Xuan CI597D Final Project

8/9/2019 Xuan CI597D Final Project

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Making Your Own Job Application

Package

Job Search Writing Class for International Graduate Students in

Penn State

Xuan Liu

CI 597D

Dr. Kim


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Table of Contents

1.Introduction

2.The Intended Audience

(1)Who are they?

(2)What are their needs and expectations?

(3)Does this course meet their needs and expectations?

3.Goals, Contents, Materials and Activities

(1)Setting Goals and Objectives

(2)Conceptualizing the Contents

(3)Selecting Materials and Constructing Activities

4.Course Syllabus and Four Detailed Lesson Plans

(1)Course Syllabus

(2)Four detailed lesson plans with materials

5.My Reflection


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Introduction

My final project is a writing course development which aims at preparing international graduate

students at Penn State, mainly masters majoring in science and engineering, for their job hunting.

My goal is to help them understand principles of job-hunting documents writing in the North-

American setting and be able to produce effective resumes, cover letters, follow up

correspondences, etc. In detail, this project consists of the seven important steps involved in my

whole designing process of this course, a course syllabus and four detailed lesson plans with

materials. By doing this project, I want to learn more about how to conceptualize course contents,

collect materials and design class activities according to the specific needs and proficiency of the

target students.

The Intended Audience

1. Who are they?

This course is open for international graduate students who will be looking for a job in the

United States after they graduate. As far as I am concerned, international students majoring in

science and engineering are the most promising candidates to get a job here. Besides, since this

course is not for job-hunting in academia, it suits master students better than the doctoral

students. According to the two factors mentioned above, the intended audience of this course

would be international master students who major in science and engineering.

2. What are their needs and expectations?

In order to know the diverse background features, skills, needs and expectations of my intended

students, Ive designed a questionnaire and Ive asked three participants from electric

engineering, computer science and biology respectively to complete it. Thanks to them, I got a

basic idea of what they already know and what they want to know and as well in what ways they

will learn better. After I finished this project, I showed them part of this project and they offered

me some precious suggestions, such as including more sample writings, introducing commonly-

used vocabularies and sentence structures. Ive already updated my project according to their

needs. Below is the questionnaire that I designed.


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Questionnaire

Name________ Home Country_________ First Language_________

Immigration Status_____________(immigrant/permanent residents/international)

Major _____________

Prior Job search experiences and job application package writing experiences

Have you ever worked before? If yes, do you

need to prepare job application package at that

time? If yes, in English or in your native

language, or both?

What kind of difficulties do you have when

you try to prepare your job application package

in English, especially in writing?

Do you think academic English and job

application package writing are different? If so,

in what way?

Learning motivation, expectations, and styles

What made you decide to take this class?

What do you expect to learn from this class?

How much time per week are you prepared to

spend on homework for this class?

How do you feel about writing workshop?

You prefer individual work or working with

others?

Try to explain in what ways you feel

comfortable to learn English writing in a

classroom. (please as specific as you can)

Self-assessment and goals


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1. My greatest strength as a writer of English include

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. Aspects of my writing that I would like most to improve in this course include

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

3. Does this course meet their needs and expectations?

It is important to know whether this course really meets the needs and expectations of the

students. Therefore, evaluation of the effectiveness of the course will be conducted during and as

well after the course completion. During the course, the students need to do two oral reports to

talk about what they have done and reflect on what they have learned. For the specific dates and

topics about the oral reports, please see the syllabus. Also, the students are encouraged to fill out

the following evaluation form about this course. Although this is a non-grade course, these two

tools can help the teacher get an idea of the effectiveness of this course and what the students

have learned from this course.

Course Evaluation Form Good Fair Poor

The course as a whole was

The course content was

Opportunity for practicing what was learned was

Sequence of the development of skills was

Demonstration of the contents was

Recognition of the student progress by the instructor was


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Use of class time was

Amount of skills you learned from this course was

Relevance and usefulness of course content was

The instructors effectiveness in teaching was

Goals, Contents, Materials and Activities

1. Setting goals and objectives

After collecting systematic profile data of my students, I am equipped to identify and articulate

the desired outcomes (general and specific) of this course. The main goal of this course is to help

the students understand the characteristics of North American professional discourse and be able

to produce effective job search documents such as resumes, cover letters, follow up

correspondence, thank you letters, etc. Specifically, there are a series ofinstructional objectives:

1. The students will be aware of the purpose/audience of job search writing and be able to

tailor their writing towards a specific audience.

2. The students will be equipped to know the product (themselves) and the market (future

employers) better.

3. The students will learn how to write the common types of job search documents such as

resume, cover letter, follow up correspondence, etc.

4. The students will write in a clear, concise style and present information logically.

5. The students will design appropriate formats for each document to achieve clarity and

efficiency.

6. The students will collaborate with their class members and developing their drafts from

peer and teacher feedback.

2. Conceptualizing the contents

First, I use a picture to conceptualize the job search process. And, as you can see, step four will

be the focus of this course. And, step one, two and three will be involved too in order to provide

the background. For specific topics and skills covered in this course, I use mind map to show.


