978-0073403267 Chapter 27 Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

Type

Quiz

Book Title

Business Communication: Building Critical Skills 6th Edition

ISBN 13

978-0073403267

April 6, 2019

Module 27 - Résumés

Module 27

Résumés

LO 27-1 Demonstrate reasons for employers to read your résumé.

LO 27-2 Apply principles for résumé design with computers.

LO 27-3 Select résumés for different situations.

LO 27-4 Contrast differences among résumé features.

LO 27-5 Compare similarities among résumé features.

LO 27-6 Apply principles for appropriate résumé length.

LO 27-7 Apply principles for electronic résumé design.

LO 27-8 Apply principles for video résumé design.

Module Overview

Résumés, along with job application letters, complete the typical job application package used in

business. Module 27 focuses on the former, while Module 28 focuses on the latter—plan on

teaching them in sequence to best prepare your students to create effective job application

packages.

Though the basic definition of a résumé is universal—a persuasive summary

of the writer’s qualifications for employment—the look and format of

résumés can be quite individual (PP 27-4). In some fields, such as banking or

insurance, taking a very conservative approach to creating résumés is wise,

but in fields like advertising or graphic design, a more original or individual

approach might work. Therefore, teaching a single format for boilerplate is

unlikely to help many students; instead, Kitty and Steve focus on elements

that are common to all résumés.

 Teaching Tip: Advice on creating résumés can be as far-reaching as their formats.

For instance, some people suggest using thick paragraphs of information describing

job duties, while others insist on short phrases with bullets. Some might instruct

students to put references on the résumé, while others may not. To some degree,

these choices are governed by audience analysis and discourse community.

However, whatever students have learned elsewhere, they should use the standards

in this module for completing assignments for your course.

Kitty and Steve have also focused on two specific types of résumés—chronological, the most

traditional format, and skills, a format particularly useful for students, who may have a work

history but lack a great deal of experience in their field. In addition, applicants may create both

paper and scannable, versions of either résumé.

 Teaching Tip: Form your students into three groups and assign each one of the types of

résumés: chronological, skills, and scannable. Give them 10 minutes to confer and then have

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Module 27 - Résumés

them explain the basic concepts for creating each to the rest of the class. Have them refer to

specific examples in the text for descriptions of language and content.

In-Class Exercise: Ask each student compare his or her current résumé to the types

discussed in this module. What kind of résumé is it? How could the student

improve its format? Content? Expression?

In-Class Exercise: Many computer word processors have available résumé templates.

If you are in a computer-equipped classroom, have students review these templates.

How good are they? Do they use features described in this module? Are they

adaptable? How easy is it for students to change elements? Have students write a 1-

to 2-page memo to you describing their findings. If you are in a traditional

classroom, have students complete this assignment as homework, using their own

software or that available in a computer lab on your campus. Alternatively, have

students go to your career services office and collect templates and analyze them.

 Teaching Tip: Sample résumés for discussion are available at the BCS Web page:

w ww.mhhe.com/bcs6e.

What’s in This Supplement

This supplement is organized around the major questions posed in Module 27. It covers

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises Page 449

Part 2: Answers to Textbook Assignments Page 470

Part 3: Appendixes of Handouts/Transparency Masters Page 473

PowerPoint presentations can be found at our Web page at www.mhhe.com/bcs6e.

Questions (with answers) suitable for quizzes are in the Instructor’s Test Bank. For student

practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

How can I encourage the employer to pay attention to my résumé? LO 27-1

Show how your qualifications fit the job and the company.

Applicants in today’s business world should understand their résumés may be read by a human

being, an electronic scanner, or both. (The format for scannable résumés is discussed later.) PP

27-6 and PP 27-7 show that to increase the chances that a human being will pay attention to the

résumé, applicants should

Do more than just list what you've done. Show how it helped the organization. If

possible, quantify: increased sales 10%, saved the company $13,000, supervised five

people.

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Module 27 - Résumés

Emphasize achievements that

Are most relevant to the position for which you’re applying.

