FINAL ACTIVITY ENGLISH IV

PREPARATION CLASSROOM MATERIAL

Here’s a set of selected material that will support the preparation and development of the Final Activity for
English IV.

I. WRITTEN PART

1. The Cover Letter

What is a cover letter?

To be considered for almost any position, you will need to write a letter of application. Such a letter introduces you,
explains your purpose for writing, highlights a few of your experiences or skills, and requests an opportunity to meet
personally with the potential employer.

Precisely because this letter is your introduction to an employer and because first impressions count, you should take
great care to write an impressive and effective letter. Remember that the letter not only tells of your accomplishments
but also reveals how effectively you can communicate.

The appropriate content, format, and tone for application letters vary according to the position and the personality of
the applicant. So you will want to ask several people (if possible) who have had experience in obtaining jobs or in
hiring in your field to critique a draft of your letter and to offer suggestions for revision.

What to include in a cover letter

 Try to limit your letter to a single page. Be succinct.
 Assess the employer's needs and your skills. Then try to match them in the letter in a way that will appeal to
the employer's self-interest.
 As much as possible, adjust your letter to each job opportunity. Demonstrate, if possible, some knowledge of
the organization to which you are applying.
 Write in a style that is mature but clear; avoid long and intricate sentences and paragraphs; avoid jargon. Use
action verbs and the active voice; express confidence, optimism, and enthusiasm coupled with respect and
professionalism.
 Show some personality, but avoid pressing, fashionable, or unorthodox letters. Start fast; attract interest
immediately.
 Arrange the points in a logical sequence; organize each paragraph around a main point.

How to organize a cover letter

This is one possible way to arrange the content of your cover letter:

Opening Paragraph: State why you are writing. Establish a point of contact (advertisement in a specific place for a
specific position; a particular person's suggestion that you write): give some brief idea of who you are (a Senior
engineering student at UW; a recent Ph.D. in History).

Paragraph(s) 2(-3): Highlight a few of the most salient points from your enclosed resume. Arouse your reader's
curiosity by mentioning points that are likely to be important for the position you are seeking. Show how your education
and experience suit the requirements of the position, and, by elaborating on a few points from your resume, explain
what you could contribute to the organization. (Your letter should complement, not restate, your resume.)

Closing paragraph: Stress action. Politely request an interview at the employer's convenience. Indicate what
supplementary material is being sent under separate cover and offer to provide additional information (a portfolio, a
writing sample, a sample publication, a dossier, an audition tape), and explain how it can be obtained. Thank the
reader for his/her consideration and indicate that you are looking forward to hearing from him/her.

How to format a cover letter

 Type each letter individually, or use a word processor.
 Use good quality bond paper.
 Whenever possible, address each employer by name and title.
 Each letter should be grammatically correct, properly punctuated, and perfectly spelled. It also should be
immaculately clean and free of errors.
 2. The Resume

Your resume is your most important tool when applying for a job. It doesn't matter how qualified you are, or how much
experience you have - if your resume is poorly presented or badly written, you're going to have trouble getting the job
you want - or even an interview.

Taking the time to work on your resume is really important. Here we offer you some tips and advice on how to
make your resume the best it can be.

The Purpose of a Resume

Your resume is a marketing tool. It needs to demonstrate:

 That you are employable

 How you meet the job and the organization's requirements
 That you have the right qualifications and education
 That you have the right experience and skills
 That you have the right level of professionalism for the job

How Long Should My Resume Be?

There is no set length for a resume. A resume varies in length depending on your experience and education. If you
haven't worked much before, one or two pages is best, but three pages is okay if you've got a lot of study and work
behind you.
Make sure you don't write too much on your resume. If your resume is only one page, as long as it's well-presented it
might get better results than a two-page resume full of unnecessary information.

Do I Need to Change My Resume for Each Application?

You need to adjust your resume to every job application so that it responds to the specific requirements of the job
you're applying for.
You might not need to change much, but you do need to make sure your opening statement, your key skills and your
personal attributes all respond to the needs of the role, based on the job ad (if there was one) and the research you've
done into the job.
You should also adjust your resume to show how your work experience specifically meets the needs of the job you're
applying for.

Resume Format Example

Your Contact Information
First and Last Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone (Cell/Home)
Email Address

Objective (optional)
What do you want to do? If you include this section it should be a sentence or two about your employment
goals. A customized objective that describes why you are the perfect candidate for the job can help your
resume stand out from the competition. This section may need to be adjusted with each job application to
match the position.

Career Summary / Highlights (optional)

A customized section of your resume that lists key achievements, skills, traits, and experience relevant to the
position for which you are applying can serve dual purposes. It highlights your relevant experience and lets
the prospective employer know that you have taken the time to create a resume that shows how you are
qualified for the specific job.

