CHAPTER 7 – APPLYING TO JOBS
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: Looking for and landing the perfect job may seem like a
daunting task. If you are uncertain where to start, know that most successful job
applicants feel the same uncertainty at some point. This chapter will walk you
through the process of applying to jobs from start to finish. Perhaps most
importantly, it will provide you with two distinct tools that can help you to
construct the materials for a strong, effective, and successful job application: 1)
the résumé and 2) the job application letter. Résumés and application letters are
among the most important documents in the employment process. Beginning
with an overview of the big-picture process, this chapter moves forward with
suggested methods for finding job ads and constructing the genre documents for
a job packet. In the résumé section, it discusses the following topics: Purposes
and Goals, Types of Résumés, Sample Résumés, Drafting and Design: Where to
Start, What to Include/Exclude, Optional Sections, and Drafting Activities and
Resources. The next section on application letters will share information about
deciphering the job description, as well as letter format, structure, and content.
The chapter concludes with information on interview, followed by specific
guidelines for the job packet.
7.1 – INTRODUCTION: Job
seeking is a process that
involves multiple steps in order
to obtain the desired position.
Besides the résumé and the job
letter, job descriptions, interview
questions, writing samples,
hiring materials, and the thank-
you note you sent post-interview
are other materials you might
find yourself reading and writing
as your hiring process moves
forward. If the big-picture job
seeking process were visualized
through a flow chart, it might look
something like the picture
shown. Most job candidates
begin with research to gain a
clear picture of their target (see
Step #1), or ideal job, along with
the company where they would
like to be employed. From there,
they may think in terms of
creating a compelling marketing
campaign (Step #2) through a
unified job packet. Research
, (Step #3), of course, will occur throughout this process, all the way up until the
interview (Step #4) and through the final stages of negotiating and closing the
offer (Step #5). While this graphic helps to visualize both the big picture and
some of the individual steps involves, it is only one of many variations of the job
application process. This chapter will provide a framework for you to construct
your own process (citation clarification: paragraph based on Bay’s above graphic
and terminology, though written by me). As you research and pursue job
choices, keep in mind that the job search process requires a high degree of self-
awareness – not only of strengths, but also of weaknesses. In general, most
people find it easier to identify and discuss their strengths. However, knowing
your weaknesses is just as important to your job search as knowing your
strengths. Here are a few reasons to be able to speak fluidly and confidently
about weaknesses:
o Employers want to hire individuals who are self-aware, which requires an
awareness of both strengths and weaknesses. Being self-aware is the
only way to improve.
o During an interview, a prospective employer may ask about strengths and
weaknesses. Employers know it takes a certain level of maturity to talk
about your weaknesses. They want to ensure you have achieved that
level of maturity before extending an offer.
Remember that everyone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses,
including every CEO, every president, every manager, and every one of your
coworkers. You will be in good company when considering and discussing
weaknesses. The trick, if there is a trick, to your weaknesses lies in your plan to
strengthen them. Having a plan to strengthen a weakness is impressive,
especially if you have already taken steps to do so.
7.2 – FINDING JOB OPENINGS: Investing the preparation time to write your
employment materials, including researching available positions, can save you
many headaches in the job process. Finding a suitable job opening itself can be
time-consuming; if you are serious about finding employment, you have to
dedicate the time and energy to make your materials competitive. Here are
some resources to get you started:
o Job boards: Brows sites like Indeed, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor and
Monster to search for jobs in your field.
o Specialty job lists: Look for lists of jobs in specific industry such as food
service (Poached), nonprofits (Idealist), or media (MediaBistro).
o Company, organization, and government web sites: Visit the
employment section on websites of companies you admire; search
federal, state, county, and city websites for government job postings.
o Your own network: Talk to friends, past employers, and professors or
visit LinkedIn to search for openings at companies in your network. If you
are a member of any social media groups that are career-oriented, check
for mention of available jobs there.
o Your college: Visit your college or university placement office/career
center and attend job fairs hosted at your college.
, o Craigslist: Many job seekers also use Craigslist to look for work; just be
aware that Craigslist postings often lack detail and may come from
headhunters or placement agencies, rather than from the direct employer.