Show your superiority to other applicants.

Are recent.

Use the jargon and buzz words of the industry and the

organization.

Include skills that are helpful in almost every job: ability to use

computer programs, to write and speak well, to identify and solve

problems, to work with others, to speak a second language.

Design one résumé to appeal to the human eye and the second to

be easily processed by an electronic scanner.

Consider using a career objective with the employer’s name.

In-Class Exercise: Have students take 10-15 minutes to brainstorm content for their

résumés, using the guidelines on PP 27-6 and PP 27-7. Tell them to use the job title

they plan to apply for once they graduate. Have them keep this information for use

later, particularly if you assign a résumé for your course. If there are gaps in their

answers, they should seek more information. For instance, they could research the

job field to better understand its jargon or more thoroughly check their own records

for dates and job descriptions.

 Teaching Tip: Résumés, like solicited job letters, often respond to specific

advertisements. To decide what information to include—as well as potential terms to

express that information—applicants should study job advertisements carefully. Help

students learn how to do this by bringing copies of job advertisements, perhaps from

your career services office or from the classified section of a newspaper, and spend time

in class “decoding” the language. Look for key terms, such as “excellent

communication ability” or “strong people skills,” and have students brainstorm what

specific information they could provide to address those terms.

Using a computer to create résumés LO 27-2

Computers have made designing and creating documents much easier than in the past, but at the

same time, they create challenges. Now that more control is with the person using the software,

knowledge of good design is a must. Even if a writer pays someone else to produce your résumé,

they must specify the exact layout.

Some basic concepts apply, as outlined in PP 27-8:

In general,

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Module 27 - Résumés

Print on high-quality, 8.5-inch-by-11-inch paper.

Experiment with fonts and layout styles to see

what looks attractive.

Adjust font sizes as is beneficial, but start with

Your Name: 14-point type.

Headings: 12-point type.

Body: 11-point type.

Use enough white space to make the document easy to read.

Avoid templates, as they’re too familiar to many readers.

Proofread!

What kind of résumé should I use? LO 27-3

Choose the kind that makes you look best.

Use PP 27-9 and PP 27-10 to show students when it’s appropriate to use chronological and skills

résumés:

Use a chronological résumé when your education and experience

Are a logical preparation for the position for which you’re

applying.

Show a steady progression leading to the present.

Use a skills résumé when

Your education and experience are not the usual route to the

position for which you’re applying.

You’re changing fields.

You want to combine experience from paid jobs, activities or

volunteer work, and courses to show the extent of your

experience in administration, finance, speaking, etc.

Your recent work history may create the wrong impression (e.g.,

it has gaps, shows a demotion, shows job-hopping, etc.).

Students should keep in mind that both kinds of résumés omit I and use sentence fragments

punctuated as complete sentences. Complete sentences are acceptable if they are the briefest way

to present information. Me and my are acceptable if they are unavoidable or if using them

reduces wordiness. Both kinds of résumés can use bullet points. Both use details.

Skills résumés are often better for students, as many students will have little experience in their

job fields but will still have significant work experience in part-time jobs or unrelated fields. For

students with significant experience in their fields, a chronological résumé may be more

appropriate.

 Teaching Tip: Have students discuss for 10 minutes which of the two résumés would

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Module 27 - Résumés

work best for them and why.

Figures 27.2 through 27.5 (pp. 453-456) show examples.

In-Class Exercise: Have students in groups of 3-5 students each spend 10-15

minutes critiquing Figures 27.2 through 27.5. What works? What could be

improved? Is any information missing that should be included? Why? Have them

share their results with the rest of the class.

How do the two résumés differ? LO 27-4

They handle Experience, Activities, and Volunteer Work differently.

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Module 27 - Résumés

While there is overlap in information between the two types of

résumés, they handle the specific categories of Experience, Activities,

and Volunteer Work differently. Use PP 27-13 through 27-19 to show

students the basic formats for each type of résumé:

Chronological

Include for each job:

The position or job title.

