PURPOSEFUL WRITING FOR PROFESSIONS

RESUMÉ

 A tool that summarizes your skills, educational background, experiences, and other
qualifications.

 It is also called CURRICULUM VITAE, but this is a more detailed type of resumé.

 It can be considered a sales tool in the sense that it helps you market your skills to a prospective
employer, in the same manner that a product is advertised in a magazine.

COMPONENTS OF A RESUMÉ

1. CONTACT INFORMATION
 Include your NAME, ADDRESS, CONTACT INFORMATION, and E-MAIL ADDRESS.
 Refrain from using juvenile e-mail addresses such as i_love_unicorns_4ever@yahoo.com or
mwaMwa_tsupTsup@gmail.com
 Don’t include marital status, height, weight, religion, name of parents, and color of eyes and
hair.
 Increase the font size of your name and write it in bold face for emphasis.
2. SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
 Use this when you have at least five years of professional experiences.
 It should consist of one to four strong sentences that will highlight your experiences and
accomplishments.
 It should be written in the third person and in active voice.

EXAMPLE:

Fifteen years of teaching experience in the tertiary level and with strong rapport with
professional organizations and practitioners. Trained more than 1,000 teachers across the
country.

3. OBJECTIVE STATEMENT
 It is optional part of a resumé that includes job title, function, industry, and what you can
offer to the company.
 Objective statement is appropriate for recent graduates.

EXAMPLE:

Seeking an associate editor position in a top publishing company such as C&E Publishing
where my expertise in textbook editing will be employed.

4. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
 Never put anything that is not a hundred percent true.
 Begin with the most recent experience.
 Each job mentioned must include the name and the address of the employer, the inclusive
dates (month and year), and brief job description.
 Do not use many adjectives and superlatives, as well as jargon.
  If your job responsibilities are similar in more than one job, put the details in the most
recent one.
 Do not state your past and present salary.
 Do not clutter your text. Use generous spacing and bullet lists.
 Use present tense active verbs for current jobs and past tense active verbs for past jobs.
5. EDUCATION
 Start with the most recent educational attainment.
 Include the name and address of the school, years attended or year of graduation, degree,
and specialization.
 Omit high school educational background after a year of graduating from college. List
academic honors, scholarships, and extracurricular activities.
6. SKILLS
 Show your skills through past events.
 Be clear with your strengths and communicate them well.
 Include transferable skills, such as the following:
managerial skills (motivates others to reach team goals)
Professional qualities (understands professional and technical aspects of work)
Personal qualities (adapts to changing demands and conditions)
Entrepreneurial qualities (understands commercial and business principles)
7. TRAINING
 Include only trainings that have a bearing on the job position you are applying for.
 Include the title of the training, organizer, date, and venue.
 Start with the most recent training.
8. ORGANIZATIONS
 Include professional and civic affiliations.
 Include the name of the organization, your position, and inclusive dates.
 Start with the most recent affiliation.
9. PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATES
 Include the name of certification, rating (optional for lows ratings)m, date issued, and place
of issuances.
10. HONORS AND AWARDS
 List your recognized achievements.
 Never list achievements that have nothing to do with work.
 Include the title of the award or honor, inclusive date, sponsor or award-giving organization.
11. REFERENCES AND SIGNATURE
 Preferably, the list of references should not be included in the resumé. Simple state
“References available upon request”
 If you decide to put them, do not exceed to three references. Include their name, position,
company, and contact details.
 You do not have to sign your resumé.
E-RESUMÉ

 They have the same content and format but an e-resumé is a softcopy which can be viewed on
screen, stored in a hard drive, sent over the internet, searched for key words, and manipulated
into other types of documents.

 It is also cost-efficient on the part of both the employer and job seekers since e-resumé can be
sent through the internet and can be stored, sorted, and searched at minimum cost.

FUNCTIONS OF RESUMÉ

1. It informs the employers of the skills that you can bring to the company.

2. It shows how qualified you are for the job.

3. It functions as a persuasive document which allows you to proceed to the next stage of the
recruitment process, the interview.

