Chapter 19 Applying and Interviewing for Employment

(Source from http://www.biojobblog.com/uploads/image/interview.jpg)

1. Define the purpose of application letters and explain how to apply the AIDA model to them.

• Use the three-step process to create attention-getting application letters.
• Impress your reader with knowledge and professionalism- not gimmicks.
• The opening paragraph of your application letter needs to clearly convey the reason you’re writing and give the recipient a compelling reason to keep reading
• Use the middle section of your letter to expand on your opening, presenting a more complete picture of your strengths.
• Don’t bring up salary in your application letter unless the recipient has previously asked you to include your salary requirements.
• In the final paragraph of your application letter, respectfully ask for specific action and make it easy for the reader to respond.


2. Describe the typical sequence of job interviews

• Most organizations interview an applicant several times before extending a job offer.
• During the screening stage, try to differentiate yourself from other candidates.
• During the selection stage, you may interview with several people, perhaps at the same time.
• During the final stage, the interviewer may try to sell you on working for the firm.
• A structured interview follows a set sequence of questions, allowing the interview team to compare answers from all candidates.


3. Describe briefly what employers look for during an employment interview and reemployment testing

• Suitability for a specific job is judged on the basis of : academic preparation, work experience, job-related personality traits.
• Expect some questions about personal interests, world events, and other topics that help recruiters judge your personality and curiosity.
• Preemployment tests attempt to provide objective, quantitative information about a candidate’s skills, attitudes, and habits.


4. List six tasks you need to complete to prepare for a successful job interview.

• Interviewers expect serious candidates to know some basic information about the company and its industry.
• As you plan your responses to potential interview questions, be prepared o relate your qualification to the organization’s needs.
• Practice answering typical interview questions so that you can respond with confidence and complete answers.
• Plan questions that will help you decide whether the work and the organization are compatible with your goals and values.
• Blostering your confidence
• Polishing your interview style
• Presenting a professional image
• Being ready when you arrive.


5. Explain the three stages of a successful employment interview

• The first minute of an interview is crucial, so be ready and stay on your toes.
• You could face substantial questions as soon as interview starts, so make sure you are prepared and ready to go.
• Tailor your answers to emphasize your strengths.
• Paying attention to both verbal and nonverbal messages can help you turn the question –and-answer stage to your advantage.
• Well- trained interviewers are aware of questions they shouldn’t ask.
• Thinks about how you might respond if you are asked a potentially unlawfully question.
• Conclude an interview with courtesy and enthusiasm.


6. Identify the most common employment messages that follow an interview and explain when you would use each one.

• Six types of follow-up messages:
Thank-you message, message of inquiry,request for a time extension, letter of acceptance, letter declining a job offer, letter of resignation.
• Use the model for positive messages when you write a letter of acceptance.
• A letter declining a job offer should follow the model for negative message.
• Letters of resignation should always be written in a gracious and professional style that avoids criticism of your employer or your colleagues.


Reference:

1. Job Interviews. http://www.videojug.com/tag/job-interviews
2. Traditional Employment Interview Questions http://www.quintcareers.com/interview_questions.html
3. Interview Guide http://www.job-interview.net/

I recommend these websites because we can get interview guide and prepare for the job interview.

Chapter 18 Building Careers and Writing Resume

(Source from :http://images.shiksha.com/mediadata/images/1252387421phpHG8Jwh.jpeg)

1. Describe the approach most employers take to finding potential new employees.

· Understanding Employers’ Approach to the Employment Process

1. Build toward career

2. Prepare resume and other employment messages

3. Understand interview process

4. Prepare for interview

5. Participate in interview

6. Follow up and accept offer

· Organizing Your Approach to the Employment Process

· Researching Specific Companies

2. Explain the importance of networking in your career search

· Start networking now, your classmates could turn out to be some of your most important business contacts.

· Remember that you need contribute to the networking process,too

· Seeking Career Counseling

· Planning Your Resume

· When you view your resume as a persuasive business message, it is easier to decide what should and shouldn’t be in it.

· Gathering pertinent information

· Selecting the Best Medium

· Organizing your Resume around your Strengths

3. Discuss how to choose the appropriate resume organization and list the advantages and disadvantages of the three common options.

