MODULE 2

LESSON

2 Building Careers and Writing

Résumés
9
HOURS

The resume acts as a bridge between you and the prospective recruiter. Hence the
importance of a resume can never be underestimated. So, to make the first impression, it
is imperative that your resume stands out from the crowd first. It is up to you how do you
want to be remembered by the hiring manager? Since companies do not have that much
amount of time to interview each and every candidate, they require resumes from
candidate to select the best ones to work with them.

After studying this module, you will be able to:

1. List eight steps to finding the ideal opportunity in today’s market;

2. Explain the process of planning your resume including how to choose the best resume organization;
3. Describe the tasks involved in writing your resume and list the major sections of a traditional resume;
4. Characterize the completing step for resumes including the six most common formats in which you can
produce a resume; and
5. Find a job opening in your target profession on the internet and write an application letter and resume.
Share to us a photo of the company you wish to be part of after graduation. Provide a brief background of your
chosen company and explain why you’d like to be part of it. Write your answer on the space provided.

Photo Answer:

Some of the questions we will encounter in this module are:

1. What’s the real purpose of a resume?

2. What exactly should I put on my resume, and what should I leave out?
3. Why do I need to list my work achievements, not just my duties and responsibilities?
4. Who can I get to review my resume for errors before I start sending it to employers?
5. What are “keywords” and how do I use them in my resume?

Find out the answers to these questions as we go along with our lesson.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF TEAMS

Top companies place a high priority on finding the right employees and the investments they are willing to
make in both personnel and technology to attract and keep valuable talent. Identifying and landing the ideal job
can be a long and difficult process, particularly in tough employment markets.

As you craft your personal strategy for finding the right job, keep these two guidelines in mind:

 Get organized. You need to keep all the details straight to make sure you don’t miss opportunities or
make simple mistakes.

 Start now and stick to it. Now is not too early to get started with some of the essential research and
planning tasks. If you wait until the last minute, you will miss opportunities and you won’t be prepared
when the right opportunity comes along.

EIGHT KEY STEPS TO FINDING THE IDEAL OPPORTUNITY IN TODAY’S JOB MARKET

A. Writing the Story of You

Take the time you have now to explore the possibilities, to find your passion, and to identify appealing
career paths. These steps will help you start down the path:

 Identify the nature of the work you’d like to do, if not a specific profession.
 Begin writing the “story of you,” things you are passionate about, the skills you possess, your
ability to help an organization reach its goals, the path you’ve been on so far, and the path you
want to follow in the future.
 Think in terms of an image or a theme you’d like to project.

Writing your story is a valuable planning exercise that helps you think about where you want to go and
how to present yourself to target employers.

B. Learning to Think Like an Employer

With every hiring decision, companies take great risks and need to prevent the following:

 Hiring someone who doesn’t meet expectations

 Letting a better candidate slip through their fingers

Many companies judge the success of their recruiting efforts by the quality of hire, a measure of how
closely new employees meet the company’s needs. Candidates are judged by:

 Perceived ability to perform the job

  Ability to handle responsibilities
 Reliability
 Motivation
 Whether they “get it” when it comes to being a professional in today’s workplace.

C. Researching Industries and Companies of Interest

Learning more about professions, industries, and individual companies is easy to do with the library and
online resources. Companies are more likely to be impressed by creative research, such as
interviewing their customers to learn more about how the firm does business. Seek out advice for online
job searches as well as links to hundreds of specialized websites that post openings in specific
industries and professions.

To learn more about contemporary business topics, use these resources:

 Leading business periodicals and newspapers with significant business sections

 Bloggers, microbloggers, and podcasters offering news and commentary on the business world
 Directories for blogs
 People who write about topics of interest

This research will also help you get comfortable with the jargon and buzzwords currently in use in a
particular field—including essential keywords to use in your résumé.

