8-1Case Studies

Communication Situation:You will create a master list of résumé information for yourself. Save the information for Case Study 8-3.

Task: Review columnist Margo Frey’s suggestions about creating a master list of résumé information on page 255. For work experience, list each job, its specific tasks, and its task-related accomplishments. Use the same format to list information for education and for any other applicable résumé section.

8-2Case Studies

Communication Situation:Your 18-year-old neighbor gives you his résumé draft to review for content and format. Because you have experience in résumé writing and because your neighbor often alerts you to sales in the supermarket where he works, you agree to edit and format his résumé. He graduated from high school last week, and he is applying for the management trainee program (which includes tuition for an associate degree) at his current employer, Shop & Bag.

Task: Review the draft of Jerrod Smith’s résumé for organization, content, grammar, word usage, and spelling. Revise, edit, and rekey the résumé in reverse chronological order for traditional delivery. Add enhancements to the résumé for visual appeal.

Résumé of Jerrod Smith

1241 N. Oakland AvenueCell. 414.555-0118

Milwaukee, WI 53212E-mail:

Job: Management trainee

Employment: Shop and Bag, Milwaukee WI, part-time, from [insert date two years prior to current date]-present.

Worked as a stocker and fill shelfs and do inventory in a store that is 10,000 square feet. Also work extra hours and fill in when needed. Fill in as cashier when the store is busy. Help customers find special items. Assist store manager checking back orders with wholesalers and display holiday products.

Education: Graduated from Shorewood High School, Shorewood, Wisc. [insert June of current year]

Member of Student Marketing Organization (SMO) for four years. Treasurer for two years and used Excel for club’s financial information. Reporter on school newspaper for two years and was a junior class representative to the Shorewood Student Council.

Some important classes at Shorewood H.S. were Microcomputers in Business, Accounting 1, accounting 2, Interpersonal Communication, Science of technology, Marketing Techniques, Organization and Management, and Practical Applications in Math

Personal Characteristics: Friendly, tackful. I am also diligent and self-confident.

8-3Case Studies

Communication Situation:Review your findings from the following exercises and case study to prepare your own traditional print résumé. You will also use this information to prepare Case Studies 8-4 and 8-7.

  • Personal assessments, Exercises 8-2 and 8-5
  • Job ads and keywords, Exercise 8-6
  • Employer investigation, Exercise 8-7
  • Résumé master list, Case Study 8-1

Task A: Write a job objective for each of the two positions/companies you investigated in Exercise 8-7.

Task B: Write a summary of qualifications for each of the two positions/ companies.

Task C:Prepare your résumé. Customize the résumé to one of the employers/positions you identified in Task A. Choose a résumé style that best represents what you have to offer. Because this is a traditional print résumé, use techniques to enhance visual appeal. Include the job objective and/or summary of qualifications you prepared in Tasks A and B. Refer to Illustrations 8-1 and 8-2, pages 265–266, and Illustration 8-3, page 268, for helpful examples. You also may search online for résuméexamples if desired.

8-4Case Studies

Communication Situation:Prepare an e-résumé using the information from the print résumé you designed for Case Study 8-3.

Task: Review the ASCII format guidelines on page 269. Then create an e-résumé as a TXT file to ensure clear copy at the receiving end.

8-5Case Studies

Communication Situation: Jerrod Smith has asked you to help him with his cover letter draft, which appears on the following page. Review the material he provided for his résumé and refer to the résumé you edited for him in Case Study 8-2.

Task: Jerrod Smith gave you his cover letter draft. Review the draft for organization, content, grammar, word usage, and spelling. Help him edit. proofread, and revise his message. Shop & Bag is a family-owned organization of six stores in the Milwaukee area. Jerrod plans to work toward an associate degree in business midmanagement. Add a few reasonable details to create interest in Jerrod as an applicant. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA. Key the final letter in acceptable business letter format.

Anita Schartz, Human Resources Manager

Shop and Bag

215 W. Locust

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

Dear Ms. Schartz:

I am writing to apply for the management trainee position that you have open with Shop & Bag. Ihave been employed there for two years and just graduated from high school. My highschool andwork records are good ones, so I know I can do a good job for you. Mr. O’Brien, the manager at theLocust store told me about the position. My high school studies included some marketing and otherbusiness courses, and I was active in school clubs. My résumé shows more detail. Mr. O’Brien can tellyou that I come to work on time and do my job. I offer to work if others can’t come to work, and Ireally like working at Shop & Bag.

I am interested in business so much that I plan to work on a business midmanagement degree atMilwaukee Area Technical College. I can apply what I learn in classes to my job at Shop & Bag. Ihope you will consider me as a good applicant for the job and that we can interview soon.

Sincerely,

Jerrod Smith

8-6Case Studies

Communication Situation: The résumé that you prepared for Case Study 8-3 needs a cover letter. Review the information you collected about yourself, the position, and the employer. Also review your keywords list and your résumé master list.

Task A: Prepare an outline for your cover letter. Follow the persuasive strategy AIDA as you develop the outline.

Task B: Use your outline and your completed résumé as guides to prepare your cover letter. Direct the cover letter to the employer/job you identified in Case Study 8-3. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA and key the final cover letter in an acceptable business letter format.

8-7Case Studies

Communication Situation: Use the cover letter from Case Study 8-6 as the basis for an e-cover message.

Task: Prepare an e-cover message to precede the e-résumé that you prepared as a TXT file in Case Study 8-4. E-mail the combination e-cover message and e-résumé to your instructor.

8-8Case Studies

Ethics in Action—Discussion Generator

Directions:Read this case. Use the space provided to write your responses to the “Questions for Thought and Discussion.” For assistance in resolving ethical problems, refer to the “Framework for Making Ethical Decisions” available online at

Case:You have wanted to move back to your hometown, Littleton, ever since you graduated from college three years ago. You have a degree from State University and are currently employed as the Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation for Springville.

You want the Director of Parks and Recreation job in Littleton more than you have wanted any other job. To ensure a call for an interview, you plan to prepare a stellar résumé. You want the résumé to reflect that you are well qualified for the job. Getting this job would be like a homecoming. While thinking of things to include in the résumé, you wonder about stating that you lettered on the high school football team for four years (what a great addition to show leadership and team skills!). The truth is that you were on the team for four years, but you played and lettered only the last two years. In fact, you served on the practice squad the first two years.

Questions for Thought and Discussion

1. What ethical issues or questions do you see in this case?

2. What are your options? What could you do to try to resolve the situation?

3. What should you do? Why?