Practical models for technical communication - Shannon Kelley 2021

Organize your materials
Job materials

Job materials take various forms. For example, a person applying for a job as a nurse or nursing assistant may complete an online or paper application. An applicant for a position as the director of nursing at a hospital may have to prepare a résumé. Why the difference? The first two jobs rely heavily on licensure and experience, while the third also requires the ability to lead, supervise, and communicate well in writing. A résumé allows employers to determine a candidate’s abilities in these areas. Figure 6.2 shows a few industry-specific job materials you may encounter.

Figure 6.2. Types of Job Materials. Different job materials serve different purposes. Some jobs may require combinations of these materials.

Organize by Purpose

Begin organizing your experience by reflecting on your goals. Many career experts recommend starting with goal setting before you create a résumé or cover letter. Why would anyone recommend this? Isn’t goal setting an extra, unnecessary step? You don’t even have the job yet.

Actually, the process of goal setting is similar to that of research and writing. Think back to what you learned about thesis statements in the past. A strong thesis provides a foundation for your essay or your speech. In the same way, your goal statement can form the basis of your job materials.

Like a thesis statement, your goal statement is a short phrase or sentence that relates to your career objective. If you know what you’re aiming for, you can make better decisions and choices along the way. Think of it like a mantra, a repeated phrase that some people use to remind them of what’s most important to them. Your goal statement serves a similar purpose in your job search.

To identify your goals, think about what you want. Begin by breaking your goals into current, short-term, and long-term goals. Consider making your goals S.M.A.R.T., an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, attractive, realistic, and time-based. The more you’ve thought about your goals, the easier it will be to articulate them in writing and in an interview. The strategy of S.M.A.R.T. goals can help you identify what you want in each of the following categories (figure 6.3).

Figure 6.3. The S.M.A.R.T. Technique. Take time to think about what you want, and then write a goal statement to guide your job search.

It’s important to make a distinction between the goals you set for yourself and the goal statement you might include at the top of a résumé. Your personal goal may be to earn as much money doing as little as possible so you can retire early and live in a windmill. But your goal statement should express not what you want, but rather why a specific company would want you to be their next hire.

The practice of including a goal statement on a résumé is far from universal, however. In fact, some job experts discourage applicants from including the goal statement because they see these statements as taking up valuable space on the résumé. When in doubt, look for quality résumé examples in your target job market. Do they use a goal statement? If possible, ask the human resources manager at your target place of employment. Do they prefer résumés with goal statements?

Whether or not you include a goal statement in your application packet, the process of articulating who you are and what you want benefits you as you seek positions where you would be a good fit. When you practice articulating your educational experience, relatable job skills, and professional goals, it will help you sound more polished in a job interview.

Select Relevant Details

Be intentional when you choose what details to share in your job materials. Whether you’ve been working for twenty years or haven’t yet held a full-time job, most résumés should stick to a single page. If your experience is deep, you should limit your résumé to the most recent and relevant parts of your work history. If you’re new to the job market, organize your experience in other ways by including volunteer work, coursework, skill sets, or activities that relate to the job.

Be selective. Resist the urge to list everything you can think of on your résumé. Your goal is to show that you’re an ideal candidate for a specific job, not to overwhelm the person looking at the document with an exhaustive list of unrelated accomplishments.

Create a Distinct Header

Your résumé may be in a folder among many. The header of your résumé is the first data point the hiring manager sees. In fact, many companies are switching to automated services to sort potential hires. In order to stand out, be sure to stay current on relevant resume and hiring trends in your field.

Take a look at Connor’s first attempts at his résumé header (figure 6.4). Connor wants to highlight his proficiency with social media, and he has multiple social media accounts that he posts on regularly. Which ones should he include?

Figure 6.4. Résumé Header Variations. Your résumé should stand out in a good way. Consider the effectiveness of these three variations for Connor’s header.

Connor should only include the social media account that is geared toward the workplace and that best markets his skills. It’s best if he leaves off the accounts that show where he ate last night or his hobby of knitting sweaters for his pet Yorkie.

Let’s take another look at two versions of the header for Connor’s résumé (figure 6.5). Notice how the first example gives prime real estate to his career objective. Not only is this objective loaded with general terms that the human resources manager sees several hundred times a day, but it states the obvious. In the second example, Connor ditches the obvious objective, which allows his education and current position to take its place.

Figure 6.5. More Résumé Header Variations. These headers use different approaches to direct the user’s eye. The first is a bit crowded, while the second makes use of white space.

Organize by Function

A functional résumé design groups similar items together. Your education, work experience, military experience, skills, and so on are all grouped in their own sections, usually beginning with the most relevant or the most recent. Someone with extensive work experience might begin there.

A person right out of college, like Connor, would likely start with his education as the most valuable and then list his work experience. Military experience could be placed in its own section or divided between education and experience depending on the nature of the knowledge or experience gained during enlistment. This list provides some categories to consider when organizing your experience by function (figure 6.6).

Maybe inexperience is not your problem. You volunteer every weekend at the Humane Society, have always had a job if not two, and got a 4.0 GPA in school, a full-ride scholarship, multiple accolades, and employee of the month for four months running. Well, good for you. Your challenge, then, is to decide what to leave off your résumé. Do not reduce the font size so you can cram it all in. Choose the most relevant and recent. You can sum up the depth of your experience in your cover letter and, with luck, in the interview.

Figure 6.6. Organize by Function. These standard categories show how to organize your experience by function.

Organize by Theme

A thematic résumé groups items together by categories such as publications, sales, or management—whatever relates to the field. This organization enables experienced individuals to highlight specific aspects of their career successes and areas of knowledge. These thematic categories usually connect directly to key requirements listed on the job posting.

Look for the common threads between your education, work experiences, webinars, and other skills that connect you with the skills the company wants. For example, if the posting mentions market analysis, you might list the jobs where you performed that skill, the professional webinar you completed, and the courses you took on marketing and statistics. On a résumé, these experiences might be listed under the thematic heading “Market Analysis” instead of separately under the headings of education and licensure.

For both approaches, it comes down to preparing the document that best suits the audience’s needs. It also matters what information you have to present. The functional approach is the most common and works well for many jobs and many people. The thematic approach can set you apart or organize your document when you have significant experience to relay.