The document provides guidance on job search strategies, including building a network of contacts, identifying appropriate jobs, preparing application documents, and continuing job search activities. It discusses preparing a resume with sections for contact information, objective statement, education, employment experience, activities and honors. The document emphasizes tailoring the resume to highlight relevant qualifications and skills for the target position.

1. Basic Business Communication
Chapter Nine
Strategies in the Job-Search Process
©The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2007

2. 1-2
Steps in the Job Search Process
 Build a network of contacts
 Identify appropriate jobs
 Find your employer
 Prepare the application documents
 Continue job search activities

3. 1-3
Building a Network of Contacts
 Broaden your circle of friends
 Get to know your professors
 Meet business executives
 Make contacts through internships
 Work with community organizations

4. 1-4
Identifying Appropriate Jobs
 Analyze Yourself
-Education
-Personal Qualities
-Work Experience
-Special Qualifications (languages, communications skills)
 Analyze Outside Factors
-Where is the job you are seeking available?
-Are you willing to move?
-Does the location meet with your lifestyle needs?

5. 1-5
Finding Your Employer
 Career Centers (School career centers)
 Network of Personal Contacts
 Classified Advertisements
 Online Sources
 Employment Agencies
 Personal Search Agents
 Web Page Profiles
 Prospecting

6. 1-6
Preparing the Application Documents
 The traditional resume
 The application letter
 The follow-up and close of the process
 Other job search letters
 Continued job search activities

7. 1-7
What is a resume?
 A resume is a personal summary of your professional
history and qualifications
 It includes information about your career goals, education,
work experience, activities, honors, and any special skills
you might have
 Three types of resume:
-Traditional Resume
-Scannable Resume
-Electronic Resume

8. 1-8
Resume Workshop
 General Guidelines Different Styles:
 Constructing traditional  Organizational Styles
resume  Reverse Chronological
 Heading Style
 Objective Statement  Functional Style
 Education  Skills Style
 Employment Experience  Imaginative Style
 References

9. 1-9
General Guidelines
 Length
Limit an entry-level resume to one typed page. Be as
concise as possible in stating information
 Font
Avoid fonts smaller than 10 point and larger than 12 point
 Paper
Use 8 1/2” x 11” 20 lb paper. Print your resume with a laser
or high quality ink-jet printer.

10. 1-10
Constructing the Traditional Resume
 Find out general job information
 Find out desired qualifications and skills
 Logically arrange the facts into groups
 Construct the headings and subheadings
 Include contact and objective information
 Present the data for best eye-appeal
 Organize for strength
 Write impersonally and consistently
 Make the form attractive

11. 1-11
Identifying Information
 Put your name, permanent and campus addresses,
permanent and campus phone numbers, and email
address prominently at the top of your resume
 Avoid using a nickname to identify yourself
 Consider including your URL address or fax number
if you have one
RICK NASON
1401-1094 Wellington Street
Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 2Z9
md290513@dal.ca
(902) 405-9312

12. 1-12
Objective Statement
 1-3 sentence summary of your area of expertise and
career interest
 Write as complete sentences or as descriptive phrases
with minimal punctuation
 Relate your existing skills directly to the job you are
seeking
 Demonstrate what you can do for the company rather
than what they can do for you.

13. 1-13
Objective Statement
 Avoid over generalized  Make the statement
statements: as specific as
-A position allowing me to possible:
utilize my knowledge and
expertise in different areas. -A position which
allows me to apply my
 Avoid statements that
background in
focus only on what a
engineering and high
company can do for you:
performance
-A position where I gain computing to
experience in working on
biological problems. biological problems.

14. 1-14
Presenting Information
Some guidelines
 List the facts under headings
 Cover work experience with details
 Cover education with details
 When appropriate, show achievements
 Use action verbs to strengthen the appeal

15. 1-15
Presenting Information
Some guidelines
 Avoid information on race, sex, religion, marital status,
pregnancy status, citizenship status, age etc
 Include information on activities and interests that tell
about one’s personal qualities
 Get permission for using referee’s name
 Use a separate sheet for references
 Select references that cover your background

16. 1-16
Presenting Information
Some guidelines
 Use accurate mailing and email addresses
 List information without use of personal pronouns
 Use the same grammatical form for all equal-level
headings
 Choose fonts carefully
 Use right paper

17. 1-17
Summary of Qualifications Statement
 This statement can replace or be used in addition
to the objective statement.
 Write one short paragraph or a bulleted list of
qualifications.
 Use a summary of qualifications statement to
emphasize skills you possess that aren’t obvious
from your past work experiences.

