Writing Assignment #2 Job Application Portfolio & Elevator Speech

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Writing Assignment #2

Job Application Portfolio & “Elevator” Speech

The Situation

This is an individual assignment with a collaborative component. You will do the portfolio yourself,

but you are required to participate in a peer review session (your peer review group will be assigned

to you) in order to receive credit for completing the assignment. You are also required to prepare a

15- to 30-second “elevator” speech that will be reviewed and evaluated by your instructor and

classmates.

Presenting yourself on paper to a potential employer is one of the most important writing

assignments you may have in the near future. It is a prelude to the writing you will be doing on the

job, and it requires the same skills and strategies as other on-the-job writing. For this class project,

you will prepare a job application portfolio and an “elevator” speech.

The Assignment

Find a specific, real job opening

for which you are actually qualified and might like to be considered. This

job must be related to your current or eventual professional career plans, and your application

should be a response to some specific information (newspaper or trade journal want-ad, Career

Planning and Placement Center notice, communication from a contact in a similar line of work,

news item about the company, a bulletin-board or Web posting, etc.).

Your readers must be real people in real organizations. The more you know about the position, the

organization, and the people, as well as the requirements of the job, the more persuasive you can be.

Some research will really pay off. Use the Internet, newspaper, Career Planning and Placement

Center, library, telephone, your personal contacts and any of the resources you used for Assignment

2: Investigative Report. If you are a junior, it would be appropriate to apply for an internship or

part-time work. If you plan to go to graduate school, consider applying for a fellowship or a place in

a competitive academic program.

1. First, prepare a résumé in which you summarize and display, in convenient and coherent

visual units ("chunks"), the factual record that any employer will want to know about you.

Include (but do not limit yourself to) your education and employment history, abilities, skills,

honors, publications, interests and activities, and personal data, as appropriate.

2. Second, write a one-page job application letter for the position you have selected. Your

letter should do what the résumé can't -- it should select, emphasize, explain, and elaborate;

it should make the case that you would be a good employee. In your letter, you must both

"stand out" and "fit in."

Stand out

from the crowd of other applicants and show that you can

fit in

with the particular needs and customs of the company to which you're applying.

3. Third, prepare a complete list of references.

4. Fourth, write and mail in a handwritten “thank you” note – as if you had been granted the

interview for the position.

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6. Sixth, create a text-only version of your portfolio.

Include a copy of the information about the position

, that is, your ad or notice, or documentation about your

telephone call or contact, or

I cannot grade this paper

. If you cannot photocopy the ad or submit the

original, then type (or do a screen capture of) the information for me. If you don't include the

information to which you responded, it will be impossible for me to tell whether you were able to

meet the needs of your readers.

Develop a 15- to 30-second “elevator” speech. If you were to enter an elevator at the same time as

the person you most wanted to work for in the world, how would you “sell” yourself in the time it

takes you to go up or down in the elevator (15 to 30 seconds)? Some things you might want to

include are your name, status and major; what you’re studying; your major academic achievements;

contributions you plan to make after graduation. You’ll present your pitch in the form of a brief

video. The video will be evaluated by your peers and your instructor.

Extra credit opportunity: Join a student chapter of a professional society appropriate in your field

and prove that you have joined. This could gain you an extra point on the assignment.

You can modify this assignment to meet specific needs you might have – such as a different sort of

career path, a project related to work, or another class. If you choose to modify the assignment,

discuss it with me before you get started.

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Job Application Portfolio Evaluation Checklists

How effectively has the writer done the following?

• Selected a solicited job that meets the parameters for this assignment (a professional or para-professional job

for which the writer currently is qualified – or will for which the writer will be qualified in not more than a few months) OR

• Created an unsolicited job opportunity that meets the parameters for this assignment

How well does the résumé do all of the following?

Aesthetics

• Makes a positive first impression (with regard to appearance and professionalism)

• Provides adequate visual separation of sections (spatial cues, visual cues, etc.)

