How To Write A Job Application

Transcription

1 AEC 3033C Research & Business Writing for Agricultural and Life Science Erin Nessmith Welcome to the wonderful world of business and research writing! Please Read Carefully. My Goal for This Class -It is important as you prepare to graduate and find yourself an exciting career that you are prepared to present an employer with a list of your credentials. By the end of this course you will have a completed cover letter, resume, and writing samples to provide to a potential employer. Working within the field of Agriculture, you will need to be prepared on how to respond to current issues and topics in a positive and resourceful manner. This course will provide you with the tools and experiences to do just that! Course Description - This course focuses on the essentials of writing for business and scientific applications. Our goal as the instructional team is to help prepare you for graduate school or careers by improving your writing skills. Course content will center on practical applications including Resume writing and applying for a job Evaluating information sources Business correspondence Primary and secondary research Audience analysis Research report development Critical & Creative thinking Technology in the context of communication Required Textbook YES! You WILL need this book. DO NOT wait to order/buy this much needed reference. Be aware that all material assigned from this book is fair game on quizzes and assignment expectations. The assignment page numbers will come from the 4th edition, but you should be okay if you order the third edition (all of the information in the text is identical); it is also cheaper. Please let me know if there is a significant difference from my instructions and what is available to you in the 3rd edition. Technical Communication Today, fourth edition; author: Johnson-Sheehan; ISBN Course Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to 1) Write and communicate effectively in both business and scientific contexts, 2) Use new technology to enhance writing skills, 3) Communicate information tailored to the needs and expectations of audiences, 4) Compose a professional, relevant, and accurate resume and job cover letter 5) Gather, evaluate, and summarize information for research purposes (secondary research), 6) Create a survey questions to gather information through primary research, 7) Complete the 6000 word Gordon Rule requirement, 8) Compile primary and secondary research findings in an analytical/persuasive report, and 9) Enjoy learning how to effectively and properly communicate through your writing. AEC 3033C 1 P age

2 Sakai Account All students will be automatically enrolled for Sakai on e-learning for this course once they have paid registration. Course modules, assignments, resources, grades, and other materials will be posted on the course page throughout the semester. Students are expected to check Sakai frequently (as in every day) and are responsible for monitoring their grades on the system. Software Technology is now an important aspect to both research and business writing, and this course will offer opportunities for you to advance both your writing and technology skills. All assignments will be submitted electronically through Sakai and MUST be created in Microsoft Word. Your assignments will be graded electronically and resubmitted to you via Sakai (again, as a Word document). Class Format You will have a weekly/bi-weekly lesson via module. You should complete modules the week in which they are assigned in order to complete assignments and quizzes before the next week. Modules will help you complete assignments and give examples of what type of work will be expected of you. Quizzes will be completed in Sakai and are worth 20 points each and should be completed on Fridays during the allotted course time. Quizzes are timed. Quizzes will include information from the assigned readings and the modules. Students are REQUIRED to be able to send and receive . is your first point of contact for your teacher. first utilizing enessmith@ufl.edu! Your UF and E-learning will both be utilized to contact you. Additionally, you may contact me by phone or . Please note that it may take up to 24-hours to receive a response. Grading Please be reminded of the UF grading scale, which now accounts for minus grades. Grading Scale A = A- = B+ = B = B- = C+ = C = C- = D+ = D = D- = E = 599 and below There will be opportunities for extra credit. Extra credit opens and closes on the same day. Continually check your assignments panel for these opportunities. Please do not ask about extra credit. If you seek as much help as possible on your assignments, and complete all of the extra credit that will be posted, you will be fine in this course. Please make sure that you utilize me for help- that is what I am here for. Also, I do NOT believe in excuses. You are all adults. If you have an issue that has come up and you need additional time, let me know. I will work with you if I believe it is something out of your control. However, I do not believe in late assignments, so turn your work in on time AEC 3033C 2 P age

