Scientific and Technical Communication: Theory, Practice and Policy

Introduction

Job-finding forces you to confront rather large uncertainties — from where you will live to what you will be paid to with whom you will associate. It also forces you to face smaller, more immediate uncertainties. It may be the first time you are expected to engage in professional correspondence, and it requires you to communicate with potential employers of whom you know very little. The cover letter, the résumé and associated correspondence all are parts of a test whose rules you may understand only vaguely.

This chapter is designed to help you resolve the smaller uncertainties, and to understand that test. It will suggest ways to communicate and engage an audience you do not know, and it will describe what employers expect to see, and want to see, in job application materials.

Cover Letter Format

A cover letter is addressed to a potential employer. Its sole purpose is to obtain for its author an interview. This fact should shape every aspect of the letter.

First impressions are important. Your cover letter and the résumé you enclose with it should be on bond paper, and should be in every way look professional: word processors and laser printers allow such with little cost. Cover letters will be read in a few minutes — in some cases less than 30 seconds. Understanding this, many authors try to make their cover letters look different than the others in the stack — they use an unusual font, or print them on off-white paper. If you use these techniques, also use restraint and common sense. Choose a font which is fairly standard and fairly readable: we recommend "Palatino," "Geneva" or "New York." And if you use off-white paper, stay within the range bordered by "light gray" and "sand."

A useful and flexible format includes:

1) an identification of purpose of the letter, the author, and how she learned of the position,

2) a summary of qualifications with reference to résumé,

3) a statement of reasons author should be considered apart from presumed competition, and

4) a tactful request for an interview.

Standard Cover Letter

The author of the following cover letter is fortunate in that her background is tailored to the position. Nonetheless, she does not assume that the quality of her qualifications is self-evident; rather, she outlines them in some detail, and — more ambitiously — makes them part of a coherent whole.

10 Renaissance Drive
Rome, NY 37660

Mr. Gary Atkins
Director of Public Relations
Medici Associates
Florence, MA 01003

October 1, 2003

Dear Mr. Atkins:

I read in the September 29 Washington Post classifieds of your need for a Civil Engineer or building Construction graduate at one of your Washington sites. I am a senior at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a major in Civil Engineering and a concentration in Building Construction. As I expect to graduate in May of 2000, a position that would begin at that time seems very attractive.

I am particularly interested in this position because it involves new and experimental construction methods, many of which I studied during a year-long independent project I undertook last year. In those nine months I gained a working knowledge of recent developments in structural reinforcements, and worked closely with Professor John Christman, who (as you know) pioneered many of the construction techniques you use. Although my academic background is an asset, I believe your work will be best assisted by my practical experience. As my résumé suggests, I worked for several summers during high school as a laborer; during the summer of my Freshman year I was promoted to carpenter; and last summer I assisted the construction manager, overseeing a crew of eight.

As you may know, Virginia Tech is one of the few universities in the country that offers a degree as specialized for the construction industry. I believe that this degree, combined with my professional experience, makes me especially qualified for the position.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my credentials with you. Should you desire to reach me, I will be at (703) 555-1234 before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM any weekday. I will call your office early next week to see whether we might arrange a meeting.

Respectfully,

Jane Varley
jav@vt2u.edu

Enclosure: résumé

Varley identifies herself in the context of the position — that is, she states her present position and the date of its termination. Her mention of how she learned of the position is a courtesy to Atkins, who will use the knowledge in evaluating the success of his advertising.

The author's assertion of interest — and as important, explanation of that interest — separates her from other applicants. Her "name-dropping" suggests acquaintance with at least one professional. If Atkins has heard of Christman and respects his work, the author will gain credibility by association. If Atkins has not heard of Christman, the parenthetical "as you know" implies that he should, and suggests that the author possesses practical knowledge that Atkins lacks, but may need.

The author's evaluation of her own strengths suggests self-knowledge and, by implication, maturity. The phrase "as my résumé suggests" politely directs Atkins' attention to the résumé, which he might otherwise regard only cursorily. The author does more than summarize his job experience: by noting that one position was a promotion from the previous, she makes her work history into a progression, and so implies that the progression will continue.

The second paragraph explains the author as particularly qualified. The third paragraph begins with a sentence explaining why the author's background is especially relevant. It continues with a summary statement asserting a confidence that the previous text has justified.

The closing paragraph of a cover letter requires a balance of assertiveness and diplomacy. It must make clear that the author seeks an interview, but it cannot assume that an interview will be granted. Here, the author makes herself available to Atkins by providing a phone number; at the same time she reserves for herself the right to call him. (Had Atkins been located at some distance from her, Varley might have suggested a meeting at a place convenient to both — a branch office or a conference, for instance.)

Varley is fortunate in that her experience is appropriate for the position; her persuasive strategies are useful, but not nearly as necessary as they might be in a letter whose author has a background less suited. At some point in your career, you may seek a position for which you are imperfectly qualified. And your cover letter — like your entire approach — must be more creative.

