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| Job Applications and Résumés |

To apply for most jobs today, you need to submit a résumé. You will probably want to add a cover letter. Writing a résumé and job application letter is your way to ask an employer to hire you. Create a strong combination of résumé and cover letter, and you increase your chances of being hired. This section begins with ideas about how to create a powerful résumé. Then, you can study how to follow the same steps as you did for other business letters to create an effective job application letter, one that will convince the organization to hire you.

The résumé is a summary of your education and work history. It can show a potential employer other skills you've gained through volunteer work. It can also highlight past accomplishments that indicate the potential you have to achieve well in the future-for your new boss.

From the moment the potential employer sets eyes on the envelope containing your résumé and job application letter, you are being evaluated. You want that letter to create a good first impression. Then, you want the content and organization to convince the employer to hire you. Keep the COSA formula in mind; it will help you write a strong job application.

Because seeking a job is more of an art than a science, there are many conflicting ideas about the ideal résumé and cover letter. This straightforward guide should help you quickly create an effective job application package. As you gain experience and confidence, you'll start to innovate.

Creating the Content of a Résumé

When employers glance over a résumé, they expect to see certain kinds of information about the job applicant:

identification information
education/training history
work history
references

Most résumés begin with the name of the applicant and the other information that makes it easy for the potential employer to contact the applicant. Figure 1 shows this identification information in the first section of the sample résumé.

Figure 1: Sample Résumé

Susan Toop, a Career Services Consultant at Fanshawe College, surveyed 100 London, Ontario, and area employers. She asked them what they wanted in the résumés of job applicants.

Toop found that 76.8 per cent of respondents like job applicants to include career objectives in their résumés. When you indicate your career plans, keep in mind your goals, but also consider the value of showing potential employers that your pursuit of your goals will be good for the organization you aspire to work for.

Authorities on résumé writing disagree about how much detail to supply about your jobs and education. Some experts advise you to note the name and phone number for each employer and the academic advisor or co-ordinator of your school program. They argue that you show confidence that the employer or instructor will speak highly of you. Other experts say that this makes it too easy for the potential employer to eliminate you from consideration: If one former boss or teacher sounds lukewarm about you, your application may be discarded.

You're going to have to decide for yourself. If you're confident that former bosses and instructors will praise your performance, provide the detailed information that makes it easy for the potential employer to contact them. Of course you must obtain the permission of anyone you cite as a reference, but it is also a good idea to tell your contacts that you have named them in your job search. In fact, send along an updated résumé and a brief letter telling what you're doing. That way, the contact won't be caught by surprise by your potential employer; and if you've kept in touch, your referee will be more likely to give you a positive evaluation.

Use the Interests section to tell your potential employer about other skills you've developed through volunteer and hobby activities. A daycare operator would be impressed by Argyle's ability to lead preschool children in music activities and his talents as a storyteller. Toop found that 75 per cent of employers questioned liked to see job applicants include brief comments about their hobbies and interests.

Experts disagree about whether to include references on a résumé or to indicate that they are available on request. Those who counsel against including references in a résumé say that a potential employer can too easily make a quick contact and decide not to consider you for the job if a reference is less than wildly enthusiastic. They argue that when you withhold references, employers will not ask for the references until they have already decided that you may be a good candidate for the job.

Those who favour listing references right on the résumé argue that in a time of high unemployment, employers will decide they do not need to go to the extra step of contacting you to ask for your references since many applicants will have made this step unnecessary. Including the references also shows your confidence that your referees will speak well of you. Toop found that 67.3 per cent either didn't care or preferred references listed on the résumé. Play the odds: Include full information about references.

Organizing a Résumé

There is no one method of organizing a résumé. The chronological résumé is suitable for most job-seekers, partly because employers can rapidly evaluate potential employees. (All the examples in Write of Way are for the chronological résumé, partly because of findings like Toop's that 96 per cent of employers said they preferred a reverse chronological format for résumés.) Most experts recommend beginning with the identification information, followed by the objectives. If you feel that your educational accomplishments will impress a potential employee, make education your next section. If you believe that you have an edge because of your relevant work history, organize your résumé to show this information about your employment before you indicate your education. Interests are usually indicated after education and experience. References, if they are included, usually conclude the résumé.

