Assignment 1: Application Letter and Rsum

Due: Thursday, September 27, 2012.

The primary emphasis of Chapter 9 in Workplace Communications has been on the Job Application Process. For this assignment, you will write an Application Letter and Rsum that you can use in a professional context. While many of you may have written a rsum before, consider this an opportunity to revisit and rewrite the document. Using one of the job search websites on pages 174-5 of the Searles textbook, choose a job you would like to mock apply for. You may apply to the position in real life as well, but I will only evaluate your work insofar as it meets class standards. You will need to include a copy of the job listing in your assignment packet. Failure to do so will result in a loss of points. Be sure to think about how your rsum will have to represent you as an applicant to a particular audience. You can assume that the application letter and rsum will go to the same audience and you should write accordingly. In addition to the sound suggestions offered in Chapter 9, keep in mind that if you endeavor to apply to a more creative based field you will probably need a different sort of rsum from what Searles recommends. Feel free to explore creative options in this assignment. You can reference this website to see examples of successful creative rsums. Please remember that there must be a rhetorical approach taken to the design of the rsum. Create a rsum that is appropriate for the job listing you choose. http://www.businessinsider.com/insanely-creative-resumes-2011-6?op=1 Evaluation I will evaluate your rsum and application letter for formatting, audience appropriateness, style and grammar correctness and how well the texts adhere to conventions of their respective genres. I would Highly Recommend utilizing the excellent checklist on page 179. Reflective Paper A Reflective paper of between 300 and 600 words will be turned within 24 hours after the assignment is due. The reflective paper will have two components, one major and one minor; Major Component: You will reflect on how the language, formatting, genre conventions and cultural importance of these documents through the lens of any of the theoretical texts we have read this semester (Slaughter, Lewis, Albini, or Anyon). Minor Component: Choose one Style or Grammar component covered in the Williams Style book and explain how you were particularly attentive to it in your work. To Recap: On the day this assignment is due, you will turn in the following: 1. Application letter 2. Rsum 3. Job Posting 4. Follow-Up Letter 24 hours later, you will turn in the short reflective paper in a Word document on the course Moodle site As always, contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.