For this assignment, you are required to find 3 jobs/scholarships/internships/graduate programs that you are interested in applying to. Then, you are to write a resume and cover letter/statement of purpose indicating why you would be a good fit for the position.

Part 1: Job Hunting and Summary

Find three jobs/scholarships/internships/graduate programs and write a summary of why you are interested in applying for this opportunity. This can be in bullets or paragraph form but be specific. (100-200 words).

This can look like: one job-one internship-one scholarship, three jobs, two graduate programs-one internship etc).

Part 2: Resume

Out of the three opportunities you have found, pick two that you could potentially see yourself applying for. You don’t actually have to apply if you don’t want to but write a resume for two of the opportunities, tailoring your resume for the position.

Part 3: Cover Letter/Personal Statement

Write a cover letter/personal statement for the two opportunities you have selected. Usually, when you apply for a job/internship/scholarship, your cover letter explains why you are a good fit for the position. Sometimes, the company/organization can ask you to answer a specific question such as, “why do you want to work at X?” Graduate school programs will usually ask for a personal statement answering the question, “why do you want to be a X?” Look at the specific requirements for the professional opportunity and answer the specific question/prompt they want answered. If they don’t have a question or prompt, explain why you would be a good fit for the position.

Part 4: Memo

Write a memo to me (Professor Gandhi) answering the following questions:

1. explaining your research process on finding the three opportunities
2. why you selected the two out of the three
3. how you wrote/adapted your resume for each position
4. how you wrote/adapted your cover letter for each position
5. what you struggled with, if anything, when writing this assignment
6. what you learned, if anything, when writing this assignment

The memo should be no more than 2 pages. This is your chance to tell me what you learned, what your experience was with this assignment, and anything else you want me to know.

The more work you put into the memo, the easier it will be when you write the Self-Assessment Essay at the end of the semester (don’t worry, we’ll go over that eventually).

Due Dates:

Your first draft of Resume #1 is due: Tuesday, 2/6

Your first draft of Cover Letter #1 is due: Thursday, 2/8

Your first draft of Resume #2 is due: Tuesday, 2/13

Your first draft of Cover Letter #2 is due: Tuesday, 2/13

Your final draft of Resume #1 and #2 and Cover Letter #1 and #2 with Memo are due: Thursday, 2/15

Assignment Goals and Evaluation Criteria (Rubric)

Appeal to an intended audience with the creation of resumes and cover letters: How effectively do each resume and cover letter tailor its argument, genre, rhetorical strategies, style, and language to meet the expectations of the intended audience? Specifically, does the student use appropriate and enough key words from the original listing on their resumes and cover letters? Are the resumes in reverse chronological order? Do the cover letters/personal statements/statements of purpose articulate how the applicant is a good fit for the position by providing examples from different experiences, provide evidence in terms of how they conducted research on the company/scholarship/fellowship/graduate program etc? If there is a personal statement, is there a story to engage the reader?

Analyze rhetorical strategies in your own texts. How effective is the analysis of the rhetorical text that you created? How effectively is that analysis supported with explanation tying back to rhetorical terms and the rhetorical situation (i.e., information about the author, text, context/exigence, purpose, and audience)? Specifically, how effectively does the memo talk about how the student tailored their resumes and cover letters/personal statements/statements of purpose to fit their purpose and audience?

Are the resumes and cover letters grammatically and stylistically consistent and professional in terms of having headings, subheadings, content etc. in same font/font size etc.?

Are the resumes and cover letters significantly revised from the first drafts based on peer review comments? If not, the grade will be deducted by 5 points.

Is the assignment totally completed and submitted on time? Totally complete means there is a memo, two resumes and two cover letters. If an extension is granted by the professor (the student must email the professor 24 hours in advance asking for an extension and proposing a date they will submit), is the assignment submitted by the new deadline?