3 Assignments Points Word Count Needed Syllabus Information Hunt.10 points..n/a Student Information Sheet 30 points..300 Job Application Packet First. 80 points....n/a Job Application Packet Final points Analytical Report Topic Choice.. 60 points Survey Questions..80 points..300 Analytical Report First points.n/a Analytical Report Final..200 points 2000 Online Blog points.2000 Quizzes 20 pts each)..200 points..n/a TOTALS 1000 points 6000 Assignment Descriptions You will be provided with a rubric, instructions and objectives for major assignments once you access Sakai. Below is a brief overview of each assignment. Assignments are turned in through your Sakai site not UF . Ease posted assignment in Sakai will contain an attachment with the directions and the grading rubric. READ THE DIRECTIONS VERY CAREFULLY. COMPLETE EACH STEP. Syllabus Information Hunt: Yes, it does sound elementary; however, this will help remind you exactly how this course works and the expectations from the instructor. It is also a reminder for the instructor that you have reviewed the syllabus, and know exactly what is expected of you. Student Information Sheet: This assignment is designed for your instructor to get to know you better. You will answer questions about yourself and insert a picture of yourself utilizing a pre-made editable document. Job Application Packet: There are three parts to this assignment. 1) Locate a job posting OR create one that matches a job you will be applying for upon graduation. Describe the job and why it is something you are interested in, 2) complete a cover letter correlated to the job posting, and 3) complete a resume for the job. You will submit a first draft of your cover letter and your resume, and then a final draft. Analytical Report Topic Choice: You will need to select 2 topics in agriculture that you have a strong opinion towards. You will be conducting a survey on your topic of choice, and then compiling the survey information in an informative, persuasive and analytical research report. Choose your topic(s) wisely. The topic will be submitted and APPROVED before you may start surveying individuals. For this assignment, you will compile a brief introduction to your topics, and why you are deciding to utilize those topics for your report. You will also provide sources and citations for your topic. Survey Questions: You will create 20 survey questions that reference your topic of choice. Five of those questions need to be demographic questions to understand to sample population. You create an account through Hwww.qualtrics.comH. There will be a module posted online in Sakai demonstrating how to set-up a free Qualtrics quiz. You will need a sample size of 50 or more individuals. For this assignment you will submit the questions along with a word document describing your survey and survey methods. Analytical Report: Utilizing your topic and survey results, you will compile an informative, persuasive, and analytical research report. Please look to the modules and lessons for specific information on the report. This report will be in thirdperson point of view. Make sure to include the proper report structure, as well as utilizing APA style formatting and referencing for any sources and citations that you utilize for your report. Online Blog: Students will create an online account and blog through Hwww.Wordpress.comH. This is a creative writing opportunity. Blogging allows you to become more familiar with a topic, express your opinions, and receive quality feedback from those in the blogging community. This is not a diary. Each blog needs to have a current topic (news, agriculture, your area of interest) and contain proper spelling and grammar. Students will complete eight blogs as well as comment on ten blogs posted by fellow classmates. Quizzes: Any information presented in the modules, textbook reading and additional postings by the instructor are fair game on these timed assessments. AEC 3033C 3 Page

