yuwei 202 tutorial 4

COMM 202tutorial 4: cover letter peer review

T29 & T31

timelineweek 5 week 9week 6 week 8week 7

• intro to cover letters

• skills matrix drafts due

• cover letter peer review

• cover letter drafts due

• skills matrix due Friday, October 14th @ 2:00PM

• LinkedIn / networking

• event networking / informational interviews

• cover letter & resume due Tuesday, November 1st @ 2:00PM

• networking event on November 3rd

• resume peer review

• resume drafts due

skills matrix

agenda• cover letter peer review!• resume overview• action items

cover letter peer review

instructions1. write your table number on ALL of your

documents2. put your documents in a pile in the middle of the

table3. get out your marking utensils

for each new slide section, pass the document to the right

formatting• left aligned (NOT justified)• no indents on paragraphs• bullet points vs. paragraphs• 2-3 relevant skills• consistent font size• appropriate font• margin sizes• spacing between paragraphs• white space

addressing the cover letterDate

Contact NameTheir TitleCompanyAddressCity, Province, Postal Code

Re: Position Title

Dear [first name last name] OR Hiring Manager

These spaces are important

If unknown, this can be omitted

AVOID: “To Whom it May Concern”“Dear Sir or Madam”

Country is typically unnecessary unless applying outside of Canada

addressing the cover letter

To a non-specified committee/manager

To a specific person

signing off the cover letter

Sincerely,Your NameBCom Candidate 20XXSauder School of BusinessAttached: Resume

Written signature

optional (provide more space if

including)

Attached: Resume, Transcript

Use “Enclosed: …” only if sending application by mail

BCom Candidate 2016These spaces are important

Regards,Best,

opening• how do you like the hook?

• is there keen, genuine interest and/or passion for the position?

• is there a clear expression of the skills/experience matching the job posting?

• is primary or secondary research integrated (and indicates interest)?

• if name drop is used, was it well-integrated?

• hook!

skills matching• are there specific skills matched to the job description?

• do they reference specific examples that leverage experiences/qualifications?

• are the highlighted experiences specific and concise?

• do they indicate transferrable skills?

• do the results show strength or success?

• suggested minimum of 2 skills/attributes matched

• show, don’t tell!

conclusion• are skills reiterated in a different (not redundant!)

way?

• is sincere interest expressed?

• is there a gracious thank you and call to action • request for meeting?

• tie back to hook/intro

branding• is their research insightful? Have they gone the

distance to show how they will “fit” into the industry or organization?

• did they use Industry Terms?

activity

who would you hire?

of the applications on your table, who has…

• who had the WOW factor?

• did they show CAN, WANT, and FIT?

• what was GOOD about their application?

• what do they need to work on?

how to get an “a”• ask friends for feedback

• come to OFFICE HOURS

• work through it – 20 minutes a day!

resume overview

header

the banner at the top of the page that contains basic information

profile

a brief self-intro and preview to your resume

education

showcase your academic journey

personal branding

presenting yourself through the document• goal: showcase personality & differentiate yourself• how do you want to be remembered?• are you catering to your audience?

marking

TYPOS FORMATTINGSPELLING & GRAMMAR

MISSING INFO DASHES VS. HYPHENS CONSISTENCY

if you have 2 or more errors per document, we will deduct 40%

resume overviewaccomplishment statements

STAR to RATS

from STAR stories to RATS statements

employers don’t want to read your story on your resume, they want to read your accomplishments

flip it!

Result

Action

Task

Situation

results

ATTAINED EXCEEDEDELIMINATEDINCREASED

DECREASED

MAXIMIZEDMINIMIZEDREDUCED

SAVEDSURPASSEDIMPROVEDCREATED

GENERATEDENHANCEDOPTIMIZED

ESTABLISHED

resultsqualitative

• ***Be Descriptive

• Positive Feedback

• Promotion/Increase in Responsibilities

• Implementation

• Awards

quantitative• How much?

• How many?

• Numbers / Percentages

action

do your results match up with your actions?

are those skills relevant to the job?

what skills did you see?

situation & task

what was the challenge?

paint the setting (who, what, where?)

describe the context

duty-based vs. accomplishment

duty-based

responsible for contacting corporate clients and organizing a tournament

accomplishment

VS.


duty-based

Responsible for contacting corporate clients and organizing a tournament

accomplishment

VS.

this is a job description!


duty-based

responsible for contacting corporate clients and organizing a tournament

accomplishment

VS.

accomplishment

achieved 85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience

accomplishment exampleachieved 85% client retention rate by establishing relationships with key corporate clients and providing a well organized, personally tailored tournament experience

RESULT


ACTION + TASK


SITUATION

one more example

results

actions task/situation

led Varsity Volleyball team to the PacWest BC Provincial Championship gold medal by exemplifying camaraderie and teamwork in both practices and high-pressure games

activity

take one of your skills-matching paragraphs and rewrite it as an accomplishment statement

key takeaways• no duty statements• be concise• format consistently• always stay relevant• small details matter• you do you!

action items• watch the resume e-module and review “outline to a

chronological resume”

• resume draft due next tutorial!– bring 2 copies!

• skills matrix due Friday (the 14th) at 2PM on Turnitin

Puppy of the week!