TYPES OF RESUMÉ

REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL

 Listed in reverse chronological order, which includes company and job title, dates of
employment, responsibilities, and accomplishments

 Commonly favoured by employers, as it is very straightforward

 Best for applicants with steady career progression, in business, in government, and whose
employer is a respected name.

FUNCTIONAL

 Consolidates skills and responsibilities by describing them in a general way under headings that
represent different areas of expertise instead of job titles. In short, it focuses on skills and not on
job titles.

 Best for job-hoppers, career changers, new graduates, or people with minimal work experience.

COMBINED FORMAT

 Contains both the features of the reverse chronological and functional type.

COLLEGE ADMISSION APPLICATION LETTER

 A college admission application letter shows your interest in the university while justifying why
you are qualified at the same time.

 It also serves as a cover letter for all your other college admission documents.

 As with any other correspondence, it follows a standard letter format.

 Generally, a college admission application letter presents your academic qualification,

accomplishments, and reasons for applying for admission.
PARTS OF A COLLEGE ADMISSION APPLICATION LETTER

INTRODUCTION

1. State who you are and what you are applying for.

2. State an eye-catching statement about yourself that will cause the reader to continue reading
your qualifications.

3. Show your enthusiasm to study in the university you are applying to.

BODY

1. Present your academic qualifications, extracurricular involvement, community activity

engagements, and some personal qualities with specific evidence.

2. Organize your thoughts and segregate them into paragraphs. You may separate paragraphs by
theme (one paragraph for academic qualification and on for extracurricular activities.)

3. State the benefits the university can obtain by admitting you. Do not just give facts; explain how
these facts will benefit the university.

CONCLUSION

1. Indicate your interest for an interview.

2. Indicate how the interviewer can contact you.

3. Express your hope for a positive response from the Admission Director.

4. Say thank you.

Tips that will help you to write a persuasive and interesting application letter.

1. The application letter must not simply repeat the content of your academic records. Emphasize
concrete examples.

2. Address the letter to a specific person. If you don’t know the specific addressee, call the
university and ask.

3. Market yourself by presenting your academic qualifications, extracurricular activities, and

community engagements. Tell the university that you have a unique or special skill to offer and
how these skills are relevant to the university.

4. The application letter must not simply repeat the content of your academic records. Emphasize
concrete examples.

5. Address the letter to a specific person. If you don’t know the specific addressee, call the
university and ask.

6. Market yourself by presenting your academic qualifications, extracurricular activities, and

community engagements. Tell the university that you have a unique or special skill to offer and
how these skills are relevant to the university.
 7. Minimize opinions about yourself. When you claim one, be sure to support it with specific and
factual evidence.

8. Do not beg for admission (e.g., “Please take me in because this is my only hope for success. I am
desperately eager to study in your university.)

9. As you write, imagine that you are writing a script for your interview: how you can break the ice
at the beginning of the interview; how you can convey a positive personality; the things you
want to talk about during the interview; and what you hope to get from the interview.

JOB APPLICATION LETTER

 It is a type of personal business correspondence which states your intention to work in a

particular organization.

 It should be enclosed every time you send your resumé.

 A cover letter can be a response to a job advertisement, an unsolicited inquiry to a prospective

employer as part of your direct mail strategy, or a letter to a recruitment agency.

PARTS OF A COVER LETTER

INTRODUCTION

 Introduce yourself and state your purpose in writing to the receiver.

 Indicate your source of information in learning about the job vacancy.

 Add an interesting statement about yourself that will cause the reader to continue reading your
credentials.

 Show your enthusiasm to work in the company.

BODY

 Present your work experience, academic qualifications, trainings, and some personal qualities
with specific evidence.

 Organize your paragraphs accordingly. You may segregate them by theme (one paragraph for
work experience and one for education) or by function (management, financial, technical)

 Explain the benefits to the employers if they hire you. Do not simply give facts; explain how
there facts will contribute to the company.