D. Translating Your General Potential into a Specific Solution for Each Employer

Customizing your résumé to each job opening shows employers that you will be a good fit for the
position. From your initial contact through the interviewing process you’ll have opportunities to impress
recruiters by explaining how your general potential translates to the specific needs of the position.

E. Taking the Initiative to Find Opportunities

When it comes to finding opportunities, the easiest ways are not always the most productive ones.
Major job boards and classified services might have thousands of openings—but many thousands of
job seekers are looking at and applying for these same openings. Moreover, these job postings are
often a company’s last resort, after exhausting other possibilities.

Instead of searching the same job openings as everyone else, take the initiative and find opportunities:

 Identify the companies you want to work for.

 Focus your efforts on them.
 Get in touch with their human resources departments or individual managers (if possible).
 Describe what you can offer the company.
 Ask to be considered if any opportunities come up.

F. Building Your Network

Networking is the process of making informal connections with mutually beneficial business contacts.
Networking takes place wherever and whenever people communicate:
  Industry functions
 Social gatherings
 Alumni reunions
 All over the Internet

Networking is more essential than ever, because the vast majority of job openings are never advertised
to the general public. The more people who know you, the better chance you have of being
recommended for one of these hidden job openings.

Start building your network now, before you need it. Here are some places to make contacts:

 Classmates could end up being some of your most valuable contacts.

 Identify people with similar interests in your target professions, industries, and companies.
 Read news sites, blogs, and other online sources.
 Follow industry leaders on Twitter.
 Follow individual executives at your target companies to learn about their interests and
concerns.
 Connect with people on LinkedIn and Facebook, particularly those dedicated to your career
interests.
 Participate in student organizations, especially those with ties to professional organizations.
 Visit trade shows to learn about various industries and meet people who work in those
industries.
 Don’t overlook volunteering; you can demonstrate your ability to solve problems, manage
projects, and lead others.

Remember that networking is about people helping each other, not just about other people helping you.
Pay close attention to networking etiquette:

 Learn something about the people you want to connect with.

 Don’t overwhelm others with too many messages or requests.
 Be succinct in all your communication efforts.
 Don’t give out other people’s names and contact information without their permission.
 Never email your résumé to complete strangers.
 Don’t assume you can send your résumé to everyone you meet.
 Remember to say thank you every time someone helps you.

To become a valued network member, you need to be able to help others in some way. The more you
network, the more valuable you become in your network—and the more valuable your network
becomes to you.

Be aware that your online network reflects on who you are in the eyes of potential employers, so
exercise judgment in making connections.

G. Seeking Career Counseling

College career centers offer a wide variety of services, including:

 Individual counseling
 Job fairs
  On-campus interviews
 Job listings
 Advice on career planning
 Workshops in job search techniques
 Résumé preparation
 Job readiness training
 Interview techniques
 Self-marketing

You can also find career planning advice online. Many of the websites offer articles and online tests to
help choose a career path, identify essential skills, and prepare to enter the job market.

H. Avoiding Mistakes

Take care to avoid the simple blunders that can torpedo a job search, such as:

 Not catching mistakes in your résumé

 Misspelling the name of a manager to whom you are writing
 Showing up late for an interview
 Tweeting something unprofessional
 Failing to complete application forms correctly
 Asking for information that you can easily find on a company’s website
 Making any other error that could flag you as someone who is careless, clueless, or
disrespectful

As recruiters work to narrow down the possibilities, even a minor mistake on your part can give them a
reason to bump you right out of the candidate pool.

THE PROCESS OF PLANNING YOUR RÉSUMÉ, INCLUDING HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST RÉSUMÉ
ORGANIZATION

Your résumé will be the most important document you create in a job search. Adapt it for a variety of uses:

 Personally delivered applications

 E-portfolios
 Social networking profiles
 Online application forms

Writing a résumé really benefits from multiple planning, writing, and completing sessions spread out over
several days or weeks. You are trying to summarize a complex subject (yourself!) and present a compelling
story to complete strangers in a brief document.