A "Creative" Cover Letter

When you apply for a position which your background does not match, you may be inclined to adopt a tone which is almost apologetic: "Although in some ways I am not qualified for the position ..." Such an approach is a mistake: it invites the reader to agree and move to the next letter in the stack. Instead, concentrate on the positive: demonstrate why your skills are suitable to the position. Perhaps the reader has never considered a candidate with your qualifications. Show her — with courtesy and tact — that her thinking may have been narrow.

1683 Harding Road
Seattle, WA 98126
564.555.8971

Dr. Joan McGrory
Professor of Marine Science/Biology
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Woods Hole, MA 02181

December 7, 2005

Dear Dr. McGrory:

Your article in the September 18 issue of Oceans on the erosion of Cape Cod's coastal moraine was of particular interest to me: in the last six months, I have been working on the history of glaciation in Puget Sound. I am a major in geology at The University of Washington expecting to graduate in May of this year. I am writing to apply for the Marine Science Technician, Level V — advertised (December 6) at The University of Washington's career placement office.

Since early September, I have been engaged in a project overseen by Dr. Kenneth Coddington, concerning the several eras of glacier encroachment and retreat in Puget Sound over the past 500,000 years. Your article points to the surprising role played by marine micro-organisms in the cohesion of sand particles. Dr. Coddington's and my research indicates that a similar process may have had much to do with the formation of those coastal moraines as well. Specifically, I believe that excretion of two species of sand flea acted (and acts) to bond sand particles. Although this activity is insignificant on a day-to-day basis, over several thousand years it has altered the terrain on a scale visible from space. In other words, that Thoreau's description of the sea as the "laboratory of continents" was more accurate than he knew.

I think I have a great deal to contribute to your studies, and a great deal to offer the Institute as a whole. You may reach me or my answering machine at the number above. I will call your office in a few days to see whether we might meet to discuss the position. I look forward to speaking with you.

Respectfully,

Jennifer Schwanke
dw2u@uw.edu

Enclosure: résumé

P.S. Incidentally, should you like to see the preliminary research Dr. Coddington and I have done on Puget Sound, I would be happy to send it to you.

Several books available of late offer a sample "personal" cover letters — which claim to appeal not so much to the professional as to the person beneath the professional. Some presume author and reader share affinities in geography (the thinking being: you live in Atlanta, you must like Atlanta, I visited Atlanta once and liked Atlanta — therefore we have something in common.) The logical fallacy here is obvious. In the 1990s it is likely that a professional is not so much interested where his work occurs than in the work itself; further, that professional would prefer a candidate willing to relocate for that work. Writers of cover letters don't have to resort to such clumsy tactics; in fact, they and their reader do share something, and it is far more significant than a liking for a place. As Schwanke understands, the percentage of the world's population that even knows what coastal moraines are is minute. But it is knowledge she shares with McGrory — and she uses it to advantage.

Schwanke begins the letter by mentioning McGrory's article. In so doing she gets McGrory's attention, and demonstrates that she is serious about the field — serious enough at least to have noticed a journal. Schwanke's mention of her own work is a kind of tease, which is deferred for a moment while she supplies the requisite self-identification. In the second paragraph the promise of the first line is fulfilled — and Schwanke demonstrates her professionalism in detail that is unusual in a cover letter. She completes the paragraph with a reference from Thoreau not merely because it is appropriate, but because McGrory's article had begun with a quote from the same author. Schwanke assumes he is a favorite.

The postscript reminds McGrory of what initially attracted her attention in the letter — and leaves her with an agreeable sense that Schwanke is more interested in marine life than she is with salary and benefits. In other words, she has an aspiring intellect, and is someone with whom McGrory feels she could work.

Whether your background is like Varley's, Schwanke's or something in between, you want to keep some things in mind when composing your cover letter — be it standard or creative.

1) Research the employer. If you don't have time, use common sense in addressing what you expect are the employer's needs. Focus on yourself only as a solution to the employer's "problem."

2) Separate yourself from the presumed competition by whatever means you have available — work background, education, interest or sheer initiative.

3) Remember that the reader of your cover letter will read every line searching for an answer to the question "Why should I grant you an interview over and above the other applicants?", and compose every line with that fact in mind. Although you may be desperate to find a position, and although your instinctive answer to the reader's question "Why should I hire you?" may be "Because I need work," you must prevent such anxieties from appearing in the letter: they suggest an attitude that is unprofessional.

4) Proofread. At this point the letter is your only representative. Even a single typographical error suggests carelessness, and may effectively end any chance for an interview, however qualified you may be. Many organizations have a staff member proofread cover letters, and only those free of typographical errors get beyond his or her desk.

Finally, two warnings involving vocabulary. Many consider the word "job" mildly distasteful; the preferred word is "position" — regardless of its status. Certain organizations discourage the use of the word "interview" for its unpleasant associations; the preferred word — "meeting" — suggests not so much the evaluation of one party by another as an opportunity for each party to learn about the other.