Experience
This section of your resume includes your work history. List the companies you worked for, dates of
employment, the positions you held, and a bulleted list of responsibilities and achievements.

Company #1
City, State
Dates Worked
Job Title
 Responsibilities / Achievements
 Responsibilities / Achievements

Company #2
City, State
Dates Worked
Job Title
 Responsibilities / Achievements
 Responsibilities / Achievements

Education
In the education section of your resume, list the schools you attended, the degrees you attained, and any
special awards and honors you earned.
College, Degree
Awards, Honors

Skills
Include skills related to the position / career field that you are applying for, such as computer skills or
language skills.
References available upon request
There is no need to include references on your resume or even to mention that references are available.
Rather, have a separate list of references to give to employers upon request.

II. ORAL PART

3. The Job Interview

Everyone has a job interview at some point in their life and they can be scary things. However, they are really
nothing to worry about. All a job interview does is give employers the chance to meet you and see if they like
you enough to give you a job. Get it right and you could end up with a great job, get it wrong and you’ll have
to live with unemployment or a role you hate for a bit longer.

So, what exactly is a job interview? The employer (and hopefully your future boss) asks you questions about
your career, personality and life and you answer honestly while trying to impress them. Easy, right? Not
really - job interviews can be really stressful. However, if you prepare properly for your job interview – and it
really is easy to do(!) – then you can get rid of the nerves and show your interviewer why they MUST hire
you. And so our interview advice is designed to get you job interview ready…

Just follow these 5 easy steps and you will stand the best chance of getting a job.

1. What type of interview is it?

There are three main types of interview and when you are offered one they should tell you what to expect…

 One-to-one interview – The most common type… You are interviewed by just one person (usually
the boss!) and it’s a simple question and answer session.
 Panel interview – This is where you’re interviewed by more than one person at a time – expect two
or more interviewers to be in the room with you.
 Competency interview – The most advanced interview type. You’ll be tested on different situations
e.g. ‘tell me about a time when you showed good teamwork’.

2. What should I wear?

It may sound silly but you must plan your interview outfit. You don’t necessarily have to wear a suit,
depending on what job you’re going for, but you should dress quite formally and show that you are a
respectable and professional person.

3. Practice interview questions

It’s important to practice interview questions. By just spending a little bit of time looking at common interview
questions and answers you can really improve your chances of getting the job.

4. Body language in the interview

Body language has a big part to play in your job interview. For example, if you sit slouched in your chair with
your arms crossed you could come across badly, even if your answers are good. If you sit comfortably you
express confidence.

5. Don’t forget to ask your own questions

At the end of almost every interview, the interviewer will say to you ‘do you have any questions for me?’ If
you shrug your shoulders and get tongue-tied then you can look uninterested. Go in with a few interview
questions of your own prepared, instead.

Potential interview questions

While there are as many different possible interview questions as there are interviewers, it always helps to be
ready for anything. Let’s start practicing:

 Basic interview questions:

 Tell me about yourself.
 What are your strengths?
 What are your weaknesses?
 Why do you want this job?
 Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?
 What's your ideal company?
 What attracted you to this company?
 Why should we hire you?
 What did you like least about your last job?
 When were you most satisfied in your job?
 What can you do for us that other candidates can't?
 What were the responsibilities of your last position?
  Why are you leaving your present job?
 What do you know about this industry?
 What do you know about our company?
 Are you willing to relocate?
 Do you have any questions for me?

 Behavioral interview questions:

 What was the last project you headed up, and what was its outcome?
 Can you describe a time when your work was criticized?
 Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you
handle it?
 Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?
 What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?
 How do you handle working with people who annoy you?
 If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would
you do?
 What was the most difficult period in your life, and how did you deal with it?
 Give me an example of a time you did something wrong. How did you handle it?
 Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict on the job.
 If you were at a business lunch and you ordered a rare steak and they brought it to you well
done, what would you do?
 If you found out your company was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would
you do?
 What assignment was too difficult for you, and how did you resolve the issue?
 What's the most difficult decision you've made in the last two years and how did you come to
that decision?
 Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the
end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.

 Salary questions:
 What salary are you seeking?
 What's your salary history?
 If I were to give you this salary you requested but let you write your job description for the next
year, what would it say?

 Career development questions:

 What are you looking for in terms of career development?
 How do you want to improve yourself in the next year?
 What kind of goals would you have in mind if you got this job?
 If I were to ask your last supervisor to provide you additional training or exposure, what would
she suggest?
 Getting started questions:
 How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team?
 How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution?
 What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days of this job?
 If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?