Writing Center Archives Vol. 1, Issue 7 at
Please note that this is an archival copy. It has not been changed from the original; as such, not all links will work properly! For the most up-to-date information, check out the Writing Center web site or associated Evergreen web sites.
Write On
Weekly writing information and resources from the Evergreen Writing Center
Vol. 1, Issue 7 [View Other Issues]
Visit the Writing Center's brand new Web site!
This week’s theme: Resumes
Quotation of the Week
"It's a continuation of what we saw last year, which really ends up being very dismal."
-- Camille Luckenbaugh, National Association of Colleges and Employers, referring to this year's job market slump, which is hitting college graduates especially hard. (ABC News)
Tip of the Week: Top Five Resume Strategies
Written using information provided by Wendy Freeman, Director of the TESC Career Development Center
1. Remember that your resume is a screening device; its purpose is to get you an interview. You must have easily identifiable, relevant information, or you will be screened out.
2. Employers will spend between ten and thirty seconds on your resume during the first review. In order to pass that review, you must spend the extra effort to target your resume to the particular position you are applying for.
3. Examine the job description for the position you are applying for and identify key words and phrases to use in your targeted resume. You also can visit the TESC Career Development Center and check out its list of 44,600 generic job descriptions.
4. The rule of thumb for resume length is one page for every ten years of experience. As a college student or recent graduate, your resume usually should be no longer than one page.
5. Always put the most relevant information first and the least relevant information last. Leave out any irrelevant information. A handy tool for determining relevance? Ask yourself, "Does this support my objective statement?"
A Word About Cover Letters
Recently, many employers, particularly state, federal, county and municipal employers, have started requiring applicants to submit something called a "letter of application" along with their resumes. But some applicants mistakenly assume a letter of application is the same as a cover letter. Understanding the difference between the two will help you avoid this disastrous blunder.
The main difference between the cover letter and the letter of application is length. A cover letter is never longer than a page and usually no longer than four paragraphs. A letter of application, however, is much longer. It is extremely detailed, very thorough, and specifically addresses your skills in relation to each of the job requirements. It can be as long as it needs to be to accomplish this purpose.
As you can see, submitting a cover letter when the employer asks for a letter of application is a sure way to take yourself out of the running for a job. Query your potential employers and double check which type of letter they require, and you’ll be sure you’re giving employers what they want.
For more information on resumes, cover letters, and all things career-related, visit the Career Development Center in Library 1407, or call 867- 6193.
The Writing Center also helps students organize and write their resumes. You can find us in Library 3407, or call 867- 6420 to make an appointment with a tutor.
Web Site Review – www.evergreen.edu/career
There are many résumé Web sites, but most of them want money to write your résumé for you. It is best, however, to learn how to write a résumé by yourself. If someone else does it for you, you may embarrass yourself when your future employer asks you what you meant when you wrote that you "managed" something, and you don’t really know. Also, writing your own résumé will give you a better idea of what makes you qualified for any given position, and this will lead to more confidence when it comes time for your interview.
One of the best résumé writing resources around is Evergreen’s own Career Development Web site. Career Development (www.evergreen.edu/career) provides excellent advice for résumé writing, as well as many examples of what a great résumé should look like.
The examples cover a variety of styles and structures, so you can feel free to mix and match and find what’s best for you. Although every résumé is unique, the examples will give you guidelines to help put your résumé into an easy-to-read format. Career Development also has produced a list of "power verbs," strong action words that will help you illustrate even your most minor accomplishments.
From the initial job search, to writing your résumé, to the post-interview thank you note, Career Development has compiled all the tips and tricks you’ll need to create effective job-snaring materials.
Writing Center News
**Summative Evaluations Workshop**
Wednesday, May 21st, 4:30-6:00pm, Library 3500
Summative evaluations are a valuable addition to your transcript. This workshop will help you understand what they are, how they function in your transcript, and how to write them.
This spring the Writing Center will present an entire series of open workshops, from "Avoiding Plagiarism" to "Writing Evaluations." For a complete list of workshops, check out the Workshop section of our Web site.
Stump the Tutors
Each week in this section we'll answer questions on various writing-related issues submitted by our readers. This week's question:
Q: Emily Dickinson is known for her use of
the dash in her poems. What’s the proper use of the dash?
A: We're glad you asked! Dashes are among the most versatile of punctuation marks. Their uses include the following:
- They can replace semicolons when introducing a list.
- They can introduce an example of something just stated.
- They can be used in place of commas for added impact –but only rarely.
Emily Dickinson has been thought to use the dash to indicate an unfinished or interrupted thought –like in this excerpt of her poem "712":
"We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground--
The Roof was scarcely visible--
The Cornice--in the Ground--
Since then--'tis Centuries--and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity--"
Stop by the Writing Center in Library 3407 and drop your question in our "Stump the Tutors" classic 1950s ceramic stump!