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3. Selecting/developing Materials and Constructing Activities

I clearly know that materials selection and activity construction should depend on the makeup of

the student population, their needs and my instructional goals. Previous needs assessment results

and ongoing assessing findings help me to choose materials that best accommodate my students.Just the same as needs assessment, materials assessment should be an ongoing process, too. I feel

it is hard to find a textbook which meet all of my instruction needs, therefore, I chose to use

original materials and tasks. The materials used in this course came from internet sources or were

created by me, such as text excerpts from carefully screened websites. As for task design,

writing workshops will be involved. I want to organize the contents according to the order of

several steps involved in job search process. Before starting writing your job application

documents, it is important to know the product (yourself) and the market (future employers).

With all these information, you will then learn how to organize and write. The following would

be revision and polish. In each session, there are three to four specific topics. For details, please

see the syllabus.

Job

search

writingSelf-

assessmentLabor market

Search

Tailor your

writing towards

the audience

Resumes

Cover

letter

Follow up

Thank you letters


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Course Syllabus and Four Detailed Lesson Plans

Course Syllabus

Job Search Writing Class for Penn State International Graduate Students

Course Description: Good writing skills can help you to land a job or position as a professional.

This course is designed to get you ready for your future job search, as well as to help you

become a confident, precise communicator in your field. Basically, this course offers guidelines

and principles for writing job-hunting documents. We will examine professional writing as well

as student writing to determine what makes a job-hunting document effective. Please expect to

do some reading in this course.

Goals and Objectives:The main goal of this course is to help the students understand the

characteristics of North American professional discourse and be able to produce effective job

search documents such as resumes, cover letters, follow up correspondence, etc. Also, students

are expected to succeed in the following specific objectives:

1. The students will be aware of the purpose/audience of job search writing and be able to

tailor their writing towards a specific audience.

2. The students will be equipped to know the product (themselves) and the market (future

employers) better.

3. The students will learn how to write the common types of job search documents such as

resume, cover letter, follow up correspondence, etc.

4. The students will write in a clear, concise style and present information logically.

5. The students will design appropriate formats for each document to achieve clarity and

efficiency.

Spring 2010 Xuan Liu, Instructor

Class meetings: M W 10:00-11:15am Tel: 8143217636

Classroom: Sparks 305 Email:[email protected]

Office:Dept. of Applied Linguistics,Spark305

Office Hours: Friday11:00-12:00 am


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6. The students will collaborate with their class members and developing their drafts from

peer and teacher feedback.

Non-mandatory Requirements and Students Responsibilities:

1. Regular attendance is not required but recommended.

2. Active participation in class discussion and workshop is expected of all students.

3. Completion of all the tasks the teacher assigns.

4. Be prepared to give three oral reports on what you feel and learn from completing those

tasks.

Course Materials

There is no required textbook or reader. The teacher will adapt teaching materials from a variety

of sources.

Assessment and Evaluation:This is a non-grading course. However, self-assessment is

recommended. After you finish all those tasks, you could reflect on what you learned from this

class and these experiences. Also, the teacher will learn about your progress from your three oral

reports and as well from ongoing observation of your performances. Besides, the teacher is more

than willing to read or hear your reflection on this whole course if you would like to.

Tentative Course Outline:

Week Day Topics and Activities Homework

1 M Course introduction /syllabus Read searching for a job orinternship to have an idea of thewhole job search process

W Get to know the product and the market

1. Self-assessment basics

2. Talk about how to locate andresearch for a professionalopportunity

3. In-class exercise: doing a joblisting analysis

Use what you learned today tolocate two substantially differentjob listings for your vocational

goal. Use the job listing analysissheet to analyze them and submitby next Monday

2 M Tailor your writing towards the audience Search for two example resumesand use resume analysis


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1. Introduce and Practice basicaudience analysis

2. Discuss and discover theconventions of job search writing

worksheet to analyze them (bringit to class)

W Resume writing I

1. Examine sample resumes2. Talk about resume function and

structure3. In-class exercise: design principles

in resumes

Using the two job listings that youfound before to start writing yourresume drafts

3 M Resume writing II

Make your language effective

1. Brainstorming activity2. Examine sample resumes3. PPT4. In-class exercise

Keep working on your resumedrafts and be ready to bring them tothe workshop next class

W Workshop: Resume

1. Teacher modeling2. Student workshop

Be prepared to give your first oralreport the next class

4 M Oral report I

Thoughts and reflection sharing

W Cover Letter: paper & email Using the two job listings to startwriting your cover letter

5 M Workshop: Cover letter

1. Teacher modeling2. Student workshop

Reading handout about letterwriting in job search

W Other types of letter writing in jobsearch


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1. Letter of application2. Thank you letter3. Letter of acknowledgement4. Acceptance/rejection letter

6 M Workshop: entire job applicationpackage

W Oral Report II

Notes: We will not cover English grammar and structures at the most basic levels in class, but Iam happy to give instruction on those topics to individual students in my office hours. Please letme know at the beginning of class if you will need help with fundamental skills of English, sowe can make arrangements to meet.

Sample Lesson Plan One

(week 1: second meeting)

Get to know the product and the

market

Teaching Aims

Enhance students awareness of themselves as future job applicants and provide them with self-assessment basics

Enable them to locate and research for professional opportunities (both solicited and unsolicited

ones)

Improve their ability to connect what they have to what the employers need

Learning Objectives:

1. The students will learn to identify their interests, skills, experiences, knowledge andattributes that they have to offer a future employer.

2. The students will be able to identify and target employers who hire people with theirskills and education and learn about the best ways to reach them.

3. The students will learn how to do a job listing analysis.

Materials and Tools

1. Handouts of self-assessment quiz2. PPT about finding solicited and unsolicited job openings3. Job listing analysis worksheet4. Computer


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Procedure Purpose

Small class discussion(15 min.)

