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Business and Professional Communication, 3rd edition
Kelly M. Quintanilla, Shawn T. Wahl
Chapter 4: Résumés, Interviews, and Nego#a#ons
Lecture Notes
Learning objective:
4-1 Identify the six stages of the job-seeking process
4-2 Explain the important role of exploring and researching in the job-seeking process
4-3 Develop a customized résumé and cover letter
4-4 Discuss examples of how to interview and negotiate successfully
Outline:
I. Introduction
A. Remember to ask questions during the job interview.
i. The questions can con*rm your quali*cations as a job candidate.
ii. You are also interviewing the employer to see if you want to work for them.
iii. Prepare three to *ve questions and ask three of the questions.
a. What skills and experiences would make an ideal candidate?
B. The job-seeking process is about finding the position that matches your professional
skills and quali*cations.
II. The Job-Seeking Process
A. The job-seeking process involves six stages: exploring, researching, applying,
interviewing, following up, and accepting.
B. The KEYS to Excellence process focuses on learning communication skills to help you
excel in the job-seeking process.
III. Stage One: Exploring
A. Self-Explora#on involves asking yourself what your strengths, interests, and priorities
are.
B. Career Explora#on requires researching opportunities that match your interests.
i. Shadowing someone in a job field may help.
IV. Stage Two: Researching
A. Researching Openings
i. Start with the university career-planning center.
ii. Job fairs are held on campuses and in the community.
iii. Some organizations still use classi1ed/help wanted ads.
iv. The Internet has become an excellent tool for locating employment
opportunities.
v. Word of mouth is a useful tool to *nd a job.
vi. State employment service, sometimes called Job Service, operates in
B. Researching Potential Employers
i. View the process as researching positions and companies that might be a *t
between your skills and desires and their needs and opportunities.
ii. Before applying, research the position and the company.
iii. This research will help you be audience-centered in developing your résumé and
cover letter.
V. Stage Three: Applying
A. Developing Résumés
i. A résumé provides a picture of who you are as an employee by highlighting your
skill set.
ii. Important to develop a generic résumé that you can use as a starting point for
the customized résumé you develop for each position.
iii. Chronological résumés list the various elements of the résumé in reverse
chronological order with your most recent experience *rst and are useful for
new graduates or those with limited experience.
iv. functional or skill-based résumés emphasize skills and a$ributes that can be
applied to a variety of employment situations and are useful for candidates
without direct employment-related experience.
v. combination résumés combine the elements from the chronological and
functional that work best for that particular candidate.
xi. Employment experience, particularly at a job that is relevant to the one you are
applying for, should be displayed prominently.
xii. Awards and honors should only be included if relevant and will strengthen your
position as a candidate. Hobbies and interests should not be included.
xiii. References should not be listed on a résumé. You can make a note at the bo$om
of the page about references being available upon request if you desire.
B. Customizing Résumés
i. Review your résumé based on the research you have done on the organization
and the position and then customize every part based upon this information.
ii. Create visual appeal by including a balance between text and white space. Too
much white space indicates a lack of quali*cations.
C. Developing Electronic Résumés and Online Applications
i. Many organizations request that résumés be submitted via an online
application.
ii. Electronic and scannable résumés must closely follow the style and forma>ng
required.
D. Developing Cover Le$ers
i. Cover le9ers accompany your résumé and serve to introduce you as a potential
employee, highlight your résumé, and demonstrate your writing skills.
ii. State your interest in a specific position, highlight why you are qualified for the
VI. Stage Four: Interviewing
A. Before the Interview
i. Prepare your message prior to the interview so that you will have a clear
understanding of the information you plan to present.
ii. An#cipate ques#ons you may be asked by the interviewer and practice
behavioral questions, how you have handled past situations, future hypothetical
situations, and traditional questions.
iii. Script answers using a three-part formula of directly answering the question,
backing up your answer with a specific example, and then connecting your
answer back to this company and/or position.
iv. practice answers to questions by taking part in mock interviews with the help of
viii. Prepare your appearance for the interview with the proper business a>re.
a. Both men and women should choose dark colored standard business
suit a>re.
b. Wear white shirt and men should choose a conservative tie.
ix. Reduce your nervousness by learning to feel comfortable talking about your
skills and accomplishments.
B. During the Interview
i. There are professional guidelines to the interview.
a. Arrive 10 minutes early.
b. Have a firm handshake.
c. Leave a good *rst impression.
d. During the interview, monitor your nonverbal communication.
ii. There are illegal ques#ons that might be asked during an interview.
a. Employers may not consider race, color, religion, sex, national origin,
disability, or age when hiring or promoting employees.
b. No ma$er how you handle an illegal question during an interview, make
note of what occurs. If you believe your answer negatively impacted
iii. Salary questions may be discussed.
a. You should never bring up the issue of salary prior to being o/ered the
position.
b. If asked, you can give a vague response such as expecting a salary that is
VII. Stage Five: Following Up
A. At the end of the interview, be certain to thank your interviewer verbally.
B. Send a formal thank-you by sending a handwri$en thank-you card.
C. If you have been communicating with the interviewer via e-mail, then you can send the
thank-you message through e-mail.
D. Be sure to send any additional information requested by the interviewer in a timely
manner.
VIII. Stage Six: Negotiation
A. Once the position is offered, you can ask clari*cation questions about salaries, benefit,
or other issues that can be negotiated such as moving expenses or equipment.
B. A negotiation is a discussion between two or more parties to reach an agreement that
concludes some ma$er.
C. First rule of negotiation is to act with professional excellence with both parties looking
for the best solution for both parties and with all discussions conducted in a polite
manner.
IX. KEYS to Excellence in the Job-Seeking Process
A. Know yourself and how you want to describe yourself as a valuable asset to an employer.
B. Evaluate the professional context by understanding what an employer is specifically
looking for while also researching the character and context of the organization.