Résumé Format

The résumé presents an outline of the subject's qualifications. The purpose is to highlight features of the subject's background, and to suggest an organized and directed career, or the beginning of an organized and directed career. Employers do not so much read a résumé as they take twenty to thirty seconds to "scan" it; accordingly, you should make intelligent use of white space, fonts, and paragraphing — all in the interest of readability. Word processors and software programs allow much experimentation in this area; but be cautioned that many readers find the use of more than two fonts distracting.

In general, two-thirds of a résumé should contain information bearing directly on the position for which it is submitted. The information should be arranged from most relevant to least relevant. For this reason, the résumés of most college seniors begin with a description of their education; the résumés of professionals more than a year or two out of college or graduate school begin with a description of their work experience. Conventional wisdom has long been that résumés should not run longer than a page regardless of the extent of the subject's experience. In the last ten years, though, positions have become specialized enough that their descriptions require whole paragraphs. And many résumés are correspondingly longer; even those of recent college graduates sometimes run to two pages. In such cases each page is numbered, alerting the reader to the fact that there are two pages.

All résumés are composed of some combination of the following sections. Do not be concerned that your background cannot supply entries for each section listed here. Few can. In fact, the only section required of all résumés is the first. We offer this list only to show you the range of possibilities.

1) name, address, telephone and date

Many college students move between two addresses, and they move in late spring — the time when many employers hire. For this reason it is prudent to put both addresses on the résumé, and dates during which you may be found at them.

Because you may wish to change the entries on your résumé in the few months between your initial application and your interview, and because the time in which you are searching for a position is likely to be confusing, you may be unsure that the résumé your interviewer has is your current one. You may avoid such confusion by dating each version; month and year is sufficient.

2) overview

Many résumés include, below name and address, a one-sentence summary of the subject's background and goals. This assists the employer who must read cursorily and quickly; its composition is a useful exercise for you too, in that it compels you to see your qualifications as the reader might — that is, in a very abbreviated form.

3) job objective

This section might appear as "Professional Goal."

Generally speaking, applicants apply for an advertised position — and are likely to know its full name. If, though, you are applying for a position you learned of through word of mouth, be certain you have the title right. Call the employer.

4) education

Degrees obtained are listed in inverse chronological order — that is, most recent to least recent. Each entry must include degree, institution, and date the degree was (or will be) granted. It may include grade point average (general and/or within your concentration), relevant courses, academic awards and mention of any independent project or specialized area of study. A résumé written for a position after college may refer to the subject's high school experience only if 1) that experience bears directly upon the position in question, 2) the subject was class valedictorian and/or class president.

5) experience

Each entry in the experience section should include name of position, name of employer and dates of employment. It may be divided into professional or relevant work experience (that is, relevant to the position in question) and other work experience. If none of your work experience is relevant to the position in question, this section should be labeled simply work experience. Be sure to include it. The human resource manager of the electrical engineering firm for which you would like to work may not care what you learned as a grill cook; she will care that you demonstrated the responsibility necessary to retain the position. For most résumés the practice of citing experience in inverse chronological order assists the presentation of most relevant experience to least relevant. If, however, your most relevant experience is not your most recent, you should consider another arrangement.

Although for the reason cited above, mention of experience not directly related to the position sought may be helpful, it can also mislead. Many first-time writers of résumés try to fill the page, mentioning every position they held — regardless of its relevance to the position they are seeking. Because a potential employer assumes that a work history indicates potential, you might be better off omitting mention of a job you did not enjoy than risk being placed in a similar position again.

6) awards

Include here academic scholarships and fellowships, and any honor associated with past or present employment. Do not include awards for athletic achievement here, unless they are the Heisman Trophy and/or one or more Olympic Gold Medals. Some awards may require parenthetical explanation: an entry might appear: "Buff and Blue Club (academic achievement society)."

The awards section, and every section below, should appear only if it has two or more entries. If you have a single entry for a section, don't omit the entry — place it in another section. You might list one academic honor, for instance, under education.

7) skills

In recent years a skills section has begun to appear in many résumés; it offers a useful place to showcase areas of expertise or interest which might be hidden in the sections of education or work experience. It also offers a way to make a background not obviously suited to a certain position more appropriate; in so doing, it may demonstrate the applicant's creativity and self-awareness. A skills section may be subdivided into categories like leadership, communication, research, administrative and sales. It is a standard dictum that a good writer does not tell — she shows. The advice applies here: if you claim attributes like "team player," or "good writing skills," show them as well. Show that you can be a team player by describing your experience as one; show that you have good writing skills by describing the writing you did in a certain position, or a specific class.

This section may appear anywhere on the page. But be warned that a skills section preceding education and work experience may be regarded with suspicion.

