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Reading Response Week 1

kmayes's picture
Wed, 06/13/2007 - 22:50 — kmayes
I expect this course to enhance my writing skills as well as my communication skills. Even though I am almost finished with college I can see where these tools could have made some of my situations in the classroom or job better. For example, this past year I was Vice President of the Rotaract Club I could have served the club better. I would have been a better Vice President, if the memos and e-mail’s I sent were more of an interest to the audience I was trying to reach. As for writing cover letters and resumes this is becoming more relevant as my graduation day approaches. The cover letter and the resume usually serve as the first impression an employer receives from a prospective employee. I also wanted to note on how the format and way the resume and cover letter appeal to the eye also make a difference. Also may need to make the resume ready to scan for certain employers. That is why from this course I hope to learn how to catch the employer’s attention through my cover letter and resume so that I will have a chance through an interview. I never thought I would use the Internet for almost everything I do but now it has become that. I use the Internet to communicate with others, shop, play games, listen to music, and even find jobs. Now that many jobs I want to apply are available online it is to my advantage to learn the correct formats of resumes and how to send them. Living in the times of the World Wide Web makes it easy to communicate through e-mail with potential employers too. I think this ties into using proper grammar in e-mails instead of abbreviations such as “TTYL” meaning talk to you later. That is an example on how abbreviations can hurt an applicant. Overall I think by embracing the information from the Thomson Handbook will help me now and in the future. I am happy to learn how to better my resume and cover letter. This may lead to me receiving a job that I wouldn't have with a insufficient resume or cover letter.

Comments

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 12:03 — rkottke

Reading Response Week #1 Reply

I totally agree with you about how certain documents such as cover letters and resumes really have to catch the readers eye and appeal the visually. I believe that at first glance they don't just like the way your cover letter or resume looks the employer or interviewer will just toss it into the pile of the bad ones. The Thomson Handbook really emphasized that point a lot in chapter 12 and I also think that it is really important but it can be a really frustrating thing to do when writing a resume. Sometimes the word processor just doesn't want to cooperate with you and things just don't want to line up but it is something that is so important to do in a resume or any important document. I also agree with you that The Thomson Handbook is going to help me right now while taking this class and in the future, I also think it could have come in handy earlier in my college career. I am excited to more forward with this class!
Thu, 06/14/2007 - 17:12 — jtirrell
jtirrell's picture

RE: Reading Response Week #1 Reply

Visual design has more impact than we might want to believe. Wait until we start reading about how HR managers read resumes in week 2. We want to believe that all our precious textual content about what a great employee we would be is what will hook an employer; it isn't. Not at first, anyway. Before anyone even reads your resume, it will have been filtered by visual design. If it looks somehow wrong on first glance, your resume will not get read. This may sound harsh, and you may not believe me, but it is indeed how most medium to large companies function. It's really just a question of numbers. HR personnel can't spend time reading every resume, because there are too many (hence the recent shift to scannable resumes). They have to make the process manageable, and that means zero tolerance. If something seems wrong at any point, it gets rejected, because why spend the time trying to sort things out? (My wife is in HR, I might point out. Obviously the zero tolerance policy didn't extend to her choice of mate.)

Thu, 06/14/2007 - 17:43 — mmwood
mmwood's picture

RE:

Everything here hits the nail on the head, and brings up memories of my internship last summer. I had to help my boss replace me. We scoured tons of resumes, and it is very true to say that if at first glance, if either of us just did not like the way it looked, it went straight to the trash. It always bothered me when companies say that they will "keep your resume on file for 30 days". The vast majority of the time, that is complete crap, and if they do not like it they toss it. Most people seem to think that there will always be another fish in the sea; another applicant waiting to snatch up that position.
Fri, 06/15/2007 - 07:29 — ssandqui
ssandqui's picture

Reply

I totally understand what you mean when you say that companies "keep your resume on file for 30 days." I think that is just an excuse they use to politely say thanks but no thanks. I think the only way that you could possibly get that interview or job offer is if you make a lasting impression on the interviewer or person receiving the resumes. I had that with my internship where the interviewer had few spots available and if something came up he would contact me. Well 3 months later he called me up and asked if I wanted a job and I accepted. I think it was more to do of my lasting impression than the resume.
Fri, 06/15/2007 - 11:28 — deagan
deagan's picture

Reply

While it isn’t surprising to me that the visual design is important. I never though of visual design as the first filter. I am interested in whether resumes I have done in the past could use improving in this aspect. It seems very silly to me that someone very qualified may not even get their resume read because doesn’t have a good design. I am curious what other things I believe are small things and really not important turn out to be really quite important. For example the design of a cover letter has never even crossed my mind. I had also thought there was one standard form.
Fri, 06/15/2007 - 14:33 — Suchet
Suchet's picture

Resumes

I agree with him that this course will help me become a better writer and help me in my communication skills, not only verbally but even via emails. I hope to learn how to write proper resumes and cover letters from this course so it could help me in the future when I apply for internships and jobs. An eye catching good formatted resume is always a bonus. The employers go through alot of resumes each day and some resumes are not even looked at. So I think if you have a good formatted resume with all the details required in it. It will catch the employer’s eye and you might get a chance for an interview.
Fri, 06/15/2007 - 18:58 — archit
archit's picture

Reading comment# 1

thats right. this course has actually given us a feal of lies ahead. It is very helpful as we get prepared for short listing various job ads effectively. evrybody wants a good job and the only way that it can be done is to stand apart from various other applicants who might be equally or more qualified than you are. Its only the innovative and creative people with a good command on the language both in speaking and writing can get the job these days.