4 Gordon Rule In order to receive credit for the Gordon Rule Writing Requirement you must make a C or better. Thus, a C- does NOT meet the Gordon Rule Writing Requirement. The Writing Requirement (Gordon Rule) ensures students both maintain their fluency in writing and use writing as a tool to facilitate learning. In addition to requirements listed in the grading rubrics, grammar, punctuation, clarity, coherence, and organization will be assessed by the instructional team for all submissions. Submitting Course Assignments Assignments are due the Thursday before 11:55 p.m. the week they are due except for quizzes- they have a specified time and due date. All assignments will be submitted electronically through Sakai and MUST be in Word document form. Quizzes will be completed through Sakai. Your assignments will be graded electronically and resubmitted to you via Sakai (again, as a Word document with comments attached). - Please submit your files with the following name: lastname_assignmenttitle.doc (i.e. Nessmith_InfoSheet.doc) - As a safety net, you may also submit your assignment as an attachment through Sakai Mail Late Assignments Policy Assignments, except quizzes, are due before 11:55 p.m. on the respective due dates. Technical difficulties will NOT be an excuse, so plan to submit earlier, like a day early! An assignment submitted after this time will receive a 10% deduction per day up to three days for late assignments. After three days from the assigned due date, the assignment will not be accepted. If the assignment is due on a Friday, you lose 10% for turning it in on Saturday, 20% for Sunday, and 30% for Monday, which would be the last day to submit. This policy applies to all major assignments. - The only exception is if you have a university excused absence and you MUST provide official documentation to your teacher within 3 days. - Late work will not be accepted for quizzes Academic Honesty As a result of completing the registration form at the University of Florida, every student has signed the following statement: "I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic pursuits. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University." An academic honesty offense is defined as the act of lying, cheating, or stealing academic information so that one gains academic advantage. As a University of Florida student, one is expected to neither commit nor assist another in committing an academic honesty violation. Additionally, it is the student's duty to report observed academic honesty violations. Violations of academic honesty will be addressed per university guidelines. Special Assistance Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. That office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation. UF Counseling Services Resources are available on-campus for learners having personal problems or lacking clear career and academic goals, which interfere with their academic performance. These resources include: 1. University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, , personal counseling; 2. Learner Mental Health, Learner Health Care Center, , personal counseling; 3. Center for Sexual Assault/Abuse Recovery and Education, Learner Health Care Center, , X231, sexual counseling; 4. Career Resource Center, Reitz Union; , career development assistance and counseling. Software Use All faculty, staff, and learners of the University are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate. Syllabus Disclaimer (please read) Serious effort and consideration were used in formulating the syllabus. While viewed as an educational contract between the instructor and student, unforeseen events may cause changes to the scheduling of assignments, quizzes, etc. The instructor reserves the right to make any changes deemed necessary to best fulfill the course objectives. Students registered for this course will be made aware of any changes in a timely fashion using reasonable means. AEC 3033C 4 P age

5 Week Modules Readings Assignments Due Assignments Returned to You 1 8/22-8/25 Course Introduction Syllabus 1) Syllabus Scavenger Hunt 2)Student Information Sheet 2 8/26-9/1 3 9/2-9/8 4 9/9-9/15 5 9/16-9/22 6 9/23-9/29 7 9/30-10/6 8 10/7-10/ /14-10/ /21-10/ /28-11/ /4-11/ /11-11/ /18-11/ /25-12/ /2-12/5 Communication in the Workplace & The Writing Process Cover Letters & Resumes Introduction to Blogs Blogs 101 Chapters 1 Chapter 5 & 11 Chapters 13, 15, 17 Chapter 23 Chapter 14 1) Quiz 1 1)Blog Site Name 2)Cover Letter & Resume First 1)Syllabus Scavenger Hunt 2)Student Information Sheet Grammar Appendix A 2)Quiz 2 Cover Letter & Resume First Starting Your Career Supplemental 1)Quiz 3 & Interviewing Reading on Sakai 2)Cover Letter & Resume Developing Online Survey Questions & Analyzing Data Researching, Finding Sources & Plagiarism Chapter 14 Chapter 7 APA Style Appendix C 2)Quiz 6 Managing your online presence Considering Readers & Contexts in Analytical Reports Creating & Using Graphics Chapters 2 & 10 Chapters 3, 23 Chapters 18 & 19 Chapters 10, 11 Organizing & ing Chapter 16 Chapter 8 Reports & Proposals Chapters 8 & 9 Chapters 21, 22 Planning & Persuasion Chapters 13 & 17 Chapters 6, 9 New Media in the Workplace Ethics in Writing & The Workplace Chapters 22 & 23 Chapters 13, 14 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Final 1)Quiz 4 2) Topic Choice for Report 1)Quiz 5 2)Survey Questions & Link 1)Quiz 7 2)Specialty Blog Topic On Managing Social Media (You should have all of your survey data collected at this point) 1)Quiz 8 1)Analytical Report First 1)Quiz 9 1)Quiz 10 1)Analytical Report Final 1)Blog Assignment 3 1)Cover Letter & Resume Final 2)Topic Choice Approval Survey Questions Approval Instructor reflection comments on specialty blog topic post Analytical Report 1st Analytical Report Final AEC 3033C 5 P age