 For instance, instead of merely telling the company about all the trainings you had, you may say,
“I have extensive training on this area.”

 In the last part of the body, refer the reader to a specific part of the resumé that suggests
credentials for the position.

CONCLUSION
  Indicate your interest for an interview at a time most convenient to the employer. If required,
specify the time you are available for an interview.

 Indicate how the interviewer can contact you.

 Express an expectation of a positive response from the employer.

 Thank the employer

VARIOUS FORMS OF OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE

Parts of a business letter

 LETTERHEAD – identifies the writer, her/his address, and contact numbers.

 DATE – is placed between the letterhead and the inside address.

 INSIDE ADDRESS – identifies the reader’s name, position and company, and address; it is placed
immediately below the date.

 ATTENTION LINE – is used when the writer wishes to address the whole company but wants to
bring it to the attention of a particular person in the company.

Two formats:

Attention Dr. Gilda Cores

Attention: Dr. Gilda Cores

 SALUTATION – refers to the writer’s greeting to the reader.

Three formats:

Dear Sir:
Sir:
Dear Mr. Garcia:

 BODY – contains the message of the letter.

 COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE – refers to the expression used to end a letter.

Highly formal Respectfully yours, Respectfully, Very respectfully

Polite and Formal Very truly yours, Yours very Truly, Yours Truly

Less Formal Sincerely yours, Yours, Cordially yours

Friendly As ever, Best regards, Kindest regards, Regards

  SIGNATURE BLOCK – includes the signature and the typed name of the sender. The type name
can be all caps (HARRY DAMUS) or CLC Format (Harry Damus).

 IDENTIFICATION INTIALS – indicates the typist’s initials if the sender is not the one who
personally types the document.

 ENCLOSURE NOTATION – are the attachment

Three formats:

Enclosures (2)
Enclosure
enc./ encl.

 COPY NOTATION – indicates the name of the secondary recipients of the letter, it is indicated by
cc: which means carbon copy or courtesy copies.

Guideline in writing a letter

 As with the other texts, use correct format, punctuation, spelling, grammar.

 Present your ideas clearly by using a language appropriate for the target readers.

 Arrange your ideas logically.

 Use an active voice as much as possible. Apply a direct but tactful tone.

 Focus on the readers by using the ‘you’ approach; this means writing in such a way that you are
talking directly to the reader.

 Specify the name of the receiver of the letter. However, if it is impossible to get the name of the
receiver, use a generic title (e.g., Dear Sales Director)

 Leave three to five blank lines for a signature before typing your name.

 Never use plain numerals for dates as it may create confusion. Instead of using 01/02/16, use
January 2, 2016 or 2 January 2016.

MEMORANDUM or MEMO

 Memorandum comes from the Latin term memorare which means ‘to remember.’ a
memorandum, which is commonly shortened to ‘memo,’ is meant to inform as well as to
persuade people within an organization.

 It follows an inverted pyramid structure which means that the most important information
comes first.

ADVANTAGES OF USING A MEMO

 It reaches a large number of readers at the same time.

 It serves as a written record that can be accessed any time.

 It allows a detailed and accurate delivery of the message.

PARTS OF A MEMO

 LETTERHEAD – identifies the company, address, and contact numbers.

 DATE LINE – serves as a chronological record for reference purposes.

 TO LINE – indicates the name and title of the receiver.

 ATTENTION LINE – is used when the writer wishes to address the whole company but wants to
bring it to the attention of a particular person in the company.

Two formats:

Attention Dr. Gilda Cores

Attention: Dr. Gilda Cores

 FROM LINE – indicates the name of the sender. The sender should fix his initials on the right side
of her/his name of verification purposes.

 SUBJECT LINE – announces the main content or topic of the memo. Subject is more preferred
than the old term Re

 BODY – contains the message of the memo.

 Paragraphs are single-spaced internally but double-spaced to separate paragraphs. If the memo
is very short, the body can be double-spaced and triple-spaced to separate paragraphs.

