Post on 20-Jan-2016
BUSINESS ENGLISHLECTURE 31
Synopsis – Lecture 12 - 18
Resume writing Cover letter Research conventions Process – proposal and report
2
Lecture 12 & 133
Writing an Effective Resume Objective; Organization; Presentation 1. A resume earns you an interview! 2. Stand out 3. Organization 4. Summary of sections
Resume and Cover Letter 1. Job vs. Resume ; The components of
cover letter; Style 2. Format controversies 3. Types: Chronological, Linear,
Functional/Skill-based 4. Chronological – Sample/analysis 5. Linear – Sample/ analysis 6. Functional – sample / analysis 7. Skills – sample / analysis
4
Cover Letter 1. Objective , opening, closing 2. Mention of Highlights 3. General Guidelines 4. Appearance
5
A resume gets you an interview
Find out which applicants are suitable
Choose a small number of candidates to interview
Same issue for proposals and grant applications
6
Stand out from the crowd
Include interesting and unique information
Attempt best effort to make a first impression
No chance to explain if you do not get an interview
7
Summary of sections
NameAddress, telephone number, e-mail addressObjectiveEducationExperienceAchievements and awardsSkillsProfessional affiliations Publications or projects Optional
8
Start with contact information Name (bold, not underlined)
Address
Telephone number
Email address
9
Objective
One or two sentences
Type of position (part time, full time, summer internship)
What position would you like to find?
Emphasize how you will use your skills, not what you want to gain
10
Questions First …
1) what jobs are you applying for and what skills, knowledge and tasks are required of them?
2) the components of cover letter and resume,
3) the types of resume4) the language styles of cover letter as
well as business letter in general.
11
Resume: Components
Heading Objective (examples)
(optional) Qualifications (qualification summary)
Education – degree, school, date graduated, major, GPA, honoraries, scholarships, offices held. Experience – dates employed (from ~ to~) employer, division, position title, key responsibilities (& achievements)(examples). Extracurricular Activities OR Activities and Honors Personal data & References
12
Types of Resume
Chronological (reverse chronological order) Linear
Functional/Skills – emphasizes the functional areas in which the applicant is strong at; organize experience by functions one serves or skills one has.
13
Cover Letter: Components
Opening: 1. Your reason for writing; 2. Make a point that you think will be interesting to the addressee;
Highlights: Give examples of the qualifications which make you a good candidate.
Closing: ask for an interview. Format: Use block format (all justified left)
, single spaced, double-spaced between paragraphs.
14
General Guidelines
Research the companies you are applying for well, and address what they need in your resume and cover letter.
Be self-assertive and matter-of-fact; do not exaggerate or flatter.
Be concrete: use verbs more than adjectives.
Appearance matters: what is appearance?
15
Appearance
grammar and spelling; spatial arrangement of resume; font and
spacing; printing and paper qualities. What else? A bit of creative and elegant
decoration if possible.
16
Lecture 14
Your resume is...• A critical step at the beginning of a job search process
• An advertisement/marketing tool*
• A written pitch*
• A screening tool
• An assessment of your value*
• A document that leads to an interview (not a job, yet!)
• A first impression
• A stand alone document
*specific to your target audience
17
Strategize First...
Important to do prior to deciding on format/content-• Ask, “who am I?”• Ask, “who do I want to be?”• Ask, “what is my brand?”
Keys to getting it right—• Think ahead--write to the future• Emphasize specific skills to match the career you are
seeking• Write to your reader (the target industry/function)• Market yourself by only including what’s important to
your reader
18
Good Resume Formatting
• One full page only (unless more than 10 years of related work experience)
• Sections, in this order (heading names may vary):
• Name and Contact Information (on top)• Education/Credentials• Experience (Work, Professional)• Activities/Additional Information (Community
Involvement, Language Skills, etc.)
• Easily scanned for skills, results, job titles and company names in 30 seconds.
19
Good Resume Content
• Current and previous job responsibilities represent your skills and results (in addition to general duties and responsibilities).
• Shows the impact your performance has/had on the department, project, organization or company.
• Quantify information/results, where possible. For example, “Achieved 80% reduction of lost-time accidents, saving company $1.2 million….”
20
Prioritize bullet points beginning with the most relevant or most impactful first.
Use action verbs descriptive of your skills to start each bullet point (see link on following slide).*
Show promotion or advancement by titles and dates.*
No outdated or irrelevant activities—unless it is a significant accomplishment,
skill, or unusual talking point.*
21
Lecture 15
1. Types of Technical documents2. How to write reports3. Computer reports4. Anatomy of a report5. Sales Proposals6. Future of Reports7. We communicate: CV – Resume; Emails – Letters, FAQs;
Messages, Press Release, Multimedia, Reports, etc. 8. Types of reports: Sales, Inspection, Annual, Audit, Feasibility,
Progress, White papers, etc.
