Business Communication Chapter 18 Building Careers And Writing Rsums You Have Number Parttime Temporary Entrylevel Jobs

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18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–14

If you have a number of part-time, temporary, or entry-level jobs that don’t relate to your career

objective:

Activities and Achievements

Include activities and achievements outside of a work context only if they make you a more

attractive job candidate. If applicable to the job you’re seeking, include such things as:

• Traveling

• Studying or working abroad

• Fluency in multiple languages

Avoid listing religious or political affiliations (unless you’re applying to such an organization).

Personal Data and References

Your résumé should not include any personal data beyond the information previously described.

When applying to U.S. companies (expectations vary in other countries), never include any of the

following:

• Physical characteristics such as height or weight

• Age

• Gender

• Marital status

• Sexual orientation

Employers assume references are available; be sure to have a list of several references ready

when you begin applying for jobs and keep it in your files for a time when they are requested.

18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–15

Section 4: Completing a Résumé

Learning Objective 4: Characterize the completing step for résumés, including the six most common

formats in which you can produce a résumé.

Completing your résumé involves some essential steps:

The advent of applicant tracking systems, social media, and other innovations has dramatically changed

the nature of résumé production and distribution.

Be prepared to produce several versions of your résumé, in multiple formats and multiple media.

Even if most or all of your application efforts take place online, starting with a traditional paper résumé is

still useful, for several reasons:

• Creating a traditional printed résumé helps organize your background information and identify

your unique strengths.

Revising Your Résumé

Revising your résumé for clarity and conciseness is essential.

Recruiters and hiring managers want to find key information about you in a matter of seconds. If you

make them work for it, they’re likely to toss your résumé aside and move on to the next one.

The ideal length of your résumé depends on the depth of your experience and the level of the

positions for which you are applying:

• Recruiters appreciate brevity, and presenting yourself in a single page shows your ability to

write concise, focused, audience-oriented messages.

Producing Your Résumé

A clean, professional-looking design is a must:

18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–16

• Recruiters and hiring managers want to skim your essential information in a matter of

seconds, and anything that distracts or delays them will work against you.

Choosing a Design Strategy for Your Résumé

You’ll find a wide range of résumé designs in use today, including full-color infographics with

unique designs.

As with every type of business message, keep your audience, your goals, and your resources in mind.

Class discussion question: What are the potential advantages and risks of producing your résumé in

unconventional formats? (If necessary, remind students that many companies use computerized applicant

tracking systems to “read” résumés.)

You might want to produce your résumé in as many as six formats:

• Printed traditional résumé

• Printed scannable résumé

Find out what each employer or job posting website expects, and provide your résumé in that specific

format.

Considering Photos, Videos, Presentations, and Infographics

Unless requested, do not include photographs in materials you submit to employers; some

companies will refuse to look at your résumé if you do.

Be aware that unconventional résumés may not make it past a company’s screening and filtering

system.

18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–17

Producing a Traditional Printed Résumé

Traditional paper résumés still have a place in this world of electronic job searches. Have a few

copies ready whenever one of your networking contacts asks for one.

Printing a Scannable Résumé

Scannable résumés are a type of printed résumé that is specially formatted to be compatible with

optical scanning systems that convert printed documents to electronic text.

Their use appears to be declining rapidly as more employers prefer email delivery or website

application forms.

Creating a Plain-Text File of Your Résumé

A plain-text file is an electronic version of your résumé that has no font formatting, no bullet

symbols, no colors, no lines or boxes, or other special formatting. The plain-text version can be

used in two ways:

Creating a Word File of Your Résumé

In some cases, an employer or job-posting website will want you to upload a Microsoft Word file

or attach it to an email message.

This method preserves the design and layout of your résumé and saves you the trouble of creating

a plain-text version.

Creating a PDF Version of Your Résumé

Creating a PDF file is a simple procedure, but you need the right software. Adobe Acrobat is the

best-known program, but many others are available.

18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–18

Creating an Online Résumé

A variety of terms are used to describe online résumés, including:

• E-portfolio

• Interactive résumé

All these formats provide the opportunity to expand information contained in your basic résumé

with:

• Links to projects, publications, screencasts

• Online videos

• Course lists

Regardless of the approach you take to creating an online résumé, keep these helpful tips in mind:

• Remember that your online presence is a career-management tool:

o The way you are portrayed online can work for you or against you.

Proofreading Your Résumé

Employers view your résumé as a concrete example of your attention to quality and detail.

It needs to be perfect. Although it may not seem fair, just one or two errors in a job application

package are enough to doom a candidate’s chances.

Your résumé is one of the most important documents you’ll ever write, so don’t rush or cut corners

when it comes to proofreading. Check everything:

• All headings and lists for clarity and parallelism

• Grammar

• Spelling

18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–19

Ask at least three other people to read it, too. As the creator of the material, you could stare at a

mistake for weeks and not see it.

Distributing Your Résumé

How you distribute your résumé depends on the number of employers you target and their preferences

for receiving résumés.

Employers usually list their requirements on the career pages of their websites, so verify this

information and follow it carefully. Here are some general distribution tips:

• Mailing printed résumés. Take some care with the packaging. Mail these documents in a 9 x

12 envelope or a Priority Mail flat rate envelope.

