❖When you send an

to your colleagues within your

department or across departments, you will have to write a
memorandum or, in short, a memo. Memos may be used to:
▪ Formally document a verbal exchange;
▪ Inform, notify, or update colleagues about certain concerns;
▪ Request, remind, or recommend; and
▪ Serve as an introduction to specific documents
❖The memo follows a specific format designed

❖It tends to be brief (one page is usually enough), and its

content is arranged into paragraphs, typically just .
❖ The memo’s subject line is of prime importance. Like a
title, it (Locker and Kienzler, 2013). “aids in filing and
retrieving the document, tells the readers why they
need to read the document, and provides a
framework in which to set what they are about to
say”
❖ Good-news memos and letters can highlight the
good news in the subject line, but bad-news letters
and memos should have a neutral subject line.
❖ A good subject line is specific, concise, and
appropriate to the message.
a.
Too general: Training Seminar
Better: Dates for 2018 Training Seminar
Or: Schedule of Training Seminar on Conducting
Interviews
b.
Wordy: Survey of Students’ Preferences Regarding
Course Offerings
Better: Student’s Course Offering Preferences
Or: Survey of Students’ Course Preferences
❖ Business letters usually include the following:
a. Date – when the letter was written
b. Complete name of the recipient
c. Position of the recipient – in the organization or
organization
d. Salutation or greeting – indicating the title (e.g., Mr., Ms.,
Dr.) of the recipient
e. Body of the letter – indicate your purpose (e.g.,
appreciation, request, invitation, inquiry) for communicating
with the recipient
f. Closing – (e.g., Sincerely – formal; Best – less formal)
g. Sender’s signature, complete name, affiliation (address
of the sender’s affiliation), sender’s contact details
 – all parts are left-justified
(considered as the most formal)
– the date and the
closing are toward the center
– the date and the
closing are toward the center, and each
paragraph is indented
Sample A: Block Format
Sample B: Modified Block Format
Sample C: Semi-block Format
❖ An application letter is a standalone document you
submit to a potential employer to express your interest
in an open position.
❖ The job application letter explains who you are as a
professional and an individual.
❖ The letter should highlight your achievements and
skills, helping to get the attention of the hiring manager
or recruiter responsible for reviewing applications.
❖ When written well, this letter explains to the reader why
they should ask you in for an interview and highlights
the key qualifications that make you a fit for the role.
• A job application letter can impress a potential
employer and set you apart from other applicants. In your
letter, you may also want to show your familiarity with the
company to which you’re applying.

• You can talk about how your professional goals and

aspirations align with the company’s goals. It’s important
to use your job application letter to showcase aspects of
your personality.
o When writing an application letter for a job, follow these steps
to make sure you include information about yourself and your
professional experience that will appeal to a hiring manager:
1. Review information about the company and position
2. Use a professional format
3. Create the heading
4. Address the letter to the hiring manager
5. Open the letter by describing your interest
6. Outline your experience and qualifications
7. Include aspects of your personality
8. Express appreciation
9. Close the letter
1. Review information about the company and position
o It’s best to write a new application letter for each
position you’re applying for, so you can include pertinent
details and show your interest in the particular open
role. Spend some time reviewing the company
information, which you can likely find on the website, as
well as the position listing. Compare your
qualifications and experience with the list of skills in
that posting. You may also want to think about specific
experiences that have prepared you for the role, such
as leading a team or managing a major event.
2. Use a professional format
o The alignment of the document should include single
spacing, one-inch margins, and left alignment. It’s
best to use a professional and traditional font, such as
Times New Roman, in size from 11 to 12 points. Try
to keep your job application letter to one page. When a
hiring manager reviews your job application letter, they
will get their first impression of you as a potential
employee, so take time to format it professionally and
keep it concise.
3. Create the heading