18. 1-18
Summary of Qualifications Statement
Summary of Qualifications
 An MBA Major in Finance with expertise in the
following areas:
-Working as Chief Administrative Officer at Grameen Phone
-Communicating with customers in project environments
-Working as Associate Consultant with BRAC

19. 1-19
Education
 An important section for recent graduates seeking
internships or summer jobs.
 Beginning with the highest level of educational
achievement, include information such as university
attended, degrees earned, major, minors, grade point
average, date of program completion, and so forth.

20. 1-20
Education
Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Graduation October 2007
MBA Major in Finance
GPA: 3.98/4.3
You do not have to include your GPA on the resume,
but if it isn’t included, employers may assume that it is
lower than it really is.
Always state the grade point scale your school is using.

21. 1-21
Relevant Courses
 List relevant courses that:
-Help you stand out from the crowd
-Have provided you with specific skills or knowledge
 Include this information in the education section:
Spanish (4 semesters)
Computer Science
Business Writing
Ethics
 Only include courses taken in addition to your major or
minor
 Refer to the course by name rather than by number

22. 1-22
Employment Experience
 Include positions you have held which are related
to the job you are seeking. These might be both
paid and volunteer positions
 Be creative with this section by describing your
experiences in the most relevant way possible

23. 1-23
Employment Experience
Hospitality Intern  Include information such as
(May 1999-August 1999) company name and location,
Mountain Jacks, HFx, NS
job title, dates, and duties
-Oversaw the planning,
performed
production, and prompt
delivery of food
 Make this section easy to read
by using spacing and bullets
-Assisted in training and
retaining new and  Use action phrases to
experienced employees highlight the duties you have
-Created a healthy performed
atmosphere in restaurant

24. 1-24
Activities and Honors
 Include relevant activities and honors
that you could discuss with your
prospective employer or that have given
you valuable experience or skills

25. 1-25
Specialized Skills
 Include skills that make you unique, such as
computer skills, foreign language skills, or military
service
 Be specific in describing your special skills; name
computer programs you know, how long you studied
a foreign language, or your dates of military service

26. 1-26
References
 In general, do not include the names and addresses of
your references
 Better state that references are available upon request
 Choose professional references rather than character
references

27. 1-27
Reference Sheet
Dr. Anson  Include the names,
Heavilon Hall, Room 226 addresses, and phone
Purdue University numbers of your references
West Lafayette, IN 47907  Always ask permission
(765) 494-3723 before you include any
information on your
-Dr. Anson is my current reference sheet
academic advisor in the  Consider giving your
Creative Writing and references a copy of your
resume so they will be
Science Fiction Program
prepared to talk to
employers

28. 1-28
Organizing Your Resume
 Organize your resume The most common
to highlight your resume styles are:
unique skills and
strengths -Organizational style
-Reverse chronological
 Use whatever
-Functional
combination of
organizational styles -Skills
you think best highlight -Imaginative
your individual
qualifications

29. 1-29
Reverse Chronological Resume Style
 Present your This style is best if:
education and work  Job experiences closely
experience in parallel the positions
chronological order,
 There are no periods of
beginning with your
unemployment time
most recent
experiences between jobs

30. 1-30
Reverse Chronological Resume Style
Work Experience:
1997-Present U.S. Postal Service, Indianapolis. Worked as a
Station Manager, delivering mail, overseeing retail
sales, planning delivery to new routes
1994-1997 All Right Parking, Inc., Indianapolis. Worked as a
Manager, handling customer relations, overseeing
accounts, supervising twenty-five employees
1992-1994 Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis. Worked as a District
Sales Manager recruiting and training new e
employees, managing crews of twenty-five carriers
within nine counties, designing routes

31. 1-31
Functional Resume Style
 Organize experience  Ignore experiences
by type of function that do not relate to
performed. Under the job for which you
each, give specific are applying
examples
 Highlight
 Place things in order
experiences that of importance rather
directly relate to the than chronological
job you are seeking order

32. 1-32
Functional Resume Style
Experience:
Research Assistant (May 1998-June 1999)- Purdue U.
Assisted Professor Robert Thompson in:
-updating statistical tables and charts
-answering research questions via the Internet, library,
and by establishing resources to provide the needed
information
President, Sociology Club (January-May 2000)
-Raised over $2,000 for club expenses and scholarships
-Organized 10 activities for over 200 students
-Designed and maintained club website