• Emailing your résumé. Some employers want applicants to include the text of their résumés

in the body of an email message; others prefer an attached Microsoft Word file. If you have a

18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–20

HIGHLIGHT BOX: DIGITAL + SOCIAL + MOBILE: TODAY’S COMMUNICATION

ENVIRONMENT

Job Search Strategies: Maximize Your Mobile

1. No, it would not be a good idea to present your online portfolio on your smartphone during a job

interview because the screen is far too small to make a positive impact.

HIGHLIGHT BOX: THE ART OF PROFESSIONALISM

Striving to Excel

1. Yes, it is both sensible and ethical to sell yourself into jobs for which you are not 100 percent

qualified, on two conditions. First, it is clearly unethical to lie about your qualifications. You can

present yourself persuasively, but you must do so honestly. Not possessing 100 percent of a job’s

qualifications is not unusual; smart employers know that employees with strong potential often need

to learn some aspects of a particular job. As long as both sides are honest and open with each other,

2. First, you have an ethical obligation to strive to meet the agreed-upon expectations of the job for the

simple reason that you are being paid to do so. If excelling is the expectation, then you have an ethical

obligation to try to excel. (If for some reason an employer is satisfied paying you to be merely

18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–21

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT BURNING GLASS

Individual Challenge

Both descriptions are problematic. The first contains good information, but jumbles education together

with employment and other activities. The second is too long and chatty. However, the Morehouse

graduate has at least included specifics (3.65 GPA, worked 15 hours per week, names of organizations,

Team Challenge

Students might be tempted to reject the application without further analysis, and an employer with an

abundance of quality applicants probably would. However, this could result in passing over a well-

qualified candidate who chose to submit an unconventional résumé. There is evidence, for example, that

the candidate possesses leadership abilities and relevant software skills, and has taken numerous courses

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

18.2. The employment process can consume many hours of your time over weeks or months, so organizing

18.3. It is important to contribute because networking is a mutually beneficial, organic process in

18.4. A résumé is a persuasive business message intended to stimulate an employer’s interest in

18.5. Employers often worry that an applicant is using the functional résumé as a means to hide

18.6. Keywords are words used throughout a résumés that describe the specific skills, attributes, and

experiences an employer is looking for in a candidate. Keywords can include the business and

18.7. In general, personal data should be included only if the information is relevant to the job and

helps put the applicant in a favorable light. [LO-3] AACSB: Written and oral communication

18.8. A plain-text file is an electronic version of a résumé that has no font formatting, no bullet

symbols, no colors, no lines or boxes, or other special formatting. The plain-text version can be

APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE

18.9. To think like an employer, recognize that companies take risks with every hiring decision—the

risk that the person hired doesn’t meet expectations and the risk that they let a better candidate

18.10. In this situation, the job indicates a positive contribution to the community and a strong

willingness to help others in need. These are positive qualities that should be included on a

résumé. If you have a number of part-time, temporary, or entry-level jobs that don’t relate to your

18.11. A qualifications summary gives a quick overview of the value you can offer an employer;

18.12. Even if a student is uncertain about a career path, he or she always applies for a single, specific

18.13. Informed students will argue for including the finance company in their list of jobs, as leaving it

off might make it appear they’re trying to hide something. Moreover, obtaining the same kind of

18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 18–23

PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS

18.14. Message 18.A

Although this job applicant has valuable qualifications, they are so poorly presented that she is

not likely to be asked for an interview, much less be offered a position. Students should point out

the following:

• The job objective is so vague as to be more or less meaningless. If she wants to stay in

18.15. This self-assessment exercise will help students think through their preferences for work-related

18.16. Here are more effective alternatives. [LO-3] AACSB: Written and oral communication

a. Experienced in database design.

b. Explored cost accounting alternatives for large manufacturer.

c. Participated in the development of a new inventory control system.

18.17. Yes, you should clarify that these accomplishments were the result of team effort, not just your

18.18. The plain-text résumé should be reformatted by eliminating graphics and special formatting codes

18.19. This exercise can help students transition to Chapter 19, since preparing the video will call

attention to many of the same issues that are important for successful job interviews (speech

CASE SOLUTION GUIDELINES

Here are guidelines for this chapter’s cases.

18.20. Career Planning: Researching Career Opportunities

This exercise gives students the opportunity to use a variety of research tools. Their end product

18.21. Career Management: Researching Career Opportunities

Students have an opportunity here to visualize their career paths and long-term dreams. While

18.22. Planning a Résumé

This case invites students to form teams to evaluate each other’s employment histories with the

18.23. Message Strategies: Completing a Résumé

18.24. Message Strategies: Completing a Résumé

Students with limited video or multimedia experience might be surprised to learn how difficult it

can be to produce a professional-quality clip that moves along quickly without boring the viewer.

ASSISTED GRADING QUESTIONS (ACCESSED ON MYBCOMMLAB)

18.25. Writing “the story of you” a valuable planning exercise because it helps you think about where

18.26. A qualifications summary offers a brief view of your key qualifications, whereas a career

summary offers a brief recap of your career with the goal of presenting increasing levels of