A. Analyzing Your Purpose and Audience

A résumé is a structured summary of a person’s

 Education
 Employment background
 Job qualifications
 Make sure you understand the true function of a résumé. It’s a brief, persuasive business message
intended to accomplish two objectives:

 Stimulate an employer’s interest in you

 Get you an interview

Learn as much as you can about the individuals who may be reading your résumé. Any bit of
information can help you craft a more effective message.

B. Gathering Pertinent Information

Gather all the pertinent personal history you can think of, including

 Dates, duties, and accomplishments from previous jobs you’ve held

 Relevant educational experience—formal degrees, skill certificates, academic awards, or
scholarships
 Relevant information about school or volunteer activities
 Offices you have held in any club or professional organization
 Presentations given
 Online or print publications

C. Organizing Your Résumé Around Your Strengths

Although you will see a number of ways to organize a résumé, most are:

 Chronological
 Functional
 Combination of the two

The right choice depends on your background and your goals.

Three Ways to Organize a Résumé

1. The Chronological Résumé

In a chronological résumé, the work experience section dominates and is placed immediately
after your contact information and introductory statement.

The chronological approach is the most common way to organize a résumé, and many
employers prefer this format because it presents your professional history in a clear, easy-to-
follow arrangement.

List your jobs in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent position and giving
the most space to the most recent positions. For each job, start by listing these facts:

 The employer’s name and location

 Your official job title
 Dates you held the position (write “to present” if you are still in your most recent position)
  Highlight accomplishments in a way that is relevant to your readers

2. The Functional Résumé

A functional résumé, sometimes called a skills résumé, emphasizes your skills and capabilities,
identifying employers and academic experience in subordinate sections.

This arrangement stresses individual areas of competence rather than job history. The
functional approach also has three advantages:

 Without having to read through job descriptions, employers can see what you can do for
them.
 You can emphasize earlier job experience.
 You can deemphasize any lengthy unemployment or lack of career progress.

Be aware that because the functional résumé can obscure your work history, many employment
professionals are suspicious of it. If the chronological format doesn’t work for you, consider the
combination résumé instead.

3. The Combination Résumé

A combination résumé meshes the skills focus of the functional format with the job history focus
of the chronological format.

The chief advantage of this format is that it allows you to focus attention on your capabilities
when you don’t have a long or steady employment history, without raising concerns that you
might be hiding something about your past.

Addressing Areas of Concern

Many people have gaps in their careers or other issues that could be a concern for employers. Here are
some common issues and suggestions for handling them in a résumé:

 Frequent job changes.

If you’ve had a number of short-term jobs of a similar type group them under a single heading.
Reasonable employers understand that many professionals have been forced to job hop by
circumstances beyond their control.

 Gaps in work history.

Mention relevant experience and education you gained during employment gaps, such as
volunteer or community work.

 Inexperience.
Mention related volunteer work and membership in professional groups. List relevant course
work and internships.

 Overqualification.
Tone down your résumé, focusing exclusively on the experience and skills that relate to the
position.
  Long-term employment with one company.
Itemize each position held at the firm to show both professional and career growth within the
organization and increasing responsibilities along the way.

 Job termination for cause.

Be honest with interviewers and address their concerns with proof, such as recommendations
and examples of completed projects.

TASKS INVOLVED IN WRITING YOUR RÉSUMÉ

As you follow the three-step process to develop your résumé, keep four points in mind:

 Treat your résumé with the respect it deserves.

A single mistake or oversight can cost you interview opportunities.

 Give yourself plenty of time.

Don’t put off preparing your résumé until the last second and then try to write it in one sitting.

 Learn from good models.

You can find sample résumés online at college websites and on job boards.

 Don’t get frustrated by the conflicting advice you’ll read about résumés.
Résumés are as much art as science, and there is more than one way to be successful with them.
Choose the approach that makes the most sense to you and is compatible with what you know about
business communication principles and practices.

