Attached here is the research you’ll be doing to prepare for writing this letter. While you are only required to respond to 10 basic questions, and only need to include 5 sources total, it may behoove you to accumulate any information you find useful towards your future professional (or further academic goals).
Each of the ten questions only asks for one resource link, but you are encouraged to gather whatever extra info you need and include in the assignment (or in your own personal file for future use). Please don’t include TOO much, though, as I have to skim through 150 submissions.
Writing a Cover Letter:
At this point in your academic career, most of you have figured out a general direction (or a
specific one) that you wish to pursue professionally after graduation. Some of you are already
working in your field of choice, or on the brink of it (Shout out to all the students who recently
passed their RN test!!). Regardless, the purpose of this is assignment is to teach you HOW to
effectively write an informed professional letter whether it be for seeking a job, gaining
experience opportunity, introducing yourself, etc.
In today’s fast-moving, competitive context, writing strong professional correspondenceâ€â€
especially NOW that we find ourselves functioning without physical face to face interactionâ€â€
can effectively facilitate your entry into your field/profession OR facilitate your upward
movement within a certain field/profession/company that you are already working in/for.
If you have not had to think that far ahead yet in regard to a professional position (or internship)
within your chosen field that you’re currently studying, that’s okay. I again remind you that the
goal here is to strengthen your professional correspondence writing skills so that you can apply
what you learn to future writing tasks that will inevitably arise.
Quite simply, this assignment will require some basic, but focused research (an important skill in
itself) which means you will need to delve into your field of study and also select a company or
organization that you would ideally like to work for post-graduation.
Since this an hypothetically written letter (for class credit), you can use this assignment to delve
into what your “dream job†would entail at a company that interests you. If you already have a
job at a certain company that you’d like to work for in mind, even better; use this assignment to
write a cover letter that you’ll likely have to write to gain a position with there. If you’re working
for a company that has a “next-level†job you’d like to apply for, this is your chance. On the
other hand, you may also use this assignment as an opportunity to apply for an internship (or for
other experience needed to enter your profession or facilitate upward movement) that you might
need to enter your profession.
Okay, let’s start the first step…
RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT: Worth 50 points total
1. Research your intended profession (or current one).
2. Research a company/organization you would like to work for (or already work for).
Instructions:
Cut and paste the numbered “Questions to consider…†below into a Word doc.
Under each of the numbered questions (1-10), include the following using a lettered (as
illustrated) bulleted format response:
a. Insert at least ONE working link to a credible and relevant resource,
b. Insert relevant, quoted bits of information from that resource (or resources if you
included multiple links) in a bulleted format (I should be able to skim your info
quickly; NO PARAGRAPHS). You may paraphrase but the idea here is to get
some juicy nuggets of information that you can use to show your knowledge and
gain your audience’s trust.
c. Include some brief notes that explain how the information you include is relevant to
your purpose here. Your purpose is to provide some insight into who you are and
what you want in writing this letter, and why.
Submit the word doc under this Canvas assignment. Please edit for clarity. Be
sure that you follow the instructions above in regard to how to format your
response.
Questions to consider when researching your intended profession:
Researching the Field/Job:
Part A:
1. What will/does a job in this profession entail? And/or what tasks will you perform on a daily
basis? And/or which responsibilities will you have?
2. What type of specific education/training is required to obtain a job in this profession?
3. What is the current job/career outlook? In other words, what is happening in the field right
now that reflects real or potential growth in your field? (home in on what intrigues you?)
4. What is the average starting salary? Any perks and/or benefits that particularly attract you?
5. Who are some noteworthy people who have worked or are working in this profession? Or are
advocating on behalf of it?
Questions to consider when researching the company/organization:
Part B:
6. What is the company/organization’s “mission statement� (quote it; in your brief notes,
explain how that appeals to you because of what it says about them)
7. Who founded the company? Who is currently “in charge� Quote something powerful and
relevant that they have said.
8. How long has the company/organization been in existence? Any big obstacles they have
overcome? Successes? Awards? (this is particularly important information needed to write a
quality cover letter; consider including more than 1 link/resource to answer).
9. Who are some noteworthy people who have worked or are working for this company? (if this
is not applicable, focus on providing more info for #8)
10. What do others say about this company? (If applicable, see Fast Company or Fortune
Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.†) Another approach would be to Google the
company/organization’s name and scroll till you find a credible source/journalist/high-profile
person saying something noteworthy about it that might be of use to you in writing your
letter (appeal to ethos).
Grading Criteria: Worth 50 points total; each question worth up to 5 points.
To maximize credit earned, you work must show that:
•
Instructions are followed in regard to format. Take note of Part A and B, and the
numbering of the 5 questions beneath each: a. link, b. quoted/paraphrased info, c. brief
explanation of relevance of info you included.
o Information is quoted correctly, or paraphrased for ease of absorbing content
quickly. I will expect some information to be in quotation marks.
•
At least 5 different sources in total are included. Since some sources can provide a wide
range of useful information, it’s okay to utilize some of them to answer multiple
questions of the 10 in the assignment above.
•
The types of sources you include should vary since there are so many to choose from.
o Here are some recommended options: Online and electronic published books,
articles from a relevant/credible magazine, newspapers, scholarly journals
(obtained from an article database such as EBSCOhost or Proquest), TedTalks,
YouTube videos, pamphlets, reputable websites, documentaries, speeches,
podcasts, etc.
Note: Subject specific encyclopedias such as Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance
are acceptable; however, generic sources and encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, Encarta,
Britannica, World Book, Ask.com, About.com, or Questia.com are not acceptable as the sources
for this Module (however, you MAY use them for your own personal inquiries).
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