Center for Writing Excellence

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Visit the Center for Writing Excellence and spend at least a half-hour reviewing tutorials on writing career-related documents such as cover letters and resumes.

Consider how you can write your own cover letter or resume for this week's assignment.

Discuss any questions with your peers and instructor.

Persuasive Cover Letter

In today's business environment, workers and managers should view changing jobs as a normal means of career progression and self-development. Informal preparation for job hunting in your area of study should start soon after you begin your degree program. Ideally, formal preparation for job-hunting, including creating a persuasive cover-letter and resume, should begin at least a full year before you begin interviewing.

Keep in mind that most employers will skim resumes to decide on who they want to interview. Employers assume that the letter and resume represent your best work. Therefore, a resume and cover letter must do the following:

• Say as much as possible to sell yourself to your future employer.
• Fill at least one page and be engaging to the busiest readers.
• Emphasize information that is relevant to the job you want, is recent, and shows your superiority to other applicants.
• Emphasize personal qualities and qualifications convincingly.
• Use appropriate tone.
• Provide insight that suggests a good deal about who you are.
• Provide explanation on how you see yourself fitting into the organization, and to show how you can be an asset to this employer.

Remember, a convincing cover letter secures an interview, so present yourself as the best candidate they will ever have the pleasure of interviewing.

Use any resume format you think is appropriate.

Write a cover letter (approximately 350 words) and a one-page resume that will ensure you get an interview.

Submit your assignment to the Assignment Files tab.

Faculty Materials

The audience for business writing is busy. Time is money. That means your resume and cover letter must be short, concise and full of very clear information about who you are and what you can do for the company.

Academic writing, on the other hand, wants more detail, more analysis, amnd in a verbal way, to show your work, as you would in a math problem. Another difference is that while you will likely never write another essay after you graduate from college, you may need to update your resume and cover letter every year as you gain experience and work the job market. 

Ask questions or comment on the process of writing a resume and a cover letter.