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RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS

SESSION 2

Source: www.fullerton.edu

NOTE TO STUDENTS

Students from the below groups will receive PIN numbers via email weekly to access activities on my iDoceo Connect platform and submit their exercises for correction.

601, 607, 612, 615, 619, 624, 462, 680, 681, 689, 690 and 691

The solutions to exercises in this session will be published when the above groups have submitted them.

STRUCTURE

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Session 2: contents

1. Language practice
1. What makes a good résumé
2. Résumé writing advice
3. Action verbs
4. Cover letter organization
5. Business letter format
6. Correct the mistakes
2. Project tutorial
7. Applying for a job or placement

MAKE UP YOUR TEAMS!!

- Four/five students per team.

- Email your teacher to say who you are working with.

- If you do not have a team, email your teacher and s/he will assign you one.

I. LANGUAGE PRACTICE

A. What makes a good résumé

Answer the following questions.

1. What is a résumé?
a. A tool for marketing yourself
b. A very brief summary of your accomplishments
c. A complete history of all your accomplishments


2. What is the main purpose of a résumé?
a. To get you a job
b. To highlight your accomplishments
c. To get you an interview


3. How many résumés should you have?
a. One
b. One tailored to each job you apply for
c. At least 10, all in different colors and fonts


4. It’s generally best to start your résumé sentences with...
a. pronouns (“I” or “My”)
b. nouns
c. verbs


5. Students with very little experience, especially minimal experience in their chosen field, should consider this resume technique:
a. Skillful exploitation of transferable and applicable skills
b. Listing internships, volunteer work, sports, extracurricular activities, and other unpaid experience
c. Descriptions of class projects and coursework that are relevant to the chosen field
d. All of the above


6. True or false?
1. A CV should be word-processed and never handwritten.
True
False
2. Your CV should be laid out in reverse chronological order.
True
False
A CV should never be more than one side.
True
False
3. Employers have no need to know your age, sex, race, or marital status.
True
False
4. Action verbs and job-specific keywords need to be included in all résumés.
True
False
5. You should always include a section on hobbies in your CV.
True
False

Check answers

Source: Adapted from www.quintcareers.com/teen_resume_quiz_scoring.html
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cvquiz.htm
www.livecareer.com/career/advice/resume/new-grad-resume-quiz

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IN-CLASS

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Do this exercise and then discuss your answers with your nearest classmate.

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DISTANCE LEARNING

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Send your guesses to your teacher, using the dedicated iDoceo Connect platform (only for groups specified above).

B. Résumé writing advice

Watch the video and answer the following questions,

Video from www.careerplayer.com

1. What should you pay attention to first before you send out your résumé?

a. That there are no spelling mistakes and that it is well formatted

b. That it is very short

c. That it contains as much information as possible about your life

2. What is the purpose of a résumé according to Alex Davis?

a. To give all the information that will be mentioned during the interview

b. To give a very personal picture of the applicant

c. To get a picture of what the applicant’s qualifications, skills, and experience are.

3. Should you go into a lot of detail in your résumé?

a. Yes, it will give you a better chance for the interview.

b. No. Recruiters get lots of CVs and cover letters, so you should put enough detail that employers will get a clear picture of who you are but not too much detail that they won’t read your résumé.

c. Not necessarily, but it should contain all your work experience.

4. What are the three adjectives that are used by Max Lucas to describe a good résumé?

(a)

(b)

(c)

5. What does Martine Ainsworth-Wells recommend people do when writing their résumé?

a. She recommends that they be honest. But when you explain why you might not have some skills right now, you also need to say how you plan on learning them and/or how you have already taken steps to address the situation, or how this opportunity will help you learn them with the organization.

b. She recommends that they try to be honest, because if their résumé is too dishonest, the employer will notice it, but if some skills are missing, they should pretend that they possess them.

c. She recommends that they be honest about their skills, but not necessarily always about their work experience.

6. How can you make a recruiter take notice of your résumé?

7. What can you do to show that you are a well-rounded person?

a. You can list your extra-curricular activities.

b. You can list your professional activities.

c. You can try to show that you are very smart.

8. What does Tony Harris advise people against?

9. What examples does Peter Panayotou give to show how you can tailor your résumé to the industry you are going into?

Check answers

10. Script - Fill in the blanks: (video 5'48")

Patrick Forsyth: The other thing to say is that while CVs go with the format they normally go out with a covering letter and you need to give some sensible thought to that and perhaps you can get a little bit more (a) of yourself into that more easily than into the CV itself.

Neil Godber: Now, the standard of covering letters is (b) and that creates quite an easy way to kind of (c) most people's CVs.

Tim Davis: I don't necessarily want anything that's too quirky or too (d) , but I'm just looking for a letter that (e) that (f) to (g) in a bit more detail and really gives me a feel for the way they would be in the role.

Narrator: Got it! The basics are covered, it's not an essay, it's oozing personality, paper not bamboo and a (h) ! This is bound to get me (i) the (j) .

Check answers

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IN-CLASS

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Do this exercise and then discuss your answers with your nearest classmate.

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DISTANCE LEARNING

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Send your guesses to your teacher, using the dedicated iDoceo Connect platform (only for groups specified above).

C. Vocabulary building: action verbs.

Rephrase the following job descriptions using action verbs (remember not to use personal pronouns).

Example:
I was responsible for testing products --> Tested products.

1. I was responsible for the analysis of samples.

2. I was in charge of the employee feedback sessions.

3. I was in charge of the development of communication strategies.

4. I was the representative for University College London at a series of conferences.

5. I was in charge of the organization of two-week training sessions for new employees.

6. I was responsible for a team of five employees.

7. I did a presentation of a 50-page report on the habitability of Earth-like exoplanets around nearby stars.

Check answers

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IN-CLASS

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Do this exercise in pairs with your partner.

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DISTANCE LEARNING

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Send your guesses to your teacher, using the dedicated iDoceo Connect platform (only for groups specified above).

D. Cover letter organization.

Put the following cover letter back in the correct order.

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

4th:

5th:

6th:

7th:

Check answers

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IN-CLASS

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Do this exercise and then discuss your answers with your nearest classmate.

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DISTANCE LEARNING

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Send your guesses to your teacher, using the dedicated iDoceo Connect platform (only for groups specified above).

E. Business letter.

Use the following information to fill in your own business letter. Feel free to use either the British or the American formats, but try not to mix them up.

E. Typical language errors.

Correct the mistakes highligted in red.

1. I am writing in reply of your advertisement wich appeared in Jobs Magazine.

2. I was also responsible of an other important project during my time at Big Company Inc.

3. I look forward to hear from you.

4. I graduate from Nantes University in 2012, and I am actually working in the Customer Services department of a large company.

5. Last year I have implemented a new systeme for deal with customers complaints.

6. I would like developping my professionnal skills.

7. I am also interesting by working in Oxford because it will give me the opportunity to improve my English.

Check answers

IN-CLASS

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Do this exercise and then discuss your answers with your nearest classmate.

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DISTANCE LEARNING

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Send your guesses to your teacher, using the dedicated iDoceo Connect platform (only for groups specified above).

PROJECT TUTORIAL

G. Applying for a job or a placement.

Study the job ads your colleagues have published and prepare your individual application for at least one of them. Your application should consist in a CV and cover letter.
Make sure you understand the company’s expectations so you can make a difference and get an interview!

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