First, the teacher will ask the students several questionsas follows:

Have you ever done self-assessment before for yourcareer preparation? If yes, what did you learn from it? Ifno, what do you think the common characteristics, skills,attributes that employers are looking for in their jobapplicants are?

Have you ever done labor market search before? Whatkind of resources did you use?

Then, the students will have 10 minutes to discuss in

pairs and then share with the rest of the class.

This small discussion is a warm-upactivity and it can guide students inanticipating the class content andstimulate their thoughts about thetopic.

Quiz Activity: (10 min.)

Ss will be asked to do a short self-assessment quiz. Thenthe students will talk about what they learned aboutthemselves from this quiz.

It is important for the students toknow themselves better to help themmake career choices.

Lecture and discussion: find solicited and unsolicited

job openings (20min )

The teacher will go through the PPT with the studentsand have discussion whenever questions occur.

It helps the students to knowdifferent ways of locating andresearching for professional

opportunity.

Activity: job listing analysis (20 min)

The teacher will provide a sample job listing forthestudent and ask them to use the job listing analysis sheetto do the analysis.

Then the whole class will take about their results and

share related ideas.

It is important to learn how toconnect what you have to what theemployers want.

Closure (10 min.)

The teacher will prompt the students to reflect on whatthey have learned and practiced.

Assignment:

Use what you learned today to locatetwo substantially different joblistings for your vocational goal. Use


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the job ad analysis sheet to analyzethem and submit by next Monday

Materials for Sample Lesson Plan One

Small Discussion Questions:

Have you ever done self-assessment before for your career preparation? If yes, what did youlearn from it? If no, what do you think the common characteristics, skills, attributes thatemployers are looking for in their job applicants are?

Have you ever done labor market search before? What kind of resources did you use?

Self Assessment Basics

o Self-assessment Personality Aptitude Interests Values Identify personal skills and abilities

Self Assessment Quiz: http://www.ilc.org/cfmx/CM/Assessment/index.cfm

B: PPTabout finding solicited and unsolicited job openings (http://www.faculty.english.ttu.edu)

Where do you find job ads?

Best place for job ads is to use the professionalresources of your field

Professional organizations

Profession-specific job boards

Professional journals and magazines

Online job search websites are very helpful, too!

Four Top job search websites

Additional information about job search websites

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-10-most-effective-job-search-websites/


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Top Job Search Websites

Dice http://www.dice.com/

Dice.com is the leading career website for

technology and engineering professionals. It is

designed for the specific needs of technology

professionals, enabling them to perform highly

targeted job searches based on specific criteria,

including location, type of employment, skillset and

keyword. Dice.com also provides job search tools

such as search agents, resume posting and career-

related content.

Top Job Search Websites

Monster http://www.monster.com/

Monster is the largest job search engine in the world, with over

a million job postings at any time and over 150 million resumes

in the database (2008) and over 63 million job seekers per

month. It offers international search which provides job

opportunities across the globe. They also offer a free home

page, a place for you to post your resumes and an entire

section of career tools to help you research every step of the

job hunting process.


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Top Job search websites

Yahoo! Hot jobs http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/

Yahoo! Hotjobs is definitely Monsters greatest competition.

One of the things that Yahoo is very good at is providingcontent, and job seekers who visit Hotjobs are going to getexactly that. Aside from all that bonus content, it offers a

powerful job search engine that includes many thousands oflistings from all throughout the world.

Career Bu lder tt :// .career u lder.c m/

Like Monster and Hotjobs, youll find a resume posting section,the ability to find jobs by company or industry, and a very cool"job alerts" feature in Career Builder. But if you need another

source that may have job listings the others dont its best tocheck it out, as there are quite a library of job listings stored.

TWO types of job applications

Solicited Youre responding to a job ad

They know (or think they know) what they want Theyre expecting a pile of letters and resumes

Theres a specific list of requirements that they want

You need to connect yourself to these requirements

Unsolicited Youve seen a potential opportunity

They dont (yet) know that they need you

There isnt a pile of other resumes to compete against

There is no set list of requirements

You need to explain what they need and what youve got thatll fillthese needs


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Things to keep in mind

Both solicited and unsolicited resumes often stayin an organizations files

They might look you up sometime in the future

Your resume and job letter might get passed around toother groups in the organization

Treating even solicited resumes like unsolicitedopportunities can maximize your chances

Some extra research and clear, focused explanation ofwhat you can do for them will A WAYS help your chances

WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT RESUMES:(Comments from recruiters who conducted on-campus interviews at Penn State) Give details Some resumes were vague in terms of specific accomplishments which leads the recruiter to thelong process of determining whether anything of substance lies behind statements like,

Improved an inventory process. It does not take up too much space to add, By doing X,which resulted in Y. Give specifics and details, but be precise and clear. Highlight any applicable experience required for a specific job. Ensure resume format is veryeasy to follow and clear. Resumes are a way to sell yourself to companies; use key words such aspartner, facilitated, championed, managed, etc. Add quantifiable results to resumes. Things to include Declare concentration and always show your GPA on your resume. Students should exhibit participation in outside activities, have impressive grades and toughcourse loads. We want to see well-rounded people. Dont waste valuable resume space with detailed computer skills. This can be discussed in

detail during the interview. Do not include course work on your resume, it becomes too wordy. Provide details, though,about your internships and any relevant experience. Exhibit well-roundedness as a student/Penn Stater. Involvement or leadership in activities thatare not related to academics is a huge plus, especially among engineering students. Length Keep resume to one page. Lengthy resumes are expected of experienced professionals, not ofcollege students. Many of my colleagues automatically discount a resume because of its length,


