Exam 1: The Career Portfolio: The Résumé, Cover Letter, and Elevator Pitch

Rachel, a first-year student at the John Molson School of Business, wants to apply for a Corporate Communication internship at Dior's head office in New York. Rachel has never completed a job application and is not sure how to start the job application process. What would you advise her to start with?

Which job seekers are chronological résumés best suited for? Why?

For whom is a functional résumé not the most effective?

Kyla, your roommate, is writing a cover letter for a Public Relations position at APPFORMS. Knowing that you are taking a Business Communications class, Kyla asks for your advice on what to include in the opening paragraph of the cover letter. Briefly explain to Kyla the function of an opening paragraph.

What is the purpose of a cover letter?

Effective résumés use parallel structures to express similar ideas.

What is the function of a cover letter?

Describe the job search process.

You should pad your résumé to grab the employer's attention.

Which job seekers are functional résumés most suited for? Why?

An effective cove letter links your qualifications to the job and shows your fit with the organization and the industry.

Your friend, Alma, who is taking a Business Communications class, advises you to prepare an elevator pitch before you go to the campus job fair. What is an elevator pitch?

How does identifying your transferable skills help you craft your résumé?

Sven, a first-year student at your university is writing his first résumé and wants your advice on whether to include a Career Objective section or not. Drawing on your knowledge from the textbook, what advice would you give Sven? Why?

The reader of your résumé will focus on your choice of verbs because verbs describe your actions and tell your story.

In you textbook, what does the acronym SCOPE stand for?

Which of the following headings should you include in any résumé, regardless of the type of résumé you have chosen?

The purpose of an elevator pitch is to encourage further contact and perhaps land you an interview.

Which of the following work experience sections best describes Brian's PR summer internship responsibilities?

A résumé is a one size fits all, while a cover letter has to be tailored for every job application.