o Use a formal business heading for your job

application letter. The heading should include your
name and contact information, date, company
name, and address. Suppose you send your job
application letter via email. In that case, you can
eliminate your name and contact information from
the header and put it at the bottom of the email after the
signature instead.
3. Create the heading
Example header:
Your name
Your physical address
Your phone number
Your email address
Date
Name of the hiring manager or supervisor
Title of the hiring manager or supervisor
Company name
Company physical address
▪ By including a professional and detailed heading, you can make it
easier for the hiring manager to follow up with you regarding the
position.
4. Address the letter to the hiring manager
o In your research, try to find the person’s name reviewing
applications for the job. Address your letter to this person
with a common business greeting, such as “Dear Mr. or
Ms.” and their last name. If you’re not sure of the
name or gender of the individual reviewing your
application, you can use the generic “To Whom It May
Concern” or “Dear Hiring Manager.”
5. Open the letter by describing your interest
o In the first paragraph of your letter, mention the job title you’re
applying for and where you saw the position posting. Include
your interest in the role and briefly state the main experience or
qualification that makes you a good fit. This section will draw
in the hiring manager as the reader of your application letter, so
it is important to appeal to that person quickly and succinctly.
✓ Example: “I saw the posting for the Marketing Intern role on my
university’s online job board, and I am very interested in the
role. I am in my final year of earning my bachelor’s degree in
marketing with a minor in communications, so I feel my
educational experience has prepared me to work in a fast-paced
marketing department like the one within your organization.”
6. Outline your experience and qualifications
o The next few paragraphs of your letter should highlight your
experience, qualifications, and skills, positioned in a way
that aligns with the company’s goals and mission. For
example, suppose you are applying for a job with a non-
profit organization that provides educational opportunities
to underserved community members. In that case, you could
talk about your experience with non-profit organizations
or educational offerings. Since a job application letter
should stand on its own without a resume, it’s helpful to
include details about your experience related to the position
you’re applying for.
7. Include aspects of your personality
o As you’re writing your job application letter, consider how
you can incorporate aspects of your personality. A
friendly and engaging letter is likely to appeal to the
reader, especially when they can get an idea of how well
you might fit with the team.

✓ For example, in the situation mentioned above, explain

that you are good at connecting with children or valuing
community spirit in your letter.
8. Express appreciation
o Before you sign off on your letter, express your
appreciation to the hiring manager for reviewing your
letter and considering you for the position. The hiring
manager is taking time out of their day to read what you
have written, so expressing your gratitude for that time spent
is a polite and professional way to close the document.
✓ Example: “I appreciate the time you have taken to review my
application letter. Since you likely received several applications
and letters for this open position, I am extremely grateful for the
time you have spent reading about me and what would make me a
good fit for this role.”
9. Close the letter

o Many people use “Sincerely” or “Best” to close the

letter, although any professional sign-off is fine to include.
The final line of the letter should be your full name. If you
submit a hard copy of the letter, include your signature
above your typed name. When submitting an
application letter via email, you should include your
contact information beneath your name rather than
including it in the header.
✓ When preparing a job application letter,
follow these tips to ensure your letter
includes the information a hiring manager
needs.
1. Emphasize your skills and abilities.
2. Stay concise.
3. Proofread the letter.
4. Review the job listing keywords.
5. Send a letter for every position to which
you apply.
 Job application letter example
✓ Use this sample job application letter
to help inspire you to write your own:

Dear Ms. Lopez;

