni and former instructors
__ Your dentist, doctor, insurance agent, and other service providers
__ All of the above
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 35
8.
A savvy job candidate would prepare which of the following résumés?
__ A beautiful print-based résumé
__ A plain-text résumé
__ A scannable résumé
__ All three versions
9.
The primary purpose of a cover letter is to ask for a job.
__True
__ False
10. If you are sending your résumé by e-mail, you do not need to send a
cover letter ?
__True
__ False
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 36
8.
A savvy job candidate would prepare which of the following résumés?
__ A beautiful print-based résumé
__ A plain-text résumé
__ A scannable résumé
__ All three versions
9.
The primary purpose of a cover letter is to ask for a job.
__True
__ False
10. If you are sending your résumé by e-mail, you do not need to send a
cover letter ?
__True
__ False
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 37
End
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Ch. 15, Slide 38