A. Keeping Your Résumé Honest

Applicants with integrity know they don’t need to stoop to lying on their résumé. If you are tempted to
stretch the truth, bear in mind that professional recruiters have seen every trick in the book, and
frustrated employers are working aggressively to uncover the truth.

Nearly all employers do some form of background checking, such as using these methods:

 Contacting references
 Verifying employment
 Checking criminal records
 Sending résumés through verification services
 Designing interview questions specifically to uncover dishonest résumé entries
 Withdrawing formal job offers, if falsification is discovered

Given the networked nature of today’s job market, lying on a résumé could haunt you for years—and
could force you to keep lying throughout your career to hide the original misrepresentations on your
résumé.

B. Adapting Your Résumé to Your Audience

The importance of adapting your résumé to your target readers’ needs and interests cannot be
overstated. In a competitive job market, the more you look like a good fit, the better your chances will
be of securing interviews. Address your readers’ business concerns by showing how your capabilities
 meet the demands and expectations of the position and of the organization as a whole. Adapting to
your readers can mean customizing your résumé, sometimes for each job opening. Express your
experience using the terminology of the hiring organization. Take general concepts and present them in
common business language.

C. Composing Your Résumé

Write your résumé using a simple and direct style.

 Use short, crisp phrases and focus on what your reader needs to know.
 Avoid using the word I, which can sound both self-involved and repetitive.
 Quantify results so that your claims don’t come across as empty.
 Offer concrete proof of accomplishments.
 Use active statements that show results.
 Provide specific supporting evidence.

In addition, most résumés are subjected to keyword searches in an applicant tracking system.
Recruiters search for résumés most likely to match the requirements of a particular job so it’s essential
to use the words and phrases that a recruiter is most likely to search for. Keywords that catch a
computer’s attention are usually nouns that describe the specific skills, attributes, and experiences an
employer is looking for. Study job descriptions carefully to understand your target audience’s needs.
Keywords can include:

 Business and technical terms associated with a specific profession

 Industry-specific jargon
 Names or types of products or systems used in a profession
 Job titles
 College degrees

Beware of clichés that are used on so many résumés and social media profiles that they’ve lost most of
their impact. These are the buzzwords and phrases that are among the most overused (notice how
vague and generally unquantifiable most of them are):

 extensive experience
 innovative
 motivated
 results-oriented
 dynamic
 proven track record
 team player
 fast-paced
 problem solver
 entrepreneurial

Instead of saying you are all these things, show how you are, using solid evidence.

MAJOR SECTIONS OF A TRADITIONAL RÉSUMÉ

A. Name and Contact Information

 Your name and contact information constitute the heading of your résumé; include the following:

 Name
 Physical address (permanent and temporary, if you’re likely to move during the job search
process)
 Phone number(s)
 Email address
 URL of your personal webpage, e-portfolio, or social media résumé (if you have one)

B. Introductory Statement

Of all the parts of a résumé, the brief introductory statement that follows your name and contact
information probably generates the most disagreement. You can put one of three things here:

1. Career objective.
A career objective identifies either a specific job or a general career track you would like to pursue.
If you have little or no work experience in your target profession, a career objective might be your
best option.

2. Qualifications summary.
A qualifications summary offers a brief view of your key qualifications. The goal is to let a reader
know within a few seconds what you can deliver. Consider using this approach if you have one or
more important qualifications but don’t yet have a long career history of you want to highlight your
educational preparedness.

3. Career summary.
A career summary offers a brief recap of your career, with the goal of presenting increasing levels
of responsibility and performance. A career summary is useful for executives who have
demonstrated the ability to manage increasingly larger and more complicated business operations.

