The Job Application Process

Introduction

This chapter take you through the steps necessary to prepare you for doing a good self and company assessment in landing a job.

Here we focus on self and market assessment and recommend vital inclusions in a well formed resume and cover letter.

Self assessment

1. Know your skills
2. Know your accomplishments
3. Know your interests
4. Know your personal values

Know your skills

1. Analyzing
2. Administrating
3. Consulting
4. Planning
5. Evaluating
6. Coordinating
7. Negotiating
8. Mediating
9. Creating
10. Speaking

Know your accomplishments

1. Winning--- An award
2. Reducing--- Labor hour in production
3. Obtaining--- Quality oriented result
4. Joining--- Member of blood donor society
5. Traveling--- Visited European countries
6. Starting--- Business units at risky area
7. Speaking--- Multilingual

Know your interests

1. Which jobs have I enjoyed the most?
2. Do I prefer to work with figures, machines, people, or ideas?
3. What do I like to do with my free time?
4. Which things have brought me high satisfaction?
5. Which hobbies do I enjoy the most?
6. And many other self analysis questions...

Know your personal values

1. A desire to help people.
2. A position of major responsibility.
3. A wish to face risk.
4. An ideal place in which to work.
5. A wish to control events and people.
6. A wanderlust.
7. A dislike for a desk.
8. A dollar sign floats before your eyes.

Market assessment

1. Written sources of career and job information.
2. Helpful persons regarding employers and job.

Written sources of career and job information

Trade publications, Libraries, Placement offices are principal places to locate information on possible functional job areas. Also…

1. Self assessment and career planning
2. Resume and cover letter preparation
3. Interviewing strategies
4. Internship
5. International careers.

Helpful persons regarding employers and job

Remaining in contact with followings lets you know of potential job positions:

1. Alumni
2. Business friends
3. Counselors
4. Employment agencies
5. Former employers and coworkers
6. Friends, relatives, acquaintances
7. Labor unions.

Resume (Vita, qualifications brief)

1. Opening section
2. Education
3. Work experience
4. Achievements, awards, service activities
5. Personal data (optional)
6. References

Opening section

1. Your name,

address,

telephone numbers,

facsimiles,

mobile number,

email address.

2. Your job career objective.

Education

1. Schooling beyond high school: names and location, dates, degrees and certificates.
2. Major, significant pertinent courses, academic honors, grade, GPA, divisions.

Work experience

1. Employer names, dates, location, job titles and positions held.
2. Specific accomplishments.
3. Volunteer work

Achievements, awards, service activities

1. School and community achievements, honors, offices, publications.
2. Training workshops.
3. Travel, languages, other facts.

Personal data (optional)

1. Date of availability.
2. Health,
3. Hobbies etc.

References

1. Limit up to 3 individuals with complete information like contact address etc.
2. Avoid including relatives as references.
3. Choose individuals such as former work supervisor, professor, teachers, colleagues, or business friends.
4. Be sure your have the permission of the individual whose name you are using.

Cover letter to resume

1. Opening
2. Middle paragraph
3. Last paragraph

Opening

Obtain a favorable attention:

1. Summary: outstanding qualifications
2. Name: choose a source or publication
3. Question: state one that you are familiar with the company.

Middle paragraph

Give effort to data, details in the middle:

1. Education
2. Work experience
3. Personal attitude

Last paragraph

Focus on easy action in the last:

1. State availability
2. Ask if a local representative is in the area whom you could contact.
3. Courteous ending

The Process of Preparing Effective Business Message

Introduction

Whether you are preparing a written or an oral business message, to be effective you need to plan, organize, draft, revise, edit, and proofread.

Essential also is thoughtful adherence to communication principles--- The 7C’s and awareness of legal and ethical aspects.

Five Planning Steps

Identify your purpose

Analyze your audience

Choose your ideas

Collect your data

Organize your message

Identify your purpose

The objective of your message is almost always twofold:

The reason for the message itself.

And--- The creation of goodwill.

Analyze your audience

See your message from your receivers’ point of view:

Their Needs,

Their Interests,

Their Attitude,

And--- Their Culture.

Choose your ideas

The ideas you include depend on the type of message

You are sending,

The situation,

And the cultural context.

Collect your data

Be sure to collect enough data to support your ideas:

Check names,

Dates,

Addresses,

And statistics for precision.

Organize your message

The order in which you present your ideas is as important as the ideas themselves.

Organizing your material before writing your first draft can prevent rambling and unclear message.

Basic Organizational Plan

Direct (Deductive) Approach

Indirect (Inductive) Approach

Direct (Deductive) Approach

Deleting Buffer

Receptiveness

Main Idea

Explanation

Courteous Close

Indirect (Inductive) Approach

Adding Buffer

Resistance

Buffer

Explanation

Decision / Main Idea

Positive Friendly Close

Beginnings and Endings

Opening Paragraphs

Closing Paragraphs

Opening Paragraphs

1. Choose an appropriate for the message purpose and for the reader.

1.     Main Idea first for good news.

2.     Buffer first for bad news.

3.     Attention getting statements.

2. Make the opening considerate, courteous, concise, clear.

1.     Keep first paragraph relatively short.

2.     Focus on positive.

3.     Avoid unnecessary repetition.

3. Check completeness regarding:

1.     Sentence structure.

2.     Date of letter you are answering.

Closing Paragraphs

1. Make your action request clear and complete with the 5W’s and 1H.
2. End on a positive, courteous thought.

1.     Be friendly.

2.     Show appreciation.

3.     Occasionally add a personal note.

3. Keep the last paragraph concise and correct.

1.     Avoid trite expressions.

2.     Omit discussion of trivial details.

3.     Use relatively short and complete sentence.

Composing the Message

Drafting your message

Revising your message

Editing and proofreading you message

Drafting your message

No two people prepare their first draft in same way:

–        Some go from one point to another.

–        Just putting the ideas.

The important thing is to get the most important information in your message on paper… early.

Revising your message

–        Does your message accomplish its purpose?

–        Have you chosen the most effective organizational plan?

–        Are your points supported by adequate material?

–        Is your language following 7C’s?

–        Have you used variety in sentence structure?

Editing and proofreading you message

Check mistakes for:

–        Grammar,

–        Spelling,

–        Punctuation,

–        Or Word choice.