· The key to organizing a resume is aligning your personal strengths with both the general and specific qualities that your target employers are looking for.

· Frequent job changes and gaps in your work history are two of the most common issues that employers may perceive as weaknesses, so plan to address these if they pertain to you.

· The chronological resume is the most common resume approach, but it might not be right for you at a particular stage in your careers.

· The functional resume is often used by people with little employment history or with gaps in their work history, but some employers suspect that people who use this approach are trying to hide weaknesses in their backgrounds.

· If you don’t have a lot of work history, consider a combination resume to highlight your skills while still providing a chronological history of your employment.

· Writing your resume

· Keeping your resume honest

4. List the major sections of a traditional resume

· Be sure to provide complete and accurate contact information; mistakes in this section of the resume are surprisingly common.

· If you don’t already have one, get a professional-sounding e-mail address for business correspondence (such as first name, lastname@something.com, if you don’t already have one.

· A qualifications summary gives a quick overview of the value you can offer an employer

· Your education is likely to be one of your strongest selling points, so think carefully about how to present it.

· Whenever you can, qualify your accomplishment in numeric terms; sales increases, customer satisfaction scores, measured productivity, and so on.

· Completing your resume

5. Identify six different formats in which you can produce a resume

· Start with a traditional printed resume but realize that you may need to create several other versions during your job search.

· Using a PowerPoint presentation or a video can be a great way to supplement your resume, but not all employers will view them.

· Strive for a clean, classy look in your printed resume, using professional – grade paper and a clean, high-quality printer.

6.Describe what you should do to adapt your resume to a scannable format.

· Think carefully about the keywords you include in your scannable resume ;they need to appeal to recruiters and reflect your qualities accurately.

· A plain-text version of your resume is simply a computer file without any of the formatting that you typically apply using a word-processing program.

· Make sure you verify the plain-text file that you create with a word-processing program and adjust it as needed.

· You have many options for posting your resume online. Remember that you could be displaying your personal information for all the world to see, so think carefully about privacy and security.

Reference:

1. Resume Writing Examples

http://www.how-to-write-a-resume.org/resume_writing_examples.htm

2. Write a Cover Letter

http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/career/guides/cover_ltr.shtml

3. LetterWritingGuide

http://www.letterwritingguide.com/

We can learn how to write cover letter from above websites.

Chapter 17 Enhancing Presentations with Slides and Other Visuals

(Source from : http://www.reviewproof.com/images/presentation.JPG)

1. Explain how visuals enhance oral presentations and list several popular types of visuals.

· Remember that the purpose of visuals is to support your presentation, not replace it.

· In most businesses, electronic presentations are now the presentation technology of choice, although they are certainly not the only option.

· Think through your presentation outline carefully before designing your visuals.

· Accuracy and simplicity are keys to effective visuals.

· Develop the message and text for each slide first and then move on to graphics and special effects.

2. Explain the difference between structured and free-form slides

• Structured slides are usually based on templates that give all the slides in a presentation the same general look; free-form slides typically don’t follow any set design plan.
• Free-form slides often have far less content per slide than structured designs, which requires many more slides to cover a presentation of equal length.
• Structured slides are usually the best choice for project updates and other routine information presentations, particularly if the slides are intended to be used only once.
• Well-designed free-form slides help viewers understand, process, and remember the speaker’s message.
• The key disadvantages of free-form slide designs are the time and effort often required to create them.
• No matter which design strategy you use, limit the amout of information on each slide to avoid overloading your viewers.
• Use your slides as guides to the content, not as the content themselves.
• Many graphics that work quitewell in printed form need to be simplified for use in presentations because they are too dense and too complicated to be easily viewed on-screen.
• To design effective slides, you need to consider six principles of effective design: consistency, contrast, balance, emphasis, convention, and simplicity.
• Color is much more than mere decoration: It provides emphasis, isolation, and contrast; it increases readability and retention; and it can stimulate desired emotional responses.
• The background should stay in the background, not compete with the foreground.
• Artwork can be either decorative or functional: use decorative artwork sparingly.
• Many of the fonts available on your computer are difficult to read when projected, so they are not good choices for presentation slides.

