English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

The Employment Project deals explicitly with structuring decisions. In this project students will create two primary documents (a resume and a cover letter) which, taken together, will structure, in part, the decision-making process concerning their application for employment. There are, of course, factors beyond the control of individual applicants, but the self that you create with your employment documents (along with the self that the reader constructs for you) goes a long way in securing employment (or at least an interview). This project asks students to work individually, but there will also be chances for students to work with their peers to exchange ideas and feedback during online workshops.

Project Prompt and Summary

Students will locate a real and specific job or internship for which they are qualified and prepare the application materials for it. If a student already has a good job, they should find one that would be an advance for them, then prepare application materials for that position. In preparing the first deliverable, students are asked to learn about and use various web-based resources for job seekers and ultimately to select one real job to pursue. The second deliverable is a print resume suitable for such a position. The third deliverable is the all-important cover letter (i.e., "Job Application Letter"). The forth deliverable is an assessment of the student's experience in a "Project Assessment Document." In the process of completing each step, students will work closely with their peers and their instructor to shape their writing so that it represents them and their experiences fully and effectively.

Deliverables

One: Job Ad Analysis

First, find a job ad using an internet search engine that you will apply for during the Employment Project. The ad should be for a job you are qualified for now or at the time of graduation. Provide a link to the ad and perform a 600 word job ad analysis. Your analysis should include extensive explanation of why you selected the job. Include interests and career enhancement opportunities the job will provide, as well as your relevant skills and experience that match the job requirements. Look closely at the key words in the job ad and explain how you possess and can demonstrate those qualities. Also, perform some research on the company by checking out their website. Include information you discover that could be relevant to a resume or cover letter. Think of the Job Ad Analysis as a prelude to the Cover Letter. Post (as a blog) by Wednesday of Week Three.

Two: Resume

Your printable resume (almost always one page in length) should adapt features drawn from the samples available for review through the course site. It's critical that you shape your resume to the specific job or internship you have chosen to apply for (that it's suited to the context), so be sure to include only the relevant aspects of your professional experience. Additionally, as templates are widely used and this easily spotted by HR personnel, their use is prohibited in this class. The writing needs to be error-free, concise, and presented in an easily readable format. There will be an online workshop period, when students will review one anothers' resumes. Post (attached to a blog) by Wednesday of Week Four.

Three: Cover Letter

The job application letter is critical to your efforts in securing a job, perhaps even more critical than your resume itself. It is in the cover letter that you begin structuring the response to your application. With the cover letter you provide a framework through which potential employers view your resume and you as a potential employee. For the Employment Project, your letter should be no longer than one or two pages (one is preferable in most cases), following the suggestions and models. There will be an online workshop period as well. Post (attached to a blog) by Wednesday of Week Five.

Four: Final Drafts

Submit, as separate pdf files, final drafts of your employment documents (resume and cover letter). Post (attached to a blog) by Friday of Week Six.

Five: Project Assessment Document

As you near the end of your work on the Employment Project, prepare a two-page overview and analysis of your deliverables and the process you used to produce them. A handout will be provided to help guide the document. Your Project Assessment Document should reflect on what you learned during this assignment and how you will apply that knowledge to a later job search. Post (attached to a blog) by Friday of Week Six.

Grading

The Employment Project is worth 20% of the course grade. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows:

• Job Ad Analysis – 10%
• Resume – 40%
• Cover Letter – 40%
• Project Assessment Document – 10%

Grading Criteria

When grading this project, the instructor will pay particular attention to whether students have effectively adapted their documents to the job for which they have applied. The writing will need to be precise, accurate, and well-suited to the context (the job/field) and to the rhetorical occasion (in terms of tone, style, and content). In this case, a generic, catch-all resume and cover letter will not satisfy the requirements of the project. Specifically, the following criteria will apply:

• All documents conform to the design principles established by the genre, Technical Communication Today, and The Thomson Handbook.
• Documents are catered to a specific job at a specific company and reflect how the applicant would correspond to the company goals and environment.
• Resume is well formatted, includes all necessary components, and reflects knowledge of resume conventions.
• Resume job descriptions are concise, specific, catered to job ad keywords, and utilize parallel verbiage.
• Cover letter is concise, specific, and professional. Cover letter frames and structures the information in the resume, reflecting job ad keywords comprehensively to present the applicant as a desirable addition to the company.
• Documents are professional and error free.
• Documents could function within a professional environment. If a student could not send the resume and cover letter to the prospective employer and stand a good chance of getting an interview, the project will not receive an A.