CORRESPONDENCE ABOUT

EMPLOYMENT: cover letters and

resumes
Answer the following questions:
► Which is your strongest qualification
between education and experience?
Please specify. What is your next
strongest qualification?
► Define the course you are taking.
► What are the specific activities in your
education which you can relate to your
strongest qualification?
► What are your job experiences?
► Describe those experiences by
mentioning specific details.
COVER LETTER AND RESUME
► The objective of both letter and
resume is to get you an interview with
an organization for which you may
want to work.
► The letter tells what job or kind of job
you are applying for and highlights
your strongest qualifications.
► The resume is an advertisement for
you, and the letter is an advertisement
for the resume.
 COVER LETTER
► PARAGRAPH 1:
 Indicates what job you are applying for
► If you are answering an advertisement, indicate
where that advertisement appeared.
► If you have a name to drop, drop it in this
paragraph if you can.
► See if you can manage to mention your strongest
qualification.

Example:
Dear Sir:
I have the honor to apply for the position of
company nurse as advertised in the Manila
Bulletin.
COVER LETTER
► Paragraph 2
 Expand on your strongest qualification or on
those that relate most closely to this job.

►If your strongest qualification is education, you

have to mention your degree and your college.
►If it’s experience, cite a specific job or duties
related to the job you’re applying for.
►In this paragraph, you expand on these things.
Cite other related jobs or give more of the
details of your education.
►If you are fluent in more than one foreign
language, this paragraph is a good place to
say so.
COVER LETTER
► Paragraph 3
 This is for your next strongest
qualification
►If you have been emphasizing
education, this may be the paragraph
on which to deal with experience. If
you have been emphasizing experience
in paragraph 2, this may be the
paragraph for education.
►It’s also in this paragraph that you can
include your extracurricular activities.
► Paragraph 4
How do you close a letter?
► End the letter with a request for an
interview before the actual job.
Analyze these two paragraphs:

► An interview will prove that I can fill

the position I’m applying for. You can
reach me by telephone number 123-
4567 between the hours of 9am-5pm.
You can also write to the address
given below.

► I am sure that an interview will make

it certain that I fit the job position.
Call me anytime to set an interview
► Which of the two paragraphs would you
consider in asking for an interview?
► Compare the two paragraphs.
► Are there specific points of similarities
between the paragraphs?

REMEMBER:
It is important to set the tone of your
cover letter. Be reminded that it
doesn’t just advertise the resume, it
advertises you.
It should be positive, courteous,
sincere, dignified, and also aggressive.
An applicant needs to adapt the time of
the letter to his character and
personality. This helps in making an
impression to the employer.
 THE RESUME
► Definitions
 (Webster’s Dictionary): a recapitulation; a
summary
 An organized summary of a person’s
concise overview.
 Preparing an Effective Resume
1. Reflect on Resume Essentials
2. Decide which of the two major types
of resume would best be applicable
to your needs and specific situation
 TYPES OF RESUME
► Chronological – this resume lists work
experience in reverse chronological order.
Most college students and recent graduates
use this format.
► Functional – this resume is organized around
specific skills, experiences and
accomplishments, and not on positions you
have held. This format is recommended for
the experienced level carrier changer and is
rarely used by college students or recent
 Preparing an Effective Resume

3. Study the contents of your resume

 Name, address, telephone, e-mail address, web
site address (all your contact information should
go at the top of your resume)
 Objective or summary – tells potential
employers the sort of work you’re hoping to do.
 Education – new graduates without a lot of work
experience should list their educational
information first.
 Work experience – briefly give the employer an
overview of work that has taught you skills. Use
action words to describe your job duties.
Include your work experience in reverse
chronological order—that is, put your last job
first and work backward to your first, relevant
job.
 Preparing an Effective Resume
 Other information – info that you may
want to add, e.g. key or special skills or
competencies, leadership experiences in
volunteer organization, participation in
sports.
 References – people not related to the
applicant but who are willing to give
their names to a potential employer
1. Perform a resume check up with the
help of a career counselor
 Content – includes a spell check,
proofreading
 Design – tips that will make your resume
easier to read and/or scan into an
Design
► Use white or off-white paper
► Use 8 ½ x 11 inch paper
► Print on one side of the paper
► Use a font size of 10 to 14 points
► Use nondecorative typefaces
► Choose one typeface and stick to it
► Use filled in bullets or asterisks
► Avoid italics, script, and underlined words
► Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or
shading
► Don’t skip margins; one inch of wide space on the
top and no less than one-half inch on the other
three sides of your resume. Narrow margins make
documents look “choked.”
► Do not fold or staple your resume
 Questions for Discussion
1. To an applicant who just graduated from
college and one who has had some work
experience, on what particular assets
should each lay emphasis when applying
for a job?
2. If an applicant should lay emphasis on his
education, what are the details he should
include in his resume? How about him
who has had work experience?
3. Should an applicant for a job get the prior
permission of the persons he will use as
reference before he actually writes down
their names in his letter of application?
Why?
4. Do you think it is proper to send your
picture along with your letter of