Scams have also been reported on Craigslist job boards, so verify the
legitimacy of any posting before providing personal details.
Once you have found a job, be sure to print and/or save a copy of the job posting
or job description. You will use this document to help you tailor your application
materials. Companies often delete the job posting once they have received
sufficient applicants, so it is important that you save your own copy of the
document, along with the date and location you found it (this information is often
referenced in the job letter); you might also copy and past the text into a new
document, or bookmark the webpage.
7.3 – CONSTRUCTING MODULAR MATERIALS: It probably sounds like a lot of
work to create a new set of employment materials for every job opening you will
identify. While it is true that it takes time and effort to customize application
materials for each new job application, you do not have to create a new résumé
and cover letter for every job opening. Instead, you can create modular materials
with moving parts that can be adapted and reorganized for each job.
o Résumés: For example, if you are a nursing student wanting to work in a
different (or indirectly related) field during school, you might apply to be an
administrative assistant, a medical translator, or a biology tutor. Several
different résumé formats are available to you. However, you may chose
the functional (skills) résumé format to place more emphasis on a specific
set of current qualifications and slightly less emphasis on your education
or work experience; you might create three different templates of your
résumé that emphasize and expand on different skill categories:
administrative, communication, and educational.
o Application letters: The same holds true with the application letter. Once
you have a letter draft, you can work with it as a template for numerous
other jobs, keeping the overall format but revising some key sentences. It
is quite likely that the final paragraph of your cover letters will change very
little if you are applying to multiple jobs within the same career field or
industry. The central paragraphs, on the other hand, may undergo
substantial revision, depending on how different one potential job is from
another. Just make sure to change the name of the potential employer
and company for each application; addressing a potential employer by the
wrong name is the surest way to remove your materials from
consideration.
7.4 – CRAFTING RÉSUMÉS: The purpose of a résumé is twofold: first, to serve
as an overview or quick summary of your skills, experience, and education as
they relate to your career objective; secondly, to function as a marketing tool that
conveys your personal brand. All of us want our résumés to stand out from the
stack. The best way to create an eye-catching résumé is not through gimmicks
or flash, but rather through substance and customization. As a marketing
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: Looking for and landing the perfect job may seem like a
daunting task. If you are uncertain where to start, know that most successful job
applicants feel the same uncertainty at some point. This chapter will walk you
through the process of applying to jobs from start to finish. Perhaps most
importantly, it will provide you with two distinct tools that can help you to
construct the materials for a strong, effective, and successful job application: 1)
the résumé and 2) the job application letter. Résumés and application letters are
among the most important documents in the employment process. Beginning
with an overview of the big-picture process, this chapter moves forward with
suggested methods for finding job ads and constructing the genre documents for
a job packet. In the résumé section, it discusses the following topics: Purposes
and Goals, Types of Résumés, Sample Résumés, Drafting and Design: Where to
Start, What to Include/Exclude, Optional Sections, and Drafting Activities and
Resources. The next section on application letters will share information about
deciphering the job description, as well as letter format, structure, and content.
The chapter concludes with information on interview, followed by specific
guidelines for the job packet.
7.1 – INTRODUCTION: Job
seeking is a process that
involves multiple steps in order
to obtain the desired position.
Besides the résumé and the job
letter, job descriptions, interview
questions, writing samples,
hiring materials, and the thank-
you note you sent post-interview
are other materials you might
find yourself reading and writing
as your hiring process moves
forward. If the big-picture job
seeking process were visualized
through a flow chart, it might look
something like the picture
shown. Most job candidates
begin with research to gain a
clear picture of their target (see
Step #1), or ideal job, along with
the company where they would
like to be employed. From there,
they may think in terms of
creating a compelling marketing
campaign (Step #2) through a
unified job packet. Research
, (Step #3), of course, will occur throughout this process, all the way up until the
interview (Step #4) and through the final stages of negotiating and closing the
offer (Step #5). While this graphic helps to visualize both the big picture and
some of the individual steps involves, it is only one of many variations of the job
application process. This chapter will provide a framework for you to construct
your own process (citation clarification: paragraph based on Bay’s above graphic
and terminology, though written by me). As you research and pursue job
choices, keep in mind that the job search process requires a high degree of self-
awareness – not only of strengths, but also of weaknesses. In general, most
people find it easier to identify and discuss their strengths. However, knowing
your weaknesses is just as important to your job search as knowing your
strengths. Here are a few reasons to be able to speak fluidly and confidently
about weaknesses:
o Employers want to hire individuals who are self-aware, which requires an
awareness of both strengths and weaknesses. Being self-aware is the
only way to improve.
o During an interview, a prospective employer may ask about strengths and
weaknesses. Employers know it takes a certain level of maturity to talk
about your weaknesses. They want to ensure you have achieved that
level of maturity before extending an offer.