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therefore, an otherwise good candidate could lose an interview opportunity. Choose the mostrelevant skill sets for your resume. Be succinct; barring unusual levels of experience. A resume longer than 2 pages is unwelcomeand usually reduces the effectiveness of the resume. The Basics

T

ailor your resume to the particular job posting. Research each job posting and highlight yourexperiences that best match. Make your resume results oriented, highlighting achievements and accomplishments. Focus onbehaviors such as leadership impact, getting results and intelligent risk taking, Be thorough and honest about all of your experiences. Accuracy, correct spelling and grammar are all important factors to making your resumes standout. Put work experience before act ivities. Be clear; sloppiness is usually a companion of a lack of clarity.

Job Ad AnalysisAssignment description

Developed rom p://www.faculty.english.ttu.edu/fricke/ASSIGN_job_ad_analysis.htm

You're handing in Four things for this assignment:

1. Job advertisement or position description2. Some relevant information aboutt e organization3. Example resume from your field4. Job Ad Analysis Worksheet

1. Job Advertisement or Position Description

Findajobadvertisementorpositiondescriptionthatmatchesyourcareergoalsorthatwillat

leastworkforthisproject. Youcanalsouseaninternship.Anypositionthatrequiresadetailed

resumeandjobletterwillworkforthisassignment. Somethinglikeathree-lineadfroma

newspaper"helpwanted" sectionwillnotworkforthisassignment.

2. Some Relevant Information about the Organization

Collectsome RELEVANTbackgroundinformationontheorganizationthatyouareapplying

to. Youdon'tneedtodoawholebunchofresearch. Yousimplyneedtodoenoughresearchto

makeajobletterandresumethatwillclearlystandoutfromalltheotherfolkswhodidno

researchatall.

Findenoughinformationtoachievetwogoals. First,youwillneedtocreatesomesortofa

STRATEGY thatyoucanusetoconnectyourabilitiesandbackgroundwithwhatthey'relooking

for. Youwillneedtoappealtothesepeople,sothiswillrequireknowingsomethingabout

them. Second,youwillneedtomakeyourjobletterstandout. Mentioningoneortwofacts

abouttheorganizationTHATARE NOTlistedinthejobadvertisementorpositiondescription

willshowthatyou'rethetypeofpersonwhoputsabitofextraeffortintothethingsthatyou


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do. Itwillshowthatyou'renotjustsendingouta "cookie-cutter" genericjobletterand

resume. Itwillshowthatyouareaprofessional.

Finally, please DO NOT hand in a bunch of unfiltered background information with no clear

connection to your specific application strategy. Make certain that EACH PAGE of relevant

information you provide CLEARLY helps me to both understand your application strategy andevaluate your eventual final job letter and resume. Please underline, circle, or highlight the

specific facts that you will use in your application strategy.

3. Example Resume from Your Field

Findatleastonegoodstandardexampleprofessionalresumefromthejobfieldthatyou're

applyingfor. Usethisasaguidelinefororganizingandwordinginformationanddesigningthe

overalllookofyourownpersonalresume.

Mostprofessionaljobfieldshaveveryspecificresumeconventions. However,somejobfields

donot. Yourfieldmighthavenoclear"standard" resumedesign,layout,orcontentconventions. Ifthisiswhatyoudiscover,thencollectacouplegoodexampleprofessional

resumesfromyourfieldthatshowsthisvariability. Trytodiscoversomegeneralthematic

guidelinesthatyoucanfollow.

4. Job Ad Analysis Worksheet

Usethefollowingjob ad analysis worksheettobrainstormastrategyforhowtomakeyourjob

letterandresumereallyappealingtothefolkswhowillreadthem.

(http://www.faculty.english.ttu.edu/fricke/WKSHT_job_ad_analysis.htm)

What They Want What Ive Got Thats

The Same or Close

What Ive Got That

Can Substitute

How Ill Connect What

Ive Got to What They

Want


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Sample Lesson Plan Two

(Week 2: first meeting)

Tailor your writing towards the

audience

Teaching Aim

Introduce what it means to tailor your writing towards a specific audience and how to do it in jobsearch writing in North American context.

Learning Objectives:

1. The students will develop an awareness of addressing their audience while writing.2. The students will know the core values of their intended audience in job search writing in

Anglo culture and the ways to affirm these values in writing.

Materials and Tools

1. Handouts of writing for a North American business audience information about a varietyof grocery stores in State College

2. Handouts of examples and explanations about how to tailor your employment writingtowards a specific writing.

3. Resume analysis worksheet

Procedure Purpose

Warm-up (10 min.)

The teacher will help the students recall whatthey learned last time

Preview main points of this class

Try to connect what theyve already learn towhat they are gonna learn

Discussion: (20 min)

The teacher will ask the following questions:

Do you keep your audience in mind whilewriting job search documents? If yes, who isyour intended audience?

What do you think of the North Americanemployer audience? What do you think they

The teacher provides a model to help thestudents have a sense of the core values andrules of communication in North Americanprofessional discourse.

It is also important tomake thestudents knowthe cultural differences in job search writing.


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value the most?

