The document provides guidance on writing effective cover letters and resumes for job applications. It explains that a cover letter should catch the reader's attention, explain interest in the specific job, highlight qualifications that make the applicant suitable for the role, and request an interview. An objective statement in a resume introduces the applicant's goal, while qualifications, education, experience and skills are also included to market the applicant's abilities. Proper formatting, accurate information and proofreading are emphasized to make a good impression on employers.

1. Writing for Job
Nasir Ali

2. Learning Objectives
oTo learn the content and style of a Cover Letter
oTo learn the content and style of a Resume

3. How do we come to know about a vacant position?

9. Unsolicited Jobs

10. Step 1
See whether you
are qualified for
this job?
Do you fulfill
all the
requirement
for this job?
Competent
enough?

11. Step 2
Write a cover
letter for the job
Design a resume
related to the job

12. Cover letter
• CV’s and cover letters are combined submitted
• Modes can be standard mail, online form, fax, e-mail or
personal submission
• The cover letter is a sales letter in which you market your
skills, abilities, and knowledge
• Therefore, your application letter must be persuasive

13. Objectives
It catches the reader’s attention by describing how your skills will
contribute to the organization
It explains which particular job interests you and why
It convinces the reader that you are qualified for the job by highlighting
and interpreting the particularly impressive qualifications in your
résumé, and
It requests an interview

14. Opening
• In the opening paragraph, provide context by indicating how
you heard about the position and name the specific job title
• If you have been referred to a company by an employee, a
career counselor, a professor, or someone else, be sure to say
so
• (“I have recently learned from Dr. Waqar, Professor at
NTU, that you are recruiting. . . .”)
• Show enthusiasm by explaining why you are interested in the
job

15. Opening cont…
• Demonstrate your initiative as well as your knowledge of
the organization by relating your interest to some facet
of the organization.
• (“This opportunity interests me greatly because I have
learned that Libgen Software House is one of the leading
software houses in the country.”)
• Offer yourself
• I offer my services for this post.

16. • Write that you are qualified for the job.
• Write your qualifications (what you have done)
Body
• Write your experience and relate your qualifications and
experience with the job you are applying for
• Tell him what you can do for the organization
• Refer to your enclosed resume
• Also, tell your achievements

17. Body cont…
I bring strong up-to-date academic and practical skills in
multimedia tools and graphic arts production, as indicated in my
enclosed résumé. Further, I have recent project management
experience at Express Media, where I was responsible for the
development of client brochures, newsletters, and posters. As
project manager, I coordinated the project time lines, budgets,
and production with clients, staff, and vendors.
My experience and contacts in media and entertainment
community should help me make use of state-of-the-art design
expertise. As you will see on my résumé, I have worked with the
leading motion picture, television, and music companies—that
experience should help me develop exciting marketing tools
Museum visitors and patrons will find attractive. For example, I
helped design an upgrade of the CGI logo for Paramount Pictures
and was formally commended by the Director of Marketing.

18. Closing
• In the final paragraph, request an interview. Let the
reader know how to reach you by including your phone
number or e-mail address.
• End with a statement of goodwill, even if only a “thank
you.”
• Proofread your letter carefully.

19. Fact
• Research indicates that if employers notice even one
spelling, grammatical, or mechanical error, they often
eliminate candidates from consideration immediately.
Such errors give employers the impression that you lack
writing skills or that you are careless in the way you
present yourself professionally.

22. Terminology
• Resume, French
• Def. Short descriptive summary (of events)
A short written description of your
education, qualifications, previous jobs and
sometimes also your personal interests, which you
send to an employer when you are trying to get a
job.
• CV, Curriculum Vitae, Latin
• Course of life, life story

23. Difference
CV
• United Kingdom
Resume
• United States
• More than 2 pages
• Less than 2 usually 1
• Entire life summary
• Introductory
• For major jobs
• Standardized look and
format
• Positions in academics
• For beginners
• Free form organizational
style
• For jobs in private sector

24. Resume
• Resume represents you
• Markets your services
• Persuasive
• It should be well planned, organized, carefully designed,
easy to read and free of errors

25. Resume
• Decision whether you would be called for an interview or not
• Interview questions and resume
• Don’t give any false information in your resume
• Justify what you write in it
• Focus on achievements rather than responsibilities

26. Structure of Resume
Heading
Job Objective
Qualifications
Education
Work Experience
Related Skills and Abilities
Honors/Achievement
References

27. Heading
• At
the
top
of
your
résumé,
include
your
name, address, telephone number (home or cell), and e-mail
address
• Your name stands out on the page
• If you have both a school (university) address and a
permanent home address, place your school address on the
left side of the page and your permanent home address on
the right side of the page.
• Place both underneath your name

28. Example
Ahmed Kamran
42 P National Colony, Faisalabad
Phone: 92-41-6541590
Cell: 92-333-4344321
Kamran@gmail.com
•
•
•
•
Nationality?
Date of Birth?
Religion?
Personal info?

29. Objective
• The goal intended to be attained
• An objective introduces the material in a résumé and helps
the reader quickly understand your goal
•
• If you decide to include an objective, use a heading such as
“Objective,” “Employment Objective,” “Career Objective,” or
“Job Objective.”
• Write your objective in no more than three lines, and tailor it
to the specific job for which you are applying

30. Examples
• A software designer position in IT industry with responsibility for
developing new software, programs and products.
• To seek a long time research oriented career in teaching according
to the requirements of HEC and international teaching learning
standards.
• Teach, motivate, and direct students while maintaining high interest
and achievement.
• A position as a graphic designer with responsibilities in information
design, packaging, and media presentations.

