MEMO

To: Technical Writing III Students

From: Dr. Maria Christian, Technical Writing III Instructor
Date: September 9, 2007
Subject: Information about Job Packet Assignment

Job Packet Assignment

It is important to always update and revise your résumé information. Learning new formatting
techniques, incorporating updated information and revising for clarity are all important aspects
of résumé writing. This job packet assignment includes: (1) an application letter, (2) a résumé,
and (3) a follow-up letter. Although you sequence the documents in this order for submission,
you may find it easier to develop the résumé first. This assignment is worth 100 points. The
following is detailed information about each required component of the assignment.

Locating a Job
Find a potential job by searching online career databases, search engines, newspapers or existing
knowledge. You must locate a job description for which you are now qualified—not one for
which you will be qualified in the future.

Application Letter
The application letter should appeal directly to the needs of the employer as indicated in the job
description. Make explicit references to these needs, incorporating specific and persuasive
statements about how your experience and accomplishments qualify you for the position. The
application letter should meet the following requirements:

Letter format: Use the eight letter components, and use a block- or modified-block letter
format that follows the formal conventions for letter writing.

Content and organization: Organize the following components using a forecasting statement
(or roadmap), topic sentences, and transitional phrases that work together to establish a
cohesive argument. Organize the content so that it includes approximately four major
paragraphs:
(1) an opening paragraph,
(2) a paragraph about your education,
(3) a paragraph about your work experience, and
(4) a closing paragraph.

Tone: Use an appropriate tone—be confident without sounding arrogant, sound personable
but professional.

Editing: Meticulously edit for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage.

Length: Use a length appropriate for the position. For most undergraduate students seeking
an entry-level position, a one-page letter is appropriate.

Assignment Handout, Technical Writing III: M.

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Dr. Maria Christian
September 9, 2007

Résumé
The résumé organizes your qualifications into categories of information that highlight the
credentials you will bring to a company. Considering how employers will use your résumé will
help you make effective content and design choices.

Résumé Categories: Brainstorm information for the following categories and create
headings for these categories in your résumé.
• Identification – your name, address, phone numbers
• Career objectives – like a subject line in a memo, informs about your résumé’s
focus (one statement long)
• Employment – job titles, company names, company locations, time periods,
duties
• Education – degrees, areas of specialization, schools attended, school
locations, years of graduation or attendance (optional – GPA, memberships,
coursework, equipment used)
• Professional Skills – procedures you can perform, accomplishments, on-the-
job training, new techniques invented/implemented, numbers and types of
people managed, publications
• Military experience (if applicable) – rank, service branch, location, years,
achievements, training/seminars
• Professional affiliations – regional, national or international clubs or
professional affiliations
• Personal data (if applicable) – hobbies, languages spoken
• Honors and Awards (if applicable)
• Additional Training and Seminars (if applicable)
• References – three or four (colleagues, supervisors, teachers, community
members), names, addresses, phone numbers (If not mandatory, state
“Available upon Request”)

Résumé Formats: Arrange your categories and information depending on the résumé
format you prefer.
• Reverse Chronological Résumé – Traditional job applicant,
have training in the field you are applying, have made
progress in field you are applying, plan to stay in current
profession
• Functional Résumé – Nontraditional job applicant, entering
a field where you do not have training and/or education,
change jobs frequently, entering a new profession

Résumé Design: Your résumé should meet the following requirements:

• Custom design: Create a custom design for your résumé in
MS Word. Do
not use Word’s résumé templates because most have design flaws and the
templates will make you look like every other candidate using the same

Assignment Handout, Technical Writing III: M.

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Maria Christian
September 9, 2007

• Headings and visual design: Use headings for the major

divisions of your résumé, and use a combination of other
visual elements, including subheadings, lists, and white
space, to make your résumé components easy to recognize
and locate. Use visual design strategies to create a well-
balanced page.
• Editing: Meticulously edit for grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and usage.
• Length: Use a length appropriate for your experience. For
most undergraduate students with limited work experience,
a one-page résumé is appropriate.

Follow-up Letter
Follow-up letters are a respectable way of showing both appreciate and your interest in the job.
Follow-up letters are designed in the same letter format as the application letter; however, they
are much shorter (half a page in length). The follow-up letter should meet the following
requirements:

Follow-up Letter Type: First, decide what type of follow up letter you will write (accept
a job offer, decline a job offer, offer thanks for the interview, inquire about the job’s
status, supply additional information omitted from the résumé, inquire about why you
were declined for a job)

Content and organization: Organize the following components using a forecasting

statement (or roadmap), topic sentences, and transitional phrases that work together to
establish a cohesive argument. Organize the content so that it includes approximately
three major paragraphs:
(1) an opening paragraph that states the interview date or the date for which you
applied for the job,
(2) a paragraph showing memory about your interview experience (if applicable),
(3) a paragraph about your enthusiasm for the company and a one-sentence
statement of why you are the perfect candidate; also, include contact information.

Tone: Use an appropriate tone—be confident without sounding arrogant, sound

personable but professional.

Editing: Meticulously edit for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage.

Assignment Handout, Technical Writing III: M.

Christian