Getting the job that you really want . . . (or think you want)

Getting the job that you really want

If I can only get that interview . . .

We all know that the job market is tight these days not only for reason of the economy but because there are so many people in the marketplace with varying skills, backgrounds and experience  People with 20 years of experience are competing for positions with new college graduates. For both candidates, the first task is to be able to talk about your qualification in such a way that will get you that interview.

What does it mean to tailor employment documents?

Employment documents include resumes, cover letters, and any business message that concerns employment. Your message will be directed to your contact(s) in the organization and will vary depending on what your intent is upon writing. Regardless of the type of message, it is very important to make sure that you use a writing strategy that will effectively reach your reader.

In any piece of writing it is important to keep your audience in mind. Ask yourself, who will read my document? When you tailor a document to a particular audience, you are adapting your writing for a reader. It is important to consider what you want your message to convey to the audience.

Why is it important for me to tailor my employment documents?

It is important to tailor your employment documents for a specific audience in order to convey your message clearly and convincingly. Considering your audience will help you to personalize the document and make it relevant to the reader. If you write without a specific audience in mind, the document might be far too general and vague, or it might include too much information. When you tailor a document to a specific audience, the document will have better "unity of purpose and style," and it will make the reader feel more involved (Hale).

The audience is important for all pieces of writing, and even more so for any employment document because employment documents must be able to persuade the reader that what you are saying is true in order to be effective. You are directly communicating with the organization, and you want the reader to understand your message and its relevance.

For what types of readers should I tailor my employment documents?

There are two kinds of readers that an employment document should be tailored for:

Skimmers and Skeptics. (I am a little of both.)

Skimmers are readers that are typically very busy. Pressed for time, they often skim employment documents in a rather short period of time. Consequently, the documents you prepare for this particular reader should:

• State the main point clearly and up front
• Place the most important information at the beginning or ending of paragraphs
• Highlight key dates or figures

Both of the following examples represent the same experiences. A skimmer would be able to understand Example 2 much more quickly, though. Remember we have talked about how people read with an intent to "get it" quickly and with little effort.

Example 1

Managed $10,000 in project accounts, compiled and published engineering reports as assistant to Vice President, coordinated registrations, payments, and literature for software training seminars.

Example 2

• Managed $10,000 in project accounts.
• Compiled and published engineering reports as Assistant to Vice President
• Coordinated registrations, payments, and literature for software training seminars.

The second type of reader is a Skeptic. A Skeptic is a reader that is cautious and doubtful. Skeptical readers will tend to read a document carefully, questioning its validity. Ultimately, they will question the writer's claims. In order to meet the needs of the Skeptic, it is necessary to support your statements with sufficient details and evidence. Provide specific examples, numbers, dates, names, and percentages to meet the needs of the skeptical reader.

For example:
NOT: I performed very well in my classes.
BUT: I received the Dean's List Honors 7/8 semesters and received a Women in Communications Scholarship in May 2014.

Your assignment for this week:
1. Create a puke with the following information.

• What are your favorite classes in school? 
• What are the things that you do in your spare time? 
• What do I like to read, watch, listen to? 
• Do I like talking with people? Do I prefer to be alone when I work? 
• What do I think my strengths to be? What am I good at? (Also ask THREE other people this same question about you.)
• How do you handle difficult situations? 

These are notes for you to use as you are looking at jobs. Compare what you have written and what you see on job sites. What you are addressing here are called soft skills. Take a look at this link from Monster.com. Compare the soft skills and what your puke says. Now integrate your personal answers with the soft skills and see what you come up with. Be specific.

When a job says it is looking for someone with leadership skills don't just list "Treasurer of the business club" SHOW what it meant for you to be a leader. Don't be afraid to talk about difficult things that have happened. Leaders are leaders because of how they reacted to a situation.

For example, you should puke about a difficult situation you found yourself in. What did you do about it? What did you learn from the process? Not everything has to come out well but you should be able to talk about what you learned and what you would do differently next time.

2. You will visit job and recruiting sites and find three jobs you would like to apply to.

• Cut and paste the job into the body of the email so I can see it. 
• For each job look at the description and the qualifications. 
• Write about 500 words for each job that details what they want and what you have to offer in return. Use the notes above to help you craft the best letter than you can. 

Next week we will take this information and work on resumes - or you can begin the process at the same time.