Week Nine: Writing and Presentations

LESSON FOR TUESDAY: 3-6-07 (Meet in Gaviota-Phelps Computer Lab, Phelps Hall 1529)  Reading: Your research reading. Sample resumes and cover letters.  Class Activities: Presentations. Resume and cover letter work.

I Presentations (60 min)

II Debriefing/Wrap Up (15 min) A. What, from your perspective, did you gain from doing this PowerPoint presentation? Think in terms of professional experience, presentation experience, and technological experience. B. What are some things you learned about doing a professional presentation—either in this class or elsewhere?

III Professional Resumes: The Ugly (15 min) A. In groups of three, read this resume: http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/Bad_resume. B. Create a master list of two things: What is unprofessional about this resume, and what are some professional things that could have saved this resume.

IV Starting your resume (10 min) A. Put up overhead, and go through it—starting with the objective. B. With five minutes left, take questions.

THURSDAY: 3-8-07 (Meet in Gaviota-Phelps Computer Lab, Phelps Hall 1529)  Reading: Your research reading.  Writing: First draft of resume and cover letter.  Class Activities: Bring 21 copies of resume for workshop. Mock interviewing. Discussion on the “job hunt. THURSDAY: 3-8-07 (Meet in Gaviota-Phelps Computer Lab, Phelps Hall 1529)  Reading: Your research reading.  Writing: First draft of resume and cover letter.  Class Activities: Bring 21 copies of resume for workshop. Mock interviewing. Discussion on the “job hunt.

I Cover Letter Introduction and What to Find (30 min)

A. Give them a sample resume and cover letter for a business: KUSB—a new TV station we’re running. B. What does the writer do well? What experience do we like? Would we hire her and why? C. Make the decision in ten minutes with your group. D. Then go over how to create letters—with overheads. E. Have them use the format to plot out a cover letter for a job or internship. F. Go over the assignment with them. a. Gaucholink: https://ucsb-csm.symplicity.com/students/index.php? au=&ck=) b. Getting Mission Statements: Show them and go through the process. i. You must research where you will apply. c. Take questions. G. Put up Cover letter Guidelines, and have them write for five minutes

II Peer Review of Resumes (40-50 min) A. Form Circle or horseshoe. B. For each resume do the following: a. If the resume is outstanding, then put a ranking that you want to give it—1-10. Think of this as ranking the ten best that you see. You can use numbers more than once. b. After this, you will have a minute to write two things: the best thing about the resume you read and a suggestion for the resume writer. a. We will do this, for fifteen resumes—you will have fifteen responses. B. What to do with this: a. Make sure that you read over the comments—how high are you ranked? (Look at numbers.) You want to be in the top 3-5. b. What suggestions are repeated? c. Debriefing Questions: i. What did you realize about how resumes are read? ii. What does this mean in terms of your cover letter? iii. What do you have to do to increase your chances?

III Next Steps (5 min) A. On the back of the resume that you are keeping, make sure that you write down the next three things that you will do. B. Take questions that they might have. IV Virtual Interview (15 min) A. Why do a resume and cover letter, to get an interview that’s why. B. See if you can “game” an interview. C. Go and take a pretest of sorts at: http://www.western.edu/career/interview_virtual/virtual_interview.htm. D. See if someone is willing to be an interview subject. E. Design a place, based on the person’s preferences. F. Send him or her out, and design some questions, using the following sources: a. http://content.monster.com/articles/3479/18483/1/home.aspx b. http://www.quintcareers.com/interview_question_database/interview_q uestions.html c. http://www.datsi.fi.upm.es/~frosal/docs/25mdq.html G. Come up with a few, and get some volunteers to take on job interviewer positions.

Week Ten: Writing and Wrapping Up

TUESDAY: 3-13-07 (Meet in Gaviota-Phelps Computer Lab, Phelps Hall 1529)  Reading: More sample resumes and cover letters.  Class Activities: Resume and cover letter work. Evaluations. THURSDAY: 3-15-07 (Meet in HSSB 1207)  Reading: None.  Writing: All rewrites due today. Final draft of resume and cover letter. Bring latest version of your paper to class.  Class Activities: Peer review of rewritings. Work on resume and cover letter. Reminder of when to pick up materials and grades.

Final paper due by 5 p.m. at Chris’ Office on Monday 3/18/07.

On the date of our final, you will be picking up your final papers and final grades.