Remember that everyone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses,
including every CEO, every president, every manager, and every one of your
coworkers. You will be in good company when considering and discussing
weaknesses. The trick, if there is a trick, to your weaknesses lies in your plan to
strengthen them. Having a plan to strengthen a weakness is impressive,
especially if you have already taken steps to do so.
7.2 – FINDING JOB OPENINGS: Investing the preparation time to write your
employment materials, including researching available positions, can save you
many headaches in the job process. Finding a suitable job opening itself can be
time-consuming; if you are serious about finding employment, you have to
dedicate the time and energy to make your materials competitive. Here are
some resources to get you started:
o Job boards: Brows sites like Indeed, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor and
Monster to search for jobs in your field.
o Specialty job lists: Look for lists of jobs in specific industry such as food
service (Poached), nonprofits (Idealist), or media (MediaBistro).
o Company, organization, and government web sites: Visit the
employment section on websites of companies you admire; search
federal, state, county, and city websites for government job postings.
o Your own network: Talk to friends, past employers, and professors or
visit LinkedIn to search for openings at companies in your network. If you
are a member of any social media groups that are career-oriented, check
for mention of available jobs there.
o Your college: Visit your college or university placement office/career
center and attend job fairs hosted at your college.
, o Craigslist: Many job seekers also use Craigslist to look for work; just be
aware that Craigslist postings often lack detail and may come from
headhunters or placement agencies, rather than from the direct employer.
Scams have also been reported on Craigslist job boards, so verify the
legitimacy of any posting before providing personal details.
Once you have found a job, be sure to print and/or save a copy of the job posting
or job description. You will use this document to help you tailor your application
materials. Companies often delete the job posting once they have received
sufficient applicants, so it is important that you save your own copy of the
document, along with the date and location you found it (this information is often
referenced in the job letter); you might also copy and past the text into a new
document, or bookmark the webpage.
7.3 – CONSTRUCTING MODULAR MATERIALS: It probably sounds like a lot of
work to create a new set of employment materials for every job opening you will
identify. While it is true that it takes time and effort to customize application
materials for each new job application, you do not have to create a new résumé
and cover letter for every job opening. Instead, you can create modular materials
with moving parts that can be adapted and reorganized for each job.
o Résumés: For example, if you are a nursing student wanting to work in a
different (or indirectly related) field during school, you might apply to be an
administrative assistant, a medical translator, or a biology tutor. Several
different résumé formats are available to you. However, you may chose
the functional (skills) résumé format to place more emphasis on a specific
set of current qualifications and slightly less emphasis on your education
or work experience; you might create three different templates of your
résumé that emphasize and expand on different skill categories:
administrative, communication, and educational.
o Application letters: The same holds true with the application letter. Once
you have a letter draft, you can work with it as a template for numerous
other jobs, keeping the overall format but revising some key sentences. It
is quite likely that the final paragraph of your cover letters will change very
little if you are applying to multiple jobs within the same career field or
industry. The central paragraphs, on the other hand, may undergo
substantial revision, depending on how different one potential job is from
another. Just make sure to change the name of the potential employer
and company for each application; addressing a potential employer by the
wrong name is the surest way to remove your materials from
consideration.
7.4 – CRAFTING RÉSUMÉS: The purpose of a résumé is twofold: first, to serve
as an overview or quick summary of your skills, experience, and education as
they relate to your career objective; secondly, to function as a marketing tool that
conveys your personal brand. All of us want our résumés to stand out from the
stack. The best way to create an eye-catching résumé is not through gimmicks
or flash, but rather through substance and customization. As a marketing