If you have little job experience, you may want to emphasize skills you have. David Argyle could have indicated the skills he could offer to a potential employer by adding a section titled Demonstrated Skills to his résumé, just before the heading Experience.

DEMONSTRATED SKILLS

Supervised children in college daycare center
Conducted the music program for a preschool summer camp
Cooked meals for children
Played guitar and led children in singing
Entertained with story telling

As you decide how to organize your résumé, your first consideration, as always, should be making your résumé easy to read.

Creating a Résumé That Looks Professional

Once again, there is no complete agreement on the ideal appearance for a résumé. You certainly want to make a good first impression. Here are some general guidelines to consider:

Leave lots of white space on the résumé

A dense, single-spaced résumé tires readers before they begin reading it. Create wide margins around the text and spaces between sections of the résumé; aim for an uncluttered appearance.

Vary the size and font of text

A résumé with text that is all one font and size looks boring. The reader may quickly decide that the writer is unimaginative. Modern word processors make it easy to vary the font and size of text, easy to highlight some text by bolding and underlining it.

Make it easy for your reader to see the cleverness of your organization by choosing a particular font and size of print for the headings of the sections of your résumé. In Argyle's, you can see that he made his section headings bold. He emphasized his name by choosing a larger size of the same font as the text of the résumé. He chose a smaller font size for the identification information-it's necessary, but not very interesting information-but emphasized his jobs and education by printing them in bold.

Be careful not to overuse text enhancement. Fancy fonts, such as italic, can look frivolous on a résumé. Using too many fonts can make your document look cluttered and unprofessional.

Contemporary word-processing software programs have templates for résumés. To create a résumé with a template, all you need to do is key your text over the text in the template: The template includes all the typical sections in a résumé and has built-in text embellishments, such as variations of size and style of font.

Choose a high quality paper

Laser print on twenty-pound bond. You may choose a colour—even use the same colour for your letter and envelope—but stay away from bright or florescent paper. Toop found that "white, off-white, light grey or neutral" were the favoured colours (6). Most employers in her survey said they would accept an application by fax (84%), and e-mail applications are common, but you might want to send a great-looking copy by mail, too.

You can increase a potential employer's interest in you by showing you possess excellent generic work skills and the particular skills needed for the advertised work. Your résumé will do the best job of showing that you have the education and the experience to do the job-the vocational skills-but your letter of application can better highlight your generic job skills.

What are these generic job skills? The Conference Board of Canada has published the Employability Skills Profile, which lists the critical skills—academic, teamwork, and personal management skills—required of the Canadian workforce.

Use your letter to show that you "read, comprehend and use written materials," "think critically," and "use information systems effectively." To build your case that you are the best applicant, show that you have these academic skills by researching the organization to which you are applying. Visit their World Wide Web home page, use the Canadian Business and Current Affairs database to see if they have been in the news lately (usually in the business sections of newspapers), and phone their public relations department to request background information. Then, weave this information into your letter of application.

You can also indicate your personal management skills by showing your "positive attitude toward learning" by pointing out the theme of educating yourself through your St. John Ambulance courses and your Bronze medallion in swimming. "Teamwork Skills" are valued by employers, and you can show your capacity to be a team player by indicating your enjoyment of group work activities in your English courses and your experience as captain of your volleyball team.

For each of these skill areas, you want to use the letter to increase the power of your résumé. The résumé will provide the details of your schooling and work experiences, and the letter will introduce you to the reader/employer. Use the letter to tell a story about how your life experiences have been preparing you to be the ideal candidate for this particular job.

