A few comments on the course
We wanted to give a few thoughts at the halfway point of the course. First, thank you to those who have been active in commenting and creating an interesting and effective discussion about the course readings and assignments. We've been especially pleased with the outside research students have done on the JetBlue issue - those sources will greatly inform your Corporate Communication Projects. We'd like to encourage everyone to continue posting quality reading responses and comments. A good way to increase your participation grade is to post more than five quality comments each week.
Also, while grading the employment project, we noticed that many people adhered very closely to the examples given in the Thompson Handbook. It is a smart idea to follow samples provided by the course textbook, but we decided in retrospect that we should have provided more samples for students. The resume sample is fine but not something exceptional enough to make you stand out, particularly because its "Work Experience" section favors general statements rather than concrete, specific descriptions. The cover letter is also sufficient, but we recommend switching the order of the first two sentences to let the reader know your writing purpose immediately. You also do not need to write specifically that your resume is enclosed, as that is assumed. (We should note that students were not graded down on either document for following the textbook pattern.) We hope that the textbook samples were helpful, but we recommend looking at many samples as you continue to cater your resume for the job market. On a related note, we know that many students use the resumes and cover letters generated in class to apply for real jobs. If these materials get you a job, please let us know, especially if you are willing to offer your application materials as a sample for future classes.