C. Education

If you’re still in college or have recently graduated, education is probably your strongest selling point.
Present your educational background in depth, choosing facts that support your “theme.” Starting with
the most recent, list:

 The name and location of each school you have attended

 The month and year of your graduation
 Major and minor fields of study
 Significant skills and abilities developed in your course work
 Degrees or certificates earned (or expected date of completion)
 Courses that have directly equipped you for the job you are seeking
 Scholarships, awards, or academic honors you’ve received
 Relevant training sponsored by business or government organizations

D. Work Experience, Skills, and Accomplishments

The work experience section should focus on your overall theme showing how your past can contribute
to an employer’s future. Use keywords to highlight skills you’ve developed on the job and your ability to
handle increasing responsibility.
 List your jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. Include any of these that
apply:

 Internships
 Part-time or temporary jobs related to your career objective
 Name and location of the employer
 Brief description of what the company does (if readers are unlikely to recognize the organization)
Before or after each job listing, include

 Your job title

 Years you worked in the job; use the phrase “to present” to denote current employment
 Whether a job was part time

Devote the most space to the jobs that are related to your target position. If you were personally
responsible for something significant, mention it. Facts about your skills and accomplishments are the
most important information you can give a prospective employer, so quantify them whenever possible.

If you have a number of part-time, temporary, or entry-level jobs that don’t relate to your career
objective, use your best judgment when it comes to including or excluding them. If you don’t have a
long employment history, including these jobs shows your ability and willingness to keep working.

E. Activities and Achievements

Include activities and achievements outside of a work context only if they make you a more attractive
job candidate. If applicable to the job you’re seeking, include such things as:

 Traveling
 Studying or working abroad
 Fluency in multiple languages
 Community service activities that suggest leadership, teamwork, communication skills, technical
aptitude
 Athletics or other organized student activities
 Publications, projects, and other accomplishments that required relevant business skills

Avoid listing religious or political organizations (unless you’re applying to such an organization).

F. References

Employers assume references are available; be sure to have a list of several references ready when
you begin applying for jobs and keep it in your files for a time when they are requested. List three or
four people who have agreed to serve as references. Include each person’s name, job title,
organization, address, telephone number, email address, and the nature of your relationship.

THE COMPLETING STEP FOR RÉSUMÉS

Completing your résumé involves review work such as

 Revising it for optimum quality

 Producing it in the various forms and media you’ll need
 Proofreading it for any errors
 Distributing it or publishing it online
The advent of applicant tracking systems, social media, and other innovations has dramatically changed the
nature of résumé production and distribution. Be prepared to produce several versions of your résumé, in
multiple formats and multiple media.

Even if most or all of your application efforts take place online, starting with a traditional paper résumé is still
useful, for several reasons:

 Creating a traditional printed résumé helps organize your background information and identify your
unique strengths.
 Planning and writing tasks help generate blocks of text that you can reuse in multiple ways throughout
the job search process.
 Preparing for when someone might ask for your résumé during a networking event or other in-person
encounter ensures you don’t let that interest fade.

A. Revising Your Résumé

Keep your résumé out of the recycling bin by avoiding these flaws:

 Too long or too wordy

 Too short or sketchy
 Difficult to read
 Poorly written
 Displays weak understanding of the business world in general or of a particular industry
 Poor-quality printing or cheap paper
 Full of spelling and grammar errors
 Boastful
 Gimmicky design

The ideal length of your résumé depends on the depth of your experience and the level of the positions
for which you are applying. Recruiters appreciate brevity, and presenting yourself in a single page
shows your ability to write concise, focused, audience-oriented messages.

For online résumé formats, you can always provide links to additional information. If you have more
experience and are applying for a higher-level position, you may need to prepare a somewhat longer
résumé.

B. Producing Your Résumé

A clean, professional-looking design is a must. Resist the urge to “get creative” with your résumé layout.
Recruiters and hiring managers want to skim your essential information in a matter of seconds, and
anything that distracts or delays them will work against you.