The organization.

The city and state.

The dates of employment.

Details such as full- or part-time status, job duties, special

responsibilities, or promotions.

Normally, include jobs as far back as the summer after high

school.

Use minimal detail about low-level jobs.

Use detail and strong verbs or gerunds: Recruit or recruiting;

manage or managing; design or designing; write or writing.

Use parallel structure: Recruit new employees, manage office

staff; design clerical documents, and write special proposals.

Skills

Use as headings the skills used in or aspects of the job you’re

applying for.

For entries under each skill, combine experience from

Paid jobs.

Unpaid work.

Classes.

Activities.

Community work.

Use headings that reflect the job you’re applying for: Logistics

rather than planning; procurement rather than purchasing.

Use at least three headings related to the job you’re applying

for.

Use a mix of skills.

Use detail, good description, and strong verbs or gerunds.

 Teaching Tip: Use the examples throughout this module to show students specifics about

language choice and content for résumés. Have students read or review Modules 14 through 16

for information about other language concerns.

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Module 27 - Résumés

In-Class Exercise: Have students spend 10-15 minutes brainstorming additional

action verbs to those in Figure 27.6 (p. 458). Create a master list for the class to use

throughout the term.

What parts of the two résumés are the same? LO 27-5

Career Objective, Summary of Qualifications, Education, Honors, and References.

Use PP 27-21 to show students that both résumés can share these

categories:

Career Objective.

Summary of Qualifications.

Education.

Honors and Awards.

References.

Can have new categories, if necessary.

Use good paper and design.

Use strong white space, readable typeface(s), and an organized layout—see

Module 5 and Module 27’s Building a Critical Skill boxes (p. 80 and p. 451,

respectively).

 Teaching Tip: Students should contact people who may wish to be references as

quickly as possible and keep a list of those people on file. This list should be

detailed, including full names, professional titles, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail

addresses, and a short description of what the reference can comment on about the

student.

In-Class Exercise: Give students 10-15 minutes to complete Exercise 27.8 (p. 471).

Afterward, ask students who are willing to share their results with the rest of the

class. Doing so can help other students to recognize their own accomplishments

they may have overlooked.

In-Class Exercise: Give students in groups of 3-5 students each 10-15 minutes to

complete Exercise 27.10 (p. 471). Afterward, have groups share their results with

the rest of the class. Have students as a group decide which revisions work best.

What should I do if the standard categories don’t fit? LO 27-6

Create new ones.

As this section suggests, applicants can create new categories if standard ones don’t work (PP

27-23). While there is license to create new categories, writers should take care to not create ones

that sound frivolous or inappropriate for the business world.

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In-Class Exercise: Have students review the possible new

categories in this section and then brainstorm additional

categories for 10 minutes. Afterward, critique these categories

—which seem the most useful or appropriate for résumés?

Which sound inappropriate? Why?

Should I limit my résumé to just one page? LO 27-6

Not if you’ve got lots of qualifications.

Some of your students—particularly those who’ve been in the full-time

workforce for more than a few years—will have enough information to

justify creating a résumé that’s more than one page. However, some of

your students may create multi-page résumés because they are being

wordy or redundant. For them, trimming the résumé to one page will

likely be a better strategy than submitting a wordy résumé (PP 27-24).

 Teaching Tip: Have students read or review Modules 14 through 16 for information

about other language concerns, including reducing wordiness.

 Teaching Tip: Use Figure 27.7 (pp. 459-460) to show students an example of a

two-page résumé, including a possible header for the second page.

How do I create a scannable résumé? LO 27-7

Take out all your formatting.

Scannable résumés probably look considerably more Spartan to students

than those designed to be read by a human being. As PP 26-25 through

PP 26-28 show, to create scannable résumés students should use the

following:

A standard typeface—e.g., Helvetica; Times Roman.

12- to 14-point type.

A ragged right margin.

No italics or underlining.

No boldface.

No lines, boxes, leader dots, or borders.