1. Classification of reports: Formal - Informal; Information reports, analytical reports, recommendation reports
2. Steps in Report Writing3. Organizing reports4. Diction and Tone: UK vs. U.S. 5. Writing Style6. Formatting Style: Chicago, Strunk & White, MLA, APA7. Anatomy of a report8. Report body 9. Letter of Transmittal
1. Document design: Dos and Don’ts Before Writing Technical Documents1. Reports & Proposals2. Audience adaptation3. Composing Reports and Proposals4. Drafting report Content5. Drafting Intro, body, closing6. Strategies of Success7. The Power of Images: Graphics/Technology8. Visual Literacy
1. Ethics of Visual Communication 2. Choosing points to illustrate3. Norms of graphics4. Charts and Tables5. Data Visualization6. Flow of the Entire process (flow chart)
The Chain of Command
How We Communicate3
• CVs, Resumes• Email, Web site, FAQs • Letters, Newsletters, Brochures, Articles,
Catalogs• Advertisements, Notice Board,
Pamphlets, Signs, Press Release• Presentations, multimedia, talks• Reports, Manuals, Proposals, Books
Which Reports?
Annual Reports
Sales Reports
Feasibility Reports
Inspection Reports
Audit Reports
Progress Reports
White Papers
Classification of Reports
Formal Reports and Informal Reports Information Reports Analytical Reports Recommendation Reports
5 Steps to Report Writing1
1. Define the problem2. Gather the necessary information3. Analyze the information4. Organize the information5. Write the report
Organizing Reports
Comparison/contrast Problem-solution Elimination of alternatives General to particular Geographic or spatial Functional Chronological
Anatomy of a Report
Cover Page Title Page Letter of Transmittal Table of Contents List of Illustrations Executive Summary Report Body
Report Body
Introduction Purpose and Scope;Limitations, Assumptions,
and Methods Background/History of the Problem Body
Presents and interprets data Conclusions and Recommendations References or Works Cited Appendixes
Interview transcripts, questionnaires, question tallies, printouts, and previous reports
Letter of Transmittal
Background Summarize conclusions and
recommendations Minor problems. Thank those who
helped. Additional research necessary Thank the reader. Offer to answer
questions.
Lecture 16
Report Writing Detailed talk: From process to product
34
Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities.
PlanningPlanning
What Are Business Reports?
35
Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities.
PlanningPlanning
What Are Business Reports?
36
Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities.
PlanningPlanning ResearchResearch
What Are Business Reports?
37
Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities.
PlanningPlanning ResearchResearch
What Are Business Reports?
38
Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities.
PlanningPlanning ResearchResearch OrganizationOrganization
What Are Business Reports?
39
Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities.
PlanningPlanning ResearchResearch OrganizationOrganization
What Are Business Reports?
40
Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities.
PlanningPlanning ResearchResearch OrganizationOrganization PresentationPresentation
What Are Business Reports?
41
Report Formats Letter format Memo format Manuscript format Printed forms
42
Audience Analysis and Audience Analysis and Report OrganizationReport Organization
Direct PatternDirect Pattern
Report
-----Main Idea ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report
-----Main Idea ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If readersare informed
If readersare informed
If readersare supportive
If readersare supportive
If readersare eager to
have results first
If readersare eager to
have results first
43
Audience Analysis and Audience Analysis and Report OrganizationReport Organization
Indirect PatternIndirect Pattern
If readersneed to beeducated
If readersneed to beeducated
If readersneed to bepersuaded
If readersneed to bepersuaded
If readersmay be hostileor disappointed
If readersmay be hostileor disappointed
Report
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Main Idea ----
Report
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Main Idea ----
44
Applying the Writing Process to Reports
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
Step 6 Step 7
Analyze the problem and purpose.Anticipate the audience and
issues.Prepare a work plan.Implement your research strategy.Organize, analyze, interpret,
illustrate the data.
Compose the first draft.Revise, proofread, and evaluate.
45
Work Plan for a Formal Report Statement of problem Statement of purpose Sources and methods of data
collection Tentative outline Work schedule
46
Locating secondary electronic data• Electronic databases• The Internet• World Wide Web search tools Google MSN search
Ask Jeeves Yahoo!
• Evaluating Web sources How current is the information?
How credible is the author or source?
What is the purpose of the site?
Do the facts seem reliable?
Researching Report Data47
Tips for searching the Web• Use two or three search tools.• Understand case sensitivity.• Prefer uncommon words.• Omit articles and prepositions.• Use wild cards.• Know your search tool.• Learn basic Boolean search strategies.• Bookmark the best pages.• Be persistent.• Repeat your search a week later.
