The document outlines the key steps and considerations for preparing job application materials, including planning a job search, researching employers, drafting a resume and cover letter, preparing for interviews, and following up after interviews. It provides guidance on various components of the application process from multiple angles such as different formats for resumes, tips for networking and online profiles, common interview questions to expect, and templates for follow-up letters.

1. The process for preparing job-application
materials includes seven steps:
• Plan the job search.
• Decide how to look for a position.
• Learn as much as you can about the organizations to
which you will apply.
• Draft the résumé and application letter.
• Revise, edit, and proofread the résumé and letter.
• Prepare for job interviews.
• Write appropriate follow-up letters.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 1

2. In planning a job search,
carry out these four tasks:
• Do a self-inventory.
• Learn about the employers.
• Prepare a résumé and job-application letter.
• Prepare a portfolio.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 2

3. You can look for a job eight ways:
• through a college or university placement office
• through a professional placement bureau
• through a published job ad
• through an organization's Web site
• through a job board on the Internet
• through your connections on social media
• through personal connections
• through an unsolicited letter to an organization
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 3

4. Ask these four questions
before posting to a job board:
• Who has access to your résumé?
• How will you know if an employer requests
your résumé?
• Can your current employer see your résumé?
• Can you update your résumé at no cost?
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 4

5. Assume that employers will search the
Internet while screening job applicants:
• Periodically check Internet content about
yourself.
• Use accounts on social-media sites to make a
good first impression.
• Create a profile tailored to the type of job you
seek.
• Project a professional persona.
• Follow through with what you say you will do.
• Help others make career connections.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 5

6. There are three reasons
to write your own résumé:
• You know yourself better than anyone else
does.
• Employment officers know the style of the
local agencies.
• If you write your own résumé, you will be
more likely to adapt it to different situations.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 6

7. An attractive résumé
has four characteristics:
• generous margins
• clear type
• balanced appearance
• clear organization
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 7

8. The résumé must meet three standards:
• It must provide clear, specific information,
without generalizations or self-congratulation.
• It must be free of errors.
• It must be honest.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 8

9. A chronological résumé has six elements:
• identifying information
• objectives or summary of qualifications
• education
• employment history
• interests and activities
• references
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 9

10. Follow these three suggestions
when drafting a statement of objectives:
• State only the goals or duties explicitly
mentioned, or clearly implied, in the job
advertisement.
• Focus on the reader’s needs, not on your
goals.
• Be specific.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 10

11. Include these five elements
in the education section:
• the degree
• the institution
• the location of the institution
• the date of graduation
• information about other schools you attended
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 11

12. Follow these four guidelines
when elaborating on your education:
• List your grade-point average.
• Compile a list of courses.
• Describe a special accomplishment.
• List honors and awards you received.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 12

13. Present these details
about your employment history:
• skills
• equipment
• money
• documents
• personnel
• clients
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 13

14. Include information about
your interests and activities:
• participation in community-service
organizations
• hobbies related to your career
• sports, especially those that might be socially
useful in your professional career
• university-sanctioned activities
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 14

15. Follow these three suggestions
when providing references:
• Decide whether and how you want to present
the references.
• Choose your references carefully.
• Give the potential reference an opportunity to
decline gracefully.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 15

16. Some résumés
contain additional information:
• computer skills
• military experience
• language ability
• willingness to relocate
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 16

17. A skills résumé includes seven sections:
• identifying information
• objective or summary of qualifications
• skills
• education
• employment history
• interests and activities
• references
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 17

18. Electronic résumés can take four forms:
• a formatted résumé attached to an e-mail
message
• a text résumé
• a scannable résumé—one that will be
scanned into an organization's database
• a Web-based résumé
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 18

19. Follow these three guidelines
when preparing a text résumé:
• Use ASCII text only.
• Left-align the information.
• Send yourself a test version of the résumé.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 19

20. Follow these seven guidelines
when preparing a scannable résumé:
• Use a good-quality laser printer.
• Use white paper.
• Do not fold the résumé.
• Use a simple sans-serif typeface.
• Use a single-column format.
• Use wide margins.
• Use the space bar instead of the tab key.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 20

21. Follow two principles when
drafting a job-application letter:
• Selectivity. Select two or three points of
greatest interest to the potential employer.
• Development. Develop those points into
paragraphs emphasizing results.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 21

22. The introductory paragraph
has four functions:
• It identifies your source of information.
• It identifies the position you are interested in.
• It states that you wish to be considered for the
position.
• It forecasts the rest of the letter.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 22

23. The concluding paragraph
includes three elements:
• a reference to your résumé
• a polite but confident request for an interview
• your phone number and e-mail address
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 23

24. Follow these six guidelines
when preparing for a job interview:
• Study job interviews.
• Study the organization to which you applied.
• Think about what you can offer the
organization.
• Study lists of common interview questions.
• Compile a list of questions you wish to ask.
• Rehearse the interview.
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 24

25. Consider these seven
questions before a job interview:
• When should you arrive for the interview?
• What should you wear?
• How do interviewers interpret your body language?
• What questions are you likely to be asked?
• How long should your answers be?
• How do you know when the interviewer wishes to end
the interview?
• How can you get the interviewer’s contact information
to write a follow-up letter?
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 25

26. Write one of these four follow-up
letters or e-mails after the interview:
• letter of appreciation after an interview
• letter accepting a job offer
• letter rejecting a job offer
• letter acknowledging a rejection
Chapter 15. Writing Job-Application Materials © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 26