8) natural and artificial languages

A user of natural languages like Norwegian and Swahili may claim one of three levels of expertise: fluency, reading ability or conversational ability. An entry might read: "Fluency in Norwegian, conversational ability in Swahili." A user of artificial languages like BASIC and FORTRAN may claim expertise, proficiency or familiarity. An entry might read: "Expertise in BASIC; familiarity with FORTRAN."

9) membership in professional societies

Membership in a professional society like Society of Black Engineers or Society of American Foresters demonstrates to a reader 1) an awareness of the particulars of the profession, and 2) a conception of oneself as a member of that larger community. (There are other reasons to join the society associated with your profession — among them, networking and a ready means to stay current in the field.)

10) publications

List full bibliographic citation, excepting your name, according to the style of the discipline of the publication. Especially in engineering and the sciences, published papers often acknowledge the assistance of students. This section may cite such recognition. An entry might read "Acknowledged for supporting efforts in ..."

11) patents

Give title and date of patent (or indication that it is pending) and brief description.

12) licenses and security clearance

List here type of license (ham radio operator, twin-engine pilot, practical nurse, etc.), and date obtained.

Applicants with experience working for certain branches of the U.S. government are granted access to privileged information, and degree of access is indicated by a level of "clearance." It might appear on a résumé as, for instance: "SECRET 1992-94."

13) military service

Note your active status; note previous status only if you received an honorable discharge. Cite branch of armed services, rank(s) and date(s) of promotion and honors and special commendations.

14) interests

Many employers seek a balanced personality in their workers, and so are impressed by an interests or activities section which cites participation in each of three types of activity — one professional or academic, one social and one athletic. And there is a particular advice for the last. Numerous studies of workers have suggested that compatibility or ability to work as a team is a better indicator of success at a given task than is either sheer intelligence or even enthusiasm. For this reason, some organizations would prefer to hire a person (all other factors being equal) whose résumé mentions her participation on an intramural volleyball team than one whose résumé cites an inclination towards cross-country running.

If there are aspects to your history that are unusual or interesting, this is the place to display them. This a legitimate means not so much to distinguish yourself from the competition in a professional sense, as to make yourself memorable to the people who scan fifty résumés at a sitting. It has a less immediate value, too: many interviewers look to this section for subjects with which to "break the ice." Don't be surprised to find your interviewer as intrigued with your trip to Bora Bora as with your professional qualifications.

15) personal data

A federal statute prohibits employers from asking applicants of age, sex, marital status, race and religion. Although applicants are free to volunteer such information on the résumé (and indeed, until recently many did), there may be no compelling reason to do so. In fact, several employers we surveyed regarded such information as irrelevant, and as serving no function beyond occupying space on the page. Curiously enough, the only applicants whose best interests might be served by including such information are married males: rightly or wrongly, many employers consider them more stable and more hard-working than other groups.

For years résumés which employed this section included an entry termed health, and the associated claim "excellent"; its mention has become redundant. You are under no legal obligation to mention a physical disability, but there are other reasons to do so — as a demonstration of your strength of character, for instance. The subject is probably best reserved for the cover letter, where it can be discussed at length.

If you are from another country and culture and seek employment in the United States, you may face two problems: an employer might be concerned with your immigration status, and an employer might be unsure of your fluency in English. Immigration status is a subject best approached directly: in one line on the résumé, state your present status and the status you seek. Demonstrate fluency (or at least competency) through a well-written cover letter.

16) references

You may list here names of three people who have written letters of reference. If you list their telephone numbers as well, you imply to the reader that they have agreed to accept telephone calls regarding your application. It is necessary only to say "References available upon request."

Types of Résumés

Because your résumé is intended to highlight your best aspects, and because "best aspects" differ from subject to subject, résumé format differs, too. There are many types of résumé — each designed to be useful to a different background. We will recommend only two: the inverse-chronological résumé, the skills résumé. The inverse-chronological résumé lists positions in the reverse of the order in which they occurred. It is the traditional résumé format, and is useful in displaying a career in which experience develops in a linear and predictable fashion. The skills résumé also lists positions in reverse chronological order — but draws more attention to skills acquired in those positions. There are other résumé types which foreground sections like skills, abilities and strengths, and background work history. Most of the employers we surveyed disliked such formats because work history and dates of employment were not immediately evident. Further, several admitted to being suspicious of such a format — especially from applicants in science and engineering.

The following examples are offered to help you generate ideas and to demonstrate that some imagination can make even evidently unremarkable backgrounds seem tailored for a given position. And although we encourage you to appropriate useful aspects of any, we also strongly recommend that you do more than rearrange parts of these résumés to construct your own. Like a cover letter, a résumé composed only from recycled parts will have a forced and artificial tone.