Keep your job application letter to a single page. To introduce yourself effectively, use the strategies you know make your writing strong: brainstorm, jot notes, outline your argument, meet the expectations of your audience for a business letter. Think of the letter as having three parts:

an introduction, in which you state the job for which you are applying;
a body, in which you detail your interest and your qualities; and
a conclusion, in which you remind your potential employer of the job you want and leave a favourable impression.

Activity 1: Practice Writing a Job Application

Consider what you have read about résumés and business letter writing, including job application letters. Read the information below, and create a résumé and create a cover letter for Kathy Boal-Pita.

Kathy is a first-year Culinary Skills student at the Niagara College Maid of the Mist Centre for Hospitality and Tourism, 5881 Dunn Street, Niagara Falls, Ontario, L2G 2N9 [(905) 374-7454]. She has been studying sanitation, baking, and cooking this year. Chef-Professor Stan West says he will give Kathy a good reference.

She wants a part-time job as a weekend breakfast cook at the Flying Saucer Restaurant, 6768 Lundy's Lane, Niagara Falls, Ontario, L2G 1V5. She saw the position advertised in the Niagara Falls Review. The ad was brief: "Line Cook Wanted. Weekends. Must be able to work quickly preparing varied breakfast menu including pancakes, French toast, and eggs in several styles. Experience preferred." She called the Saucer and learned that Mrs. Donna Orbit, Kitchen Supervisor, was hiring the new cook. Kathy also asked friends about the restaurant and learned that Marilyn Monroe visited it in the film Niagara. Finally, Kathy visited the restaurant Saturday morning. She noted that the Saucer features many different kinds of omelettes.

Kathy graduated in 2001 from A.N. Myer Secondary School (6338 O'Neil Street, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2J 1M7). She is currently living at 6161 Culp Street, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G 2B6 [(905) 374-0065]. While at Myer, Kathy participated in a co-op placement in her the school cafeteria. She worked under the supervision of Mrs. Ellie Slinn.

Kathy has studied the violin for seven years and plays in the Niagara Youth Orchestra. She has passed her grade eight exam in violin at the Royal Conservatory of Music. She also participated in the St. John Ambulance program from 1995-2000 and is certified in both standard and emergency first aid, home health care, babysitting, and CPR.

In summers 1999 and 2000, after grades 10 and 11, Kathy worked at the Oakes Inn, 6546 Buchanan Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G 3W2 [(905) 356-4514], clerking in the gift shop and helping in the laundry. Her supervisor was Mrs. Tina Ricci, who has agreed to be a reference.

In summer 2001, Kathy continued to work for Mrs. Ricci, but she took another part-time job, as an elevator operator with the Minolta Tower Centre, 6732 Oakes Drive, Niagara Falls, Ontario, L2G 3W6 [(905) 356-1501]. Her supervisor was Mr. Steve Boccho. She continued working at both jobs (part-time) after she went back to school.

At high school, Kathy played intramural sports.

While at high school, Kathy also babysat three children once a week after school; this work included making supper for the kids. Kathy still baby-sits in a pinch. Donna and Tom McNulty have agreed to give her a good reference. They live at 4097 Petit Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario, L2E 6K4. Their phone number is (905) 358-7554.

Answer to Activity 1: Kathy Boal-Pita's Résumé and Cover Letter

Activity 2: Write Your Own Résumé and Cover Letter

After considering the information in this chapter, update your own résumé and create a cover letter for a particular job that you would like to do.

Some Concluding Thoughts

You created a résumé and wrote a cover letter. Good luck on getting an interview. If you do, follow up with one last writing job: a post interview thank-you note. Follow the same procedure as for other business letters. Use the first paragraph to thank the person who interviewed you. Use the middle paragraph(s) to clarify any concerns you wish you had handled better in the interview or to add any information you wish you had shared then. Leave your prospective employer with a good feeling: Conclude with a reminder of the value you'd be to the enterprise and a final thank-you.

Works Cited

Toop, Susan. "Employers' Views on Résumés." Résumé: the Newsletter of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers. July 1994: 6.

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