31 Employment Applications and Resume Writing

Dr. Mani Shreshtha

1.      Module 31: Employment Applications and Resume Writing

2.      Learning Outcomes:

·         write a persuasive employment application letter

·         create a professional Resume

3.      Introduction:

Writing an employment application is probably a graduate students’ first interaction with formal business writing. An employment application is also referred as cover letter. An employment application provides an opportunity to the applicant to impress a prospective employer. An employment letter or cover letter is generally an accompanying letter to a Resume. It helps in creating a distinct position of applicant in the mind of an employer. A well written employment application can lead an employer to go through your Resume and increase the chances of you getting an offer. With the advent of email as a popular mode of communication in corporate sector, the employment application also adopted the paperless form. While communicating through email, an employment application becomes the main body of the email and Resume is send as an attachment. In all, a cover letter is an opportunity through which you can differentiate yourself from rest of the applicants.

4.      Self Analysis:

Before starting any activity to write an employment application or creating a Resume, it is very important for you to do a self analysis. A self analysis is am exercise for answering the question: who are you? Generally, we are having a feeling that we always know everything about us. But many a times we are only having a surface awareness about us. While writing a cover letter, we must get deeper information on the areas like skills, interests, and personal values held by us. A good self analysis can help you in better projecting yourself in front of an employer and hence getting closer to the job offer.

5.      An Employment Application / Cover Letter / Application Letter

A letter of application has a special relevance which differentiates it from other forms of letter writing. It possesses a quality of a persuasive sales letter where the applicant is trying to convince the prospective employer to buy a product. In this case, the product is ‘You’. Just like in sales letter, you should present the features of the product that might appeal the reader. You should also mention about the benefit the prospective employer will get after selecting you. Generally, two types of cover letters written. One doesn’t include Resume while other includes it. The first type of covering letter mentions everything about you such as qualifications, skill, experience, personal information etc. As it is a detailed letter, it is relatively lengthy. Employers sometimes get irritated to see such lengthy letters. In the second type of covering letter, the application is divided into two parts: a brief application and a detailed Resume. In the brief application, reference of the job  advertisement along with your most significant attributes related to the job is mentioned. On the other hand, a Resume provides detailed information about your personal profile, skill set, experience, achievement, references etc. Second type of covering letters is more popular among the employers for their specificity of purpose.

5.1. Application Letter Structure: Before drafting an application letter, it is important to understand various parts of its structure.

5.1.1. Address of the applicant and date: It includes the address of the person who is writing the employment application. It is important to mention the complete address for better correspondence. The applicant’s address should be mention at the top of the letter and aligned left. It must be in line with the left margin. The date of writing the application must be mentioned below the applicant’s address. Format of date should be correct. Write month first then date followed by comma and the year. For example:

July 24, 2002 and September 2, 2002

5.1.2. Employer’s name and address: In this part, name and address of the employer is mentioned. Provide atleast spaces below the date and the employer’s name. Again, left align the matter. It is important to correctly spell the name and designation of the employer. A mistake of misspelt names can be fatal for your chances of getting a job.

5.1.3. Salutation: It means greeting the receiver of the mail. It indicates the courtesy extended by the applicant to the prospective employer. It also specifies the receiver of the message. While addressing the receiver of the application, it is preferable to write Dear Sir rather than writing Dear Mr Sehgal.

5.1.4. Main content of the letter: Main content in the letter should be written as per the guidelines of writing effective letters. Broadly, matter need to be organized, sequenced, checked grammatically, include vital information, and properly formatted. While writing this part, it is important to check whether we are using a detailed or brief format.

5.1.5. Closing: An application letter must drive for action in the end. Also a complement should be added in the end. The complementary close must go with the salutation. For example: Yours faithfully, yours respectfully, your truly are the more popular complementary closes. But the usage of ‘Sincerely’ or ‘Sincerely yours’ is preferred during formal communication.