GLEN S. DALY

Great Wind Drive
Salem, MA 24060
703.555.7655

Professional Goal:

High School Chemistry Teacher

Education:

B.A., Secondary Education, May 1995
Salem State College, Salem, MA

Concentration:

Chemistry

Certification:

Provisional Certificate, grades 9-12
Adolescent Psychology
Organic Chemistry I and II
History of Education
Inorganic Chemistry
Seminar—Teaching Methods
Physical Chemistry
Instructional Computing
Archeological Chemistry

A.A., Social Studies, May 1993, Cape Cod Community College, Barnstable, MA

Related Experience: Student Teacher,Gloucester High School, Gloucester, MA
September - December 1994

Assumed full responsibility for teaching class content and managing class for two weeks.
Planned and coordinated class field trip to local industrial laboratory.
Assisted in evaluation of thirty-two students of various backgrounds and abilities
Helped design semester-long laboratory project which used innovative "hands-on" research and cross-referenced data with local industrial laboratory.

Mathematics Tutor,Salem State College, Salem MA
January-April, 1995

Assisted three first-year calculus students in preparation for final exam. (Their final GPAs averaged 3.5.)

Camp Recreation Assistant,Plum Island Summer Camp, Newburyport, MA
Summers, 1993-94.

Organized counselor schedules and duties.
Coordinated county-wide track-and-field competition.
Assisted with supervision and management of camp participants, ages 9-14.

Interests: Basketball, jazz piano, haiku, and poker.

Carol Nakamura

100 Walnut Street
Jamestown, ND, 58401
Work: (701) XXX-XXXX
Home: (701) XXX-XXXX

Objective:

Social Service Position; especially interested in geriatric planning and care, and working with the physically and/or mentally handicapped.

Education:

B.S. Family Development, May, 1996
Jamestown College, Jamestown, ND

Experience:

Intern.Office of Developmental Disabilities, HEW
Washington, DC Summer, 1993.

Analyzed state grant proposals for services for disabled.
Inspected six programs for the disabled in the Baltimore area.
Helped develop guide to writing proposals to ODD.

Administrative Assistant,Devils Lake Home for Senior Citizens
Devils Lake, ND Summer 1992.

Attended to daily needs of 24 residents.
Helped write 1993 budget proposal.
Developed an expanded recreation program for residents.

Recreation Assistant,Ramsey County Department of Parks and Recreation.
Devils Lake, ND Summers 1990-91.

Organized and instructed arts and crafts activities for 300 participants, aged 5-14.
Planned and supervised intramural sports and team competitions.
Assisted with equipment and materials inventory, parents' newsletters and field trips.

College/Community Activities:

Secretary/Treasurer, Jamestown College Community Project to Aid the Handicapped.
Volunteer, Devils Lake Association for Retarded Citizens.
Chairperson, Delta Gamma Sorority Service Project for the Blind.
College Representative, Student Government Association.

Trev Smith

121 Randolph Road
Blacksburg, VA 24060
(703) XXX-XXXX

JOB GOAL:

Wildlife Biologist for publicly or privately supported environmental research organization.

EDUCATION:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
B.S., Biology (expected May,1999)
Minor: English
GPA: 3.7

Related Coursework

Marine Biology
Vertebrate Zoology
Invertebrate Zoology

Biology of Reproduction
Mechanisms of Endocrinology
Animal Behavior

AWARDS:

Honors, Department of Biology, 1994
Dean's List, 1994-95
Acknowledged for supporting efforts in Mapes, "New Findings in Parasitology of Ungulates" in Immunology,Vol. 81, no. 2 (Fall, 1993)

EXPERIENCE:

Research Technician, Life Sciences Institute, Melbourne, Florida< br /> (Summer, 1994)

Surveyed eight miles of beach to identify sea turtle nests and false crawls
Inspected up to 270 nests a day for evidence of disturbance by animals and/or emergence of hatchlings
Relocated nests from unsafe areas
Inventoried eggs before and after hatching

Assistant Animal Caretaker, Kings Dominion Theme Park
(Summers1991-93)

Cared for birds and large mammals
Assisted in acquisition, restraint and tagging of animals
Observed injuries, behavior, stools, and recorded information in daily log
Aided in embryo transplants of hoofstock

Laboratory Assistant, Biology Department
(Academic years 1992-95)

Managed and maintained small animal breeding colony
Assisted in experimental disease control project requiring:
- taking blood samples
- administering vaccinations, and
- performing on-site analyses
MEMBERSHIPS:
INTERESTS:

Notice that Daly, Nakamura and Smith use single-phrase descriptions of responsibilities and duties. Single-phrase descriptions should be parallel — that is, the same form of the verb should be used in each phrase, and the verb should begin the phrase: Smith, for instance, surveyed, inspected and relocated. The advantage of single-phrase descriptions is that they are easy to read; a potential employer can gain a fairly comprehensive appreciation of your experience merely by scanning the page. The difficulty is that some positions cannot be adequately described by such a format. They are better accommodated by the paragraph descriptions in the examples below.

March 1996

Fred Markland

Route 1, Box 451
Stockbridge, MA 22903
(413) XXX-XXXX

JOB GOAL:

Service manager or customer engineer for a contract maintenance firm.