The students will have 10 minutes to discussand share their ideas.

Then the teacher will use North Americanbusiness audience as the target audience and

explain to the Ss what the set of rules andexpectations of communication are in thatsetting.

Practice: (30 min)

The teacher will provide two examples and aswell explanations about how to tailor theemployment document towards a specificaudience.

Then the teacher will divide the students intogroups and ask each group to pick one joblisting theyve located last time and conduct anaudience analysis on their own.

Then the whole class will share.

Only lecture and discussion is not enough.Practice is important.

Closure: (15 min)

Reflection and thoughts sharing

Talk about the assignment

Assignment: Google for two resumes in yourspecific field and use the resume analysis sheetprovided to analyze them. It is due nextMonday.

Sample Lesson Plan One Materials for Sample Lesson Plan One

Materials for Sample Lesson Plan Two

Writing for a North American Business Audience(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/651/01/)

Every country has its own set of rules and expectations about the ways to communicate in a business

setting. In some countries, they may place less emphasis on written materials and more emphasis on

verbal communication. However, in the United States, memos, letters, and emails are important and

play a role in creating a person's business reputation.

This handout is designed to provide you with a few basic tips about North American business

audiences along with some helpful hints on writing to this audience effectively. Some of the

information and examples on this handout are taken from other sources that you may find helpful. The


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asterisks (*) mark sentences borrowed from other writers. You can find the bibliographic information

at the end of the page.

The topics discussed in this handout are:

y Getting to the point

y Keeping it simpley Using passive and active voice

y Using nondiscriminatory language

y Over-generalizing verbs

Getting to the Point

The question "so what is your point" is very common with American audiences. In general, North

Americans prefer to get a preview of the main ideas so that they know what to expect. Time is an

important factor for U.S. business people because they do not have much of it. So it is important to

state your purpose or "the bottom line" for writing at the beginning of your document.

Here is an example of a hidden main point where the writer is requesting employment verification*:

Dear Personnel Director:

On March 27, I received a phone call from Mrs. Karen Krane from New York, who was once

a data entry clerk in your Ohio office. She was under the direct supervision of.....

As you can see, the above statement goes on several sentences and the writer still has not revealed

his or her purpose. A busy personnel director might skip over this request and make it a last priority.

This is an example with the main point clearly stated:

Dear Personnel Director:

Would you verify the employment of Mrs. Karen Krane? She was a data entry clerk in

your Ohio office (fill in the details) Sincerely,

Often times writers will place their main point at the bottom of their document because they are either

delivering bad news or they are afraid their ideas will be rejected. But business writing experts warn

against this style of writing. Bad news should always be delivered up front. Also remember that while

you do not want to be too shy about delivering bad news, you also do not want to be too aggressive

when you submit an idea or suggestion. For example, "We must hire a new secretary now" has an

aggressive tone that your reader may not appreciate. Instead write something like, "I know that you

do not think we should hire a new secretary now, but I really think we need to. Please let me explain

my reasons."

Keeping It Simple

You may have heard your English instructors tell you not to worry yourself over complicated sentences

and impressive words. Just use simple language to get your point across and you will have more

success. Well, the same proves true for business writing. You might feel compelled to use bigger

words or more complex sentences to build credibility with your audience.

The two primary reasons to avoid such tactics are:a) you might be perceived as a con artist or, b)

your message might become confusing.


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An example of using "impressive words":

Subsequent to the passage of the subject legislation, it is incumbent upon you to

advise your organization to comply with it.*

An example using simple words:

After the law passes, you must tell your people to comply with it.*

The second passage is much easier to understand and it gets straight to the point. There is little room

for misunderstanding with that statement.

Using Passive and Active Voice*

Passive voice has three basic characteristics:

1. A form of the verb to be (is, am are, was, were, be, been, or being).

2. A past participle (a verb ending in -ed or -en except irregular verbs like kept).

3. A prepositional phrase beginning with by

Here is a sentence using all three characteristics:

The meeting is being held by the human resources department.

Another sample of a passive sentence:

It's a great honor to be applying to a prestigious company.

Passive statements convey a clear message and in some cases (those without the prepositional phrase)

are grammatically correct. But the problem is that passive phrases are often over used by writers.

A writer uses passive voice to purposefully leave out the actor or subject of the sentence in an effort

to sound more diplomatic. Look at this example.

Active: "I decided that everyone must retake the exam."

Passive: "It has been decided that everyone must retake the exam."

The passive example takes the actor out of the sentence so that the audience cannot directly blame

someone.

Author Edward Bailey offers a few suggestions on when to use passive voice. He says there are three

instances to use it:

y When you don't know the actor

y When the actor is unimportant to the point you're making ("The Congressman was re-elected.")

y When the emphasis is clearly not on the actor but on the acted upon ("What happened to the little

girl? The little girl was rescued.")


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If your purpose does not fall into one of three categories above then use active direct voice. But be

careful not to be too direct. You would not want to tell an employer that he or she should hire you

because "I am the best."

Using Nondiscriminatory Language

Nondiscriminatory language is language that treats all people equally. It does not use any

discriminatory words, remarks, or ideas. It is very important that the business writer communicate in

a way that expresses equality and respect for all individuals. It is the kind of language that can come

between you and your reader. Make sure your writing is free of sexist language and free of bias based

on such factors as race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, and disability.

y Use neutral job titles.

Not Good: Chairman

Better: Chairperson

y Avoid demeaning orstereotypical terms.

