English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

Does the cover letter need to be longer?
Is the look and tone of the cover letter good?

Before this class I had never written a cover letter. I wasn’t very sure what I was trying to accomplish. After reading these readings I have a much better understanding of what I am trying to do. I have a better understanding of how make this cover letter. I now realize that your cover letter is to expand on what you talk about in your resume. This is where you can really sell yourself with more details about how you’re qualified for the job. I feel that it is important to make sure to focus the cover letter to your employer and position.

For this week’s reading response I personally enjoyed the article by an HR coordinator titled “Skeptical Resume Reader Tells How He Really Thinks.” I found it interesting to hear from an HR coordinator what they do actually think about resumes that they receive. I like how the author was very up front with their opinions about how they view resumes. He admits that he only spends around 30 seconds looking at a resume. He stated that he may make a second pass of about another 15 to 30 seconds. That means that in total you probably only get about 1 minute of the readers time.

I chose a position as a diagnostics engineer at HP for my job analysis. I chose HP because they are a large information technology corporation. This position would be a good start to my future career in IT. I have had a previous internship with Information Systems Resources. It is a small local IT company in my home town. They specialize in it solutions for small to medium businesses. I gained a lot of good experience with IBM AS400 systems and windows. I worked closely with one of their consultants and traveled with him to fix customer’s needs.

Reading this chapter reminded me of when I took a communications course here at Purdue. The instructor for the course said the same thing as this chapter. “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. Then, tell them what you told them.” I found that this is very helpful for writing speeches and papers. I also think the idea of outlining is good. I have a hard time thinking of what I am going to type. When I make an outline or at least a scattered mess of ideas on a piece of paper it makes it easier for me to start. It also helps me to continue my thoughts as I go.

One of the valuable tips I received from the chapter was the reinforcement about using the people you know when looking for a job. I have experienced firsthand how your personal network can help you in job searching. I was able to land my first internship by knowing the owner of a small information technology solutions business. I also liked the helpful tips on creating a personal resume. The resume should only be one page. It should also be organized in a good manner.

The focus of chapter 3 was on understanding your readers and how they will use your content. The chapter contained a couple charts that can be used to properly identify your audience. One of these charts included three key items when considering a reader’s perspective. These three items are needs, values and attitudes. It is important to know what type of needs your audience has to know how to better address them. Knowing your audience’s values will help you to better understand how important they think your topic is.