MODULE 7
o A resume is a document commonly used in the hiring
process. It includes information about your background
and qualifications and should communicate the most
important, relevant information about you to employers
in a clear, easy-to-read format.
o The goal is to quickly communicate why you are
uniquely qualified for the position based on your skills
and experiences.
o To create a resume that employers will notice, you can
follow simple steps and best practices. The main goal to
keep in mind is to make your resume relevant and
readable.
1. Start by choosing the right resume format
o A “format” is the style and order in which you display
information on your resume. There are three
commonly-used resume formats you can choose from
depending on which is right for you: Chronological (or
reverse-chronological), functional, or combination.
o A chronological resume format places the
professional history section first and is a good option
if you have a rich professional work history with no
gaps in employment.
1. Start by choosing the right resume format
o The functional resume format emphasizes the
skills section and is a good option if you switch
industries or have gaps in your work history.
o The combination resume format is a good option
if you have some professional experience, where
both skills and work history are equally
important.
2. Include your name and contact information
o Your resume should begin with your name and
contact information, including your email
address and phone number. You have a choice
about whether or not to include your mailing
address.
3. Add a resume summary or objective
o After your contact information, you have the option to
include either a resume summary or an objective
statement. An objective statement quickly explains
your career goals and is a good choice for those with
limited professional experience, such as recent
college or high school graduates. A resume summary
is a short statement that uses active language to
describe your relevant work experience and skills.
4. List your soft and hard skills
o Take a moment to consider which skills make you a
great fit for the job. Review the job description and
highlight keywords that you have had proven success
with in the past. Consider both hard (technical) and
soft (interpersonal) skills, as well as transferable skills
you can use when changing careers or industries.
5. List your professional history with keywords.
o When listing your professional history, you should
keep a few best practices in mind:
✓ Use numbers to measure your impact when possible.
✓ Use keywords from the job description.
✓ Be brief.
✓ Use action verbs
*Follow the same process for other work experiences. If
you do not have extensive professional history, you
should also include internships and volunteer
opportunities following the same format.
6. Include an education section
o An education section will be valuable if you have
limited work experience (such as recent college or
high school graduates) or transfer to a new industry.
You can include information such as:
✓ Relevant coursework
✓ Grade point average (if above 3.5)
✓ Participation in clubs or organizations
✓ Leadership positions held
✓ Awards, achievements, or certifications
6. Include an education section
o When writing your education section, you should include
the institution’s name, dates of attendance, and your
degree or area of study. If you are applying to mid or
higher-level positions, you might remove all but the name
of your school and dates of attendance to make room for
more relevant professional experience on your resume.
7. Consider adding optional sections
o If you have significant white space on your resume,
consider adding an achievements or interests section.
This can help supplement a shorter resume, especially
those with limited work and educational experience.
Ensure that the achievements and interests you list
support your career goals and are relevant to potential
employers.
8. Format your resume
While the layout of your resume is important, you
should also take time to pay attention to formatting
details like font style, font size, margins, and spacing.
Formatting your resume can make it look
clean, professional and improve readability. This is key
when attempting to keep an employer’s
attention. Here are a few key tips that can help make
your resume look polished:
8. Format your resume
Here are a few key tips that can help make your resume look
polished:
✓ Make your font between 10 and 12 point size.
✓ Select a font that is clean and easy to read, like Arial or
Helvetica; avoid stylized fonts.
✓ Make sure your margins are 1 to 1.5 inches.
✓ Make your name and section headers bold or slightly bigger
font size (no more than 14 points).
✓ Use bullet points when listing several different pieces of
information, like under your education and professional
history sections.
9. Proofread your resume
Here are a few key tips that can help make your resume look
polished:
o Carefully review your resume for spelling, grammar, and
punctuation errors. Reading your resume backward can help you
identify errors by presenting the words in a new order. You should
also ask trusted friends, colleagues, professors, and family
members if they can review your resume. Third-party opinions
can help reveal new information you might have overlooked.
o Suppose your resume is more than one page, review for ways to
consolidate or shorten each section by removing filler words or
extraneous information. Two pages may be acceptable if you
apply for high-level positions or industries like healthcare or
academia.
10. Tailor your resume for each position
o It’s important to revise your resume to tailor it to
each position you apply for. For each job, adjust
the keywords in the skills section to be a great fit
for what the employer needs. It would help if you
also changed what you emphasize in the
professional history and educational experiences
sections depending on what’s listed in the job
description.
Example of
a resume
▪ A curriculum vitae, often shortened to CV, is a Latin
term meaning “course of life.” A CV is a detailed
professional document highlighting a person’s
experience and accomplishments. Employers often
require a CV when considering applications. This
document shares an overview of your career history,