Not Good: After the girls in the office receive an order, our office fills it within 24 hours

Better: When orders are received from the office, they are filled within 24 hours

y Avoid words and phrases that unnecessarily imply gender.

Not Good: Executives and their wives

Better: Executives and their spouses

y Omit information about group membership

Not Good: Connie Green performed the job well for her age.

Better: Connie Green performed the job well

y If you do not know a reader's gender, use a nonsexistsalutation.

Not Good: Dear Gentlemen:

Better: To Whom it May Concern:

y Do not use masculine pronouns

Not Good: Each student must provide his own lab jacket

Better: Students must provide their own lab jackets. Or Each student must provide his or her own

lab jacket.

Over-generalizing Verbs

Conjugating verbs poses a challenge for all speakers and writers of languages other than their native

tongue. One feature that is found with ESL speakers is the tendency to over-generalize verbs with

pronouns.

For example, when using the verb to try:


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I try We try

You try They try

He/She/It try*

Notice the asterisk (*) next to He/She/It try. It is there because try should be conjugated to

"He/She/It tries." Sometimes these small points are missed because when you read your paper aloud

it may sound fine to you.

But note that there is a distinct difference between the way we talk and the way we write. When you

are proofreading your document, try to be mindful of the verb variations. Unfortunately, there is no

magic trick for overcoming this except for memorizing verbs. When you are in doubt, ask someone for

help

Examples and Explanations about how to tailor your

employment document towards a specific audience

(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/638/01/)

For what types of readersshould I tailor my employment documents?

There are two kinds of readers that an employment document should be tailored for: Skimmers and

Skeptics.

Skimmers are readers that are typically very busy. Pressed for time, they often skim employment

documents in a rather short period of time. Consequently, the documents you prepare for this

particular reader should:

y State the main point clearly and up front

y Place the most important information at the beginning or ending of paragraphs

y Highlight key dates or figures

Both of the following examples represent the same experiences. A skimmer would be able to

understand Example 2 much more quickly, though.

Example 1Managed $10,000 in project accounts, compiled and published engineering reports as

assistant to Vice President, coordinated registrations, payments, and literature for

software training seminars.

Example 2

y Managed $10,000 in project accounts.

y Compiled and published engineering reports as Assistant to Vice President

y Coordinated registrations, payments, and literature for software training seminars.

The second type of reader is a Skeptic. A Skeptic is a reader that is cautious and doubtful. Skeptical

readers will tend to read a document carefully, questioning its validity. Ultimately, they will question

the writer's claims. In order to meet the needs of the Skeptic, it is necessary to support your


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statements with sufficient details and evidence. Provide specific examples, numbers, dates, names,

and percentages to meet the needs of the skeptical reader.

For example:

NOT: I performed very well in my classes.

BUT: I received the Dean's List Honors 7/8 semesters and received a Women in Communications

Scholarship in May 2001.

How do I tailor an employment document to an audience?(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/638/02/)

In addition to following general guidelines for writing to both busy and skeptical readers, it is a good

idea to determine who your particular reader is likely to be and to write specifically for that person.

Determine yourspecific audience.

Ask, "Who am I writing to and what is her or his position(s) in the organization?" You can gain a

surprising amount of information about your reader simply from carefully reading job ads.

Example:

John Doe is an Advertising Director at a city newspaper. This may clue you in to the

fact that he is a sales-oriented individual, highly motivated, and creative.

Jane Smith is a Pharmacist. You might assume simply from the position she holds that

she is very customer oriented and skilled in the area of pharmaceutical sciences.

In some cases, you may not know who to write to if a name or title is not listed in an ad. Take the

time to contact the organization and ask for this specific information. However, you may at times run

across a blind ad, which means that there is no contact information other than an address available.

When this happens, specifically mention in your cover letter where you saw the job advertisement and

tailor your document to meet the needs of the position. You may address these documents to theHuman Resource Manager.

In any case, it is necessary to consider your reader, their background, and what they may expect from

the employees they decide to hire.

Research and analyze the reader and the organization.

What are their objectives, values, needs, time restraints? This can be done by reading and evaluating

company literature and profiles. This research will give you some background information about the

organization and any current issues they are facing. When you find out what is relevant to the

company, you can tailor your document accordingly.

Consider these points as guides:

y Determine what qualifications the employer is likely to look for in a job applicant by asking yourself

what qualifications you would look for if you were the employer.

y Visit the company's website, if they have one, to become aware of current events and news

releases that pertain to the company's mission, goals, and objectives.

y Read the company's mission statement; it will illustrate the goals and objectives of the

organization.


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Fully research the company so you can adequately address your reader and assume a more

knowledgeable base for your statements. Ultimately, if you know the company well you can make sure

that you illustrate how you can meet and surpass their expectations.

Example:

You are writing a resume to apply for a customer service position at Joe's Grocery

Store. On their website, the job description stated:"Looking for a highly motivated, customer-oriented individual to work full-time at the

customer service desk."

You could then tailor your objective statement to use key words that the company

included in its own profile and utilize them in a way that accurately reflects their

qualifications.

Objective:To obtain a customer service position at Joe's Grocery Store, where I may

apply interpersonal and customer service skills, to create friendly and productive

interaction between the store and its customers. In this case, the writer used key

words that the company included in its own profile and utilized them in a way that

accurately reflects their qualifications.

