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Responding to Reading: Week 1

mmwood's picture
Tue, 06/12/2007 - 20:31 — mmwood

Let me begin my reading response blog by saying: I expect this course to include all of the basics a college-level professional writing course would. I assume that we will write a resume and cover letter, and learn the basic computer skills necessary to format these documents to standard, as pointed out on pages 229-231 of The Thomson Handbook. Based upon my own experiences, I would expect to learn things like business e-mail etiquette, different tips on communicating with other people in the workplace, and the some do’s and don’ts in professional writing that could supplement what I have already discovered on my own.

I expect to walk away from this course with a fine-tuned sense of the professional writing skill I already possess. The skills I have learned both in my major and in my work experience have provided me with a solid platform to use coming into this course. I would like to build upon the skills I have learned thus far in my college career.

I plan to use this course as an opportunity to make sure my resume is in the best form it can be in, so that my prospective employers are seeing my credentials in the best light possible. Page 228 of The Thomson Handbook contains examples of headings for your resume. I always struggled with the decision of the titles I should use, so this in particular could be a great help to me.

Even though I sometimes like to pretend I am a know-it-all, I am sure I will get a great deal out of this course.

Comments

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 18:41 — jtirrell
jtirrell's picture

RE: Responding to Reading: Week 1

Those are all valid points. One thing we try to impart to students is that the recommendations in the textbook are good general strategies that are effective; however, each situation is unique. As such, what works in one scenario may or not work in another. This doesn't mean that our rhetorical choices are arbitrary, but rather than our task is not to find the perfect formula, but rather to understand and suit the needs of each particular audience and situation.
Fri, 06/15/2007 - 16:36 — esnyder
esnyder's picture

comment

I have no real experience in professional writing other then a few resumes and cover letters. I hope that this course will make sure my resume is in good shape as well as guide me through how to make a professional cover letter. Since you already have experience and skills in professional writing I hope you don’t mind that if I have questions I may ask you for some help. I know that the rhetoric situation varies the writing but hope that the generalized examples in the book will provide a base ground for all of us to work from.
Fri, 06/15/2007 - 19:22 — archit
archit's picture

Reading comment# 1

Since I am in Krannert School of Management there is the course Mgmt 100 which is compulsory fro every management student. Through this course i learned the first time to write a resume, and cover letter, they even made us post the resume on the CCO Express. The way they had taught to write a resume wasnt that elaborate. They never talked about whta font it should be, or if the whole resume should be in the same font. This course covers the resume in a much elaborate sense covering even the very minute details.