Modules 27 & 28

Module 27


A resume is defined as a persuasive summary of your qualifications for employment. In order to encourage the employer to pay attention to your resume you must show how your qualifications fit the job and the company. Highlight your skills based on the needs of the company. For example, if you are applying for a secretary job mentioning your excellent typing skill may be a good idea.

There are two basic kinds of resumes: chronological and skills. You should choose the one that makes you look best. A chronological resume summarizes what you have done in a timeline. You start with the most recent and go backwards; know as reverse chronology. This type of resume emphasizes degrees, job titles, and dates. A skills resume emphasizes the skills you've used, and not the job in which or the date when you used them.

In both types of resumes you should not use the word I or sentence fragments punctuated as complete sentences. You can use complete sentences when they are brief and needed to affectively present information. Both resumes can also use bullet points. The two resumes differ because they handle experience, activities, and volunteer work differently.

Module 28


The main purpose of a job application letter is to simply get an interview. The letter is your first step in showing a specific company what you can do for it.

In your letter you want to focus on: major requirements for the job for which you are applying, points that separate you from other applicants, points that show your knowledge of the organization, and qualities that every employer is likely to value; such as, the ability to write and speak effectively, to solve problems, and to get along with people.

The kind of letter used is based on whether the company has asked for applications. You would write a solicited letter when you know that the company is hiring. If you aren't sure that the company is hiring you would write a prospecting letter. These letters help you tap into the hidden job market. The differences in these letters is that they begin and end differently.

Important Points


Job application letters should be one full page. A short letter throws away an opportunity to be persuasive and may suggest that you have little to say for yourself or aren't interested in the job.

In job application letters use you-attitude and positive emphasis.