This final semester project asks you to apply all that you have learned this semester to customize a job materials portfolio. In this project, you will research jobs and develop contextualized materials related to that one particular position. Ideally, you will include work accomplished during your client-consulting project and apply principles from the Donald Asher readings.

This project, although geared toward internships and new positions within an organization, can be adapted to fit your specific needs. In other words, graduate school applications or materials for a promotion or review at your current job are encouraged. I want this portfolio to be useful for each of you. If you might need such consideration, please consult with me so that we can make the portfolio equitable and useful for you.

The deliverables for this unit include:

a job advertisement,

research memo,

a print-based résumé or a web-based résumé, and

a cover letter.

On this node, you will find all information that you need to complete unit 5 including required readings and recommended resources. If you have any questions about deadlines, please refer to the course calendar. If you have any questions about using the materials located on this page, feel free to contact me (kimmehea@u.arizona.edu or 663-3500).

What kind of job advertisement should I locate?
In contrast to unit 1 where you collected 3 job ads and used them for comparison and analysis, this unit asks you to locate a single job ad for a position of interest to you. This position might be one that you will be applying to in actuality; consider entry-level jobs if you are close to graduation and can participate in such a job or internship search. If you are not in a position to seek a professional job or internship, then you should locate a job that you will be qualified for in the near future or upon graduation. In other words, the position needs to be a professional position, and it should be realistic in terms of your degree-seeking status and experience.

Similar to your unit 1 work, this advertisement needs to be subtantial--at least three paragraphs in length. Additionally, the ad should specify not only the position but also the company. Part of your contextualization of your job materials will rely on your ability to research the position and company offering the position.

Keep in mind that the quality of your unit 5 materials is inextricably bound to your selection of a well-develop job advertisement.

Special Note: This project is also adaptable for those of you interested in developing graduate school appliations or job promotion materials. Please reference the "How should I prepare my materials for grad, medical, or law school applications to fit the project?" section on this page.

How should I prepare my research memo?
Your research memo will be addressed to me, and it will explain your research into the position and the company offering the position. This memo should follow the format as discussed in the memo of introduction. Additionally, please review the considerations of drafting a memo.

memo development
The body of your memo should be developed based upon the following prompts. (If you cannot answer these questions thoroughly based upon your research into the position and company, you need to locate another position of interest to you.)

State the position you have chosen and the company offering the position.
Explain the company's product or service and its clientele.
Describe the company's mission.
Discuss the company's history.
Provide information about the company's competitors.
Discuss the benefits, long-term growth, and opportunities for you in this position and with this company.
Describe the reason you selected this position over others that you located.
Develop a preliminary analysis of the kinds of skills and experiences you have to offer the company.

How should I prepare my print-based résumé?
Your print-based résumé should be developed as guided by the Asher readings and our class discussion. Do not use a Word template to design your resume! Keep in mind that a traditional print-based résumé follows a relatively conventional set of guidelines, but those guidelines must be adapted to your own unique situation. That is, your résumé must consider your own strengths as a candidate as well as the principles discussed in our readings.

required sections of your résumé
Your resume should include the following sections, but not necessarily in the order provided here. The ordering of your accomplishments should be based upon your best analysis of the job context.

Contact information,
Profile section (Review chapter 8 of Asher),
Education,
Professional Experience,
Activities, Honors, and/or Memberships (or other such category).

Remember you must determine how these sections will be developed and positioned on your résumé, and I would be happy to consult with you about those decisions.

formatting your resume
Your résumé should closely follow the guidelines established in formatting reference sheet in terms of font choices and white space. The formatting, however, must also be adapted to your particular situation in the job search. White paper, black laser jet printing, and reasonable grid set-up of your résumé, however, are required. Font sizes, emphases, and faces should be selected for readablity, tone, and transferablity. Headings must be used to denote subsections of your résumé, and you should be certain to create a consistent design. Once again, do not use Word templates for your resume--develop the design yourself.

How should I prepare my web-based résumé?
Your web-based résumé should be developed firstly with professionalism. Despite interesting personal pages offered in our electronic community, you don't want your web-based résumé to be perceived as less than professional. Your first decision, and likely one of the most difficult, is layout of the web-based résumé. Will you create one long node with supporting documents linked from that node? Will you create multiple pages that represent sections of your résumé with an overview of those pages for the reader?