Researching Report Data48
Researching primary data• Surveys• Interviews• Observation• Experimentation
Researching Report Data49
Functions of graphics• To clarify data• To condense and simplify data• To emphasize data
Illustrating Report Data50
Forms and objectives of graphics• Table
To show exact figures and values
Class Agree Disagree Undecided
Seniors 738 123 54
Juniors 345 34 76
Sophomores 123 234 78
Freshmen 45 567 123
Illustrating Report Data51
Forms and objectives of graphics• Bar chart
To compare one item with others
Illustrating Report Data
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
Enrollees
52
Forms and objectives of graphics• Line chart
To demonstrate changes in quantitative data over time
Illustrating Report Data
0102030405060708090
100
2001 2002 2003 2004
Net ($M)
Gross ($M)
53
Forms and objectives of graphics• Pie graph
To visualize a whole unit and the proportion of its components
Illustrating Report Data
Strongly Agree18%
Agree13%
No Opinion
3%
Strongly Disagree
38%
Disagree28%
54
Forms and objectives of graphics• Flow chart
To display a process or procedure
Illustrating Report Data
ReceiveReceive TestTest
FloorFloor
ShelvesShelves ShipShip
Re-boxRe-box Re-stockRe-stock
RepairRepair
55
Forms and objectives of graphics• Organization chart
To define a hierarchy of elements
Illustrating Report Data
William DixonVice President
Sales
John DeleuzeManager
Joan WilliamsVice President
Design
George LaPorteForeman
Charles EubankPresident
ManagerClarice Brown
Vice PresidentWayne Lu
Production
56
Forms and objectives of graphics• Photograph, map, illustration
To create authenticity, to spotlight a location, and to show an item in use
Illustrating Report Data57
Pie Graph
2006 MPM INCOME BY DIVISION
DVDs & Videos
58
Reasons for crediting sources• Strengthens your argument
• Gives you protection
• Instructs readers
Documenting Data59
Two Documentation Formats• Modern Language Association
Author’s name and page (Smith 100) placed in text; complete references in “Works Cited.”
• American Psychological AssociationAuthor’s name, date of publication, and page number placed near text reference (Jones, 2000, p. 99). Complete references listed at end of report.
Documenting Data60
Lecture 17
1. What is Research 2. Conducting an academic investigation Process Proposal Report
61
1. What is Research?62
the systematic investigation into and study of materials, sources, etc, in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
an endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc by the scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation. [Oxford Concise Dictionary; Plays,1997 ]
1. What is research?63
Research is what we do when we have a question or a problem we want to resolve
We may already think we know the answer to our question already
We may think the answer is obvious, common sense even
But until we have subjected our problem to rigorous scientific scrutiny, our 'knowledge' remains little more than guesswork or at best, intuition. Plays,1997
1. What is research: a general perspective
64
First priority is to formulate your question
Then figure out how you are going to answer it How have others answered it? How does your proposal fit in with what
others have done? How will you know when you have
answered it? Then you can present your answer
Different from guesswork…1. What is ART of Research?
65
What is scientific Inquiry?Characteristics of Formal Research
66
Why is research a valued source of knowledge?
Common ways of knowing…
67
What is Science, the Scientific Method, and Research?
Research… the application of the scientific method a systematic process of collecting and
logically analyzing information (data) Research Methods (Methodology)…
the ways one collects and analyzes data methods developed for acquiring
trustworthy knowledge via reliable and valid procedures
68
The Research ProcessConducting an
Academic Investigation
69
The Research ProcessConducting an Academic Investigation
It is impossible to separate the conduct of a research investigation from the exercise of writing up the report.
This part of talk focuses on the strategies and skills that go into conducting an academic research investigation.
All kinds of methodological questions are involved in decisions about the organisation of your report. If you have not planned your research project, this will become evident in your report - and the criticisms will only come when people read your report.
70
3. RESEARCH71
key areas of research design and
planning
72
73
Purpose of the Investigation: Differences between reports and essays
we can talk about generally-agreed conventions regarding structure and argumentative style.
But the purpose is different, in that you have now moved to the stage of conducting your own empirical piece of research.
You have moved from second-hand academic study, to first-hand discovery and testing of the theories and methods of academic investigation.
The main difference is the move from secondary to primary research.
Purpose of the Investigation
74
Academic research and its social nature The social process starts with your
Literature review, where you establish the relationship of your study to work that has already been done in the area. You need to clarify whether your research is intended to:
Purpose of the Investigation
75
76
One more important thing is… It is important not only that you
differentiate between these three distinct functions, but that you distinguish between your study’s
Purpose of the Investigation
77
78
Posing Questions and Defining Problem
79
80
Students of research are expected to present their arguments like this:
81
82
[This means... argument -->
counter-argument --> weighing up
the 2 arguments]
This makes the point of taking account of alternative (opposing) arguments before a final summary or concluding synthesis.