5.1.6. Signature: A signature is distinctively marking the name of the applicant in ink on a paper. Below a signature, name of the applicant is mentioned. Nowadays, digital signatures can be created and used.

5.1.7. Enclosures: Enclosures are mentioned below the signature and name of the applicant. It indicates the list of documents that are attached with the application letter. Enclosures can be mention as ‘Encl:’ and list of documents attached is mentioned in front of it.

Format of an Application Letter

   5.2. Developing the message for application letter: The content developed for the message must be properly organized and presented in the application letter. For that a logical approach is followed. The total content is divided into three parts: opening, middle and end. Every part is having its own relevance. Purpose of opening part is to gain attention of the reader. Middle part of the letter mentions about the data and details of the applicant. The end part of the letter puts a request by you asking for an action.

5.2.1. Attention gainer opening: This is the introductory paragraph of the letter. It must bear all the qualities of a sales letter. It is worthy to remember that receiver of the letter might be of senior position and very busy. So, your writing must gain desirable attention, right from the beginning. Examples of some of the distinctive openings are as follows:

•  Stan Consulting and RR Capitals. Both these companies provided me a chance to prove my ability in the field portfolio management. For last one year, I am working for JJ Finance, where I am heading a financial restructuring team responsible for optimisation of investments in South-East Asia.
• Please refer to your advertisement No. AAJ/456 in The Times of India dated September 6, 2002 for the post of Copy Writer. I wish to be considered for this post.
•   Dr JK Singh, Professor in Marketing Management and my mentor has forwarded to me a possible opening in your organization as a Marketing Manager. I am associated with professor Singh for last four years and got sufficient qualification and knowledge to justify my candidature as Marketing Manager. Here is what I have to offer.
• Are you in need of a Marketing Manager? Handling a marketing team of 50, instrumental in designing marketing plans, sound market understanding, and an achiever. These attributes and experience lead me to approach you for the position of a Marketing Manager.

5.2.2. Informative middle paragraph: This part of the application letter is used to provide a justification and proof of what you have claimed in the attractive opening paragraph. It acts like a persuasive paragraph. While mentioning any information in this paragraph, an applicant must take care about connecting the information with the requirements of the advertised job. The reason being, the employer would be interested in knowing those specific qualities in the applicant which are essential and desirable for the completion of a job. In this paragraph, do not forget to highlight your achievements and performances. Such information might lead the prospective employer to your Resume for details of contributions. You can also present the information related to your education, work experience, interest areas, and personal qualities. Examples of some of the information for the middle paragraphs are as follows:

•  My internship at KCL Bank honed my skills to handle day to day queries through understanding the perspective of customers. The training also allowed me to apply my theoretical understanding of customer relationship management in solving real time issues at the bank.
•   In my major, I studied marketing with a specialization in consumer behaviour. My CGPA indicates effort put in by me especially during the research project on ‘Perceptual Mapping of Mobile Service Providers in the National Capital Region’.
•      I got a black belt certification for training program on six-sigma, proving my proficiency in handling quality related issues.
•   In addition to the above achievements, I am a team player and gel very well in diverse environments.
•  I lead a State level team at National Basketball Championship held at New Delhi on November 8, 2005.
•  Six years of work experience at the country’s top most retail store have given me insights regarding changing preference of customers in the retail sector.

5.2.3. Action oriented end paragraph: The end part of the application letter must lead to the action proposed in the close. Decision about the action sought is totally at the discretion of the applicant. Depending upon the purpose, a desired action can be driven. An action could be a request for a meeting, an invitation to discuss further, asking for a reference check. It is not advisable to request for offering an employment in the first communication. The action words should be clear and specific. You should not sound too aggressive or pushy while closing the letter. Also, end paragraph presents information related to your contact detail such as email address and phone number. An Examples of some of the information for the end paragraph are as follows:

• These brief facts and the detailed information in my Resume justify my suitability to the job of Operations Manager. Please let me know a suitable time and place for further discussions on the issue. You can contact me at 0 78 78 45 12 56 during weekdays to arrange for a meeting.
• My educational qualification and experience have equipped me to work as a Operations Manager in your organization. May I meet with you to further discuss about how I can contribute more to your organization as a Operations Manager. You can email me at [e-mail] or call me at [phone] to arrange an interview.

