Practical models for technical communication - Shannon Kelley 2021

Why job materials matter
Job materials

Abstract: Job materials are technical documents that serve as the first point of contact with a potential employer. This chapter introduces the idea of adapting your job materials (your message) to the particular needs of the job (your audience) in order to move to the next stage of the hiring process (your purpose). The fundamentals of technical communication can help you design documents that are persuasive and professional. As you’ll see, creating effective job materials is not a one-and-done activity. These materials are living documents that you will build on throughout your career. Like all technical documents, they should be precise, clear, concise, accurate, and scannable.

Looking Ahead

1. Why Job Materials Matter

2. Organize Your Materials

3. Steps for Creating Job Materials

4. Build a Cover Letter

5. Characteristics of Effective Job Materials

6. Job Materials Best Practices

7. Ethical Considerations

8. Be Competitive

Key Terms

” claim

” cliché

” etiquette

” keyword

” references

” S.M.A.R.T.

Why job materials matter

Recent reports from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the average American born in the early 1980s holds an average of 8.2 jobs between the ages of 18 and 32.¹ Younger workers born between 1981 and 1996, known as Millennials, are three times more likely than previous generations to move from job to job, according to a recent Gallup poll.² The poll suggests that creating job materials—résumés, cover letters, and the like—is not only a task for recent graduates. Your job materials will likely be a type of technical communication you’ll adapt several times throughout your working life.

Almost everyone has spent time looking for a job, so you’d think the average person should be confident in this activity. Not so. Most people feel uneasy when preparing job materials. A survey conducted by Hired, an online employment site, reported that eight in ten working adults find the job search stressful. In fact, the same survey found that most people feel looking for a job is more nerve racking than a root canal.³

The job hunt is stressful, true, but it doesn’t need to be painful. This chapter deals with the technical skills you need to be successful and addresses some of the myths and misconceptions about the job search. When you create engaging and effective job materials, not only do you increase your chances of getting the job you want, you gain confidence in yourself as well.

The Applicant Situation

Your college writing courses likely taught you how to make a claim and support it with evidence. The documents you provide when applying for a job should do the same. Your claim—a statement of what you believe to be true—should be a professional version of “I’m the right person for the job.” You support this claim with job materials that show your qualifications.

Your degree, experience, goals, and skills should work together to provide evidence that you are a solid candidate for the position. Fortunately, your coursework in technical communication teaches you to design documents that grab attention and direct the user’s eye for maximum impact.

Let’s take a look at someone looking for a job right now. Connor will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He has many high school accolades and spent summers working as a lifeguard. He works part-time in the business office at his uncle’s hardware store, but he does not want to work for the family business forever. Recently, he saw a job at Eco-Thrive, a company that builds sustainable tiny homes (figure 6.1). This opportunity could be his dream job, but Connor has some work to do first.

Even with his degree and work experience, Connor is nervous about preparing personal marketing materials. Yes, you read correctly. Job materials should attempt to “sell” your skills to potential employers. Connor needs to decide how to translate his limited work experience and love of the environment into a compelling argument to get him an interview.

Figure 6.1. Job Description. Connor’s job search begins with the job posting. Compare the description of this job with Connor’s experience.

Job Materials

As with other deliverables, job materials are more effective if you focus on your audience, purpose, and message. The fact that your job materials always have the same subject (namely, you) doesn’t change the need to tailor the documents to the specific job and audience. No matter how much time you might save by creating a generic set of job materials, don’t do it. Human resource managers and the other administrators who review applications typically deal with hundreds of applications for every job opening. If you write generic content for your documents, you will not stand out from the competition.

Your approach to creating job materials impacts your purpose, as well. The way you think about and communicate your purpose should reflect a sincere interest in the position. The generic purpose of “I need a job” is not a compelling argument for your hire. Considering your audience and your purpose together will help you to arrive at a precise message: your job materials. The details of the message should be targeted to the particular audience and purpose as much as possible. You don’t need to completely rewrite every job document from scratch, but you do need to avoid sending the same bland document to every potential employer.