Posing Questions and Defining Problems
83
84
Primary and Secondary research
85
Let’s see: Review of research options Secondary research options Primary research options
Review of Research Options
86
1. Basic premise:Academic investigations should be approached in a systematic way.
Before deciding on your research options, you need to work out a profile of the study to see what types of research approach or methods will be most appropriate.
A recommended sequence of steps to follow in the research process: Perceive a broad problem
87
Read literature on relevant theoretical and empirical work (looking for way of narrowing the problem)
Discuss with peers and tutor to define a researchable problem
Define the context of the problem to be researched Review any comparable case studies, especially for
research questions and methodology Frame research questions Design an investigative procedure Select and retrieve appropriate data Proceed with analysis and interpretation Compare your findings and interpretations with other
relevant studies reviewed earlier Draw tentative conclusions revisit your research
questions or hypotheses
Identify the stages in your reading: Time: 10 minutes
88
Research in the Social Sciences is expected to combine the originality of an individual study with the connection of that work to existing disciplinary knowledge and previous research.
Also, any study which the researcher intends to share with a wider community, whether academic or business, needs to be contextualised to show where it comes from in terms of
1. its theoretical and social influences
2. the time, place and circumstances to which it applies
Secondary research options
89
There are a range of resources available for secondary research: the most well-known are:
1. Published statistics: census, housing and social security data, and so on
2. Published texts: theoretical work, secondary analyses by ‘experts’ and reports
3. Media: documentaries for example, as a source of information
4. Personal documents: diaries
Primary Research Options
90
Field research: collection of primary data
Lecture 18
Research: Methods and Results
91
Methods and Results : what they have in common
92
Methods and Results in a study have 2 major things in common.
At the level of research, they are the parts devoted to your own empirical or original research. This is where you focus on what you do and what you find – in your own study. As you recall, from our hourglass diagram, the Introduction (incl. the Literature Review) and Discussion sections of a report are the wider perspective you take on your study, placing it in the context of theories and studies written about elsewhere.
At the level of reporting, they have in common the fact that you focus on writing about what you did and what you found.
Methods and Results conti…
93
In the Methods section you are expected to tell the reader what you did - your methodology, both for collection and analysis - and who (plus when and where) you did it with or to - i.e. your survey population. As you report all this, the dominant tense is the past tense.
In the Results section, you report what you found – what people said, what they did and what they reported they did – in the past tense. As we suggest, you also go on to interpret your findings in the Results section - otherwise the reader would get very bored!
Methods94
Quality aims in survey research
95
Goal is to collect information that is: Valid: measures the quantity or concept that
is supposed to be measured Reliable: measures the quantity or concept in
a consistent or reproducible manner Unbiased: measures the quantity or concept
in a way that does not systematically under- or overestimate the true value
Discriminating: can distinguish adequately between respondents for whom the underlying level of the quantity or concept is different
Steps to design a questionnaire:
96
1. Write out the primary and secondary aims of your study.
2. Write out concepts/information to be collected that relates to these aims.
3. Review the current literature to identify already validated questionnaires that measure your specific area of interest.
4. Compose a draft of your questionnaire.5. Revise the draft.6. Assemble the final questionnaire.
Step 1: Define the aims of the study
97
Write out the problem and primary and secondary aims using one sentence per aim. Formulate a plan for the statistical analysis of each aim.
Make sure to define the target population in your aim(s).
Step 2: Define the variables to be collected
98
Write a detailed list of the information to be collected and the concepts to be measured in the study. Are you trying to identify: Attitudes Needs Behavior Demographics Some combination of these concepts
Translate these concepts into variables that can be measured.
Define the role of each variable in the statistical analysis: Predictor Confounder Outcome
99
Step 3: Review the literature
100
Review current literature to identify related surveys and data collection instruments that have measured concepts similar to those related to your study’s aims.
Saves development time and allows for comparison with other studies if used appropriately.
Proceed with caution if using only a subset of an existing questionnaire as this may change the meaning of the scores.
Contact the authors of the questionnaire to determine if a smaller version of the instrument exists that has also been validated.
101
Step 4: Compose a draft [1]:
102
Determine the mode of survey administration: face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, self-completed questionnaires, computer-assisted approaches.
Write more questions than will be included in the final draft.
Format the draft as if it were the final version with appropriate white space to get an accurate estimate as to its length – longer questionnaires reduce the response rate.
Place the most important items in the first half of the questionnaire to increase response on the important measures even in partially completed surveys.
Make sure questions flow naturally from one to another.
103
104
Review – Lecture 12 - 18
Resume writing Cover letter Research conventions Process – proposal and report
105