Fortunately, good résumé design is not difficult to achieve. Good designs feature:

 Simplicity
 Order
 Effective use of white space
 Clear typefaces
 Subheadings that are easy to find and easy to read
  Lists to itemize your most important qualifications
 Color (if desired), keeping it subtle and sophisticated

You might want to produce your résumé in as many as six formats:

 Printed traditional résumé

 Printed scannable résumé
 Electronic plain-text file
 Microsoft Word file
 Online résumé, also called a multimedia résumé or social media résumé
 PDF file

Find out what each employer or job posting website expects, and provide your résumé in that specific
format. Unless requested, do not include photographs, in materials you submit to employers.

SIX MOST COMMON FORMATS IN WHICH YOU CAN PRODUCE A RÉSUMÉ

1. Producing a Traditional Printed Résumé

Traditional paper résumés still have a place in this world of electronic job searches. Have a few
copies ready whenever one of your networking contacts asks for one.

Avoid basic, low-cost white bond paper intended for general office use or gimmicky papers with
borders and backgrounds. Use heavier, higher-quality paper designed specifically for résumés and
other important documents.

2. Printing a Scannable Résumé

Scannable résumés are a type of printed résumé that is specially formatted to be compatible with
optical scanning systems that convert printed documents to electronic text.

Their use appears to be declining rapidly as more employers prefer email delivery or website
application forms.

A scannable résumé differs from the traditional format in two major ways:

 It should always include a keyword summary

 It should be formatted in a simpler fashion that avoids underlining, special characters,
multiple columns, and other elements that can confuse the scanning system.

3. Creating a Plain-Text File of Your Résumé

A plain-text file is an electronic version of your résumé that has no font formatting, no bullet symbols,
no colors, no lines or boxes, or other special formatting. The plain-text version can be used in two
ways:

 Include it in the body of an email message.

 Copy and paste the sections into the application forms on an employer’s website.
4. Creating a Word File of Your Résumé

In some cases, an employer or job-posting website will want you to upload a Microsoft Word file or
attach it to an email message.
This method preserves the design and layout of your résumé and saves you the trouble of creating
a plain-text version.

Make sure your computer is free of viruses; infecting a potential employer’s computer will not make
a good first impression.

5. Creating a PDF Version of Your Résumé

Creating a PDF file is a simple procedure, but you need the right software. Adobe Acrobat is the
best-known program, but many others are available.

6. Creating an Online Résumé

A variety of terms are used to describe online résumés, including:

 Personal webpage
 E-portfolio
 Social media résumé
 Multimedia résumé
 All these formats provide the opportunity to expand information contained in your basic
résumé with
 Links to projects, publications, screencasts
 Online videos
 Course lists
 Social networking profiles
 Other elements that give employers a more complete picture of who you are and what you
can offer

Regardless of the approach you take to creating an online résumé, keep these helpful tips in mind:

 Remember that your online presence is a career-management tool.

The way you are portrayed online can work for you or against you; it’s up to you to create a
positive impression. Most employers now conduct online searches to learn more about
promising candidates, rejecting many applicants because of information they dug up online.

 Take advantage of social networking.

Use whatever tools are available to direct people to your online résumé, such as including
the URL of your online résumé on the “Info” tab on your Facebook page
.
 During the application process, don’t expect or ask employers to retrieve a résumé
from your website.
If employers want to know more than your résumé reveals, they will likely do a web search
on you and find your site, or you can refer them to your site in your résumé or application
materials.
C. Proofreading Your Résumé

Employers view your résumé as a concrete example of your attention to quality and detail. It needs to
be perfect. Although it may not seem fair, just one or two errors in a job application package are
enough to doom a candidate’s chances. Your résumé is one of the most important documents you’ll
ever write, so don’t rush or cut corners when it comes to proofreading. Check everything:

 All headings and lists for clarity and parallelism

 Grammar
 Spelling
 Punctuation
 Dates
 Phone numbers
 Email addresses
 Other essential data

Ask at least three other people to read it, too. As the creator of the material, you could stare at a
mistake for weeks and not see it.

D. Distributing Your Résumé

How you distribute your résumé depends on the number of employers you target and their preferences
for receiving résumés. Employers usually list their requirements on the career pages of their websites,
so verify this information and follow it carefully. Here are some general distribution tips:

 Mailing printed résumés.

