Class Notes

Job Application Materials

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This is the post for the August 8, 2014 class meeting.

Today we have some resources for your work on Project 6 and a number of options to post in the forums. I have graded and released Projects 1 and 2, so you should be able to find your grade and feedback in Scholar.

Next, I’m going to skip ahead and grade Project 4 next, so that you have the feedback on your proposals. After I get through Project 4, I will go back and grade Project 3. I hope to have feedback on both these projects back to you by Monday night.

Class Work for August 8

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Reaching the forum posts requirement
  • Writing résumés and cover letters
  • Discussing job application materials
  • Go over an optional forum post question

Reaching the Forum Posts Requirement

There have been some questions about the post levels for the forum grades, which are currently set at the following numbers:

  • C-level forum participation: 45 posts
  • B-level forum participation: 55 posts
  • A-level forum participation: 65 posts

I adjusted the numbers down yesterday (8/7) from the original requirements (B = 60; A=75). For now, I am leaving the numbers as they are. There is still a week left in the class, and there will be a number of opportunities to make additional posts during these last days of the course. I may create a curve at the end of next week, but the 45 post minimum, which was announced at the beginning of the term, will stand firm.

Remember that you have until the last day of class (the 14th) to reach the number. In your Project 5 report, you can indicate where you are currently and where you anticipate you will be by the end of the course.

Writing Résumés and Cover Letters

Although you may not be writing a résumé and cover letter for Project 6, you will certainly have to write these documents and keep them updated over the course of your career. Since that’s the case, I want to spend a little time pointing out some useful information you can use when you do work on job application materials.

  • There’s good information in chapter 10 of Markel, including details on how to adjust your documents for electronic submissions.

  • Use the example résumés and cover letters in either the 2013–2014 Career Planning Guide or the 2014–2015 Career Planning Guide. Career Services publishes information on exactly what recruiters who come to Virginia Tech are looking for. When you’re back on campus, be sure to take advantage of the resources that Career Services offers. They have workshops, presentations, and even advising appointments.

  • Pay attention to the Correspondence Principles for Hard Copy and E-mail section of the 2013–2014 Career Planning Guide and/or the Professional Communication section of the 2014–2015 Career Planning Guide for tips on not just cover letters, but also the other kinds of communication you will need to make.

Discussing Job Application Materials

As I promised above, I have set up a lot of opportunities for you to add posts in the forums. In the Project 6: Job Application Materials section of the forums, you will find the following topics:

By midnight in your timezone on Sunday night, please reply to ONE of the topics above, but you may reply to more if you desire.

If you are working to meet your goal for the number of posts in the forums, you may reply to more than one of these topics. Additionally, you may interact with your classmates by quoting a portion of someone else’s reply and responding with your own thoughts. Just remember that “me too” posts, where you just say something like “I agree” or “great idea” don’t count toward your total number of posts. Say why you agree (or disagree) and include details to support your opinions.

Optional Forum Post Question

I have also posted an optional forum topic: Recommended Job Application Resources. You can share useful job application resources that you find while working on Project 6 in this forum. The format for your posts is included in the forums. Essentially, you will provide details on the resources you have found and a short summary of the information from the resources.

The goal of this forum topic is to crowdsource a list of additional resources that everyone in the class can use to improve the job application materials in Project 6. You may most more than one resources in reply, but please be sure that each webpage you recommend is listed in a separate reply. I want you to keep the resources in separate replies for two reasons: (1) it will help your classmates as they look through the list for helpful sites, and (2) every separate reply counts as a post in the post levels for the forum grades.