3. Explain the importance of design consistency in electronic slides and other visuals

• Design inconsistencies confuse and annoy audiences; don’t change colors and other design elements randomly throughout your presentation.
• With some practice (as both a presenter and an audience member). You will get a feel for how much consistency is too much –when a design goes from being cohesive to being bland and uninteresting.
• Although you can animate just about everything in an electronic presentation, resist the temptation to do so --- make sure each animation has a purpose.

4. Describe the effective use of transitions and builds in electronic presentations.

• Using carefully designed builds can be a great way to present information in easy-to-process pieces.
• You can increase the flexibility of your presentation slides with hyperlinks that let you jump to different slides, websites, or other software screens with the click of a mouse.
• Video clips can add memorable, engaging content to your presentation – as long as they are relevant, interesting, and brief.
• Review each slide carefully to make sure it is clear and radable.
• Use the slide sorter view to verify and modify the organization of your slides.

5. Identify three types of noncontent slides you can use to support a presentation.

• Navigational slides help your audience keep track of what you have covered already and what you plan to cover next.
• Use handout materials to support the points made in your presentation and to offer the audience additional information on your topic.
• The more you practice a presentation, the more confidence you will have in yourself and your material.
• You will know you are practiced enough when you can present the material at a comfortable pace and in a conversational tone, without the need to read your slides or constantly refer to your notes.
• Online presentation give you a way to reach more people in less time, but they require special preparation and skills.
• Once you master the technology, you can speand less time thinking about it and more time thinking about the most important elements of the presentation; your message and your audience.

6. Highlight, nine major issues to consider when you are preparing to give a presentation online.

Review these points to help plan a successful online presentation: (1) Consider all your options; PowerPoint is far and away the most common presentation software in business. But other options are available, including some designed specifically for online presentations. (2) consider sending preview materials ahead of time so your audience members can familiarize themselves with the issues you plan to discuss. (3) keep your content and presentation as simple as possible. (4) plan to ask for feedback frequently because you might not get all the nonverbal signals that normally alert you to condusion or disagreement. (5) Consider the viewing experience from the audience’s side to make sure your audience can receive the sort of content you intend to use, such as video clips. (7) Allow plenty of time for everyone to get connected and familiar with the screen they are viewing. (8) consider assigning a moderator to manage the logistic of the online session so you can focus on the message and the audience. (9) find creative ways to engage the audience at regular intervals, such as by using online polling.

Reference:

1. How to enhance your oral presentation skills http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/business-communication/impress-your-clients-through-oral-presentations/1.html

2. Presentation Tips for Public Speaking

http://www.aresearchguide.com/3tips.html

3. Lose the Fear: Get out there and speak.

http://www.presentationmagazine.com/presentation_nerves.htm

Chapter 16 Developing Oral and Online Presentations

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1. Explain the importance of oral and online presentations in your career success and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to oral presentations.

· Feeling nervous is perfectly normal when you are faced with an oral presentation; the good news is there are positive steps you can take to reduce your anxiety.

· While you don’t usually write your oral presentations word for word, the three-step writing process is easily adaptable to oral presentation.

· The purpose of most business presentations is to inform or persuade; you may also give presentations designed primarily to collaborate with others.

· Knowing your audience’s state of mind will help you adjust both your message and your delivery.

· Try to learn as much as you can about the setting and circumstances of your presentation, from the size of the audience to potential interreption.

· If you can’t express your main idea in a sigle sentence, you probably have not defined it clearly enough.

2. Identify the two primary reasons that limiting your scope is especially important for oral presentations.

• Limiting you scope is important for two reasons: to ensure that your presentation fits the allotted time and to make sure you respect your audience members’ time and attention.
• The only sure way to measure the length of your presentation is to complete a practice run.
• Organize a short presentation the same way you would a brief written message; organize a longer presentations as you would a report.
• Simplicity is critical in the organization of oral and online presentations.
• In addition to planning your speech, a presentation outline helps you plan your speaking notes as well.
• You may find it helpful to create a simpler speaking outline from planning outline.
• Adapting to your audience address a number of issues, from speaking style to technology choices.