Recognize and utilize key words

Key words are words that stand out as especially significant within the text. When you are reading job

ads, key words are those words that signal what an employer considers important or essential in

hiring for a position.

Consider the previous example again. On their website, the job description stated:

"Looking for a highly motivated, customer oriented individual to work full-time at the customer service

desk."

The key words have been underlined. It is necessary to read for keywords, and you should keep thesein mind as you research and prepare your business or employment documents.

Resume Analysis Worksheet

What is the career field? (nursing, engineering, personal finance, etc)

What are two or three important SPECIFIC personal qualities or abilities (creativity,attention to detail, organization skills, personality type, etc) that make people

successful in this field?

How does the DESIGN (the fonts, spacing and margins, punctuation, etc) of the example

resume highlight these important specific qualities or abilities? Describe two CONCRETEconnections.


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What are two or three important SPECIFIC formal qualifications (certifications,

education, experience, skills, etc) that make people successful in this field?

How does the CONTENT (the headings, order of things listed, level of detail, etc) of

the example resume highlight these important formal qualifications? Describe twoCONCRETE connections.

What are some UNIQUE personal qualities or formal qualifications that people in

this field have? In other words, what sets people in this field apart from other types

of professionals?

List one or two usefully detailedlthings (for example, dont just write a degree).

How does the design or content of the example resume emphasize these uniquethings? In other words, what is it that makes the resume specifically designedfor

this unique field?Describe two CONCRETE connections (for example, dont just write it looks like anengineering resume. Say EXACTLY WHY it looks this way and how this is differentfrom a generic resume.

Sample Lesson Plan Three

(Week3: first meeting)

Resume Writing II

Teaching Aim

Enable the students to be effective in their resume language.

Learning Objectives

1. The students will know the conventions of resume language, such as using action verb.2. The students will practice making their resume language effective.

Materials and Tools

1. PPT about the conventions of resume language2. Handout of action verb lists3. Sample resumes


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4. Exercise

Procedure Purpose

Brainstorming Activity (10 min)

The whole class will brainstorm about whatcharacteristics of effective resume languageare.

Before the teacher really teaches, this activitygives the students an opportunity to try firstand engage them.

Examining sample resumes (30 min)

The teacher will give the Ss handout of sampleresumes. And they will go through them

together to find out the features of thelanguage.

.

Sample resumes help the students to notice thefeatures.

PPT(15 min.)

The teacher will generalize some of the rules ofeffective resume language by using the PPT.

It helps to review the features that the studentsnoticed previously.

In-class exercise (20 min)

The teacher will provide the students with aresume sample and the students need to figureout how to make it better in its language use.

Closure (10 min)

Reflection and review

Materials for Sample Lesson Plan Three

Sample resumes are from http://www.sa.psu.edu/career/pdf/CG_resume.pdf


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Action Verb List is from http://www.sa.psu.edu/career/pdf/CG_resume.pdf

PPT(http://www.faculty.english.ttu.edu)

most important resume goalsuse EXAMPLES ! use FA TS !

Follow good EXAMPLE RESUMES from your field Make the resume LOOK like what people in your field are used to seeing

Organize the information categories in a recognizable way

Use FA TUAL information in your resume Connect the things you describe to MEASURABLE details

If you cant quantify it (with numbers) then consider dropping it

DO NOT make a mere list of opinions

(ex detail oriented, people person , dependable, etc)

STRATEGY # 2.0give the HARD FACTS they WANT

Try to connect A QUANTIFIABLEFACT toEVERY need you know they have

This is where background research on thecompany/organization is critical

Ex:Are they looking for leadership? Give them SPECIFIC examples of leadership

Dont waste their time showing youre great at yoga


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(Week3: second meeting)

Goal and Objectives

This workshop aims at creating a community of writers and making peer response an integral

part of the whole course. Specifically, the students will be able to develop their resume throughthis workshop.

Materials and Tools

1. A checklist for them to do resume editing2. Peer response form

Procedure Purpose

Teacher modeling (15 min.)

The teacher will lead the students throughdiscussion of one sample resume by using thequestions on the peer response form. Concludethe discussion by identifying 1-2 positivecomments and 1-2 suggestions.

Teacher modeling will make the studentunderstand the process better and perform

better.

Process (60 min)

Then the teacher will divide the students intogroups and give everyone a checklist and a

peer response form.

Follow up( later in office hours)The teacher can discuss with individualstudents whether their peer revises effectively.What further suggestions they might give thewriter?

Teacher feedback plays a very important role.

Materials for Sample Lesson Plan Four


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Workshop Checklist(https://cms.psu.edu/section/default.asp?id=200809FAUP+++RENGL+202C022)

DESIGN

Layout makes good use of white space, margins, headings, and sub-headings.

Typography effectively draws readers attention to important terms.--Uppercase --font size --spacing--Bold, italics --font --line length

Lists the most important things first.

Is clear, easy to read, and aesthetically pleasing.

CONTENT AND LANGUAGE USE

Uses specific detail.

Quantifies wherever possible.

Uses action verbs.

Features the most relevant and appropriate content for the job listing.

Totally free of errorsspelling, grammatical, or otherwise.

