COMMUNICATION FOR

EMPLOYMENT: THE
RESUME
In writing resume, you start by doing an
inward assessment of yourself and by
asking the questions. “How can I
encourage the employer to pay attention
to my resume? And what kind of resume
should I use”? These questions may be
your starting point in fitting your
qualifications.
WHAT IS A RESUME?

A resume is a persuasive summary of your

qualifications for employment. If you are in the
job market, having a resume makes you look
well organized and prepared to your
prospective employers.
TYPES OF RESUME

 Printresumes – are printed on paper for

prospective employers to scrutinize. They are
designed to emphasize key information using
bold or italic typeface.
 Scannable resumes – are designed to be read
by computers; hence, they are to be
formatted using single typeface or without
italics or bold.
FEATURES OF A RESUME
1. ORGANIZATION
 There are different ways on how you can organize your resume
depending on your goals, experiences and qualifications. You can
organized a resume chronologically, functionally or targeted.
a. Chronological resume – is the general listing of all your academic
and work experience from the most recent to the oldest.
b. Functional resume – is organized around various kinds of experience.
If you wish to demonstrate a lot of experience in more than one area
and if you wish to downplay dates, you may write this type of
resume.
c. Targeted resume – generally announces the specific goal up to top,
just beneath your name and offers information selectively. You can
show only the experience and skills relevant to your goal.
2. SUCCINCTNESS

a resume must be concise. Entries may not be

written in sentences but should be parallel.
3. COMPREHENSIVENESS

A resume must present all important details

that can gain the nod of the prospective
employer. In giving details, however, carefully
choose the words that you use.
4. DESIGN

The resume should be reader-friendly

and be professionally packaged. For print
resume, use appropriate spacing, section
heading and uniform typeface for each
heading.. Scannable resume, on the
other hand, shall only have one standard
typeface.
COMMUNICATION FOR
EMPLOYMENT: THE APPLICATION
LETTER
What is an Application Letter?

 Yourapplication letter is generally the first

thing your prospective employers will see, and
should motivate them to read your resume.

 An application letter serves as a formal

introduction of yourself to your prospective
employer. It goes with your resume, so you
don’t have to give much information.
FEATURES OF AN APPLICATION
LETTER
1. QUALIFICATIONS

 In an application letter, you need to make clear

why you’re interested in the position or
organization, to indicate what skills you possess
that matches what the company is looking for
or to stipulate why the person you’re writing to
should at least to meet you.
2. PLEASING TONE

When writing application, you need to go

beyond simply stating your
accomplishments. Through your words,
you need to demonstrate that you will be
the kind of employee the organization
wants. Presentation is also important –
your letter should be neat and error-free.
3. FORMAT

Application letter typically follows a

prescribed format, which is a
conventional businesslike format.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING AN
APPLICATION LETTER
1. FOCUS

Application letter is not personal

and should not be chatty. Keep it
focused: when you’re applying for a
position, include only information to
the position.
2. STAY ON TOPIC

State the reason for the letter. Unlike

essays, which develop a thesis over
several paragraphs, or emails, which
announce their topic in a subject line,
letters need to explicitly introduce their
reason for being written, usually in the
first paragraph.
3. THINK OF YOUR LETTER AS AN
ARGUMENT
When you’re asking for a job, you’re
making an argument. you’re making
a claim – that you’re qualified for
certain position – and you need to
support your claim with reasons and
evidence.
4. CHOOSE AN APPROPRIATE
SALUTATION
If you know the person’s name and
title, use it: example: “Dear Mr.
Lim.” If you don’t know the person’s
title, one good solution is to address
him or her by first and last name.
“Dear Jens Peter Lim.”
5. PROOFREAD

Few writing situations demand greater

perfection than professional letters –
especially application letters. Employers
receive dozens, sometimes hundreds of
application and often can’t look at them
all. Typos, grammar errors, and other
forms of sloppiness prejudice readers
against applicants.
COMMUNICATION WITHIN A COMPANY:
THE MEMORANDUM
 The word “memo” is derived from the Latin “memorare”
changed to “memorandus” and it means “to state” or
“to tell”.

 Inan organization, it takes the form of a short official

note that one writes to a person or to several individuals
such as members, faculty, heads of offices and the like.
 Regardless of the specific goal, memos are most effective when
they connect the purpose of the writer with the interests and
needs of the reader. Memos most frequently contain routine
information.

 Joe LoCicero (2007) offers a food example of when to use memos.

He claims that memos may inform the readers of:
a. Announcements for diverse occasions.
b. Changes such as policies, procedures or process.
c. Confirmations of discussions, decisions and meetings.
d. Documents for submissions such as reports, data, research and
results of survey.
e. Recommendations
f. Requests for further information.
g. Solicitations for opinions.
 Though memos are less formal than business
letters, they must be crafted in an effective
way.

 Adelheid Theime in her presentation for

Arizona State University claims that effective
memos must be:
a. Civilized – accomplished/polished
b. Concise - brief
c. Coherent - consistent
d. Compelling - convincing
e. Correct - accurate