EDUCATION:

A.A.(anticipated June, 1995) Electronics Technology
Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA.

Earned 100% of college expenses.

RELATED EXPERIENCE:

Summers, 1992-94. Field Installation Engineer
HAL Computers, Inc. Springfield, MA.

Designed and installed small to midsize desktop computer systems in office environments. Responsible for technically matching, integrating, and connecting components to address customer needs. Cabled, networked, and tested full-featured systems for a cross-section of users throughout western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. Three customers made by-name requests for continuing technical support.

1992-94, academic year. Part-time Electronic Support Technician.
Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA.

Assisted in maintenance of campus computer network. Over the course of two years I assisted in the installation of three upgrades.

SKILLS:

Proficient in 68000 CPU; Digital Equipment Co. LSI bus (Q-bus). Working knowledge (two years' experience) with UNIX, MS-DOS, C language and FORTRAN. Familiarity with 6502, 6800, 8085, 8086/8088 assembly language.

ABILITIES:

Work effectively individually and as a member of a team.Communicate persuasively with audiences both technical and non-technical.Adapt quickly and readily to new situations.

PERSONAL:

Active in church activities; work weekends as semi-professional DATA:musician; enjoy computer games, downhill skiing and early season kayaking.

(References available upon request.)

Shari Sakuro
General Delivery
Wilmington, North Carolina 28405
(919) XXX-XXXX

May 1, 1995

OVERVIEW:

Technical writer with formal training and experience in computer technology and technical communication seeks editorial opportunity with software user's magazine.

RELATED EXPERIENCE:

Editor, Red Weather (undergraduate literary magazine), University of North Carolina (1994-95).

Solicited and edited over two hundred submissions a year, including poetry, fiction and non-fiction prose, and photography. Assisted and coordinated the printing of three issues a year for two years.

Editorial Assistant, Collegiate Times (student newspaper), University of North Carolina (1992-94).

Supervised, scheduled and edited the work of twelve staff writers and twenty contributing writers. Helped establish improved documentation standards. Oversaw a ten-part series of articles by various authors on the subject of state and federal funding of higher education. In the second year of my employment, the paper received the Bernstein Award for undergraduate journalism.

PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE:

Pascal, C, FORTRAN, EXEC2, UNIX and AOS/VS.

EDUCATION:

B.A., (expected May 1995) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Major: Communication Specialization: Technical Writing

Senior project involved producing customer and in-house documentation for a UNIX system. Documents included overviews, installation procedures, troubleshooting guides and user's manuals.

SKILLS:

Research:

Have experience with various computer databases, working knowledge of Library of Congress and U.S. Government Documents filing systems, and various indexes, handbooks and encyclopedias.

Writing:

Wrote papers of various lengths to various audiences, on subjects ranging from engineering to psychology to American literature. Have gained proficiency with Microsoft Word, Macintosh MacWrite and IBM Volkswriter Deluxe.

ACTIVITIES:

Member, Society of Technical Communication, 1993-present.
Vice President, University of North Carolina Summer Student Theater (1992-95)
Volunteer, Warm Hearth Writer's Workshop: assisted elderly in composing poetry, short fiction, and daily journal entries (1994-95).

References are available upon request.

JULIE BATTERSBY

Caruthers Hall
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91355
(919) XXX-XXXX

JOB GOAL:

Electronic Engineer in areas of components engineering, reliability engineering, and/or design.

EDUCATION:

B.S., Electrical Engineering, May 1995 (expected)
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA

Courses include:

Microcomputers
Signals and Systems
Advanced Digital Design
Microwave Engineering
Analog Integrated Circuits
Digital Signal Processing

EMPLOYMENT: Systems Engineer,Galactic Village Communication Systems, Inc.
San Bernadino, CA (Summers 1993-94).

Designed a test set for the Coyote PC card. This required a power supply capable of being remotely programmed through software, to verify compliance with performance requirements when operated at high and low tolerance limits of power supply voltages. I controlled overall design of the card and all circuitry including voltage control circuitry, solid state power switches, and vacuum and power interlock controls.

PATENT PENDING:

Software program which generates topographic maps by integrating existing map databases with signals broadcast by the Global Positioning System.

SKILLS:

Hardware experience: VAX, PDP-11, INTERDATA.
Software experience: VMS, FORTRAN, ASSEMBLER.

Ability to communicate effectively with people of all technical and non-technical backgrounds. At Galactic Village, I tutored new employees in WordPerfect, SCO XENIX and MS-DOS.

Experience with state and federal procurement process. Assisted my departmental advisor with composition of successful grant proposal to the National Science Foundation.

Tri-lingual in English, Farsi and Japanese. Lived for three years in Tehran, two years in Tokyo.

INTERESTS:

Backgammon, travel, volleyball (member of Golden Seals — Southern California State Champions 1993-94)

Personal and professional references available upon request.

