Résumé and Cover Letter : Assignment Overview

  • Due No Due Date
  • Points 0

Overview
In this assignment you will write a résumé and cover letter for a specific job posting. A big part of this assignment is conducting a thorough audience analysis, so that your application materials and the vocabulary that you use are appropriate for the hiring team that you're writing for.


Learning Goals
After completing this assignment, you will have gained the following skills: 

  • Research and understand different types of audiences, including their needs and motivations.
  • Understand how to write for a specific purpose.
  • Write a cover letter that addresses a specific job posting and hiring team.
  • Optimize your résumé for a specific job posting, including using appropriate vocabulary.
  • Organize a résumé to align your experience with a specific job posting.


Job Posting
You can choose any job posting. For example, you might choose a job posting for an internship or campus job that you want to apply for right now. Or you might choose a job posting that is representative of the type of job that you would like to get when you graduate. You can search for job postings on the UW instance of Handshake or other popular job sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster, CareerBuild, etc.

Format

The final draft of this assignment will consist of two documents: a résumé and a cover letter. You can submit them as PDFs, Word docs, or Google Docs. Use Google Docs to get feedback on your early drafts.

The résumé should:

  • Be formatted to fit on 1 or 2 pages. More than 2 pages is too long.
  • Use any template or formatting that you like. Feedback and grading will focus on the writing, not the visual design.
  • Make use of headings to organize your résumé.
  • Omit or use fake contact information if you prefer not to share it with your peer reviewers or instructor.

The cover letter should:

  • Be addressed to the hiring manager or hiring department.
  • Directly address how your experience and skills match the job requirements and preferred experience.
  • Highlight your skills and experiences that are particularly good matches for the job requirements.
  • Fit on 1 page and be formatted like the exemplary cover letters that we study in class.
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