education, relevant awards and honors,
scholarships, grants, research, projects, and
publications.
 Contact information. Include your full name, address, phone number,
and email address.
•Academic history. List all schooling from high school through
postdoctoral (if applicable). Include the title of the degree you earned,
the year you graduated, and the school’s name.
•Professional experience. Include the organization where you worked,
the job title, the dates you were employed, and a summary of your
experience and achievements.
•Qualifications and skills. List a combination of hard and soft skills
you’ve developed throughout your career.
•Awards and honors. For each award, add the name, year received, the
organization that gave you the award, and any pertinent details (such
as how often it’s presented).
 • Publications and presentations. For publications, provide a full
citation including your co-authors, date, summary, volume, page, DOI
number. For presentations, provide the title, date, and venue you
presented.
• Professional associations. List the organization’s name, location
or chapter, and active membership dates.
• Grants and scholarships. Provide the name of the grant or
scholarship, the date awarded, and the institution that provided the
award.
• Licenses and certifications. Please include the name of the license
or certificate, the date you earned it, and the institution that awarded it.
award, and any pertinent details (such as how often it’s presented).
1. Chronological
• This is the most common type of CV. For a chronological CV,
list your academic history and professional experience first
after your contact information. This type of CV focuses largely
on your academic and professional experience.
• Contact information • Publications and presentations
• Academic history • Grants and scholarships
• Professional experience • Licenses and certifications
• Qualifications and skills • Professional associations
• Awards and honors
▪ A chronological CV is best if you have consistent employment
within the same industry, and your work experience displays
advancement within your field.
2. Functional
o This CV format emphasizes your skills, awards, and honors. If you
write a functional CV, you should place your relevant skills near the
top under your contact information. In a functional CV, you will
allocate more space to your qualifications, skills, awards, and
honors and less space to your professional experience. Here are the
sections you should include:
•Contact information •Professional experience
•Qualifications and skills •Publications and presentations
•Awards and honors •Grants and scholarships
•Academic history •Licenses and certifications
•Professional associations
▪ A functional CV may be the right choice if you have recently
graduated and are entering the job market for the first time, have
multiple gaps in employment, or you’re changing careers.
3. Combination
• This CV type is a hybrid of the chronological and
functional formats. It allows adequate space for details
about both your professional and educational history, as
well as your skills and accomplishments. The elements
you place first depend on your experience, career goals,
and what you believe is most relevant to the types of
positions you’re seeking.
• For example, if you’re hoping to earn a teaching position
at a university and you’ve spent the past ten years as an
educator, you should list your professional background
first.
 HOW TO WRITE A CURRICULUM
VITAE
1. Choose the right font type and size
2. Check your margins
3. Utilize your space effectively
4. Proofread
Example of a CURRICULUM VITAE
Differences between RESUME and CURRICULUM VITAE
MODULE 7
• If the employer or hiring personnel like the overall picture presented
by your application letter, resume, and curriculum vitae, they will
want a closer picture. They will then ask the applicant to come in for a
job interview.
• Job interviews can vary from structured or formal with specific
questions to unstructured with more freewheeling conversation.
Among several other types of interviews, the following are the most
common:
•The traditional one-on-one interview – the candidate is interviewed by
one person.
•The panel interview – the candidate is interviewed by a group or panel.
•The group interview – the candidate, is interviewed along with fellow
candidates.
•The stress interview – the candidate is asked a series of difficult and
intimidating questions to see how they handle stress.
• It is best to determine which type of interview to
expect and prepare appropriately for this kind of
interview. It is normal to be nervous, but there are
ways of reducing this interview fear.
• Tips for BEFORE the interview:
✓ Start by researching the company and your
interviewers.
✓ Practice your answers to common interview
questions.
✓ Reread the job description.
✓ Use the STAR method in answering questions.
Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
✓ Recruit a friend to practice answering questions.
• Tips for before the interview:
✓ Prepare a list of references.
✓ Be prepared with examples of your work.
✓ Prepare smart questions for your interviewers.
• Can you explain some of the day-to-day responsibilities this job entails?
• How would you describe the characteristics of someone who would succeed
in this role?
• If I were in this position, how would my performance be measured? How
often?
• What departments does this teamwork with regularly?
• How do these departments typically collaborate?
• What does that process look like?
• What are the challenges you’re currently facing in your role?
• Tips for DURING the interview:
✓ Plan your interview attire the night before.
✓ Bring copies of your resume, a notebook, and a pen.
✓ Plan your schedule so that you can arrive 10–15
minutes early.
✓ Make a great first impression.
✓ Treat everyone you encounter with respect.
✓ Practice good manners and body language.
✓ Win them over with your authenticity and positivity.
• Tips for DURING the interview:
✓ Respond truthfully to the questions asked.
✓ Tie your answers back to your skills and
accomplishments.
✓ Keep your answers concise and focused.
✓ Do not speak negatively about your previous
employers.
• Tips for AFTER the interview:

✓ Ask about the next steps.

✓ Send a personalized thank you letter after the
interview.