3. Discuss the three functions of an effective introduction.

An effective introduction arouses audience interest in your topic, builds your credibility, and gives your audience a preview of your message. If your topic doesn’t naturally interest the audience, you need to work extra hard in your introdluction (and thoughout the presentation ) to relate the material to the audience in as personal a manner as possible. Speaker credibility is a crucial aspect of any presentation because audience are most likely to pay attention to messages coming from someone they perceive to be an expert in the subject area. If you can’t demonstrate credibility in your subject area, you can “borrow” credibility from recognized experts by incorporating their insights and opinions into your presentation (giving proper credit, of course). Previewing your message in the introduction helps the audience members recognize the importance of your material and gives them a chance to prepare for it by understanding how you plan to present it.

4. Identify six ways to get your audience’s attention and six ways to hold it.

• Use the preview to help your audience understand the importance, structure, and content of your message.
• Use transitions to repeat key ideas and help the audience follow along, particularly in longer presentations.
• The most important way to hold audience members’ attention is to show how your message relates to their individual needs and concerns.
• Plan your close carefully so that your audience leaves with your main idea fresh in their minds.
• If you need to have the audience makes a decision or agree to take action, make sure the responsibilities for doing so are clear.
• Plan your final statement carefully so you can end on a strong, positive note.
• Speaking from carefully prepared notes is the easiest and most effective delivery mode for most presenters.
• If possible , visit the speaking venue ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the facilities and the equipment.

5. Describe the techniques you can use to feel more confident, in front of an audience

• Preparation is the best antidote for anxiety.
• Nonverbal signals tell the audience how you are feeling, so pay attention to the signals you send.
• Don’t leave the question-and-answer period to chance: anticipate likely questions and think through your answers.

6. List six steps you can take to handle questions during a presentation.

• Maintaining control during the question-and-answer session can be challenging, particularly if any audience members outrank you in the corporate hierarchy.
• If you ever face hostile questions, don’t duck; respond honestly and directly whole keeping your cool.
• No matter how the presentation has gone, conclude in a strong, confident manner.

Reference:

1. Online Technical Writing: Oral Presentations

http://www.io.com/~hcexres/textbook/oral.html

2. Presenting Yourself in Person and Online

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c7_p4.html

3. Making An Oral Presentation

http://www.educationatlas.com/making-an-oral-presentation.html

Chapter 15 Completing Reports and Prosals

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1. Summarize the four tasks involved in completing business reports and proposals.

· Formal reports have a higher degree of polish and production quality, and they often contain elements not found in informal reports.

· Revising for clarity and conciseness is especially important for online reports because reading online can be difficult.

· In today’s leanly staffed companies, you should be prepared to produce formal reports with little or no assistance from design specialists or other professionals.

2. Identify the major components of a formal report.

Report components can be divided into prefatory parts, text parts, and supplementary parts. Prefatory parts, which present and package your report, can include a synopsis or executive summary, a list of illustrations, the table of contents, a letter of transmittal, a letter of acceptance, a letter of authorization, a title page, a title fly, and a cover. Text parts include the standard message elements of introduction, body and close. Supplementary parts can include an index, a bibliography, and one or more appendixes.

3. identify the circumstances in which you should include letters of authorization and letters of acceptance in your reports.

· A letter of authorization is a document that instructs you produce a report; a letter of acceptance is your written agreement to produce the report.

· A letter or memo of transmittal introduces your reports to your audience.

· If you don’t include a synopsis, you can summarize the report’s content I your letter of transmittal.

· To save time and reduce errors, use the table of contents generator in your word-processing softwars.

4. Explain the difference between a synopsis and an executive summary

· A synopsis is a brief preview of the most important points in your report.

· An executive summary is a “mini” version of your report.

· No matter how many separate elements are in a formal report, the heart of the report is still the introduction, body, and close.

· Use an appendix for materials that are too lengthy or detailed for the body or not directly relevant to all audience members.

· A bibliography fulfills your ethical obligation to credit your sources, and it allows readers to consult those sources for more information.

· If your reports is lengthy, an index can help readers locate specific topics quickly.

5. Identify the major components of a formal proposal

· Formal proposals must have a high degree of polish and professionalism.

