Chapter 13 Lecture Notes ● 1
Chapter 13 LECTURE NOTES
The Job Search and Résumés in the Digital Age
Chapter Synopsis
In Chapter 13 students learn to prepare for employment, create a customized résumé along
with a cover message, and negotiate today’s increasingly common online resources for job
seekers. The chapter takes students through the necessary career communication steps, from
self-assessment and electronic job searching to current résumé conventions.
Learning Objectives
1. Prepare to search for a job in the digital age by understanding the changing job market,
identifying your interests, assessing your qualifications, and exploring career opportunities.
2. Develop savvy search strategies by recognizing job sources and using digital tools to
explore the open job market.
What’s New in This Chapter?
The authors made the following changes and improvements:
• For one of the most important chapters in the book, researched hundreds of current articles
centered on the latest trends, tools, and practices affecting the job search and résumés in
this digital age.
Chapter 13 Lecture Notes ● 2
• Revised the chapter significantly showing how to prepare résumés and cover messages for
submission and viewing on many digital platforms.
• Developed Figure 13.1, a new job-search process graphic, to visually summarize the steps
in a job search so that students know what to expect.
• Provided specific advice on how to build a personal brand so that students can stand out in
a highly competitive job market.
• Stressed the importance of including a Summary of Qualifications in the top third of a
candidate’s résumé because a recruiter may be viewing it on a tablet or smartphone.
• Strengthened the explanations of résumé content by highlighting poor and improved
examples to enhance readability and heighten immediate comprehension.
Lecture Outline
I. Job Searching in the Digital Age (p. 426)
Although the Internet has fundamentally changed the way we search for jobs, personal
networking and referrals continue to be the primary route to hiring. In order to stand
out from your competition, you need to know how to locate available positions and
how to prepare persuasive résumés and cover messages. This chapter presents cutting-
edge digital and personal networking strategies to help you land a job.
A. Understanding the Changing Job Market
• Employers are most interested in how a candidate will add value to their
organizations.
Chapter 13 Lecture Notes ● 3
Figure 13.1 Job Searching in the Digital Age
B. Beginning Your Job Search With Self-Analysis
• What are you passionate about? Can you turn this passion into a career?
• Do you enjoy working with people, data, or things?
• Would you like to work for someone else or be your own boss?
C. Assessing Your Qualifications
• What technology skills can you offer?
• Do you communicate well in speech and in writing? How can you verify these
talents?
• What other skills have you acquired in school, on the job, or through activities?
• Do you work well with people? Do you enjoy teamwork?
D. Exploring Career Opportunities
• Visit your campus career center.
• Search the Web.
• Use your library.
II. Developing a Job-Search Strategy Focused on the Open Job Market (p.
429)
Figure 13.2 Trends in Sources of New Jobs
A. Exploring the Big Boards
• CareerBuilder
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• Monster
• CollegeGrad
• Indeed
B. Exploring Company Websites
• A company’s website is the first place to go if you have a specific employer in
mind.
C. Checking Niche Sites
• Niche sites help you locate a job in a specialized field.
• Niche sites help job seekers with special backgrounds or needs (disabled
workers or older workers).
D. Using LinkedIn and Social Networking Sites
• A recent poll said 97 percent of professionals used LinkedIn as a recruiting
tool.
E. Checking Newspapers
• Jobs in the open market may be listed in local newspapers.
Figure 13.3 Protecting Yourself When Posting at Online Job Boards
III. Pursuing the Hidden Job Market With Networking (p. 431)
A. Building a Personal Network
• Develop a contact list.
Figure 13.4 Whom to Contact in Networking
B. Using Social Media to Network
• Online networks provide additional paths for developing referrals.
C. Enlisting Other Social Networks in Job Hunting
• Make sure your social networking accounts represent you professionally.
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D. Building Your Personal Brand
• Decide what makes you special and desirable in the job market.
Figure 13.5 Harnessing the Power of LinkedIn
Figure 13.6 Branding YOU
IV. Creating a Customized Résumé (p. 435)
Constructing a customized résumé is an important activity in the job search. You will
A. Choosing a Résumé Style
• Chronological: Focuses on job history with most recent positions listed first
• Functional: Focuses on the candidate’s skills
B. Deciding on Length
• Make your résumé as long as needed to sell your skills to recruiters and hiring
managers.
C. Organizing Your Information Into Effective Résumé Categories
• Main Heading
List your name, address, phone, and e-mail address.
• Career Objective
Include a career objective for a targeted job.
Ideally, name job title, area of specialization, and type of company.
Chapter 13 Lecture Notes ● 6
Figure 13.7 Action Verbs for Powerful Résumés
• Capabilities and Skills
Emphasize your proficiency with the Internet, software programs, office
equipment, and communication technology tools.
Describe skills you have acquired through training and experience.
Highlight exceptional aptitudes, such as working well under stress or
interacting with customers.
Highlight those talents that are relevant to your targeted job.
• Awards, Honors, Activities
If you have three or more awards or honors, highlight them by listing them
• Personal Data
Employers are legally barred from asking personal data, such as birth date,
health, and marital status. Therefore, omit such items from your résumé.
You can include hobbies or interests that might grab the recruiter’s attention or
serve as conversation starters.
• References
Listing references directly on your résumé takes up valuable space.
Figure 13.8 Sample Reference List
D. Online Résumé Reading Patterns
• Smart applicants will arrange the most important information in the top section
of the résumé.