 Paragraphs in the memo are not indented.

 When discussing a number of subtopics, a topic heading may be used so that the readers can
quickly locate information. Never indent the first line of each paragraph.

 If the memo exceeds one page, begin the following page with recipient’s name, date, and page
number, which are placed three lines from the top of the page.

For example: Mr. Roxas, July 14, 2017, page 2

 IDENTIFICATION INTIALS – indicates the typist’s initials if the sender is not the one who
personally types the document.

 ENCLOSURE NOTATION – are the attachment

Three formats:

Enclosures (2)
Enclosure
enc./ encl.

 COPY NOTATION – indicates the name of the secondary recipients of the letter, it is indicated by
cc: which means carbon copy or courtesy copies.

Guidelines in writing a memo

 1. Use the correct format and standard use of language.

2. Use a bullet or numbered list to enumerate information.

3. Use a positive tone and concise wording, as well as active verbs.

4. Use headings to highlight topics.

5. Check for and remove grammatical and typographical errors.

6. Sign beside your typed name (sender)

7. Flush left the To, From, Date, and Subject lines.

8. Conclude the memo simply by saying Thank You or a directive action (e.g., For your compliance,
For your immediate action).

9. Never use plain numerals for dates as it may create confusion. Instead of using 01/17/17, use
January 17, 2017 or 17 January 2017

Five types of memo

1) Instruction memo
It provides the information needed by the readers to accurately perform directions.
2) Request memo
Asks readers to provide certain information or take certain actions.
3) Announcement memo
It provides information about an event, person, or thing.
4) Transmittal memo
It serves as a cover note for a more formal or lengthy document.
5) Authorization memo
It gives permission.

Electronic emails

 Commonly known as e-mail.

 It can be used for directives, transmittals, documentations, confirmations, explanations of

procedure, recommendations, status reports, and inquiries.

Advantages of communicating through e-mail

1. It reaches the target reader fast.

2. Confirmation of acceptance is easy.

3. It is cheaper and easy to use.

4. Original messages can be easily attached via thread.

5. It is environment-friendly because it requires no paper.

 6. It has an automated e-mail feature that notifies the sender if the receiver is on vacation or will
not be able to access his/her e-mail as soon as possible.

Disadvantages of communication through e-mail

1. An e-mail may carry a virus.

2. Not all official documents can be sent via e-mail due to their nature.

3. An e-mail is sometime used as a tool for scamming. Hence, using it requires utmost caution.

4. Sending an e-mail is prone to technical glitches and is dependent on internet connection.

Guideline in writing an e-mail

1. Reflect if sending an e-mail is the best mode of correspondence compared to a face-to-face

meeting, phone conversation, or memo.

2. Connect the subject line to your reader’s needs and interests. Readers often delete messages
solely based on the subject titles.

3. Do not change the subject line when you reply to an e-mail.

4. Make the subject line short and simple, but also specific. Instead of using “Schedule,” use
“Adjustment in Seminar Schedule.”

5. The To line should only contain the means of the primary readers. Secondary readers must be
placed in the cc line.

6. Be accurate in typing the e-mail addresses of the recipients.

7. Keep the messages brief and straightforward.

8. Never publish an e-mail without the permission of the creator.

9. State your business in the first sentence of the text.

10. Store both your sent and received messages in folders using descriptive names (e.g., trainings,
directives, minutes)

11. Use a standard memo format. Moreover, never capitalize all the letters of your texts.

12. If the message is important, try composing it first using a word processor.

13. Although an e-mail is less formal than a memo or a letter, maintain professionalism when
writing one. Be careful in using emoticons and informal internet jargons like LOL and etc.

14. If attaching a file, make the filename of the attached document meaningful. For instance,
instead of using ‘jsbletter,’ use ‘jessiebarrot-coverletter.’

15. If your e-mail has an attachment, be sure that it is accurate and be easily downloaded or
accessed by the receiver.