The Job Search:
Representing Yourself Well In Writing
Ethos: be mindful
of how you tell a prospective employer who you are
·
Who are you as a student?
·
Who are you as a scholar and researcher?
·
Who are you as a teacher?
·
Who are you as a colleague?
·
Who are you as a writer?
·
Who are you as a “politician”?
·
Who are you as a candidate aware of the conventions?
·
Who are you ethically?
·
Who are you in terms of responsibility?
·
Who are you in terms of professional goals and potential?
·
Who are you in terms of professional rank?
· Who are you in relation to the needs of the institution to which you’re applying?
II.
Composing an Effective Application Letter
A letter of application may be one
of the two most important documents you ever write. A resumé is the other.
Although the following tips are not the only ones to keep in mind, they
will help you to present yourself well to a prospective employer:
1.
Provide all your necessary contact information.
2.
Make it evident that you are writing in specific response to
an employer’s call for applicants, and write it on the letterhead of your
department if possible.
3.
Refer to mutual professional acquaintances only if they
directly relate to the job you’re seeking— and do so tastefully.
4.
Show that your qualifications indeed match what the employer
is seeking.
5.
Give a succinct narrative of your professional history,
starting with your present work, then going back in time, suggesting
advancement at each “stage” and supplying clear explanations wherever you
anticipate an employer’s questions.
6.
Indicate any experience that might make you more valuable to
an employer.
7.
Address a specific person and mention the specific
workplace, wherever it’s suitable.
8.
Use a tone that is formal, collegial, and interested.
9.
Write in a direct, plain-spoken style and keep your
sentences/paragraphs short.
10.
Get a mentor to
check over what you write.
11.
Be grammatically
correct.
12. Be truthful but selective about information—don’t try to tell all.
Two sample letters
(different cultural styles)
A resumé documents the development of your professional life
and gives an employer the information she needs to verify your
qualifications. A resumé must:
—provide all contact information.
—demonstrate chronological continuity.
—highlight qualifications & educational background.
—be readable, correct, and as brief as possible.
—substantiate your most significant professional
activity & productivity.
—show “tailoring” to the specific job for which you’re
applying (consistent with your letter).
—identify pertinent publications, presentations, or course
work.
—cite relevant honors.
—list up-to-date references (and location of professional
dossier).