• Uses appropriate font(s) and typestyle(s) – and appropriate font size

• Has adequate margins and neat alignments/columns

• Contains a letterhead with all relevant contact information (name, address, phone number, email address, at a minimum)

• Has clearly marked, easy-to-find section headings

• Includes second or subsequent pages only if they are truly necessary (for example, does not contain one full

page and then a few lines of text on the second page)

Content

• Contains a professional objective appropriate for the specific job for which the writer is applying

• Demonstrates clearly that the applicant meets the job requirements.

• Includes information in order of importance to the job

• Identifies employers, education and others completely (organization, city, state, dates, and other relevant data)

• Contains sufficient details to persuade readers that the applicant is well qualified for the position

Editing

• Presents information concisely and clearly

• Excludes “dead wood” phrases such as “responsible for,” “duties include,” and “because of the fact that.”

• Identifies second page (if any) with name and page number

• Includes dynamic lists that show action and are parallel in construction

• Contains no misspellings or grammatical errors

How well does the application letter do all of the following?

Opening paragraph

• Clearly identifies the writer and his/her purpose

• Indicates, specifically and in detail, the specific job for which the writer is applying • Indicates the specific source for information about the job

• Summarizes the writer’s qualifications for the job

• Leads into the rest of the letter

Body

• Organizes information about the writer’s major qualifications effectively

• Provides sufficient information about the writer’s education • Provides sufficient information about the writer’s experience

• Focuses on benefits to the employer, not the writer (is reader-based, not writer-based)

• Excludes statements that discuss how the job will benefit the writer

• Relates the writer’s qualifications to the specific requirements of the job (those spoken by or written by the

potential employer, or, if no information is available, carefully and logically inferred by the writer)

• Draws selectively from the information on the writer’s résumé

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Closing paragraph

Asks for action and make it convenient to contact and meet with the writer

Is neither too aggressive nor too subservient

The letter as a whole

• Follows a standard letter format

• Includes an appropriate salutation and closing

• Uses standard grammar, punctuation, and spelling

• Avoids awkward, wordy, or imprecise phrasing

• Contains a letterhead with all of the writer’s relevant contact information

Does the list of references do all of the following?

• Serve as a stand-alone document (that is, not part of the résumé)

• Contain the person’s courtesy title, first name and last name

• Contain the person’s complete mailing address

• Contain the person’s complete telephone number

• Contain the person’s email address

• Contain a brief description about the nature and duration of the applicant’s affiliation with him/her?

• Contain a letterhead with all of the writer’s relevant contact information

How well does the handwritten note do the following?

Aesthetics

• Makes a positive first impression (with regard to appearance and professionalism)

• Is written on professional-looking stationery (a note card that does or does not fold in a sealed envelope)

• Is written legibly in blue or black ink

Content

Is properly addressed, with the recipient’s complete name, title, organization, address, city, state, and ZIP code; and the sender’s complete name, address, city, state, and ZIP code. [NOTE: For the note to be sent to me, you must address it to me rather than the actual intended recipient:

• Julia Helo Gonzalez, Lecturer II

• NCSU Department of English

• Campus Box 8105

•

Raleigh, NC 27695-8105

Contains appropriate content, including the date, greeting and salutation, and a note that expresses the

writer’s sincere thanks for the interview. Includes details about the interview the support the claims

made by the writer. Includes an appropriate closing and signature. [Write the actual note content as

though you are addressing the person who interviewed you.]

Editing

How well does the calling card do the following?

Aesthetics

• Makes a positive first impression (with regard to appearance and professionalism) • Is printed on standard 2 x 3 ½” card stock and mailed in with the thank you note.

Content

Contains the following information:

• Name

• Major

• Street address (including street, city, state, and ZIP code)

• Phone number with area code

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Editing

Was the assignment submitted precisely as follows?

