The Career Plan, Cover Letter, and Resume Rubric
The “A” assignment is a pleasure to read, largely possessing these characteristics:
The Career Plan:
 The student understands the assignment well.
 The assignment has been fully and correctly completed, meeting all minimum requirements.
 The assignment includes a printed and attached job posting of the student’s “dream job.”
 The assignment includes a convincing, detailed timeline and description of actions that the
student can logically take during college to gain the experience and qualifications necessary to
achieve his or her “dream job.” (The career plan shows considerable thought.)
 The assignment has been carefully written to avoid all major grammatical errors AND most if not
all minor grammatical errors.
The Cover Letter:
 The assignment does not exceed one page.
 The assignment contains all the required parts of a business letter (see assignment guidelines).
 The assignment meets the minimum guidelines (e.g., uses full-block alignment, one-inch
margins, and an easy-to-read font in 10 or 12 point).
 The assignment is obviously written with the attached job description in mind.
 The assignment is attractively yet simply designed (see examples in the MSU Career Center
Handbook).
 The assignment makes a compelling argument about why the applicant is suitable for and
genuinely interested in the position.
 The assignment includes an introductory paragraph that states which position the applicant is
pursuing and how the applicant learned of the position, as well as a conclusion that reiterates
the applicant’s major points, provides contact information, and requests an interview.
 The assignment has been carefully written to avoid all major AND most if not all minor
grammatical errors. The letter has excellent transitions and flow.
The Resume:
 The assignment is arranged chronologically (using reverse chronological order).
 The assignment does not exceed two pages (references may be included in the resume or
provided on a separate page, which does not count as a “second” page).
 The assignment fills one page OR two pages (not counting a separate references page, if used)
without looking cramped.
 The assignment contains all the required information (see assignment guidelines), including at
least three professional references.
 The assignment includes truthful information only (the telephone number may be fictitious).
 The assignment has a clear, attractive, and easy-to-read format.
 The assignment is tailored toward the job position as much as possible to make a convincing
case about why the applicant should be considered for the job.
 The assignment has been carefully written to avoid all major AND most if not all minor
grammatical errors.
The “B” assignment is also good but falls short of the “A” assignment:
The student does a good job but does not demonstrate the same attention to detail and exemplary
writing shown by the “A” student. However, the “B” student shows that he or she understood the
assignment components and took time and care in completing them, meeting some but perhaps not
quite all of the minimum required guidelines and showing a strong attempt to win the position. The “B”
student’s writing is not as careful as that of the “A” student, and the “B” assignment components may
collectively contain 1-2 major grammatical errors and a few minor errors, though the errors do not
detract from the reader’s comprehension. The “B” student would probably get an interview but does
not completely win the confidence of the reader.
The “C” assignment is average, neither particularly good nor particularly bad:
The student appears to have done the bare minimum requirements for the assignment, meeting some
but not all of the minimum guidelines for the assignment. The student’s cover letter does not make an
extremely convincing case for the student’s interest in the position. The resume appears extremely
generic. The cover letter and resume are not geared well toward the specific job for which the applicant
is applying, but some relationship is apparent. The documents are somewhat carelessly written,
showing that the student did not exert a significant amount of time or attention to detail in composing
the assignment. The cover letter and resume may collectively contain 3-5 major grammatical errors and
several minor grammatical errors, but the author’s intent is still very clear. The assignment does not
inspire the reader’s confidence but does not do anything strongly off putting.
The “D” assignment is seriously flawed:
The student appears to have spent little time on the assignment and may have partially misunderstood
the purpose of the assignment. The student fails to meet multiple assignment requirements. The cover
letter and resume appear thrown together hurriedly and have little or no relation to the job for which
the applicant is applying. The cover letter and resume are difficult to read, due in part to poor page
design and in part to poor writing. The cover letter and resume collectively contain 5-7 major
grammatical errors and several minor errors, and these errors may hinder reader comprehension. The
“D” assignment is off putting to the reader, and the student would not be considered for the position.
The “F” assignment represents a total communication breakdown:
The student appears to have completely misunderstood or disregarded the assignment instructions.
The student fails to meet most or all of the minimum requirements for the assignment. The cover letter
and resume are written so as to reflect poorly on the quality of MSU’s business graduates. The cover
letter and resume are littered with major and minor errors, which detract from the reader’s
comprehension and destroy the reader’s confidence in the applicant’s abilities. The “F” assignment may
also be extremely informal in tone, containing contractions, euphemisms, slang, etc., showing that the
author does not understand basic principles of formal business communication.