33. 1-33
Skills Resume Style
 Emphasize what you  Ideal style for
can do rather than people who have
where you have gained valuable
worked skills from a variety
 Try to match your of unrelated
skills to the position experiences
for which you are
applying

34. 1-34
Skills Resume Style
Skills:
Communication Skills
-Counseled teens in an anti-drug initiative at Jefferson High School
-Received Employee of the Month Award for my work creating a
positive environment at Wal-Mart while working as a cashier
-Presented a semester-long project on choosing a major to a group
of prospective students
Training Skills
-Trained new employees in cashier procedures at Wal-Mart
-Served as assistant coach for a Scotia High School basketball team

35. 1-35
Imaginative Resume Style
 Acts like a mini-  Ideal style when a
portfolio because it job demands
demonstrates a creativity, such as
combination of layout, graphic design
graphics, text
integration, and  Appropriate to use
audience selection color graphics on an
 Make sure a company imaginative resume
is open to this type of
resume before
submitting it

36. 1-36
Rick Nason
7431 Davenport Drive
(512) 598-9693 Dallas, TX 75226 (512) 598-0017
Objective: Administrative Assistant Position
Education: Bachelor of Science in Office Administration
Northern State University, 1991
GPA 3.0/4.0
Special Skills:
Keyboarding at 90 wpm, WordPerfect, Word,
Ami Pro, Excel and 1-2-3, Paradox and Access
Relevant Courses:
Business Communication Office Procedures
Document Imaging Management

37. 1-37
Experience:
Secretary 1996-1998
Boatner King Insurance Company, Dallas
Personal secretary to Mr. Carlos Boatner, President
Data-entry Clerk 1993-1996
Thatcher Manufacturing Company, Dallas
File Clerk 1992-1993
J. C. Douglas Wholesale Company, Dry Creek
References:
Will gladly provide personal and professional references
on request.

38. 1-38
Scannable Resume
 Constructed to be read by a computer and retrieved
when an appropriate position is being filled
 Can be scanned into a database and retrieved when a
position is being filled
 Objective is to getting the resume reviewed in order
to be re-interviewed

39. 1-39
Scannable Resume
Procedures for Scannable Resume
 Include industry-specific key words
 Choose precise nouns over verb actions
 Present information in a form read accurately by
scanners

40. 1-40
Electronic Resume
 Enables you to use electronic technology
 Three basic formats:
-ASCII or Text File:
-Word Processor, RTF (Rich Text File) and PDF (Portable
Document File)
-Multimedia HTM File

41. 1-41
Electronic Resume
Procedures for Electronic Resume
 Use the electronic format the receiver specifies or
prefers
 Remove all contact information except your email
address
 Consider adding a last updated notation
 Extend the HTML format to include colors, graphics,
video, and sound as appropriate

42. 1-42
Writing the Cover Messages
 Writing cover messages involve matching your
qualifications with the job
 They are as good as sales letters
 Skillfully sell your abilities through them

43. 1-43
Procedure of Writing the Cover Messages
 Study your product (you) and your prospect (the
employer) and think out a strategy for presentation
 Begin with words that gain attention
-begin applying for the job
-set up the presentation of your sales point
 Adapt the tone and content to the job you seek
 Present your qualifications, fitting them to the job
 Choose words that enhance the information presented
 Derive for an appropriate actions (interviews)

44. 1-44
Handling the Interview
 Research the employer (company) to impress
 Make a good appearance through dress and grooming
 Anticipate questions and plan to answer
-Standard, tough, illegal, critical thinking and behavioral questions
 Make a good impression by being at ease (calm, confident)
 Help bring out the questions that show your qualifications

45. 1-45
Preparing your answers helps you choose a
strategy
Question: What are your weaknesses?
Possible Strategies:
 Present a weakness that’s really a hidden strength
 Cite a corrected weakness
 Recall a lesson learned
 Reveal a lapsed skill
 Use an unrelated skill
 Cite an objective
 Try humor
 Repeat your qualifications

46. 1-46
Writing Other Job Search Letters
 Thank-you letter
 Follow-up letter
 Job acceptance letter
 Job refusal letter
 Job resignation letter

47. 1-47
Continuing Job Search Activities
 Maintain your resume
 Read job ads/ professional journals