Mizan Prabhavananda

2811 Sage Street
Gallup, NM, 87301
(505) XXX-XXXX

Professional Objective: Aerospace Engineering Position.

Experience: Assistant Engineer,
Engineer Student Co-op Program, Windborne Inc., Propeller Systems Performance Division
Albuquerque, NM, 1993-1994.

Used computer simulation to evaluate performance of proposed and existing starter systems.
Optimized starter gear ratio, nozzle area and cutout speed for starting systems.
Generated test requirements for jet engine air turbine starter performance testing.

Education: 1995, B.S. Aerospace Engineering
University of New Mexico, Gallup, NM

Fluid Mechanics I,II, Structural Analysis, Flight Vehicle Dynamics, Aerospace Propulsion Systems, Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics, Aerospace Vehicle Design

Senior project involved analysis of design requirements for five theoretical aerospace vehicles. I was specifically interested in problems of synthesizing propulsion, materials, structures, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics in conceptual and preliminary designs. My advisor has recommended that the resulting paper be submitted for publication.

1992, B.S. Systems Engineering
University of New Delhi, New Delhi, India

Skills:

Broad working knowledge provided by backgrounds in both Aerospace and Systems Engineering enables me to elicit, evaluate and synthesize information from specialized design data, manufacturing data, and test data. Senior project proved me capable of forming alternatives for improving design, manufacturing processes, tooling and equipment to achieve maximum product quality.

Personal:

Married, one child.
Fluent in Hindi and Bengali.
Dual citizenship in United States and India.
Willing to travel.

References available upon request.

Letters of Reference

Most employers expect applicants to make available letters from at least three references, some combination of work supervisors and teachers. The best letter of reference is written for a specific position, and the best approach is to inform the person you ask to write your letter of the nature of the position, the organization and — if possible — the person to whom the letter is addressed. Letters of reference may fall into two types: closed and open. In the case of an open letter, the author will write it and give it to you, and you will mail it. In the case of a closed letter, you will give the author an envelope addressed to the potential employer, the author will compose the letter and mail it; the author will not show the letter to you. Most employers would prefer to see closed letters of reference because they allow their author more candor. The situation for the you is not as problematic as it may seem; most people who cannot in good conscience write you an effective letter of reference will say as much.

Many of you will be sending out a great many applications — in some cases as many as fifty. If such is the case, you cannot ask your references for fifty letters; neither can you expect them to mail fifty letters. Most colleges and universities have placement offices or career counseling centers which act as the conduit for letters of reference. You may ask your references to send their letter to the file you have established at the placement office. When a potential employer requires the letters, you ask the placement office to mail them. You may wish to reserve the good graces of your references for one or two letters tailored to specific audiences.

Most of you are at the moment more interested in obtaining letters of reference than writing them. But because you should know how an author thinks about you when she writes a letter, and because you will be writing them within a few years of the beginning of your professional career, you should have some idea of their content.

In general, a letter of reference includes: 1) the length of time the author has known the subject, 2) the context in which the author has known the subject (That is, office, classroom, soccer field, etc.; if the author knows the subject as a friend, this is where he says so), 3) a description the subject's duties, 4) an evaluation of his performance, and 5) an estimate of his likely performance in the position in question.

Post-Interview Correspondence

Many job-seekers assume — incorrectly — that the cover letter and résumé are the only time they need write a potential employer. In fact, there are several reasons to further communication. A "follow-up" letter thanking a potential employer for an on-site interview reminds the employer of your interest in the position, and demonstrates good manners appreciated by a workplace that increasingly stresses cooperation. The follow-up letter 1) informs the reader of the your continued interest in the organization, 2) mentions those you met during the interview by name (you should make conscious effort to recall names as you interview), and 3) informs the reader of logistical matters (if the potential employer offered to pay for your transportation to and from the job site, you should mention the expense account).

The follow-up letter also provides you an opportunity to inform your potential employer of any changes on your résumé — change of address, completion of a degree program, etc.

Other types of post-interview correspondence — acceptance letters, and declining letters — also demonstrate good manners. Although a declining letter may seem unnecessary, and although you may forget it in the excitement of finding a position, you may want to take a longer view. In a workplace in which increasingly involves people moving among positions, organizations and whole careers, employers and job applicants may meet again. A polite declining letter may be remembered.

Early in the process, you may receive a job offer that is not your first choice. You will need to compose a letter explaining your situation to the person who offered the position. Do not be concerned that that person will be offended, but do appreciate that that person will need to know something of your timetable. Consider a statement like the following: "As much as I appreciate your offer, you should know that for personal reasons I am awaiting a decision from another firm. As I expect to have a decision from them by the first of March, I could give you an answer later that week. I hope this situation does not inconvenience you."

