After reading chapter 15 in Technical Communication Today, I felt as though I had gained additional insight into creating professional documents to aid in the search for a job. I found the information on two of the documents particularly important and informative. These documents were the resume and the application letter.
The reading stated that resumes are important because in most cases it establishes first impressions with those making the hiring decisions. I feel that particular emphasis needs to be placed on stating qualifications in both a technical manner and non technical manner. This is because in the past I have encountered situations where there were multiple people making hiring decisions together. In these cases one or more of the people making the hiring decisions were from Human Resources and did not understand what my technical certifications represented. By stating the certification and what it represented, both audiences would be sufficiently targeted. Two different approaches to resumes were also explained. I learned that in the past I had used the archival approach to creating a resume. It turns out that this was a good decision since I was applying for entry level technical jobs. After reading the principles of designing a resume, I realized that I had previously neglected to consider balance. I now realize that my previous resumes tended to be weighted more to the left. I also found it interesting that it was suggested that you make a generic resume that does not stand out, if you believe that your resume is going to be scanned. In the past I have always just used the same resume regardless of whether or not I felt it was going to be scanned.
Later on in the chapter, the importance of the application letter was discussed. In the past I have never followed any structure or style while crafting my application letter. I learned that it was important that I use an active voice while writing my letter.
By reading Chapter 15, my understanding of successfully tailoring documents to aid in the job search has increased. I learned of many ways to improve upon the resume that I already have. I also learned of the importance of style and structure in writing application letters. In conclusion, upon completion of this reading I feel that I can more confidently create resumes and application letters.
Response
I found your comments about explaining nontechnical and technical certifications interesting. Since I don't have particularly technical certifications myself, I sort of take it for granted that both audiences (HR and a potential boss) would understand my qualifications and abilities on my resume. You make a great point, though, for people who have technical certificates and/or degrees.
I also share your neglect of creating a different resume to be scanned. I had never heard of a company
scanning resumes into the computer and I had never considered how my design might affect that. I have, however, heard of using the power words, but mostly in an internet context, to make your resume show up higher in the results when a company does a search.
Kristin
Scannable Resumes
I'll also admit that I've never created a resume based on the prospect of it being scanned. Reading this chapter has made me wonder though, what kind of companies are scanning resumes these days? It almost seems to me that the practice of scanning should flag a company as being rather impersonal. Do you really want to work for somebody that can't take the time to pick up your application and scan over it with their actual eyes? Like I said, I don't know how many companies use or have access to these capabilities, but I don't think that preparing a scannable resume will be my highest priority, especially for our employment project since it isn't a requirement. I prefer the chapter's idea that a resume and cover letter should be infused with an applicant's personality.
Scannable Reesumes
I completely agree with you on the scannable resume problem. It seems almost cruel to use a computer to scan my resume that I have put sweat and tears into perfecting in order to apply to your company. Sometimes I wish that resumes were so open ended that you could actually infuse them with your personality. But it seems as though there is a strict protocol each and every one of us has to follow so that in the end, we all seem the same anyway. It gets frustrating.
Scannable Resumes
Initially, like you I thought that scanning resumes was very impersonal. I still believe that companies that rely strictly on the scanning and processing of resumes to make hiring decisions are very impersonal. But I do not think that we will run into this problem because I imagine that a company would be negatively impacted by this decision. In reality, I think most companies rely on the scanning of resumes to help them sift through the hundreds and possibly even thousands of resumes they receive. This allows them to scan for certain keywords they might blacklist, such as certain degrees for the given position. This would help remove any resumes that should not have been accepted and also ensure that the applicant is properly qualified.
Scanning
It’s true that scanning resumes is very impersonal, but it’s also a way for a company to be more efficient. It would take a very long time for a company to sift through hundreds or maybe thousands of resumes. We all say that we would prefer an actual person to read (scan) our resumes but chances are they are looking for the exact same key words and structure that the computer is. Besides, who programs the computer? I don’t really have a problem with the scanning process because there is a lot of information out there allowing us to prepare our resume accordingly.