Content Engineering: Resume and Cover Letter Assignment

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The purpose of this assignment is to produce and refine a professional resume and letter for your job search.  It is also to help you understand how the principles of persuasion we studiend in advertising can be applied to the job hunt, and how to write reader-centric job correspondence.

Monday, March 15  Locate two job ads prior to class time that you would actually consider applying for. Have links, scans, screenshots, or some other way of sharing these ads ready, prior to class.

Rough Draft Due Wednesday, March 17 Prior to class time, have a draft of your résumé and cover letter, as well as your job ad, ready to share.

Final Draft Due Friday, March 19 Email me your final draft of your resume, cover letter, and a copy of the ad you are applying for.


Find materials online (or at the career resource center) for two different jobs or summer internships that you feel you would be qualified for. Have these ready prior to class time on Monday the 23rd.

In Monday's Workshop Class:  To prepare you only need to bring in the two job ads, and do the assigned reading.

For the actual assignment:  Choose only one of the ads, and craft a résumé and cover letter as though you were applying for the job.  Remember that these documents should be persuasive, and should target the needs of the audience (as revealed in the job ad).  Your grade will be determined partly by how well you focus your letter and present your experience in your résumé for the particular ad you have chosen.  We will be reviewing rough drafts of the assignment in Wednesday's class, and turning in the final draft the following Friday.

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