Example of an Employment Application Letter

6.      Resume / Curriculum Vitae / Bio- Data

A Resume is a summary document that provides information regarding your education, work experience, skill set etc. It is generally used to highlight specific competencies for a given job opportunity. Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Bio- Data are the other popular terms associated with Resume. Although these terms are used interchangeably but there exists a slight difference among them. A curriculum vitae is a more comprehensive and detailed document when compared with Resume. Length of a CV is longer than that of a Resume. On the other hand, a Bio- Data is defined as one’s life and work experiences. In a bio-data, focus is given on providing personal details such as date of birth, height, weight, colour of skin, photograph, and nationality. It is more traditional in comparison to its counterparts. For the matter of simplicity, we will only discuss about Resume as a tool for applying to an employment opportunity.

    Preparation of a Resume involves collecting the relevant information pertaining to the applicant and arranging it in a logical and aesthetic manner. The information is related to applicants’ career objective, work experience, education, personal qualities, personal information, skill set, and references. Each of the information should be arranged in a reverse chronological order. It facilitates the reader to know your work experience or education from present to past.

Example of a Resume

7.      Summary:

An effective employment application or cover letter can bring an applicant closer to a job. A cover letter serves two purposes; firstly it helps in creative first impression on the prospective employer. Secondly, it leads the reader of the letter to the Resume. Before deciding what to write in a cover letter, it is important to do a self assessment exercise. This exercise will help you in knowing more about ‘you’.

A covering letter is having several structural elements such as address of the applicant, date, name and address of the employer, salutation, main body, closing, and signature. Main content can further be divided into three subparts namely opening, middle and end. Opening paragraph must gain attention of the reader. In the middle paragraph of a covering letter, applicant should mention data based details justifying the candidature. Finally, the end part should indicate an action request closing.

A Resume is summary of applicants’ education, skill set, work experience, personal qualities and personal details. The total information about the applicant should be logically and aesthetically presented to the prospective employer. An attractive Resume can bring an applicant closer to the final placement.

Learn More

Few important links to learn more about Employment Applications and Resume Writing:

• https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20080218121324_723.pdf
• http://www.macalester.edu/dotAsset/85c89425-1bdc-4135-973b-aebe825c38fe.pdf
• https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/cdc/Stanford_CPH_12-13_06-Resumes-CoverLetters.pdf
• http://www.bucknell.edu/documents/CDC/Creating_An_Effective_Resume.pdf
• http://www.vaughn.edu/assets/downloads/resume-writing-tips.pdf

Did you know?

You can also mention these 4 things in your Resume:

• Volunteer Work: Giving time to a local non-profit you’re passionate about What it Shows: Leadership, project management
• Professionally Relevant Hobbies: Writing, photography, or computer programming What it Shows: Your accomplishments, creativity, and portfolio—plus the initiative you’ve taken in creating them
• Non-Professional Experiences: Study abroad, side jobs, running a blog What it Shows: Initiative, good use of your time off (especially if you have a gap in employment), plus any language skills or technical skills you acquired in the process
• Interests: A non-profit cause, athletic activities, open-source projects

What it Shows: Culture fit, personality

For details access the source.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/02/02/4-things-you-didnt-know-you-could-put-on-your-resume/

Points to Ponder:

• An effective cover letter creates good first impression on prospective employer.
• Doing a self- assessment is imperative for creating an effective Resume.
• An employment application letter should be written as per the format.
• A cover letter should lead a reader to the Resume.
• While drafting a cover letter, opening should be attention getting.
• Resume must include education, skill set, experience, personal details.

An attractive Resume can bring an applicant closer to the final placement