• All of the documents below were included together in one single Word-compatible file, in the

following order, sent through Moodle:

• Information about the job, described on the assignment sheet

• Cover letter

• Resume

• References

• Text-only version of the portfolio

• Instructor’s comments, if you submitted the paper for instructor’s review

• Comments from your two peer reviewers

• A brief memo that you wrote in which you evaluated and graded the peer reviewers’ performance

The handwritten “thank you” note and calling card were mailed to: Julia Helo Gonzalez, Lecturer II

NCSU Department of English Campus Box 8105

Raleigh, NC 27695-8105

The “elevator” speech was delivered to the instructor electronically, in a “click and play” format (that is, it did not require any manipulation of files to be able to hear the student’s speech).

* If reviewers marked your papers electronically, include the marked-up copies of the papers in this file. If reviewers marked your

papers manually, type a summary of the nature of the changes that the reviewers suggested. You don’t have to type every comment

they made, but give an idea of the nature of the comments each reviewer made.

Optional Extra Credit (up to one additional point)

Proof of membership in a recognized professional organization in the student’s field of study

How well does the “elevator speech” do the following?

Aesthetics

Makes a positive first impression on the listener.

Content

Contains a 15- to 30-second “speech” in which the speaker effectively pitches himself/herself to a potential employer? Will it make the potential employer want to talk further with the potential candidate? Will it make the potential employer want to talk further with the potential candidate?

Editing

• Is easy to understand.

• Contains no audible pauses (such as “um” and “uh”), no awkward pauses, and no grammatical errors

• Is provided in “click and play” format – that is, the audience only has to click on the link to watch the video. The audience does not need to manipulate files or equipment to get the video to play.

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Grading Standards for the

Job Application Portfolio Assignment

A B C D F

Audience

Writing demonstrates an obvious awareness and adaptation to specific workplace audiences.

Writing demonstrates a general awareness and adaptation to specific workplace audiences.

Writing demonstrates a limited awareness and partial adaptation to specific workplace audiences.

Writing demonstrates minimal awareness and insignificant adaptation to specific workplace audiences.

Writing fails to demonstrate awareness of audience.

Purpose

Writing demonstrates an obvious awareness of how to accomplish the intended outcome.

Writing demonstrates a general awareness of how to accomplish the intended outcome.

Writing demonstrates a limited awareness of how to accomplish the intended outcome.

Writing demonstrates an insignificant awareness of how to accomplish the intended outcome.

Writing fails to achieve intended outcome.

Document

Design

Document demonstrates an obvious understanding and application of document design elements. Document is visually appealing, consistent, and adheres to all standards.

Document

demonstrates a general understanding and application of document design elements. Document is visually appealing, mostly consistent, and adheres to most standards.

Document

demonstrates a limited understanding and application of document design elements. Document lacks visual appeal. Document is partially consistent and does not adhere to all standards. Document demonstrates a minimal understanding and application of document design elements. Document is unappealing. Document is inconsistent and does not adhere to standards.

Design fails to follow document design standards and format.

Organization

Writing incorporates appropriate rhetorical strategies for

sequencing information in a clear and logical manner.

Writing incorporates generally appropriate rhetorical strategies for sequencing information in a reasonably clear and logical manner.

Writing incorporates limited rhetorical strategies for sequencing information. Writing incorporates minimal rhetorical strategies for sequencing information.

Writing fails to incorporate rhetorical strategies.

Support/

Development

Writing provides detailed support for arguments and persuades readers.

Writing provides most necessary details for arguments and persuades readers.

Writing provides limited details for arguments and does not fully persuade readers.

Writing provides minimal details for arguments and does not persuade readers.

Writing fails to support arguments and does not persuade readers.

Grammar/

Mechanics

Writing has no problems with grammar and mechanics.

Writing has some minor problems with grammar and mechanics.

Writing has significant errors with grammar and mechanics.

Writing has serious problems with grammar and mechanics.

Writing is

incomprehensible.

Overall

Writing accomplishes all aspects of the assignment, demonstrates clear application and obvious mastery of concepts.

Writing accomplishes most aspects of the assignment, shows some application and general mastery of concepts.

Writing accomplishes limited aspects of the assignment, shows partial application and some mastery of concepts.

Writing accomplishes minimal aspects of the assignment, shows insignificant application and lacks mastery of concepts.

Writing fails to accomplish any of the requirements.