Resume Power Wordshttp://www.careerowlresources.ca/Resumes/Res_Frame.htm?res_power.htm~right

A

accomplished advertised arranged

achieved advised assembled

acquired analyzed assisted

adapted appraised audited

adjusted approved augmented

administered arbitrated authored

B

budgeted built

C


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calculated conceived coordinated

catalogued conceptualized copyrighted

charted conducted corrected

closed(adeal) consolidated corresponded

coached constructed counseled

compared consulted createdcompiled contacted cultivated

completed controlled

composed convinced

D

debugged detected discovered

decreased determined dispatched

delegated developed distributed

delivered devised documented

designated diagnosed

designed directed

E

edited enhanced examined

elicited enlarged exceeded

eliminated established executed

empowered estimated expandedengineered evaluated explained

F

fired flagged formulated

founded

G

gathered generated guided

H

headed hired


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I

identified initiated interpreted

ignited innovated interviewedimplemented inspected invented

improved installed inventoried

increased instituted

influenced instructed

J

justified

L

lectured lobbied logged

led

M

maintained mediated motivated

managed modified

manufactured monitored

N

negotiated

obtained ordered overhauledoperated organized

patented prepared programmed

performed presented promoted


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persuaded presided proposed

placed processed provided

planned produced purchased

posted proficient

Q

quantified qualified

R

recognized reorganized researched

recommended repaired restored

reconciled replaced reviewed

reduced reported revisedreferred represented

regulated rescued

S

scheduled sold suggested

screened solved supervised

selected steered supplied

served streamlined systematizedsimplified studied

T

taught tracked transcribed

tested trained translated

traced

U

updated utilized

V

vended


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W

won wrote

Sentence Structures in Resumes

Karsh B. and Pike C. (2009). How to Say It on Your Resume. New York: Prentice Hall Press.

1. No full sentences but bullet points. Full sentences make your resume overwhelming and difficult

to read.

2. Each bullet point should start with an action verb, and each action verb should be different and

powerful.

3. You can use commas to your advantage to make the bullet points more concise.

4. Use parallelism which means put equally important things into an identical grammatical form.

For example,

D N Tlistthings like this

Todayspresentationwilltakethefollowingformat:

examinethecurrentdresscode

reasonsforchangingthedresscode

newdresscodeexplanation

summary

Non-parallellistsarehardtoskim quicklyandhardtoremembereasily


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insteaUSE PARALLELISM

Todayspresentationwill:

examine thecurrentdresscode

give reasonsforchangingthecode

explain anewproposedcode

summari e themainpoints

Navigating Resume Grammarhttp://www.ceswoodstock.org/job_search/resumegram.shtml

Resume language differs from normal speech in several ways. In general, keep the language tight

and the tone professional.

y First-person pronouns (I, we) - Your name is at the top of each resume page, so the readerknows it's about you. Eliminate first-person pronouns. Also, don't use third-personpronouns (he, she) when referring to yourself the narrative technique makes you seempompous.

y Articles (the, a, an) - Articles crowd sentences and don't clarify meaning. Substituteretrained staff for retrained the staff.

y Helping verbs (have, had, may, might) - Helping verbs weaken claims and credibilityimplying that your time has passed and portraying you as a job-hunting weakling. Saymanaged instead of have managed.

y Being verbs (am, is, are, was, were) - Being verbs suggest a state of existence rather thana state of motion. Try monitored requisitions instead of requisitions were monitored. Theactive voice gives a stronger, more confident delivery.

y Shifts in tense - Don't switch back and forth between tenses. Another big mistake: datinga job as though you are still employed (2000 - present) and then describing it in the pasttense.

y Complex sentences - Keep your sentences lean and clean readers won't take time todecipher them. Process this mind-stumper:


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o " Reduced hospital costs by 67% by creating a patient-independence program,where they make their own beds, and as noted by hospital finance department,costs of nails and wood totaled $300 less per patient that work hours ofmaintenance staff."

o Complex sentences can be eliminated by dividing ideas into sentences of their

own and getting rid of extraneous details:o "Reduced hospital costs by 67%. Originated patient independence program that

decreased per-patient expense by $300 each."y Overwriting - Use your own voice; don't say expeditious when you want to say swift.y Abbreviations - Abbreviations are informal and not universal even when they are career-

specific. Use Internet instead of Net. The exception is industry jargon - use it, especiallyin digital resumes. It adds to your credibility to be able to correctly and casually useterms common to the industry in which you're seeking employment.

Student Response Form

(Developed from Ferris, Dana R. , and John S., Hedgcock. Teaching ESL Composition : purpose, processand practice. 1998, p. 255-256)

Name: ___________

Student Reviewer: ____________

Activity:Thoroughly read your classmates draft resume. Choose two or three aspects from each category

that you think are especially good or need some additional work. Note them in the chart below with

specific comments.

Discussion: circle what you think are the three strongest and three weakest areas in each resume. Be

prepared to discuss these with your team and your teacher later.

What I like What needs work

Layout /font

Language and Mechanics

Organization

Content


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My reflection

Doing this project is a precious and enlightening experience for me. I finally got a chance to

apply what Ive learned in this class in a real context, such as helping the learners take ownership

of their own learning. Also, in the ongoing process of making this course development, I got a

better understanding of the importance of knowing the target students and tailor the course and

teaching according to their specific needs, proficiency and expectations. Besides, it is important

to establish the credibility of teaching materials and as well make sure the activities are usable

and effective in a real context. One more thing I learned is that it is the teachers responsibility to

think from the students perspective and make the teaching accessible. Dont just assume that

your students must already know something because oftentimes it turned out the opposite.

Research needs to be done in order to know what they really know, what they want to know and

the ways in which they can learn better.

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