Consulting

A positive side of the "downsizing" of recent years is that many organizations have had to increase their use of consultants — that is, temporary employees contracted to perform a particular service or complete a particular project. For you, consulting has the advantages of a job with freedom (you may work at home) and of a definite and foreseeable end. It does not offer insurance and health benefits, and — of course — its job security lasts only as long as the project lasts. Still, it can be useful for someone willing to work part-time; it can be used as a safety net for someone "between" positions; and it demonstrates initiative and energy to a potential permanent employer.

How to begin? Consider your possibilities. There may be more than you realize. Among other work, consultants perform free-lance editing, scientific journalism, reviewing, abstracting and translating. Some positions require more expertise than others — abstractors for instance, are expected to have some knowledge of the field of the associated journal; translators may need to know not only the relevant languages, but the relevant discipline. If you have such expertise, search the yellow pages and advertisements in the professional journals.

As a generalist you have fewer options, but you do have some — especially if you are prepared to write within strict guidelines. The Environmental Protection Agency requires that an Environmental Impact Statement be filed by anyone whose project affects water and/or air quality, waste disposal and any aspect of the environment. Many smaller firms (construction firms, for instance) do not have permanent staff writers; consequently, their EIS's are written by free-lancers. When a firm undertakes a basic procedural change, it must write a manual or set of guidelines explaining new procedures to its employees. Here too, consultants are often used. Many firms hire writing consultants late in a project, especially if a project is falling behind schedule. If you are seeking work like this, search the yellow pages, peruse business news and listen to colleagues and associates who may have privileged information.

When you have identified potential clients, create a brochure describing your experience and the kind of work you are prepared to do (merely copy editing? or seeing an idea from conception to printed page?). Set your fee. The standard formula is to determine what a full-time technical writer might be paid at the contracting organization, and double it — the justification being that you must compensate for lack of benefits. Call the potential clients — and ask about their needs, and tell them of your interests. Detail the services you are willing to provide. The difficulty here is that many need a writer, but not realize they need a writer, and so may answer with a polite "no thank-you." Anticipating such a response, many consultants ask to interview not for a position but for knowledge. And many organizations grant such "informational interviews" for public relations reasons. The meeting allows you to learn of their needs — perhaps especially needs they may not recognize — and then, to offer your services. Even if the response is negative, you will have learned something about the organization and its communication practices.

If the response is positive, you will sign a contract. In many cases, consultants do not receive weekly or even monthly paychecks; they are paid half upon signing the contract, half upon completing the project. The organization realizes that this situation may pose a financial problem: because someone worried about money is a bad risk, many would prefer to contract with someone with another income. Indeed, many consultants work part-time.

Exercises

1. Search the classifieds of a newspaper or trade journal for a position for which you are qualified, or will be qualified at the time of your graduation. Compose a cover letter and accompanying résumé according to the guidelines presented here.

2. Search the classifieds for a position for which you are or will be only marginally qualified. Compose a "creative" cover letter and accompanying résumé which (necessarily) rely more on rhetorical skills than upon standard presentation.

3. Compose a two-page brochure advertizing your skills as a technical communicator. Draw on your knowledge of the trends cited above in your appeal to the organization you want to target.

4. Most college and university libraries have a section of books containing résumés. Collect three or four of these books and compare observe general trends in resumes over the years. Sections like "personal data" have fallen away, to be replaced by sections like "communication skills." Can you pinpoint the time of certain changes? Can you explain them?

Further Reading

Beatty, Richard H. The Perfect Cover Letter. New York: Wiley, 1989.

Boles, Richard N. What Color is Your Parachute? Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1993.

Bostwick, Burdette E. Résumé Writing: A Comprehensive How-to do-it Guide. New York: Wiley, 1976.

Crowther, Karmen N. T. Researching Your Way to a Good Job. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993.

Foxman. L.D. The Executive Résumé Book. New York: Wiley, 1989.

Guide to Writing Résumés and Cover Letters. Cambridge, Mass.: Placement Office, Harvard Business School, 1991.

Lewis, Adele Beatrice. Better Résumés for College Graduates. Woodbury, NY: Barron's Educational Series, 1985.

Lewis, Adele Beatrice. The Best Résumés for Scientists and Engineers. New York: Wiley, 1988.

Mitchell, John H. "Professional Educators as Communications Consultants." Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Vol. 9(1), 1979.

Job-Finding Materials
Chapter 10

David M. Toomey with James H. Collier

Book Contents

Professional Goal:

Education:

Concentration:

Certification:

Carol Nakamura

Fred Markland

Route 1, Box 451
Stockbridge, MA 22903
(413) XXX-XXXX

Chapter 10

Job-Finding Materials Chapter 10

David M. Toomey with James H. Collier

Book Contents

Professional Goal:

Education:

Concentration:

Certification:

Carol Nakamura

Fred Markland

Route 1, Box 451 Stockbridge, MA 22903 (413) XXX-XXXX

Chapter 10

Job-Finding Materials
Chapter 10

Route 1, Box 451
Stockbridge, MA 22903
(413) XXX-XXXX