31. Examples
• Ambitious and responsible worker eager to begin an entry-level
position where I can utilize my organizational and timemanagement skills to help better the company.
• Seeking entry-level job in software design, where I can build
upon my current skill set and experience, obtain new clients, and
help with daily activities in the office.
• To obtain a challenging position that allows me to utilize my
current skills to assist in advancing a business that offers a stable
employment opportunity. I am also eager to learn new skills and
business and technological advancements.

32. Qualifications
• Qualification or experience?
• Include a brief summary of your qualifications
• Sometimes called a summary statement or career summary, a
qualifications
summary
can
include
skills, achievements, experience, or personal qualities that
make you especially well suited to the position.
• You may wish to give this section a heading such as “Profile,”
“Career Highlights,” or simply “Qualifications

33. Example
• Self motivated, problem solver with proven leadership &
collaborative abilities
• Enthusiastic & able to achieve rapport with prospects
easily
• Business Competence : Customer services, market
research, market communication
• Management Competences: counseling, goal setting
time management, team leadership, team work

34. Example
• Dynamic Software Developer
• Progressive and innovative programmer
• An experienced Textile Engineering
• Award-Winning Senior Fashion Designer
• Well equipped enthusiastic trainer

35. Education
• List the institute(s) you attended
• The degree(s) you received and the dates you received
• Your major field(s) of study, and any academic honors you
have earned
• Include your grade point average only if it is 3.0 or higher—
• Or include your average in your major if that is more
impressive
• Consider including the skills developed or projects completed
in your course work
• Start with the most recent first

36. Example
Bachelor in Computer Sciences, March 2015
National Textile University
Grade Point Average: 3.88 out of 4.0
4:0 by 4:0 in 3 Semesters
Majors: Computer System and its Application
F.Sc, April 2011
Punjab College Faisalabad
940 out of 1100
90% of total marks

37. Experience
• Organize your employment experience in reverse
chronological order, starting with your most recent job and
working backward under a single major heading called:
• “Experience,”
• “Employment,”
• “Professional Experience,”
• You could also organize your experience functionally by
clustering similar types of jobs into one or several sections
with specific headings such as “Management Experience” or
“Major Accomplishments.”

38. Experience
• Include jobs or internships when they relate directly to the position
you are seeking
• Some applicants choose to omit internships and temporary or parttime jobs, including such experiences can make a résumé more
persuasive if they have helped you develop specific related skills
• Include extracurricular experiences, such as taking on a leadership
position in a college organization or directing a community-service
project, if they demonstrate that you have developed skills valued by
potential employers
• Or President of some society at University

39. Experience
• For each job or experience, list both the job and company titles.
Include number of years you served
• Throughout each section, consistently begin with either the job or
the company title, depending on which will likely be more
impressive to potential employers
• Write concisely under each job description your primary and
secondary duties at the working place and your achievements
regarding them
• Focus on achievements as employers hire people who are doers and
achievers
• Don’t mention 5 to 10 months experience

40. Example
Management Experience
Manager, Exhibit Design Lab—May 2010 – Present
Easrto Air Force Base, Lahore , Pakistan
Supervise 11 technicians in support of engineering exhibit design and
production. Develop, evaluate, and improve materials and equipment
for
the
design
and
construction of
exhibits.
Write
specifications, negotiate with vendors, and initiate procurement
activities for exhibit design support.
Supervisor, Graphics Illustrators—June 2005–April 2010
Hakim Khan Advertising Agency, Islamabad, Pakistan
Supervised five illustrators and four drafting mechanics after
promotion from Graphics Technician. Analyzed and approved workorder requirements. Selected appropriate media and techniques for
orders. Rendered illustrations in pencil and ink. Converted department
to CAD system.

41. Related skills and abilities
• Employers are interested in hiring applicants with a variety of
skills or the ability to learn new ones quickly
• Depending on the position, you might list in a skills section
items such as fluency in foreign languages, communication
skills, writing and editing abilities, specialized technical
knowledge, or computer skills (including knowledge of specific
languages, software, and hardware).

42. Example
Skills and Activities
Unipro Operating System: Thorough knowledge of
word-processing, text-editing, and file-formatting
programs.
Writing and Editing Skills: Experience in documenting
computer
programs for beginning programmers and users.
Fairview Community Microcomputer Users Group:
Cofounder and editor of monthly newsletter.

43. Honors
• If you have room on your résumé, list any honors and
unique activities near the end
• Include items such as student or community activities,
professional or club memberships, awards received, and
published works
• Provide a heading for this section that fits its contents,
such as “Activities,” “Honors,” “Professional Affiliations,”
or “Publications and Memberships.”

44. References
• Avoid listing references unless that is standard practice or
required
• If you create a separate list of references for prospective
employers, you can include a phrase such as “References
available on request” to signal the end of a résumé, or write
“Available on request” after the heading “References” as a
design element to balance a page
• Always seek permission from anyone you list as a reference

45. General Considerations
 Have consistency in your font size and type
 Standard font size is 11 to 12 point
 Chose attractive font
 Include page number in case of more than 1 page
 Avoid underlining
 Use action verbs
 Avoid grammar errors and use minimal punctuation
 Use good quality paper white or cream in color
 Be honest, don’t exaggerate
 Make your document your own

46. Thank you!