ENGL 3060 Unit 1: Rsum and Cover Letter

Overview:
It would be superfluous to discuss the importance of a strong rsum and cover
letter at this point in your academic careers. You know the value of these
documents. For this assignment, you will compose a rsum and cover letter in
response to a specific job opening in your selected field. You will find a real job
opening, but you will not actually apply for the job. You will also compose a brief
memo justifying your design and content decisions.
Audience:
A specific prospective employer considering you for a job opening.
Purpose:
You will establish or adapt a working rsum and cover letter. The purpose of
these documents is to get you an interview with the hiring company.
You will first find an advertisement for a job opening in your field. You will turn in a
copy of this with your rough draft. If you are having trouble finding a specific job
opening, check headhunter sites for non-regional jobs. This application doesnt
have to be local since you arent actually applying. Look for the kind of job you
hope to get soon after you earn your degree. In some cases, we can take liberties
with the requirements, given that you likely have more classes to take for your
degree.
You will then craft your rsum and cover letter specifically for this job according to
the principles found in Chapter 15 of your textbook.
Genres:
Rsum, cover letter, and an assignment follow-up memo.
Features:
There are important features of this assignment that will be considered in the
grading criteria:
It must be in the appropriate and polished.
It must be tailored to your specific job opening.
It must be in a formal tone and avoid information or language that would
hurt your viability for candidacy.
It must be clear and concise. Your audience should not be confused after
reading it.
Length:
Rsum: Typically 1-2 pages.
Cover Letter: 150-200 words not including headers.
Follow-up Memo: 300 word minimum.
Due Dates:
Drafting: Tuesday, February 2
Conference: Thursday, February 4
Final Draft due: Tuesday, February 9