· An RFP may require you include a copy of the RFP in your prefatory section; be sure to follow instructions carefully.

· Ask for proofreading assistance from someone who hasn’t been involved in the development of your proposal; he or she might see errors that you have been overlooking.

· Using portable document format (PDF) is a safe and common way to distribute reports electronically.

· When writing an RFP, be sure to give potential respondents all the information they need to craft a meaningful response to your request.

6. Identify the major components to include in a request for proposals (RFP)

The content of RFPs varies widely from industry to industry and project to project, but most include background on the company, a description of the project, solution requirements, the criteria that will be used to make selection decisions, expectations for submitted proposals, and any relevant submission and contact information.

Reference:

1. Proposal Writing Hints

http://www.learnerassociates.net/proposal/hintsone.htm

2. How to Write a Proposal

http://learnthat.com/250/business/management/how-to-write-a-proposal/

3. Write A Business Report

http://www.writinghelp-central.com/business-reports.html

Chapter 14 Writing Reports and Proposals

(Source from : http://www.deschamps-marketresearch.ca/images/redchairslarge4.jpg)

1. Explain how to adapt to your audiences when writing reports and proposals.

· Long and complex reports demand a lot from readers, making the “you” attitude especially important.

· Your reports may continue to be read for months or years after you write them –and they may reach audiences you never envisioned.

· Adjust the level of formality to match the situation and your audience’s expectations.

· Before you start writing, review your outline one more time and verify the wording of your headings and subheadings.

· The introduction needs to provide context for the reader, introduce the subject, preview main ideas, and establish the tone of the document.

· The body of a report presents, analyzes, and interprets the information you gathered during your investigation.

· The close of your report should emphasize the main message, summarize audience benefits, gather together all the action items (if any), and indicate responsibilities for each one.

2. Name five characteristics of effective report content

• Effective report content is accurate, complete, balanced, clear, logical, and properly documented.

3. List the topics commonly covered in the introduction, body, and close of formal reports.

• Carefully select the elements to include in your introduction; don’t include anything your audience doesn’t need.
• The report body should contain only enough information to convey your message convincingly; don’t overload the body with excessive details.
• The nature of your close depends on the type of report (informational, analytical, or proposal) and the approach (direct or indirect).
• For long reports, you may need to divide your close into separate sections for conclusion, recommendations, and actions.
• The AIDA model you learned in Chapter 10 works well for proposals, although you may nee dto adapt it if you are responding to an RFP.

4. List Six strategies to strengthen a proposal argument.

• Business proposals need to provide more than just attractive ideas; readers look for evidence of practical, achievable solutions.
• In an unsolicited proposal, your introduction may need to convince readers that a problem or an opportunity exists.
• Readers understand that a proposal is a persuasive message, so they’re willing to accommodate a promotional style ---as long as it is professional and focused on their needs.
• The work plan indicates exactly how you will accomplish the solution presented in the proposal.
• The close is your last chance to convince the reader of the merits of your proposal, so make especially sure it is clear, compelling, and audience oriented.

5. Identify five charactistics of effective writing in online reports.

• Localizing web content involves both translating the content and adapting it to local cultural norms and practices.
• Effective links in online reports let readers know exactly what to expect before they click on them.
• If you rely on search engines for a significant portion of your website traffic, you need to optimize your site to increase the chances that search engines will give your site high ranks in relevant searches.
• Becoming an effective wiki collaborator requires a shift in your mindset from the approach you use for individual writing.
• Whenever you add content to a wiki, make sure it fits in smoothly with the organization of the existing content.
• Help your audiences navigate through your reports by providing clear directions to key pieces of content.

6. Briefly describe three report elements that can help readers find their way in long documents.

• Transitions connect ideas by helping readers move from one thought to the next.
• Previews help readers prepare for upcoming information, and reviews help them verify and clarify what they have just read.

Reference:

1. How Do You Write A Business Plan Conclusion

http://writetoright.com/2007/10/11/how-do-you-write-a-business-plan-conclusion/

2. Business Plan Guide

http://www.planware.org/gconclusion.htm

3. Developing A Business Plan

http://www.va-interactive.com/inbusiness/editorial/bizdev/ibt/business_plan.html