Today’s Plan:
- Analyzing Job Ads
- Rhetorically Constructing Resumes
- CEP Check Ins (and Reflection)
- Homework
Rhetorically Constructing Resumes
One reason I like analyzing job ads is that I think it helps you internalize some of the expectations and desires employers have. Over the years, I’ve gotten to the point where I can read an ad and identify cases where I can see that they don’t necessarily know exactly what they want–but I can think of another ad that probably speaks to their needs and desires. You probably won’t develop that sense just looking at X amount of ads, but this awareness should make you more familiar, and thus hopefully more confident, as you start developing your own materials.
When I teach resumes at the undergraduate level, I emphasize the importance of an rhetorical approach. I contrast this rhetorical approach to the more “philosophical” approach that tends to drive the advice one would get from career services or from many resume books and websites. Philosophical approaches try to teach hard and fast rules for developing materials. They tend to be more conservative when it comes to voice, tone, and content. I am skeptical of this kind of cookie cutter approach.
Rather, I think you want to approach your job materials less in terms of a baking recipe and more in terms of a high stakes poker game. When you play poker, the cards you hold are important. But equally important is your ability to read your opponents, and to make sure that you adjust your play based on theirs. You cannot plan out a poker strategy before you play the game–you can have ideas, certainly–but those ideas have to be re-calibrated once the game starts.
In terms of a job search and the construction your materials, it is useful to have drafted in advance material for a resume and a cover letter. But the resume and cover letter you send to a potential employer should always be transformed based on the position for which you apply. And these transformations shouldn’t be merely cosmetic–you should create content that you think speaks to that particular organizations needs. [Look at my job search letters]. This doesn’t mean I recommend writing a completely different letter for every job. I don’t, no one has time for that. But I do recommend spending time reading an ad carefully, thinking about how you arrange material, and making sure that the language you use in a letter matches up with the language you find not only on an ad, but also on an organization’s website (mission statement, about us, projects). Your resume and cover letter should show organizations how you can use research and rhetoric to craft more compelling prose. [job letters-unc (teaching), msu (new media), tamu (classical)].
Rhetoric is the art of adapting a message to a particular audience, of recognizing the affordances and advantages of a particular situation. It always involves elements of risk and chance. I believe job searches are particularly arbitrary–there is no system or pattern to what employers look for because every employer, every human resource director, is different, and brings to the process her own preferences, methods, and attitudes. The best we can do is to learn to analyze, listen, and think through possibilities–to be aware of the potential choices we have and to make precise calculations for every position to which we apply. While we can’t be certain, we can do our best to know our audience(s).
Some Practical Advice that May Even Be Useful, in Some Situations, Some of the Time
Okay, with those rhetorical reservations in place, let me tentatively offer some advice. First, we need to make sure we are designing resumes that are ATS (applicant tracking system) compliant. This is probably the biggest change I have had to deal with in the 12 or so years that I have taught resumes–the increasing difficulty and prioritization of designing a document that 1) can “beat” the machine and 2) is still persuasive, compelling, and/or readable to a human being. The advice 10 years ago focused on the importance of keywords (previous link). So does the advice today . I think our Coding Sheet is a great generic resource for identifying keywords–but be sure to code any advertisement to which you plan on applying to see if you can identify idiosyncratic language. Also, preparing resumes for ATS has implications for style and design. (Note: see tool at the bottom, see Common mistakes, short video)
So let’s assume that we’ve beaten the machine. Now our resume is in the hands (or more likely on the screen) of a human resource director or a manager who needs to wean a stack of 20-25 candidates down to a stack of 5 for interviews. Now we might have to beat the dreaded six second scan.. But beware keyword stuffing!
Let’s close this section with a review of some generic but staple resume advice–a few Squawkfox articles.
Homework
For next week, I’d like everyone to code and review the codes for 25 job ads from our corpus.
- Austin [every advertisement ending in 2]
- Amy [every advertisement ending in 3]
- Cole [every advertisement ending in 4]
- Emily [every advertisement ending in 5]
- Erika [every advertisement ending in 6]
- Jacob [every advertisement ending in 7]
Coding Resources:
- You will find the job numbers in our spreadsheet.
- The coding scheme is available here.
- You will find the job advertisements in this Google Drive Folder.
- Coding Norming Page
Coding in Google Docs is fairly simple–you only need to insert a comment to add a new code, or leave a comment to query (challenge) and existing one. I have added an assignment in Canvas that asks you to identify at least three comments you left on ads (these can be shorthand and we will review in class next week).
Additionally, I would like everyone to identify a position (job application or internship) for which they would like to at least theoretically apply. Your position can come from Linkedin, Monster, Media Bistro, Handshake (UNC’s job/internship application portal), anywhere. I’ve set up a portal in Canvas to turn in your Potential Job Target.