A single column and no indented or centered text.

Phone numbers on separate lines.

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Module 27 - Résumés

Plenty of white space.

Unfolded or unstapled pages. Nothing written by hand.

A laser copy.

A keywords section under your name.

Include language that describes your personality, as well as

abilities: dependable, skill in time management, leadership,

artistic skills, and so forth.

In-Class Exercise: Use Figure 27.9 (pp. 466-467) to show students an example of a

scannable résumé. Have students compare it to a standard résumé. What features

are the same? Which are different? Would they add anything to the scannable

résumé to make it more complete? What?

How should I create an online résumé? LO 27-7

If an employer requests one, follow these guidelines.

Traditional paper résumés are still popular, but employers increasingly are requesting other

forms, and hiring managers and recruiters now use e-mail for most of their correspondence. As

shown on PP 27-29 and PP 27-30, in your web résumé,

Include an e-mail link at the top of the résumé under your name.

Omit your street address and phone numbers. (A post office box

is OK.) Employers who find your résumé on the web will have

the technology to e-mail you.

Consider having links under your name and e-mail address to the

various parts of your résumé. Use phrases that give the viewer

some idea of what you offer: e.g., Marketing Experience.

Link to other pages that provide more information about you (a list of courses, a

document you’ve written), but not to organizations (your university, an employer) that

shift emphasis away from you credentials.

Don’t be cute. Do be professional. Link to other pages you’ve

created only if they convey the same professional image as your

résumé.

Put your strongest qualification immediately after your name and

e-mail address. If the first screen doesn’t interest readers, they

won’t scroll through the rest of the résumé.

Specify the job you want. Recruiters respond negatively to

scrolling through an entire résumé only to find that the candidate is in another field.

Specify city and state for educational institutions and employers.

Use lists, indentations, and white space to create visual variety.

Most commercial and many university sites offer lists of applicants, with a short phrase

after each name. Craft this phrase to convince the recruiter to click on your résumé.

Proofread the résumé carefully.

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Can I use a video résumé? LO 27-8

Yes, if it’s appropriate for the situation and presents you in the best light.

Video résumés can be powerful tools for reaching an audience. They let applicants use sight,

sound, color, and motion to enhance appeals and demonstrate skills needed for the job. But video

résumés also leave applicants vulnerable to discrimination or ridicule, as was the case for

Aleksey Vayner, whose much- maligned “Impossible is Nothing” made the rounds on the

Internet and included examples of ballroom dancing, downhill skiing, and bench pressing

(hundreds of pounds)—all for a job in banking. Students should know, too, that we may

overestimate our strengths on camera, as TV shows like American Idol have made audiences

painfully realize!

When job seekers have a choice, they should weigh the benefits of using video résumés against

the risks. Many potential employers, for instance, can scan through dozens of paper résumés in

the time it takes to view a single video résumé. Which résumé might they prefer? Consider using

a video résumé if it’s appropriate for the organization and job sought, such as one in

entertainment, motivational speaking, or face-to-face sales—and if it’s the best way to present

you. Stick to traditional methods otherwise.

As PP 27-31 and PP 27-32 suggest,

Learn if the employer wants a video resume.

Be professional.

Practice; record several versions.

Show why you’re the best candidate.

Keep to a few minutes – one or two may be ideal.

Enhance with imagery and sound, not distract.

Test your résumé, post or send it, and check it

periodically if possible.

In-Class Exercise: If you are in a computer-equipped

classroom, have students locate examples of video résumés and

critique them for 10-15 minutes. Which résumés are effective? Which are not?

Why? If opinions differ vastly among students, what does this suggest about the

potential effectiveness of a video resume with different audiences?

Last Word: Encourage students to envision their résumés as organic, rather than

think of résumés as “one-size-fits-all” documents. Each résumé should be adapted

for its specific reader, whether that reader is human or machine. By avoiding a

cookie-cutter approach, students are more likely to create résumés that will give

readers the information they wantCin the form they want it.

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