Take some care with the packaging. Mail these documents in a 9 x 12 envelope or a Priority
Mail flat rate envelope.

 Emailing your résumé.

Some employers want applicants to include the text of their résumés in the body of an email
message; others prefer an attached Microsoft Word file. If you have a reference number or a job
ad number, include it in the subject line of your email message.

 Submitting your résumé to an employer’s website.

Many employers, including most large companies, prefer or require applicants to submit their
résumés online. In some instances, you will be asked to upload a complete file. In others, you
will need to copy and paste sections of your résumé into individual boxes in an online
application form.

 Posting your résumé on job websites.

You can post your résumé on general-purpose job websites, more specialized websites or with
staffing services.
Before you upload your résumé to any site, learn about its confidentiality protection. Don’t post your
résumé to any website that doesn’t give you the option of restricting the display of your contact
information. Only employers that are registered clients of the service should be able to see your contact
information.

1. Perform an online search for a career that matches your interests. A). Draft a brief report for your
instructor indicating how the career you select and the job openings you find match your strengths
and preferences. B). Then, write an application letter and resume.

2. With five to six members per team, brainstorm all the services you could perform for local
businesses. Identify as many services as you can that are related to you and to your teammates’
colleges majors and career interests, but also include anything you are willing to do to generate
revenue. Next, identify a specific company that might have some opportunities for you. Outline and
draft a short proposal that describes what your team can do for this company, how the company
would benefit from your services, why you are the right people for the job, and how much you
propose to charge for your services. Send it to: csleonoras@gmail.com with the subject: Last Name
of Group Members_Course, Year, and Section_Building Careers and Writing Résumés (Ex. Alob,
Camayra, Dela Cruz, Lobaton, Leonoras_BSBA3A_LA4_Building Careers and Writing Résumés).
ESSAY. Answer each question in not less than five (5) sentences. You will earn a highest score of
twenty (20) points for each question. This section will be recorded as your long quiz for prelim.

1. How can you “think like an employer” if you have no professional business experience?
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2. Can you use a qualifications summary if you don’t have yet extensive professional experience in
your desired career? Why or why not?
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3. In your opinion, how will one be able to achieve his/her career goal?
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 RUBRIC for ESSAY
Traits 5 4 3 2
Focus & There is one clear, There is one clear, There is one topic. The topic and main
Details well- focused topic. well- focused topic. Main ideas are ideas are not clear.
Main ideas are clear Main ideas are clear somewhat clear.
and but are not well
supported by detailed
are well supported by information.
detailed and
accurate information.

Organization The introduction is The introduction The introduction There is no clear

inviting, states the states the main topic states the main topic. introduction, structure,
main topic, and and provides an A conclusion is or conclusion.
provides overview of the paper. included.
A conclusion is
an overview of the included.
paper. Information is
relevant and
presented in a logical
order. The conclusion
is strong.

Word Choice The author uses vivid The author uses vivid The author uses The writer uses a
words and phrases. words and phrases. words that limited vocabulary.
The choice and The choice and communicate clearly, Jargon or clichés may
placement of words placement of words is but the writing lacks be present and
seems accurate, inaccurate at times variety. detract from the
natural, and not forced. and/or seems meaning.
overdone.

Sentence All sentences are well Most sentences are Most sentences are Sentences sound
Structure, constructed and have well constructed and well constructed, but awkward, are
Grammar,
varied structure and have varied structure they have a similar distractingly repetitive,
length. The author and length. The structure and/or length. or are difficult to
Mechanics, &
makes no errors in author makes a few The author makes understand. The
Spelling grammar, mechanics, errors in grammar, several errors in author makes
and/or spelling. mechanics, and/or grammar, mechanics, numerouserrors in
spelling, but they do and/or spelling that grammar,mechanics,
not interfere with interfere with and/or spelling
understanding. understanding.
that interfere with
understanding.

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