Business Communication

1
Business Communication

• Find job listing in your field or related field
• Print out or provide copy, and attach to
  assignment
• Resume
• Cover letter
• Thank you letter
• Email

2
Resume

• Limit to 1 or 2 pages
• Organize information into clear categories
• Present information in each category in reverse
  chronological order - most recent first
• Use bulleted lines or some other simple, clear
  visual device to organize information
• Use strong active verbs, in proper tense
• Incorporate key words likely to be searched by a
  computerized scanner

3
Resume

• Categories
• Name, address, phone number and email
• Objective
• Education
• Experience
• Activities
• Other info (portfolio or website, if applicable
• References (Available upon request)
• http//www.careercenter.sjsu.edu/students/launch/R
  esume_covLet/resume_toolkit/resume_toolkit.html
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/631/01/
  

4
Cover Letter

• Use business format
• Be direct, clear, and courteous
• Do not indent paragraphs
• Single space lines, and double space between
  paragraphs
• Introduce yourself
• State the position you seek
• Highlight past experiences that qualify you for
  the position
• Emphasize what you can do for the employer
• End by stating that you look forward to hearing
  from them
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/734/01/
  

5
Cover Letter

• Use business format
• single space within sections
• double space between sections
• Sections
• Your name and address
• Date
• Inside address of prospective employer
• Salutation (Dear Ms. Diaz or Dear Mr. Chen)
• Body of letter
• Closing (Sincerely)
• 3 spaces (for your signature)
• Your name
• Enclosure
• Use professional tone
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/652/01/
  

6
Thank You Letter

• Use business format and professional tone
• single space within sections
• double space between sections
• Thank the person for meeting with you to discuss
  prospective employment
• Refer to the date of your meeting and the
  position for which you applied
• Follow up on any information that may have been
  unclear at the meeting
• Restate why you are qualified for the position
  and what you can offer the company
• State that you look forward to hearing from him
  or her soon
• Close by saying If you have any questions or
  need additional information, please feel free to
  contact me at phone number or email.

7
Business Email

• Put meaningful, concise subject in subject line
• Put the most important info first
• Provide a summary at the beginning of long
  messages
• Write concisely, keep paragraphs short
• Avoid all caps or all lower case font
• Use professional tone
• Use formatting sparingly
• Proofread carefully
• Check with original sender before forwarding, or
  copy them too
• If you write something about another person, copy
  that person on the email
• Keep in mind that anyone can read your workplace
  email
• It is not a secure form of communication, unless
  encrypted
• Your employers system administrator will be able
  to read your messages
• Dont write anything in the email that you
  wouldnt want anyone in the company to read
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/636/01/