Keep in mind that answers to these questions must be dictated by the rhetorical situation of your own job search. Expectations for design and layout of web documents often is connected with disciplinary expectations. Those of you in media studies or design related fields might need to demonstrate a more visually complicated design. Others of you might want or need a more conservative web-based design. Regardless of your choice, you must be able to explain your design choices in the context of your research on the job position. Although I don't expect you to write each line of code yourself, do not use a Web template OR save a Word file as HTML. Neither of these options provides you the opportunty to learn web design or make rhetorical choices about the design and content of your web materials.

In terms of résumé sections, I expect you to include those noted above in the print-based résumé section. In addition, providing links or downloadable examples of your work as "linked evidence" of your abilities is a terrific idea. Be certain those links demonstrate a clear relationship and that they are understood by the user of your web-based résumé.

How should I prepare my cover letter?
Your cover letter is your opportunity to capture your job reviewer's attention. You should address the letter to the contact person listed on the job advertisement. If the job ad does not provide a name, select a proper opening such as "Dear Business Manager:" or "Dear Human Resource Specialist"--avoid "To Whom It May Concern"! Ideally, you want to do a little research to locate the contact person. Remember, proofread the spelling of your contact person's name.

Your cover letter, as Asher denotes, serves two critical purposes: 1) the proper routing of your résumé and 2) the effective selling of you as a candidate. Following the suggestion on pages 138-148, you should develop the following three sections of your letter (Of course, you might need to adapt this order depending upon your specific materials for this project):

Introduction,
Rationale, and
Call to action.

Remember you should subtly include the research you have done about the organization in your cover letter. For example, if the organization highlights its commitment to "customer satisfaction," "quality," "innovation," etc., you need to use that language to describe yourself and your work ethic. You should do so by emphasizing what abilities and skills you can contribute to their organization. Two common "problems" to avoid in your cover letter are 1) focusing on the position's benefit to you rather than stating your contribution to the organization and 2) wasting too much valuable space on information already listed on your resume.



How should I prepare my materials for grad, medical, or law school applications to fit the project?
In terms of developing equivilant work to a job portfolio, those of you interested in grad, medical, or law school should provide me with the following:

Starting Web Page or Description of Program to which you are applying (replaces the job ad);
Research Memo that addresses these Questions:

State the program that you have chosen and the university associated with the program.
Explain the program's strengths in terms of specializations and research interests.
Describe the program's mission and guide purposes.
Discuss the program's history.
Provide information about competing programs.
Discuss the benefits, long-term growth, and opportunities for you after graduating from this program.
Describe the reason you selected this program over others that you located.
Develop a preliminary analysis of the kinds of skills and experiences you have to offer the program;

Completed Copy of your Application Form (replaces resume); and
Completed Personal Statement (replaces cover letter).

To help with your personal statement, I have found some useful online resources. Basically, you are trying to explain why you are interested in advanced study, what you have to offer the field and that particular program, and what the program has to offer you.

As the information in these sites will stress, always answer the questions provided to you. If the program does not ask specific questions rely on the formula stated above.

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/hove/perstips.htm

http://www.socialworker.com/admissio.htm

http://www.hope.edu/academic/psychology/geninfo/perstate.html

http://uga.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement/

http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/PersonalStatement.html

It is very important to proofread your statement carefully, and format it in a "traditional" way. Keep in mind that each discipline will read personal statements from different vantage points and that advice from faculty in your discipline can best contribute to the shaping of your statement.

When do I submit my job materials for evaluation?
In order to be successful with this project, you must be self-motivated. I will not be setting intermediate due dates (other than draft sharing days). I encourage you to come by my office hours or make arrangements for me to review materials with you. The memo is especially signficant in terms of making sure you are "on the right track." Thus, don't hesitate to set up a meeting and share your progress with me. Otherwise, I want this project to be motivated by all you have learned--I am offering you support but want you to guide the process for yourself.

The final portfolio is due on the last day of class. If you decide to create a web-based résumé, you will provide me the URL where your résumé is hosted.